In this episode, we’re hearing from Community Newbie. Our letter today deals with how overwhelming it can be to enter the world of community-building without really knowing where to begin.

To better help Community Newbie, I invited Marjorie Anderson as my guest expert. She is the Director of Community for Exos and the Principal Strategist at Community by Association L.L.C. Marjorie is a bright light in the community spaces, has been professionally building community for 11+ years, and has helped many people get started with community.

So, tune in for some incredible plant analogies that will make you look at both problems and community in a whole new way, the tools you need to lay a strong foundation for your new community, and tips on what you can do to have the best community for both you and your members.

In this episode:

(03:16) The communitea: Community Newbie’s letter

(04:21) Stop feeling stuck with Marjorie’s beautiful oak tree analogy

(07:24) Who should be looking to build community, and who shouldn’t

(10:24) Beware of sabotaging your own community

(11:36) Let’s make one thing clear: Community DOES really work

(16:02) 3 foundational questions and a boundary to get you started with building community

(24:35) The importance of interviewing 10 of your ideal members and what to ask them

(27:27) Build the unique community you and your members want and have a manager

(33:24) Listen to your community members with  equal parts authority and empathy

Resources Mentioned:

📗 Learn more about The Mom Test.

❤️ Sign up for Heartbeat. Bri’s recommended all-in-one community platform.

💛 Join Ember. The place for go-getter community creators building community-powered businesses.

🔥 Ready to hear the stories we almost kept to ourselves? Here's this week's secret episode with Marjorie!

Marjorie Anderson

🖥️ Website

📱 LinkedIn

🎙️ Podcast

Bri Leever

🖥️ Website

📩 Newsletter

📹 Youtube

📱LinkedIn

Want your story to be next? Submit an anonymous letter about your community conundrum, fiasco, drama, or other dilemma here.

*Dear Bri is produced by Ideablossoms.

Hosted by Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

In this episode, we’re hearing from Curious in Colorado. Our letter today deals with knowing whether jumping onto the community train is worthwhile by understanding the future of community building.

To better help Curious in Colorado, I invited Zach Hawtof – Co-Founder, Community Manager, and CEO at Tightknit – as my guest expert. He is someone who has extensive experience building community, and not only thinks a lot about where community building is headed, but is also building the future of community platforms on Slack himself with his company.

So, tune in for a bigger picture of where we are in time and space with building communities and what that means for your community, as well as to learn how to be more psychic.

In this episode:

(04:03)  The evolution of community building online over the years

(07:14) The communitea: Curious in Colorado’s letter

(08:21) Communities will endure, but can we say the same for digital ones?

(12:12) Build community where your people are  and meet them on their level

(13:47) The cheat code for engagement and the importance of making people feel safe

(19:18) Slack is not a community platform, but in reality, it actually is

(21:12) How to be more psychic, identify the gaps, and truly solve problems

(24:51) Follow the breadcrumb trail, build what you know, and get help along the way

(32:33) Ask good questions and truly listen to help your customers

(36:08) Sales and the fact that sometimes people are just not ready to be your customer yet

(39:34) The unique challenges in the community industry

(41:13) The future of the community space with AI in the picture

Resources Mentioned:

Join the Tightknit Community.

Catch up with the Dear Bri episode where I talk about Slack with Noelle Flowers, Where is the best place to build my community?

Check out the 2024 CMX Community Industry Trends Report Zach mentions (Page 17).

Sign up for Heartbeat. Bri’s recommended all-in-one community platform.

Join Ember. The place for go-getter community creators building community-powered businesses.

Zach Hawtof

🖥️ Website

📱 Linkedin

Bri Leever

🖥️ Website

📹 Youtube

📱Linkedin

And before you go…

Want your story to be next? Submit an anonymous letter about your community conundrum, fiasco, drama, or other dilemma here.

*Dear Bri is produced by Ideablossoms.

Hosted by Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

In this episode, we’re hearing from Sensitive in Seattle. Today’s letter deals with how to grow a community where joining that community might in and of itself be taboo.

To better help Sensitive in Seattle, I’m bringing in the big guns. I invited Murtaza Bambot as my guest expert. He is the Founder & CEO at Heartbeat — the all-in-one platform for community businesses (also the sponsor of this podcast!) that has served has served over 5, 000 communities.

So, tune in for an episode packed full of wisdom where Murtaza guides us through the process of finding those initial community members, even in a sensitive community, from a place of empathy and authority.

In this episode:

(05:51) Having a customer community when everything is going wrong

(10:55) The only way out is through

(14:40) The communitea: Sensitive in Seattle’s letter

(15:41) Why community exists in the first place

(18:23) Immediate boots-on-the-ground strategies to find your initial members

(22:52) Prime advice on sales calls

(24:43) Murtaza’s advice on using paid ads

(26:27) The power of a paid waitlist to launch your community

(31:16) You deserve to be paid for your work

(34:45) Focus your marketing on the transformation

(45:17) Be ready to constantly research, test, and implement

(46:40) Leveraging ChatGPT as a thought partner

(49:25) What makes a great salesperson

Resources Mentioned:

❤️ Sign up for Heartbeat. Bri’s recommended all-in-one community platform.

💛 Join Ember. The place for go-getter community creators building community-powered businesses.

Noteworthy quotes:

“When you have 0 customers, your job is just to get to 1. And when you have 1 customer, your job is to get to 10. You don't have to think about what 100 customers, 1,000, 10,000 customers look like. Don't build these things to scale at the start.“ - Murtaza Bambot

Murtaza Bambot

🖥️ Website

📱 Linkedin

Bri Leever

🖥️ Website

📩 Newsletter

📹 Youtube

📱 Linkedin

And before you go…

💜 Leave a review on Apple Podcasts

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That helps the podcast more than you know and I deeply appreciate it. 🙏

Want your story to be next? Submit an anonymous letter about your community conundrum, fiasco, drama, or other dilemma here.

*Dear Bri is produced by Ideablossoms.

Hosted by Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.