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Squad Goals: How to Create Your Personal Advisory Board

Hi! Kathryn here. This month, we discuss how to create "Team You" aka your personal advisory board.

Nov 13, 2024

When most people think of creating an advisory board or board of directors, they think of it in terms of their company. A solid board for your company is extremely important, they provide much needed advice and connections to help move your company forward.

However, your personal advisory board (PAB) is the group of people who are in the business of YOU, people who want to see YOU win—not just your company.

How to Build a PAB

Examine the personal S.W.O.T analysis you did in last month’s newsletter and take out a sheet of paper. Who do you know that could help you develop your strengths and maximize opportunities? Who can support you as you confront your weaknesses and block any threats? List everyone who you know personally (not Oprah, unless you know her!) who can help you in these areas.

Here are some potential roles for your PAB members:

BS Meter. This person should have the ability to “tell you about yourself”. To gently confront you when you are being dishonest with yourself (or when others are being dishonest with you) and help guide you to clarity.
Motivator. Building the damn thing is HARD. You need someone in your corner who will give you the little pushes you need to keep moving forward.
Listener. Having a good listener in your corner is important. Unlike your BS Meter
and your Motivator, your Listener isn’t there to point out your delusions or pump you up. Their job is to empathize with you and say you’re doing a great job.
Your Personal Comedian. Laughter is so important to our emotional well-being. You need to make sure you have someone who can help you see the lighter side when things get tough.

For more wisdom on building your business, be sure to check out my bestselling book, Build the Damn Thing, on Amazon!

Note: PAB members don’t need to be your friend with the best LinkedIn profile. Some may not even have a LinkedIn profile. For example, one of my PAB members is my eight year old son, who serves as my personal comedian. It’s really hard to be stressed out about a business problem, when your eight year old is singing an original song about toilet people.

Get Build the Damn Thing Podcast in Your Ears Now!

Build The Damn Thing podcast, based on my bestselling book, is on Apple Podcasts, Audible, and Spotify! Season 3 is available now. And check out the Season 2 How to Build Your Personal Advisory Board episode for stories of how I and other Builders created our own PABs.