Hi, bonjour, how are you?
This week reminded me of something we can easily overlook when we are busy building: none of us does meaningful work alone.
I have been very lucky over the years to build relationships with people I can turn to when I need help. One of the strongest examples is the network we created through GTA Black Women in Tech.
Seeing women travel across cities and countries to be together in one room made me pause. It is hard to measure the impact of the things we build while we are still inside the work. Then you see people show up for one another, and you realise the impact is real.
But a network cannot survive on goodwill alone.
If we want it to last, we have to make it sustainable. That means creating more than one source of income, more than one way for people to contribute, and a structure that can continue even when one stream disappears.
What makes a support system sustainable?
A support system becomes sustainable when people share enough alignment to help one another, and when the network has more than one way to keep operating.
That is the lesson I am carrying with me this week.
A joyful moment with women from the GTA Black Women in Tech network.
I have been working on a simple six-part framework for stronger professional relationships. Not every relationship needs all six, but the more alignment we share, the easier it becomes to build trust and help one another.
The six kinds of alignment I look for
Industry: we understand the same world or can teach one another something useful.
Goals: there is a meaningful way for us to support what each person is trying to achieve.
Values: we care about how the work is done, not only the outcome.
Personality: we do not need to be the same, but we need to be compatible.
Mission: we believe in a future that can bring us together.
Identity: a shared part of who we are can create understanding and belonging.
GTA Black Women in Tech was built around a clear identity and industry. We are Black women, and we work in technology. That shared foundation gave people a reason to find one another, and the relationships became much bigger than an introduction.
Do we always need a new tool?
No.
I did not discover a shiny new AI tool this week. And honestly? That is a good thing.
Sometimes progress comes from learning to use what we already have more effectively. I am going back to Apollo and improving how I use it, rather than adding another platform to the list.
The best tool is not always the newest one. It is the one we understand well enough to use with intention.
How should you choose an early product niche?
Start with one clear group, speak to them often, and build around the problem they consistently describe.
When we are building a product, feedback from everybody can become noise. Listen closely to the people the product is genuinely for.
Choose a specific niche, even if the service could eventually help many people.
Speak to that audience as often as possible.
Bring a small cohort into the process if you can.
Keep the first version simple.
Expand only after you have solved one clear problem well.
Focus is not a limitation. It is how we learn what deserves to grow.
What is happening at Sixth Hive?
We are continuing to build The Hive, a feature designed to help network creators manage, engage and monetise their professional networks more sustainably.
This work keeps bringing me back to the reason Sixth Hive exists: to help people discover the right professional networks, and to help network creators build them with purpose.
Explore Sixth Hive whenever the timing is right for you.
A personal pause
I sometimes take for granted what I have accomplished because I am already thinking about the next thing.
This week, sitting in my garden and enjoying a quiet brunch gave me a moment to feel grateful. Building is important. So is creating enough space to notice the life we are building around it.
A quiet garden brunch and a moment to appreciate how far I have come.
My go-to tool: Catch AI
Catch AI is still my go-to tool when I need support with time-consuming work such as research, calls and coordination.
I use it as an assistant, not a replacement for judgement. The value is simple: it gives me back time for the work that genuinely needs me.
Referral link: Try Catch AI
If this issue made you think of someone who has helped sustain your journey, send them a message today. We often feel the impact of our relationships without taking the time to name it.
And if you know someone building a professional network or an early product, feel free to share this with them.
Flavilla