It was beneath a blistering sun – and later a cold moon – noisy with cicadas (when even the snakes were hunting shade beneath the thorn trees) that I learned the value of relying on community.
I was 21 years old and a grunt in the army undergoing basic training (boot camp). One of the skills we were trained in was orienteering, but I didn’t pay much attention and neither did the rest of the platoon. I thought we were very fortunate, but I was to learn that it was more a matter of unfortunate, because we had a cartographer (Roy) in our platoon, so we left everything to him.
Then came one of our final exercises.
We were to stage an attack on a certain hill at midnight. We would be dropped off some distance from the objective in the afternoon, to find our way to the target to begin a coordinated attack from different points (with other platoons) at the appointed time.
That afternoon, full laden with our kit, rifles, and webbing, the truck transported our platoon to a particular point in the middle of nowhere. It was hot, dusty and rocky terrain – semi desert – covered in thorn trees with bone white thorns as long as your finger.
Then disaster struck. Roy, our cartographer, dismounted from the truck like the rest of us, but he landed awkwardly, breaking his leg.
We had to go on without him.
Remember, we were making our way through the dark, rocky, hilly terrain (with snakes and thorn trees) using only the light of the moon to guide us. Suffice it to say that we never reached the target, and by 2am that morning, our lieutenant was having to send up flares to help guide our exhausted, grazed and tetchy platoon to safety.
That failure stuck with me—not because of the scratches, but the lesson: a platoon is a community. We relied on one person instead of shared resources. It cost us the mission.
Years later, I realised marketing works the same way. Too many businesses treat their brand like Roy. Do all the work. Make all the noise. Carry the load. But in doing so, they miss the point: real strength lies in the tribe.
The most powerful growth doesn’t come from solo effort—it comes from community.
Think of Flight Centre, the Australian travel company. Mandy Johnson’s book Family Village Tribe explains how its success was rooted in structuring teams like ancient social units: squads (5), platoons (25), companies (150). Each group relied on shared goals and relationships—just like our ancestors did.
Anthropologist Robin Dunbar describes this structure in what’s now known as Dunbar’s Number. Humans can maintain stable relationships with about 150 people. Within that are circles of five, fifteen, thirty-five—each offering a different level of intimacy, trust, and impact.
The same applies to business. Build a group of 100 – 150 loyal customers, partners, and advocates. Treat them like a tribe. Show up. Offer value. Be useful. That’s when business happens. That’s where loyalty is built.
To build a business community:
- Define who it’s for and what unites them
- Give before asking: advice, referrals, time
- Create safe places for connection (online or in-person)
- Let others do the talking—share their wins and stories
- Use scalable models that serve the many but feel personal
Stop walking alone in the dark. Find your tribe. Or better yet, build one.