You know the feeling – shoulders down, heart open, 100% accepted.
That’s how it feels to truly belong.
But in a world of Facebook groups and networking, it can be hard to distinguish what we are just JOINING and where we will truly BELONG.
We all want to be a part of those communities where people really care about each other and reach out when things seem off.
But more often than not, we’re left lacking that deep connection that we’re craving.
Why?
Because building communities needs to be intentional. As I prepare to launch the CEO Collective in a few months, I’ve seen this firsthand. I’m building a place for women entrepreneurs to BELONG – and that won’t happen by default. This week on Promote Yourself to CEO, I’m talking about the difference between joining and belonging, what it means to lead a community, and how we can help others belong in our communities.
Here’s what you’ll hear on this episode:
3:30 The conversation I had with a client that got me thinking about this topic and inspired a lot of the decisions I’ve made for the CEO Collective.
4:49 What it means to join and why you have to do it – explained with a simple comparison with gym memberships.
6:48 Outcomes and statistics associated with transactional business and the dangerous business model that takes the focus way too far away from your customer and their experience.
11:04 What it means to belong, the litmus test that will help you to determine whether or not something is a true community, and how the definition of community changes for every single person over time.
13:25 Being intentional in your relationships, and the simple, but very important, action step that you need to take when starting any community.
15:07 Insights about customer desires from Ali Greenberg, the owner of my favorite coworking space in Richmond, VA, and how she used this data to improve her customer experience.
17:49 The two sides of community and the responsibility of the consumer to actively participate and engage.
18:58 What communities I have joined locally and why, along with how I use my CEO Dates to engage with these communities.
23:16 A final reminder for those hosting communities, and every step you need to think through to provide the best possible experience for your community members.
The first CEO Retreat of 2020 is right around the corner!
If you’re doing the work to take your money and business to the next level, check out The CEO Retreat – a 1-day strategic planning event focused on perfectly planning the next 90-days for your business.
If you know that you need to get your plan on paper, if you know that you need to surround yourself with other amazing supportive and intuitive women entrepreneurs, if you know that you need to turn your big picture into check-off-able action steps, then you will want to join us! Find all the details – and early bird tickets – at RachealCook.com/CEO-Retreat.
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