Everyone’s had the experience of being in a group where you don’t feel like you belong. Maybe it was a class at school, a temporary job, a party you got dragged to. It might even be your own family reunion. Finding a tribe of kindred spirits isn’t always easy, or even possible.

But even if you feel like you don’t belong somewhere, there may still be good reason for you to be there, to stay there, and to make a place for yourself. That’s what Amy Nelson did in her life as a lawyer on Wall Street. She asserted herself and made sure others noticed her presence and value.

“What I learned pretty quickly is that if you choose to belong somewhere, you will belong. I think the bigger thing for me was to figure out how to take up space, to kind of square my shoulders and be very present and use my voice.”

Amy learned to use her voice, and today, people are listening. She launched The Riveter in 2016 as a home and community for women in business. We all want to find our tribe. And for everyone, especially entrepreneurs, creating a network of people you can lean on can be the difference between building something that lasts — whether it’s a business, a team, a life — and one that crumbles.