The Community Builder Show

How to Build a Community in 2021 with Greg Isenberg

Earlier in 2020, Travis got the opportunity to connect with Co-Founder of Late Checkout, Greg Isenberg. Listen in as Greg shared some of his thoughts in addition to:Episode Highlights:There's a shortage of startup founders and people working on startups to fulfill market needsWe're entering an Entrepreneurial Renaissance that will go down as one of the most interesting periods of all timeIf you can clone yourself or if you have deep insight into a particular community, you can most likely build a startup around itAnd you could probably make at least seven figures from itMeetup story about Scott Heiferman and Meetup CrawlsFrom a Startup point of view, your ability to create something that speaks to that community and gets them to try it is high.There's a thirst and hunger right now for new productsFacebook started off as a tool for college students - the book of faces, literally and eventually they added social networking and all the additional features we now knowUtility precedes community in a lot of sensesHow to identify a potential community of people to serve and build a tool forUber Drivers, Lyft Drivers, and the Gig Economy (DoorDash, Seamless, etc.) "Hey this is a group for Uber Drivers, Lyft Drivers, and the Gig Economy (DoorDash, Seamless, etc.)"Understand what they need - maybe they need an analytics tool that shows them how to make more money, or maybe what they really need is a map of drivers around them, or a part line, or a clubhouse area, etcHow do you serve your community?The purpose of a server is to attend to the needs and wants of a particular community of people and your job is to deliver that value to the community you serveWhen it comes to community-oriented products, it's about distilling the needs and wants of a particular community in a really succinct way that makes people feel at homeEvery product that is mainstream started with a small group of peopleUber exampleReddit ExampleIn B2B, don't forget you're still working with peopleMake sure you speak in plain English in a way people understandWhat keeps Greg up at nightHis ambitionsBeing best in classGreg shared insights about his substack and what he does at Late CheckoutGreg's key traits of a successful community and his processStep 0 - Where do you have a fundamental advantage over other people? What types of communities do you know better than anyone else?Canadian app for people who are from Canada and live in the USQuestions about naturalization, getting citizenship, and there are probably other people who may have questionsWhere do they have those questions? What are the most common questions?Step 1 - Start with research and identify a few communities and you're going to select one to go deep with.Deep like a week doing research, and coming up with a hypothesis - where is this? Where is there an opportunity to help people? How do we serve these people?Step 2 - Observing and looking at the dataMany data sources including:Trending SubReddits, Instagram, Facebook, TikTok Twitter, Meetup, Spotify, Clubhouse or LinkedInGo deep on one of the above platforms to really understand where people are and what their needs areStep 3 - Develop experiments with the goal of obtaining feedbackIf Greg were to rewrite Lean Startup today, he would add a community lense to itadd steps around the research and bringing in the community and speaking to moderators, on Reddit, speaking to moderators on Facebook, and co-building the product togetherStep 4 - Design sprint and then a community design sprintStep 5 - Determine if your startup can hit product-market fit or not2 Favorite Points:If you have a key insight into a particular community, you could probably build a startup around it, and you could probably make at least seven figures from it. The purpose of a server is to attend to the needs and wants of a particular community of people and your job is to deliver that value to the community you serveMemorable Quotes:"If you have a key insight into a particular community, you could probably build a startup around it, and you could probably make at least seven figures from it."– Greg Isenberg"From a Startup point of view, your ability to create something that speaks to that community and gets them to try it is high."– Greg Isenberg"Utility before the community."– Greg Isenberg"There's only been a few moments a time where I really felt that that something was in the air. But I can tell you right now, something is in the air." - Greg IsenbergConnect with Greg Isenberg on Twitter, Substack, or LinkedIn

Awareness, Accountability, and Coaching Yourself to Success with Blake Hudson

Special episode that is an experiment with my friend Blake Hudson. This is a on the spot coaching session that he took me through to share how he helps people develop self awareness, accountability, and ultimately, how they coach themselves to success. This is an experiment so, not sure exactly where this will land, but hope you find this helpful. Blake Hudson Bio: College recruiter, business owner, politician?! Blake’s career background may be varied, but all his prior pursuits carried one uniting theme: a desire to help people find fulfillment in who they are and what they do. Cue Victory Lap, a company which espouses a similar mission and is responsible for jumpstarting Blake’s sales career. Blake’s first interaction with Victory Lap was as a student! During the VL sales bootcamp, Blake realized that the skills he had developed in his previous roles would also serve him well in his sales career. Empowered by the bootcamp, Blake landed an SDR role at a Chicago fintech company, where he continued to hone his sales craft. When the unique opportunity arose, Blake returned to Victory Lap—this time, as an Admissions Director. When Blake isn’t in the downtown office, you’ll find him at the nearest basketball court, Barnes & Noble, or hanging out with his best friend — Annie.

How to DIVE Into Your Future with Justin Brown

On this episode, Travis sit's down with Athlete Transition Specialist and former NFL wide receiver, Justin Brown. In this episode, Justin shares his signature DIVE message with us:DEFINEDefine who you are as a person, student then in your gift and talent.INVESTInvest in themselves personally, academically and in their talents and giftsVALUEAdd value through acts of service in their communities ( home, school, extracurricular activities; programs and teams )EXECUTEExecute by surrounding yourselves in communities in school and outside of school that will hold you accountable to the definition that you made for yourself, ultimately forcing you to hold yourself accountable to the standards you set for yourself.

Take Ownership of Your Life with Danielle Gertner

This is an unreleased episode that Danielle and I recorded in 2019 - oh how time flies! Listen in to learn what Danielle is all about and how to take ownership of your life.About DanielleDanielle Gertner is a functional fitness coach, speaker and trainer teaching people to own their excuses and unleash their fullest potential. Driven to inspire people everywhere to take ownership over their excuses and unleash their fullest potential, in 2016, Danielle Gertner founded Gertner Grind, a platform that challenges the mainstream approach to wellness and inspires people to see the world as their gym.She was tired of trying to fit the idea of wellness that society had created so she decided to go on a journey to make wellness fit her world, no matter what that world looked like at the time. This sparked her passion for guiding others along the way to build a powerful foundation for their own lifelong transformation.Over the last four years, Danielle's passion to impact has only continued to evolve and today, she travels the world as an functional fitness coach, serving hundreds of people through her online transformation programs, customized workshops and retreats.Danielle believes that in order to live the life you have always imagined for yourself, you need to do only one thing - own your shit. And so she is on a mission to own her shit so unapologetically that anyone who comes across her message are inspired to as well.Danielle has worked with high school and college students, athletes, business professionals and those that fall somewhere in between.Danielle has also had the pleasure of sharing her message alongside brands such as Under Armour, PopSugar, Voyage MIA, GoSesh, RedCon1 and many more.The best way to summarize her coaching philosophy?Work to own your truths loud and proud. Once you do that, the world is yours.Danielle Gertnerhttps://www.daniellegertner.com/instagram - @daniellegertnerfacebook - linkedin - @dgertner

The Soulful Art of Persuasion and How to Lead Through Adversity with Jason Harris

During this episode of The Community Builder Show, Travis sits down with Jason Harris, President and CEO of Mekanism Inc., a San Francisco-based creative agency and the Author The Soulful Art of Persuasion. Learn about his 4 principles for success, how he’s leading his team through adversity, and even what he’s doing to stay connected with his friends. This is one you won’t want to miss. Jason Harris Short BioJason Harris is the co-founder and CEO of the award-winning creative agency Mekanism and co-founder of the Creative Alliance. Harris works closely with brands through a blend of soul and science to create provocative campaigns that engage audiences. Iconic brands include Peloton, Ben & Jerry's, MolsonCoors, OkCupid and the United Nations.Under his leadership, Mekanism has been named the #6 Most Effective Independent Advertising Agency in the US by the Effie 2020 Index. Mekanism has also been named to Ad Age's Agency A-list and twice to their Best Places to Work. Harris has been named in the Top 10 Most Influential Social Impact Leaders, as well as the 4A's list of "100 People Who Make Advertising Great." His methods are studied in cases at Harvard Business School.Episode HighlightsPrinciple 1: Original Be Yourself - Everyone Else Is Taken: Don’t be afraid of wearing your personal idiosyncrasies on your sleeve. Collect role models and draw inspiration from their uniqueness. And stick to your core values Learn to Be a Great Storyteller: If you want to make your point of view real to an audience or someone else, you need to be able to transport them emotionally through narrative Never Be Closing: Let go of short-term transactional thinking and focus on building meaningful relationships Principle 2: Generous Give Something Away in Every Interaction: Whenever you cross paths with someone, your goal should be to leave them just a little better off than they were. Whatever you give, make sure it’s genuine as you are laying the groundwork for collaboration Practice Positivity: Cultivate your sense of gratitude for the good things in your life, recognize that every interaction could result in something great Take Others Seriously by Showing Respect: Keep your promises, be as present as possible, and admit your mistakes quickly and sincerely Principle 3: Empathetic Make It About Them: Develop a natural curiosity about others, listen and learn more than you judge, and seek to understand others more deeply Seek Out Collaborations: Find value in joining forces with people from diverse backgrounds and areas of expertise See Commonalities, Not Differences: Seek out the common ground and what you share with, approaching each individual as an equal Principle 4: Soulful Live Skillfully: Hunt out new skills and keep learning to develop passions that create a life defined by proficiency Be an Inspiration: Strive to be inspirational in your daily life by preaching less and acting more, finding a cause to fight for, and reaching out to those who inspire youMy Notes on Jason’s 4 PrinciplesBe Original Beliefs, what you value in lifeHave a point of viewBe yourself, everyone else is taken Be *Generous*Give things away without expecting anything in return Builds trust and helps keep business flowingJason had a ball hog mentality and knew it wasn’t rightOver time, developed the idea of mindfully being a generous personTry to give something to everyone you come in contact with Advice or an article to let people know you’re thinking about themBe EmpatheticCollaboration Connecting with peopleWorking on ideas togetherHow do you become a collaborative business personBe SoulfulTrying to give something back that’s bigger than yourself Examples for agency owners Positive persuasion vs negative persuasion b2b marketers, sales, people, entrepreneurs Habits under each of these principles LeadershipHow are you leading the Mekanism internal community right now and what's most important for your people?Help lead the people he works with and be vulnerable Lead with Internal Team Be very open and vulnerable with their teamBe Inspirational Zoom callCOVID ClientsCompany - revenue numbers - shortfalls Leading with transparency and when you build trust for your employees,Lead with Clients Keeping the clients comfortable and the staff motivated “Obstacles don't have to stop you. If you run into a wall, don't turn around and give up. Figure out how to climb it, go through it, or work around it.” - Michael JordanHow to get around the wall Never let a good crisis go to waste Gives entrepreneurs a time to rethink your companyThings you have been pushing offFaster more nimble, less expensive production at scale Gifts with an array of talent to pull off Tiered Production system - high-level peloton commercial Charles Schwab adds with high clienteleEarmark a specialist in HIGHMedium Low - production money with some time and not super high endBottom Tier - Low cost. Superfast. Nimble production that can churn out volume In the social media and digital performance marketing space Specialization and giving B2B companies = typically are performance-drivenHave to have a mix of Brand and Performance B2B company still has to build a brand that people recognize Brand building is so criticalSimple MessageConsistent over time Find a way to get your hard card audience and community to help market your brand We all have to be great storytellers Have to be able to emotionally transport people through a narrativeHow do you tell a story with data B2B Marketer = super detailed Always be marketing at the highest level so anyone in the world can understand what you doThen you can go deeperIf this was a global brand and one of the best brands in the world, how can we get everyone to understand what we doNiche Niche Niche. Mental Health - What you're seeing and thoughts you might have for people trying to improve their mental health.Virtual Therapy - how other people perceive you Specific issues are sure. DeathIsolationAnxiety Understanding how you come off to the worldHow you intake information and get in touch with those emotions and how the rest of the world sees youA really valuable tool for anyone in business and lifeGroup Therapy Therapy with people trying to get their hours in Meditation Exercise I don’t have to be invincible and I go through hard times Creating an environment where people have space Creating an Ad over a Zoom call Someone has an idea Book the right peopleGet on the page and in there Zoom from 8 to 7 every day4 Hours = 2 hours window where nobody can book a meetingDeep Work Time Mental Health Days - Friday & Monday to extend weekends Team HH - not work-related Staying in touch with friends outside of work When you read something or find something interesting - think about why and how it might speak to someone in your network (professional or personal) Doesn’t have to be a zoom call - text it to them with a noteHey, was thinking about you, I thought you might find this relevant 1:1 vs 1: to many Brands are becoming a bigger part of people's lives - how have you helped brands connect with their people in the past? What are you working on right now that you're excited about?Company Actions Community-based communicationsCampaign Consideration: Are you adapting to the new normal on the campaigns that you make?Conscious Presence: Why does your brand exist in the world?How do you greet people without touching people?Fun piece LinksJason Harris: LinkedIn The Soulful Art of Persuasion Websitejason.harris@mekanism.comInstagram: @Jason_Harris