If you build it they MIGHT come

 

Sorry it's been a wee bit quite round here of late. I’ve been busy building a community which meant somethings had to take a back seat.

This newsletter being one of them. But I'm back in the saddle now.

Since I have been pouring blood sweat and tears into that, it’s probably fair to say I’ll be sharing with you what HAS and HASN’T worked so far from building a community. So hopefully you’ll learn from my mistakes and profit from the wins!

Remember A field of Dreams (loved that movie).

If you build it, they will come - Ray Kinsella

Things what I have learnt so far!

• Inbound isn't the be all and end all.

I did several posts leading up to the launch BUT I also did an awful lot of outbound prospecting in the DM’s. People won't always know they want something till you ask them. So get out there and ask them! People who tell you it's all inbound on Linkedin are selling a myth

• You CANNOT do this stuff on your own. 

Have a sounding board. And someone that can steer you when you go off track. Thanks Hayley. She kept me sane and broke down EVERYTHING we needed to do on to do lists.

Which leads me onto my next point!

• Get militant with to do lists and follow them like they are Holy writ.

These suckers saved my sanity. We mapped out everything inside airtable and broke it down into small manageable chunks. I could then attack these every day. Before you know it you’ve plowed through a ton of stuff without being stuck in overwhelm mode of what am I doing next.

• The side effects of growing a community are HUGE. 

We are already starting to see conversation and business flow inside our community in ways we could have never predicted. Allow for some serendipity.

• Some people are givers, others are takers. 

Make space for the givers. Not everyone respects your time. Give it to those that do, to keep you happy and sane.

• People come for the learning, they stay for the laughter and friendships. 

I truly believe this is what keeps the community alive. That shared sense of purpose and joy people get from interacting about things that are universally appealing and maybe have nothing to do with what your focus is. ALlow for the human element and be surprised.

• You will get drop offs, it's inevitable. 

Dust yourself off and keep plowing on! And allow for some churn. Not everyone is going to like what you offer and that’s fine, look after those that do!

• Building a community is HARD damn work. 

I'm a giver, so I find it hard to say no to things in group. Be boundaried or burnout. The choice is yours, but without you the community can’t run, so look after yourself and know when to walk away. I’m still learning and find myself checking notifications late at night, but I’m getting better.

• Running a community is NOT a get rich quick scheme. 

It takes months of planning and dedication to breath life into this behemoth. Would I have changed it. Probably not, I think my genius and joy comes from building things. And this was a BIG build.

• Build it in such a way you can handover elements of it to others. 

I LOVE being involved as much as I can , but I know that with scaling comes time commitment.

So think about speaking to people who can manage the community for you and build long term relationships with these people. Your family and sanity will thank you down the road!

• MOST IMPORTANTLY, speak to people who have already walked this path and get their insight.

I had a chance to speak to the wonderful Joe Glover a few weeks back and get his viewpoint on what has and hasn't worked and it's been indispensable. Thanks buddy.

Well that’s ALL folks…

I’m heading back to my little community.

And if you want to join a fun, friendly space where you can be who you were MEANT to be AND grow your business to the next level.

Come hang out with us 🫱 HERE