Grow With Community Builds Trust That Scales

Please share a brief introduction and tell us something about your business, Grow With Community.

I’m Ingrid Zapata Read, a community strategist and founder of Grow With Community. I help founders, creators, and brands turn their audiences into real communities that build trust and drive long-term growth.

I focus on people first growth. That means helping businesses create spaces, relationships, and systems where people actually want to show up and stay. My work includes community strategy, advisory support, content and connection planning, and helping founders think differently about credibility and visibility in today’s digital world.

I’ve spent over a decade building and scaling communities, and everything I do is rooted in connection, trust, and real human interaction.

Did you always know you wanted to be an entrepreneur?

Yes, I did! Although I couldn’t always explain it, and didn’t have a clear plan, I could feel it. Even when I had “regular” jobs, my brain was always building something. I noticed patterns, I connected people, I had ideas, and I was always thinking bigger than the role.

My family saw it before I had words for it. They would say things like, “You’re not going to stay in one lane,” or “You’re always making something happen.”

I had the instincts early. What took time was realizing I could build a business around how I think and operate. Now I do, and I’m building in a way that gives ideas space to grow and people room to show up.

Are you a mamaprenista?

Build a business that works with your life, not against it, and give yourself permission to adjust as your family and priorities change.

Take us back to when you launched Grow With Community? What was your marketing strategy?

My marketing strategy was relationship-led and very intentional. I showed up consistently, shared what I was building, and paid close attention to the people engaging early. Growth came through conversations, trust, and momentum that built over time, not quick spikes. It didn’t unfold exactly how I expected, but it worked because it matched how I naturally build and how I think about growth.

What accomplishments are you most proud of to date in your business?

I’m most proud of the trust I’ve built. It shows up in long-term clients, repeat partnerships, and referrals. It also shows up in founders who come to me not just for tactics, but for honest guidance and perspective. Building a business rooted in relationships has been my biggest win.

What is one thing you wish you had known when you started your Entreprenista journey?

You don’t need to have everything figured out to move forward.

What did you do before starting Grow With Community?

I worked in ed tech and digital sales, partnering with large education brands during a major shift to online learning. I led high-impact projects and managed long-term client relationships, which taught me how growth actually happens behind the scenes. Alongside that work, I was building and managing communities. I grew a global community for working moms from the ground up to hundreds of thousands of people and helped launch spaces that created real support and connection. That blend of sales strategy and community building still shapes how I work today.

What made you take the leap to start your own business?

This wasn’t a sudden decision. It built up over time. I’ve navigated enough change to understand how powerful community can be when things feel uncertain. Motherhood made the lack of support impossible to ignore and became the spark for my first business. At the same time, I was watching brands chase visibility while people felt more disconnected than ever. Trust was being overlooked, and connection was treated like a checkbox. Grow With Community came from my belief that businesses grow best when audiences feel seen, relationships are built over time, and customers are earned, not rushed.

Do you have any recent wins?

This past year has been about alignment more than anything else. I became clearer in how I show up, what I say yes to, and the kind of work I want to be known for. I strengthened long-term partnerships, expanded my role as a strategist, and showed up more consistently through my writing, on podcasts, and by bringing people together in conversations and gatherings.

I also built stronger boundaries in my business, which allowed me to do better work and be more present in both my life and my business. The biggest win is knowing I’m building something intentional and rooted in trust, in a way that feels sustainable and true to how I want to work.

What's one app on your phone that you cannot live without?

My calendar. It’s how I protect my time, my energy, and my priorities.

Who are your customers?

My customers are founders, creators, and business owners who are done building on borrowed attention. Most have already grown an audience or built visibility, and now they’re ready for the next step. They want to own their community and are done relying on borrowed attention. They care about trust, repeat customers, and building something people come back to. Community, not just content, is what they’re ready to build. Many of them are in a growth season. They’re building businesses in different ways, but they’ve reached a point where they want more ownership and intention behind how they grow. They’re realizing that real growth isn’t just about marketing or visibility. It’s about relationships, clarity, and trust.

What's your favorite business tool?

HoneyBook. It helps me keep my business organized without overcomplicating things. From contracts to payments to client communication, it allows me to stay focused on relationships and the work itself.

What's your approach to work-life balance?

I aim for flexibility and honesty. Some seasons require more from my business and others require more from my life. I’ve learned to build my work in a way that can stretch and adjust without breaking everything else.

What advice do you have for aspiring Entreprenistas?

Stop building in isolation. Find community early, whether that’s peers, mentors, collaborators, fellow Entreprenistas, or people a few steps ahead of you. Building alongside others gives you perspective, support, and momentum you can’t create on your own.

Learn more about the Entreprenista League and join today

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