When I started my business over 12 years ago, nobody told me that one of my most important marketing assets wouldn't be my budget, my follower count, or how often I posted on social media.

It's your tribe.

And before you tell me you don't have one - you do. You just might not have recognised it yet.

My network didn't arrive fully formed. It was precariously balanced on a dodgy structure made from rotten wood, on foundations made of sand. So I built it slowly, connection by connection.

Some came through business members and networking events. Some from showing up consistently in the same rooms as people who cared about the same things. And some from an unexpected place - the early days of X, when Twitter’s #SuffolkHour was a genuine hive of collaboration and warmth. I met people through that hashtag who became some of my most valued connections. Not because we had a transaction in mind. Simply because we showed up and found we liked each other.

And not one of those connections started with expectation of return.

I had businesses in my network supporting nearly every event I organised, championed what I was doing, sent people my way - without ever becoming a paying client. One business, ten years after we first met, signed up as a business member.. I’ve definitely been playing the long game. If you want to build something that lasts in a community like Sudbury, I'd gently suggest you do too.

Your tribe is also your greatest marketing asset

Word of mouth carries a weight no paid campaign can replicate - especially in a community like Sudbury. Referrals, reviews, and testimonials are the three most powerful tools in a local business owner's kit.

They're also the three things most of us are worst at asking for. I include myself entirely. I forget to ask for reviews. I know how powerful referrals are and I'm still terrible at asking for them.

So I'm inviting you on this journey with me. When Google took down my Business Profile earlier this year, it took years of reviews with it. I'm rectifying that from today - and I'd encourage you to do the same.

Where to start - practically

- Ask directly after a great piece of work - 'I'd really appreciate a Google review if you have a moment.' Simple and honest.

- Keep a testimonials file. A lovely email or message, with permission, becomes gold for your website and social media. And if you’re having a bad day, revisiting them can do wonders for your mood!

- Recommend others in your tribe generously. It tends to come back around.

- Say thank you specifically when a referral lands. It encourages them to do it again.

Platforms come and go. Algorithms change. Google can take down your profile on a Tuesday with no warning.

But the person who has known you for ten years and trusts you completely? The client who tells everyone you're the person to call? No algorithm can touch that. It's yours - built one genuine connection at a time, without expectation of return.

Who's in your tribe?

I'd genuinely love to know. And if you'd like to think through how to activate the network you already have - drop me a message. It's one of my favourite conversations to have.