Online Business Growth for Community-Driven Founders
Connection-infused strategies for growing a community business without feeling icky or selling out.
When I share my definition of community, “a group of people who nurture their own and one another’s growth”, some people get a little uncomfortable about the centering of the value of growth. Communities are meant to feel cozy and the idea of constant growth can feel like it's at odds to connection.
And I get it. Our cultures tend to prioritize a growth-at-all-costs mindset that leaves us exhausted. In the online business world, there are so many messages that you should be doing x, or that if you’re not waking up at 5am, and posting short videos on 12 platforms a day you’ll never be successful.
That kind of growth has never felt right to me.
Every time I attempt to push myself towards a goal by blunt force, something comes apart and it doesn’t work. I start neglecting other things that are important, I take less time to listen to myself, end up letting important things fall through the cracks, and make decisions that end up compromising my values.
I've learned that there are 2 types of growth. There’s unnatural growth that feels out of control, and there’s growth that feels aligned. The aligned one is about leaning into our own, our people’s, and our world’s changes and evolutions. I believe this is the type that defines community and why we’re drawn to it.
Many of us who are building community are already sensitive to this distinction. So when we read something about growing an online business fast/easy/alone, our mind is in two places:
“It would be great to have a spike in revenue, we can really use that!”
And “something about that doesn’t really feel right.”
And because there's something about growth and connection together that doesn’t feel right, the growth never comes.
What I hear from community founders when they talk about their growth challenges is a handful of fears that make perfect sense:
If we grow, how will I manage it? I’m already stretched thin.
What if this turns into a community I don’t want to be a part of?
I love the group I have and I don’t want to mess things up for them.
We are seeing growth as the unnatural cancerous type and (rightfully) being repelled by it. What if instead, we could lean into the more expansive and natural type of growth that is core to connection? What if growth and connection weren’t at odds, but actually helping each other?
We could then flip those fears to growth by asking ourselves questions like:
How can I ensure the opportunities growth brings outweigh the challenges?
How can I stick to my values, while continuing to lead a community I’m proud of?
How can growth be a gift to the current community I’ve built?
Growing a connection-centered business is different from any old online business. By prioritizing connection, we are being asked to look at our growth efforts for communities in a different way from what we might have been taught.
How can we let go of the icky growth and practice the more aligned type of growth? A few of the strategies that have worked for the community leaders who've embraced the right type of growth:
Talk to your people.
You can work on your own connection muscles by making friends with others as you build your community business. In the process of growing your business, prioritize relationship-building growth practices like partnerships and conversations.Be human online.
You can use social media as a place to share and connect, not broadcast. Infuse your posts with your enthusiasm for the world your community wants to create. You don’t need to know everything and be perfect.Practice generosity.
Offer a way into the community that helps potential members grow, even if they don’t join or buy anything. This could be hosting free events, sharing information, answering emails that ask for your help. Give when and how feels good to you, and trust that it’ll come back to you 10x.
When we stop thinking about marketing and community experience as separate, the two parts of the business help each other.
For us: We infuse connection into how we invite new members in.
For our members: They experience growth even before they’ve joined the community.
By changing our mindset and seeing growth and connection as complementary values, we can heal our aversion to growth. We can discover the possibility of growth that feels good to us and doesn’t exploit anyone in the process.
This fall, we’re working on a special program for community businesses that want to focus on growth in a connection-centered way. It’ll be an intensive 4-week cohort + group support afterward, and we’re aiming for it to cost ~$1K. Here’s who this is best for:
You have launched a community and things are going pretty well for your members.
But the community is too small to be sustainable both financially (not enough revenue) and in practice (not enough event attendees, no critical mass in the community platform).
The way your first members found you is no longer a reliable way to consistently bring in new members.
If that sounds like you, I’d love to interview you as we finalize the details of the program. You can schedule a quick call here.
On the call, I’ll ask you about your community, what’s working, and where the challenges are. Then, I’ll tell you about what I know so far about the growth program and get any other ideas on what might be helpful to include. These conversations will help inform how the program works. It’s an opportunity for you to think through your current and future growth strategies and for us to get to know each other.