Alex talks to Greg Isenberg about building a community-enhanced business, highlighting the benefits and strategies. They discuss the importance of community-building for businesses and provide examples of successful community-based products. The podcast also explores scaling an agency and the power of community, emphasizes the significance of having a clear mission and implementing rituals, and concludes with a call-to-action for listeners to provide recommendations.
Building a community around your business can provide an unfair advantage and increase your chances of success.
Having a clear mission and establishing rituals within a community are essential for building a successful community-enhanced business.
Deep dives
The Power of Building Community Around Your Business
Building your business as a community or creating a community around your business can provide an unfair advantage and increase your chances of success. Greg Eisenberg, a renowned builder of community-based businesses, shares his expertise. Community-based products that either focus on building a community or enhance a community can outperform non-community-based products. Eisenberg discusses the step-by-step process of building a community-enhanced business and highlights the importance of having a clear mission and establishing rituals within the community. He provides examples of successful community-based businesses like Raffa, a cycling apparel store that offers a membership for cyclists to connect and participate in races.
The Journey of Building a Community-Enhanced Business
Eisenberg shares a personal example of starting a community-focused business around AI and productivity. By creating a Twitter account and a landing page, they attracted a large following interested in sharing tips on using AI. This led them to create private and public communities, offering courses on AI and automation, ultimately enhancing their business. Another example is a vertical software company for carpet retailers called Broad Loom, which built a massive Facebook group to connect and engage with their customers, driving significant sales. Eisenberg emphasizes that genuine community and trust are essential for monetization and growth.
Key Principles for Building a Successful Community
Eisenberg emphasizes two key principles for building a successful community: a clear mission and established rituals. A strong mission that brings people together is crucial, as it provides a deep sense of purpose and belonging. Additionally, rituals create regular engagement and a shared culture within the community. Eisenberg draws inspiration from religious communities, which have bibles or books guiding their members and rituals that build a sense of identity and belonging. He also highlights the importance of shared customs and institutional knowledge as part of the community experience.
Episode 80: Today, Alex (@businessbarista) is talking to Greg Isenberg (@gregisenberg), founder of Lake Checkout, a holding company that creates, grows, and buys community-based products. Alex and Greg discuss building a community-enhanced business and why it can act as an accelerator for your company.