How do you show up for your community?
This is a question Olivia and I ask ourselves regularly. Especially during the holidays, we try to seek out ways to help out. But the truth is, showing up for community shouldn't be seasonal—it should be a practice.
The Shift in Perspective
Early in my entrepreneurial journey, I was focused almost entirely on building. Building businesses. Building wealth. Building a name for myself.
There's nothing wrong with building. But somewhere along the way, I realized that building without giving back creates a hollow success. You can have all the achievements in the world and still feel empty if you're not connected to something larger than yourself.
The shift happened gradually. A volunteer opportunity here. A donation there. A conversation with someone who needed help. Each small act of service cracked open something in me.
Why Community Matters
We live in an increasingly isolated world. Social media creates the illusion of connection while often deepening our loneliness. Remote work means we don't even have the casual interactions of an office. Neighborhoods have become places where people live near each other but don't actually know each other.
Community is the antidote.
When you show up for your community, you're reminded that you're part of something bigger. You're reminded that your skills, resources, and time can make a real difference in real people's lives. You're reminded that success means nothing if it's not shared.
How We Show Up
Over the years, Olivia and I have developed several ways of showing up:
The Hope to Light Foundation: This is our most structured way of giving back. The foundation focuses on bringing light—both literal and figurative—to those in darkness. We run campaigns like "Light the Shelves" that mobilize our community to help others.
Mentorship: I spend time each week talking with entrepreneurs who are earlier in their journey. No charge, no expectation of return. Just sharing what I've learned and helping them avoid the mistakes I made.
Local Involvement: We try to support local businesses, attend community events, and know our neighbors. It sounds simple, but in a world of Amazon deliveries and DoorDash, actually engaging with your local community takes intentional effort.
Skill Sharing: When someone in our network needs help with something we're good at—whether it's marketing, technology, or business strategy—we try to help. Not everything needs to be a transaction.
The Unexpected Returns
Here's what I didn't expect when I started focusing on community: it came back to me tenfold.
Not in a transactional way. Not in a "I'll help you so you'll help me" way. But in a deeper, more meaningful way.
The relationships I've built through service are some of the most genuine I have. The sense of purpose I get from helping others fuels my work in ways that money never could. The perspective I gain from seeing others' struggles keeps my own challenges in context.
Giving back isn't just good for the community. It's good for you.
The Question
So I'll ask again: How do you show up for your community?
Not how do you think about showing up. Not how do you plan to show up someday. How do you actually show up, right now, in tangible ways?
If you don't have a good answer, that's okay. Today is a great day to start.
Your community needs you. And you need your community more than you might realize.
