GNT #142: 6 connections every purpose-led business needs

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read time: 4 minutes

Over the past few years, I’ve found myself in very different rooms.

In some, I was leading marketing and growth strategy as a CMO, helping companies clarify what they stand for and how to scale it.

In others, I was working alongside purpose-driven leaders to build communities that raise awareness and resources for causes that matter.

And often, I’ve been in quiet one-on-one coaching conversations with entrepreneurs who are trying to build businesses that don’t just succeed but feel good to run.

Different people. Different goals. But there’s been one pattern I can’t ignore:

Connection always comes before growth.

When people feel connected to what they’re building, to the people they’re building it with, and to the purpose behind it, everything works better. The strategy makes sense. The energy stays high. The work actually feels lighter.

When that connection fades, alignment breaks and even the best plans stall out.

That realization is shaping the framework I’ve developed and used for years, now refining and teaching it more intentionally as the Grow on Purpose System (GPS), a practical model and business accelerator for aligning profit, purpose, and well-being.

One of the key components of that framework is something I call Community Design: the practice of intentionally shaping the relationships, rhythms, and environments that make growth sustainable.

But community, in this sense, goes far beyond customers or employees. It’s the full ecosystem around your business. Your partners, peers, advocates, and the networks that give your work life.

Sometimes that looks like a branded community. Sometimes it’s an event, a shared cause, or even a conversation that connects two people who might not have met otherwise.

When those connections are intentional, they create belonging, trust, and energy - the real fuel for sustainable growth.

In today’s newsletter, we’ll look at 6 kinds of connection that strengthen that ecosystem - and how to design them so your business can grow on purpose.

Let’s get to it.

#1. Connection to your inner world

Every strong business community starts with a centered leader. Your ability to create connection externally is directly tied to how connected you are to yourself - your energy, values, and purpose.

When leaders drift, connection everywhere else starts to break down. Self-connection anchors integrity and direction.

Try this:
Create a weekly pause to check in with yourself. Put it on your calendar and make it a non-negotiable. Ask: Does how I’m working align with what I’m building? Small recalibrations keep your leadership grounded.

#2. Connection to core relationships

Before we design outward-facing networks, we have to nurture the close ones: team, partners, and collaborators. These are the people inside your “inner circle of trust.”

Healthy relationships here create safety, shared vision, and efficiency. They form the human infrastructure of your business.

Try this:
Make connection a regular practice, not a reaction. A quick check-in, genuine feedback, or shared reflection does more for morale than any coffee machine ever will.

#3. Connection to shared identity

People want to belong to something bigger than themselves. To be part of a story they can stand behind.

In your business, that’s the bridge between culture and brand: a clear sense of who you are, what you stand for, and who you serve. It’s what transforms employees into ambassadors and customers into advocates.

Try this:
Revisit your brand story and values. Are they clear, lived, and visible in everyday decisions? Purpose doesn’t inspire people until they can feel it.

#4. Connection through shared action

True connection often forms through doing, not talking. Collaboration, service, and shared experiences are where belonging deepens.

In the Greater Good research, activity-based communities, from local sports to volunteering, were linked to stronger well-being and trust. The same applies to your business ecosystem.

Try this:
Design one shared experience this quarter that brings people together through action. Ex: a collective campaign, an active roundtable, or a hands-on customer event. Connection grows through movement.

#5. Connection to your environment

Where connection happens matters. Spaces (digital and physical) shape how people interact, whether that’s an online platform, a conference, or a local meetup.

Your job as a leader isn’t just to grow a business, it’s to design the environments that make connection possible. That’s what community design really is: intentionally shaping the context for belonging.

Try this:
Audit your “connection touchpoints.” Where do people naturally engage with your business? How could those moments feel more human and less transactional?

#6. Connection to service

The final, and most sustaining, form of connection is service.

Serving others creates purpose, deepens trust, and strengthens both well-being and growth. Volunteering, mentoring, or contributing your expertise builds reciprocity and meaning. It also signals to your community what you value most.

Try this:
Choose one way to give back this quarter. It could be mentoring inside your industry, supporting a local cause, or contributing to a network you're feeling pulled to.

Takeaway

Connection isn’t a side effect of good growth, it’s a design principle behind it.

When you nurture these 6 kinds of connection - to yourself, your people, your shared identity, your actions, your environment, and your service - your business becomes a living ecosystem.

And the ROI is undeniable. Deeper trust drives retention, clarity accelerates decisions, and belonging builds brands people stay loyal to. Growth becomes more efficient and far more sustainable.

That’s what Community Design is all about - one of the core practices inside the Grow on Purpose System (GPS) I've been refining and teaching. It's part of the growth most leaders overlook, and the one that delivers the highest long-term return.  

I’ve seen what happens when leaders start to build this way, and I can’t wait to share more of the system with you soon.

I'm always rooting for you. See you next week.

-Colleen

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If you liked this article, you might also like:

GNT #024: $500k+ in 18 mo. 3 Lessons That Help Me Grow Communities
GNT #022: 3 Game-Changing Ways to Grow with Collaboration
GNT #095: Where is Your Third Place?

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