How To Thrive With A Tribe

By Board advisor and co-founder of Freedom Founders, Deri-Llewellyn-Davies

When you’re scaling from £1M+ it is a different game. What got you to that first million, won’t get you to £10M. The strategies shift, the stakes rise, and the journey gets lonelier. But the right tribe can change everything.

I’m Deri Llewellyn-Davies, co-founder of Freedom Founders and here’s how to find your tribe and work with them to thrive.

The power of curated connections is what can help to drive you to that next scale-up stage. It’s not about more networking, it’s about meeting, working and surrounding yourself with the right people. Creating a high-trust, deeply connected group or tribe of people around you that accelerates your growth, sharpens your strategy, and eliminates costly trial-and-error. This is where your tribe helps you make the most important steps in your scale-up journey.

Your tribe can also consult on strategy, which we know,  is everything. Scaling requires precision, a structured, tested roadmap with strategic peer input ensures you move from reactive decision-making to proactive, focused execution. It’s creating the ultimate test pit as such. You surround yourself with others who have been there and got the t-shirt and can offer advice and guidance to help ensure you don’t make needless mistakes on your journey.

Your tribe also hold you to account for your actions. Accountability drives execution and knowledge without action is useless. A strong tribe provides peer-driven accountability, pushing you to follow through on your biggest goals. There’s no getting out of it or putting it off, you’ve openly committed to delivering the next stage of your plan and the right tribe of people will ensure you get there, and hold you accountable along the way.

There’s no doubt that navigating the ‘messy middle’, The £1M–£10M phase, is where businesses stall or skyrocket. A tribe with real experience helps you anticipate challenges, pivot effectively, and maintain momentum. Their guidance is vital here. They remove the loneliness that often comes with the middle stage of scaling up. It’s not all on your shoulders, you have your support network to call on for guidance, accountability and strength.

One thing to note is that you can’t buy your way into a true tribe, just because you pay £50k access fees doesn’t define a tribe. The most valuable networks are built on shared values, mutual support, and a commitment to collective success. Yes of course most networking associations come with a fee as such, that’s not what we’re talking about here though, it’s the depth and intent of the tribe. The same goes for mentors, they don’t give up their time for free. But finding your true tribe within these spaces or joining a group of people who all share your vision and are working towards the same goal, but maybe in a different sector creates a ‘we all win’ demeanour. That level of support simply can not be bought. It’s created from connections, mutual respect and excitement for the future.

It’s also worth looking at if your scale-up dreams involve going global, and whether your tribe fits the same aspirations and has that experience. Working with a global tribe helps you to create global leverage and local impact. The right tribe doesn’t just expand your network, it opens doors worldwide, giving you access to resources, talent, and opportunities you wouldn’t find alone.

The biggest change that your tribe will reflect is that scaling is a mindset shift. Founders who thrive aren’t just building businesses; they’re designing lives. A strong tribe helps you balance growth, impact, and personal fulfilment. This balance is what helps you to keep moving both your business and your mindset, forward.

Remember, the right tribe changes everything. Surround yourself with the right people, sharpen your strategy, and watch your business (and life) scale beyond what you thought possible.

About Deri Llewellyn-Davies, board advisor and co-founder of Freedom Founders

https://www.linkedin.com/in/thestrategyman/?originalSubdomain=uk

With a thrill for adventure and the unknown, having climbed 5 of the world’s highest summits, completed ironman and run 6 marathons across the Sahara Desert, Deri Llewellyn-Davies has a deep belief that anything is possible.

As a No1 best-selling author of Strategy on a Page and Life’s great adventure, Board advisor, international speaker and mentor, Deri has been shaping attitudes and ideas in business for over three decades and his unique methodologies and theories have been adopted in board rooms around the world. Through his work, he has uncovered what it takes to be a strategic leader and how to turn inspiration into meaningful change.

Having advised over 327 boards, Deri has accumulated all he has learnt and turned his attention to co-founding Freedom Founders. This is a deeply connected global community of  ambitious founders with programmes and curriculums designed to support their journey through navigating the unique challenges of scaling their businesses, ultimately inspiring and empowering them to succeed in business and life.

Deri lives near Malvern with his family and is a proud dad to four children, 4 chickens, 2 dogs. He continues his life of adventure and is currently planning for Everest 2027 and some new world record attempts with Project Cant.