James Shaw on the Power of Community and Identity

This week, I am joined by one of my dear friends, James Shaw. James is an accidental entrepreneur who turned an engaged Facebook group into a thriving mastermind during the pandemic. 

In this episode, James shares his journey of building a connected community, providing value to his customers, and the key choice every leader must make. After listening to our conversation, you’ll understand the power of identity and belonging in order to create an army of superfans.

James D. Shaw, the founder of  the Inspire Collective - a thriving agent mastermind community - is a true legend in the real estate community. He has been a member of the Keller Williams family since 2005 and has consistently demonstrated exceptional leadership and expertise. From 2012 to 2015, James led the Northwest Tampa market, transforming it into South Florida’s most profitable region. Prior to Tampa, he was the Team Leader for the Cary, North Carolina division and helped it grow from #4 to #1 in the area. James is a distinguished member of the Keller Williams University international master faculty and continues to inspire and mentor the next generation of real estate agents.

Show Notes:
[00:02:17] How James turned a Facebook group into a business
[00:03:07] How James responded to the pandemic and helped out fellow real estate agents
[00:07:01] When James realized the impact his Facebook group had, and what happened when he tried to shut it down.
[00:09:20] How Brittany heard of James through dozens of his superfans
[00:11:10] How James provides significant value for free to his audience
[00:12:00] Creating a paid mastermind community for progress and support.
[00:13:00] What community does for your business
[00:16:57] When you build your business, you can put your focus on one of two things: people or money.
[00:18:27] How to serve people who don't need you
[00:20:37] Caring for people leads to business success.
[00:24:53] How to delegate as an entrepreneur and why it's important to invest in a trustworthy team
[00:27:50 A creative way that James stayed in touch with his community while going on vacation and the 1-3-7 model he teaches to other entrepreneurs
[00:31:11] Be obsessed with adding value and understanding your customer's story. Then, find people that have answers to the problems and interview them.
[00:35:04] Position yourself as someone who can help. If your customer aren't coming to you for help, ask yourself why they don't look at you as someone to guide them.

The Inspire Collective
Pivot Shift Ahead Facebook Group

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