An ancient African proverb says, “If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.”
While we all experience the temptation of wanting to move fast, we must recognize that we can go much farther if we are surrounded by great people.
For those who choose the path of entrepreneurship this quote rings especially true.
Many entrepreneurs think they have to be the lone wolf and take on the world themselves and that is simply not the case.
Being a lone wolf is not fun, it hurts, and it’s depressing.
To combat this feeling there has been a rise in Co-Living Entrepreneur Communities because of all the inherent benefits that come with this kind of living arrangement.
Community is so important because it helps stabilize you, similar to guardrails on the bowling alley.
Your community acts as a support system that keeps you going down the right path.
When running your business feels like chewing glass and staring at an abyss, your community is there for you.
When there is uncertainty, you can have meetings to bring up fear and discuss solutions.
In addition to this support, positive camaraderie is created as you help each other accomplish goals.
Kyle Lasota, a successful serial entrepreneur, was experiencing this loneliness and stumbled upon his solution – a mansion for entrepreneurs to live, work, play, and achieve goals together.
Him and his housemates named this amazing place, “Manifest Mansion”
According to Kyle, the mission of Manifest Mansion is “to create the tightest community of the happiest, healthiest, most productive young entrepreneurs with a go-giving mentality.”
Manifest Mansion has become a hub that fosters holistic success focusing on all areas of life – health, wealth, relationships, and fulfillment.
Being in this positive environment amplifies everything in your life.
As the founder of Leave Normal Behind, a social impact movement and modern-day renaissance community, I am always connecting with individuals like Kyle who are inspiring others to become the best version of themselves, give back, create things that matter, love, and encourage others to do the same.
Below I share the 5 Core Principles of Manifest Mansion so you can understand the inner workings of a successful co-living entrepreneurial environment.
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The 5 Core Principles of Manifest Mansion
- Mission statement and core values
- The mission statement is the north star of any co-living situation because it guides all decision-making. The core values go underneath and act as a filtering mechanism by which to hold people accountable. The mission creates the culture of the house. The culture is what you stand for and what you stand against.
- Roles & Responsibilities
- Each person has specific roles and responsibilities for the house in order to avoid conflict and resentment that might build in a typical co-living situation. This creates a really transparent, safe, and supportive environment because everyone knows what they are supposed to do, when they are supposed to do it, and if they are making progress on what they are trying to create with accountability around that.
- Quarterly Retreats
- At quarterly retreats you really connect and go deep with your housemates. At the retreats you plan and set up an OKR (Objective Key Result) for the next quarter.
- This is extremely beneficial because you remove yourself from the day-to-day and give yourself time for reflection, expression, and clearing. If anything needs to be cleared amongst the house it gives the safe space and opportunity to do so. In addition, you have FUN. Real deep connection happens when you have experiences with others, both positive and negative therefore it’s essential to schedule time for hard conversations and lots of FUN.
- At quarterly retreats you really connect and go deep with your housemates. At the retreats you plan and set up an OKR (Objective Key Result) for the next quarter.
- Monday Meetings
- On Mondays the house holds a 2 hour meeting to review OKRs that you set for the quarter, and you review this OKR every monday in order to track your key results and how they are building into your quarterly OKR.
- In this meeting you also handle any logistics or challenges in the house. A portion of Monday meeting for mastermind. “What’s your biggest challenge?”, “What would you like to move faster?”
- On Mondays the house holds a 2 hour meeting to review OKRs that you set for the quarter, and you review this OKR every monday in order to track your key results and how they are building into your quarterly OKR.
- Playbook in Asana
- Using a project management tool like Asana creates the playbook that is the central housing document for all the systems, processes, and operations within the house. Anything that is done more than once gets turned into a system. When someone is assigned a role or tasked an assignment they are tasked through Asana
- If you do not use Asana, then use a different project management tool like Trello or Basecamp.
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In addition, here are 3 Lessons Kyle Learned from Manifest Mansion
- Your word is your most valuable asset. Your word is your bond. You have to be uncompromisable on your word, so be careful what you commit too.
- Ask for help, when things aren’t working, reach out for support. Do not self-sabotage.
- Leadership means “I go first.” Act the way you’d like your housemates to act. Clean up messes that are not yours, be proactive on protecting the space and environment. People pick up on those things and then they act accordingly. It can be as simple as making your bed, or covering someone else’s chore, being really diligent with your morning routine knowing that your roommates are watching, can be setting the example of being consistent everyday so that your housemates are inspired by your action.
Lastly I asked Kyle, “What do the words ‘Leave Normal Behind’ mean to you?”
He says, “ To me, Leaving Normal Behind means returning home to who you really are. We are not born normal, we are born unique and extraordinary, society and culture brainwashes us into thinking we need to be something or do something or be someone that’s different than who we are actually are and the process of leaving normal behind is unbecoming who are you not and returning home to who you really are.”
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Time is precious. We never know how much time you have.
The process is the reward and if you cannot enjoy the process then we are missing the entire point of the game.
Loneliness is a sickening, toxic feeling that we do not have to accept.
Kyle spent years craving connection with people who understand him, however he would not lower his standards to hangout with others who did not align with his mission and vision.
Moving into this entrepreneur house was the solution that Kyle wished he had.
If you feel similar, then Manifest Mansion is a house for you.
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Are you leaving normal behind like Kyle and want to connect with me? Send me an email: [email protected]