The Power of Starting Small: How a Quiet Idea Became a Thriving Business Community
One year ago, Hive Ambition wasn’t a business. It wasn’t a website or a brand or anything particularly polished. It was a craving I couldn’t shake.
I had just come out of a rough postpartum season, still reeling from the isolation of the pandemic, and I was searching for something I couldn’t find. I wanted to be around women who were ambitious but grounded. Smart and supportive. Building businesses that didn’t feel like they were constantly running them into the ground.
I looked around and thought: If I can’t find it, maybe I need to build it.
That thought turned into a quiet little plan. I talked to my husband about the idea over dinner one night and by the time he got back from a business trip, I had filed the LLC, sketched out a full roadmap, and started telling a few people about it. Hive was born before I had time to overthink it.
This past weekend, we celebrated our one-year anniversary with a rooftop party full of confetti, disco balls, and really good people. And while it was a beautiful moment to celebrate, what kept coming up for me was this simple truth: none of this would exist if I had waited for it to feel more “ready.”
We romanticize the big launch - but that’s not how it really works
There’s so much pressure these days to launch something with a bang. We feel like we need a brand shoot, a color palette, a revenue plan, a perfect funnel. And don’t get me wrong, I love a good system. But most of the women I work with aren’t stuck because they don’t have a plan. They’re stuck because they’re waiting for the moment when it all feels clear and safe and perfect.
Spoiler: that moment doesn’t come. Clarity usually shows up after we take the first few awkward, scrappy steps.
When I started Hive, I didn’t know what it would turn into. I just knew what I was craving. I hosted a meetup. Then another. I listened. I experimented. I followed what felt aligned and paid attention to what landed with others.
It wasn’t flashy. But it worked.
Starting small is actually starting smart
There’s something really powerful about letting your idea grow slowly. When you start small, you’re nimble. You can pivot. You’re not buried under expectations. You don’t have to pretend you’ve got it all figured out.
Looking back, some of the best decisions I made came from those early days when things were messy but intentional. I had the space to listen to the women showing up, to hear what they were really needing in their businesses and lives. That foundation is why Hive feels like something different than many of the online membership/communities out there.
The little things add up
The 1-year party wasn’t just about celebrating a date on the calendar. It was about everything that’s happened between day one and now. The first time someone messaged me to say, “I finally feel like I’m not alone.” The first mastermind call that ended in tears (in the best way). The dozens of DMs, meetups, emails, and voice messages that reminded me that this work matters.
You don’t have to go viral to build something valuable. You just have to keep showing up.
If you’re sitting on an idea...
If you’ve got a quiet idea that won’t leave you alone, maybe that’s enough. Maybe you don’t need more time or more proof or more permission. Maybe you just need to take the smallest next step.
Send the email. Start the group. Host the thing. Post the idea. Tell a friend. File the damn LLC.
You can always evolve it later. But you can’t grow something that hasn’t been planted.
Here’s what I know for sure
Hive started because I was craving something I couldn’t find. One year later, I’m standing inside of that vision and realizing it was never just mine. It belongs to every woman who said yes. Every one who asked for more. Every one who chose to build her business a little differently.
If that’s you, and you’ve got something quietly tugging at you, I hope this is your sign to give it a little space. It doesn’t have to be loud. It just has to be real.
And I’ll be here cheering you on.
XO,
Ashley
