How To Build A Community In Your Business

Forming a community-driven business, takes in so many different aspects, but I am recognising three pillars are integral to your success, plus motivation and I’m going to say it, enjoyment.

Everything I am sharing is from my own experience. This means it can be applied your side. It’s taken me years to realise, so this is taken from 10 years of figuring it all out. 

What I am sharing is what takes to create a community that can stand the test of time and to bring people around your campfire. I understand there is so much to take on board, but what I highlight is the crux of everything coming together. 

I am going to structure each section in two ways.

1. What you need to have in place to develop your community 

2. Share how I am doing it (the proof for you)

Take from it, apply it to your side and get the right people to you. Then when they are with you, it’s over to you to bring everyone together.

This is what I know and what I do. 

If building a community feels like the next step for your business, let’s dive in.

This is about having a structure where people feel compelled and decide to join in with you. 

It doesn’t happen overnight, but it works when there is a plan and you’re willing to start. What has let me down over the years, is that I didn’t have a roadmap, I knew I wanted to build something for others, I just had to do it the hard way and figure it out for myself.

A vision shouldn’t all be about what you want, it’s reminding people of a vision that can work for them.

For instance saying you obsess over customer delight, or you are passionate about revitalising company identities, comes back to a business’s agenda, rather than the role you play with people rallying behind an idea.  

Being clear about a vision represents painting a picture of a better future for the people involved.

Old me – make content work for your business

New me – we can be self-sufficient promoting ourselves and our business 

It falls into place when you figure out and focus on what you want. For instance, my aim was never to tell people how to do their marketing, but to give people the confidence to become self-sufficient and feel supported being around others. 

When you have an idea people can get behind, you create that association with someone else. You don’t need to be the expert in your profession, more the rallying call for people with a shared mindset, within an industry. 

A vision keeps you on a path, you can’t just be doing, that becomes a drain on your time. There has to be a reason. 

In the past year, a lot has shifted from me to how we can create content that establishes your presence without any barriers. By cutting out the middleman and taking control, you attract people directly to you.

Being clear with values also helps people make that stronger affiliation. The values of YATM are built around creativity, independence, visibility, experimentation, co-learning, community and self-sufficiency. I just had to be clear on this.

Every piece of work created or an event delivered is to help someone do something or think about where they may not have considered before. We are seeing success in panel-led YATM Lunch Club events on AI and personal branding. This all comes down to the overall theme of taking control and being confident to build with others around them.  

The reason I keep going is to get better and share what’s happening. It’s there to guide you, it’s there to guide me. 

We can both benefit from being self-sufficient to have control where we don’t have to always rely on a middleman to get through to someone else. For instance, the recent LinkedIn Algorithm report highlights that organic post visibility is dropping like a stone whereas paid posts are where the future lies to be seen. Your feed now has more paid content (up to 40%), and less organic content (60%).

This comes down to what you can do, that you know you cannot stop.

You need to have a central place that brings people together (online or offline) and then you find strands that connect your whole approach. The most important skill here is persistence. 

For me, the constant since week one has been the Thursday YATM newsletter. It’s my way to show people, that I won’t let them down. The more you keep going, the more of a routine you create.

The longer you stick at something, you realise that continual improvements, modifications and refinements, are so important.

It works so much better when you find ways to connect ideas where you can address the right people, who opt in, rather than all your work remaining in a timeline with everyone else to fight to be seen.

When you begin, the writing, video, audio, visual work is what makes you visible. What you refine and focus is what makes you reputable. If you don’t start, no one is going to notice you and pay attention. 

It’s similar to beginning a new school and not joining in with anyone. If you don’t participate, your days become lonely. To make friends you have to join in. The goal is to find other people who have a connection with you (interests, beliefs, objectives, aspirations, values, hopes) and grow together. 

From the newsletter to the Friday sea swimming, to events, they have all become a routine for people.

What I am doing now is taking the majority of activity away from social media to people who commit, so we can all join in together. I now frame social as reach and visibility and the channels I can reach out to people individually as relationship bonding. 

Let me explain what I mean. I am more invested today in the Circle community that was introduced in 2023 (YATM Club), the WhatsApp groups we have and the in-person events that are planned a year in advance.

These channels all link together. The YATM Club is the place where we come together, to share ideas and be that supportive space for each other. The in-person events are where we reconvene and look around and know there are others on the same team. The WhatsApp groups link to the events, where people who book on, are invited to join, so they can become familiar with other attendees as well as link to the theme of the event (plus you never know when a send a self shout-out is posted!).

This is what keeps everything continuous where people who have made that decision to commit to YATM, from subscription, attendance to membership, know that when they step into a space there will be like-minded people around them. Nothing is ever in isolation. This is what encourages flow and momentum.

This is when people feel they are part of something and can see others around them.

Instead of exhausting efforts on treating everyone as a lead, it’s about the encouragement of finding positive companions. When people know they are around others, it helps to spark stronger connections and even friendships.

One of the reasons I started YATM was a way to find other people who would want to join in with me. A big reason for YATM was loneliness.

Being with the right group of people where there is reciprocity and encouragement means you push each other to be better where you build on ideas. 

What happens is that more opportunities open, that provide more energy and motivation to progress and become stronger.

When I started I was putting a lot of energy and effort into initiatives that didn’t work. This was because the pieces didn’t connect and people could not see the overall thinking and simplicity of an idea. 

It is the idea that helps form the supportive environment you want to make. 

When people know they can join in with the conversation and know there are others around them, it lifts everything. 

Over time, what has started to happen is that people become familiar with each other or know that a chat from being at a Lunch Club is likely to continue.

At the February Lunch Club, what happened afterward highlights this idea of people joining in.

When people posted their pics and thoughts, others from the same event, joined in with them. See what I mean here. It also became supportive of each other. Ben Franklin, a student from the local college shared his intention to start a podcast. It was via a post from someone else, who gave the nod to Ben, that others could see his efforts. From this, people have reached out to Ben to support his podcast and join as a guest. 

You want to surround yourself with people who will support you. 

You can try your hardest to please an anonymous audience, or you understand you can reach your full potential when you surround yourself with supportive and positive people. 

I know who I’d rather be around.  

Building a thriving community-driven business is possible. What works is having a strategic framework where your vision is clear, so it connects and resonates with your audience. 

The reason it has taken me a lot longer than I imagined, in terms of a connected community, is that people coming to a central theme or idea is the most important part of your efforts. It cannot be vague or is easily available elsewhere. 

When you can paint that vision that people can rally behind, you can create a powerful association that goes beyond your expertise. 

From the journey I am on with YATM, from your idea, you grow from a central hub, a persistent flow on communication and nurture that supportive environment. 

Building a community is a very real thing that can be achieved. I started YATM from zero with no experience, I hope that laying out a structured foundation shows what can be achieved and takes you to places you never thought possible, but with a collective effort becoming your motivation. It’s empowering for everyone involved.