When we talk about growing a successful business, the conversation usually revolves around strategy, grit, or resilience. But in my decades of experience leading and nurturing communities, I’ve discovered that love is the most powerful force of all – particularly within a business networking community, an entrepreneur support group, or an exclusive business club.

We don’t talk about love enough in the professional world. And yet, it’s the quiet strength behind thriving teams, loyal clients, and enduring success.

Gallup (2022) revealed that employees who feel genuinely cared for by their leaders are 56% more productive and 50% less likely to leave.

Entrepreneurs who feel a strong sense of belonging within a professional development network are 2.5 times more likely to report consistent, year-on-year business growth (Entrepreneurship Research Centre, 2023).

Love – in psychological terms, the feeling of being seen, valued, and understood – is now recognised as a basic human need. Just like food and shelter. (Maslow’s Hierarchy, revisited 2020)

Looking back, love has quietly driven everything I’ve done. Sometimes it was missing. Sometimes it was overflowing. But it always mattered.

As a child, I experienced a kind of loneliness that many never notice in others – a lack of emotional connection despite living in a household full of good intentions. My parents were hardworking and dutiful, but open-hearted love wasn’t part of our daily rhythm. That absence left its mark. And yet, it also ignited my lifelong mission: to create environments where people feel like they truly belong.

At 19, I set out into the world alone. I was determined, independent, focused on building financial security. But beneath all that, there was something else guiding me – an instinct to notice others, care deeply, and respond to the emotional temperature in every room.

Without designing it that way, I built a business life rooted in love.

I attracted love by giving it first.

In leadership, I shaped teams where people felt seen and supported. In community building, I focused not just on business outcomes but on human connection. Founding BIP100, an entrepreneur support group and business mastermind group, has been the ultimate expression of that. It’s a space where trust grows, friendships flourish, and success comes from shared strength.

Because whether it’s for a reason, a season, or a lifetime – we all need to feel loved.

From the postman to the CEO, from a supermarket cashier to a celebrated founder – every human being wants to feel that they matter.

So today, I invite you to consider:

• How can you express love in your business interactions?

• How can you help each person you meet feel truly seen?

• How can you connect to that deep well of love inside you and use it to uplift someone else?

And maybe most importantly:

How loved do you feel in your business life?

Because business isn’t just about transactions – it’s about transformation.

And love is the greatest transformer of all.