Are you an entrepreneur or business owner? Do you want to start scaling your business to increase your income, impact, and influence? If so, you’ve come to the right place! To scale your business, you have to stop selling products and start building community. When I think about business, two things come to mind: How to maximize the lifetime value of a customer and how I can build trust in order to do that.
If you want to make money from your customers, it’s far more effective to retain by building long-term relationships rather than going out to find new customers. So if you’re in the business of building your business, then you need to think about how you can maximize the lifetime value of each customer. And the best way to do that is to…
Stop Selling And Start Building
We are all in the business of selling; no question. However, in order for our businesses to be successful in the internet age, a mindset shift is required. You see, the internet has changed everything; it has made any kind of information easily and readily available. But with this dynamic influx of data flooding our feeds, people today don’t want (or need) any more information.
What they want now more than anything else is connection…
Here’s the deal: as a result of the internet connecting everyone in unimaginable ways, an ironic twist in circumstance has occurred. People today are actually suffering from a degree of disconnection in our interconnected world.
Connecting The Disconnected
Now, here comes the good part: This challenge presents an opportunity. Because in the absence of genuine connection, the hunger for long-term relationships grows and intensifies.
And here’s where you come in…
YOU, as an entrepreneur or business person, who’s out there grinding can utilize that long-term desire that every single one of us has for…
- Deep connection
- Deep relationships
- Deep community
This is where putting your focus on building community can be incredibly beneficial to you and your business.
Community Is Everything
The research on this is profound: A sense of community is essential for quality relationships, mental and physical health, and to people thriving in both life and business. And so no matter what you’re selling, you’ll be most effective (and profitable) by actually building community. But the obvious question then becomes: How do you do that? You can start by following this simple formula:
1. Create A Platform For People To Find Their Voice
Why do you think the Facebooks, the Instagrams, and the TikToks of the world have performed so well? Because they’ve platformed people to find their voice! Stephen Covey’s 8th Habit is to actually find your voice and then help others to find theirs. So I want you to think: How does my product, how does my service, and what I offer help people to find their voice?
When people find their voice, they’re going to lock on to you for life. On the other hand, if all they’ve got is your voice coming down on them screaming “buy, buy, buy, buy,” I’ll tell you what, it’s not going to be very effective.
So think about voice; not only your voice but also how you can platform others because that is the key.
2. Ensure You And Your Company Are Putting Out The Right Vibe
When I think about the vibe, the first thing that comes to mind is what kind of energy am I emanating? Every one of us has presence. I’ll tell you what, when you walk into a room, you’re either brightening it with hope and possibility or—on the flip side—you’re dimming that room with pessimistic thoughts and energy.
So when thinking about how I can build a community, the question I ask myself is: How can I make sure that the vibe I’m emanating brings in the tribe I want to attract?
It goes back to the old saying: Your vibe attracts your tribe.
And the best part? You can actually manage your vibe. And when you think about it, every business has a vibe. When you visit Starbucks, you feel open and inspired by its friendly staff and clean and spacious facility; when you walk into a Walgreens, you feel “taken care of” knowing your health and wellness needs will be met with its vast inventory.
So when you think about your company vibe, you want to consider: What kind of energy do I intentionally want to project?
This shows up in your…
- Branding
- Social media
- Website design
- Colours you select
- Your choice of music, etc.
Whether you realize it or not, all of these things contribute to your business’s vibe and energy. So how about being intentional about it and then reflecting that out there so you can start attracting your tribe?
3. Draft A Compelling And Captivating Vision
Vision is a statement about where you’re going. Simon Sinek said, “We have to start with Why.” We need to begin with a sense of purpose; I’ll tell you what, vision is what you’re trying to create and build with your business.
Steve Jobs, when he was trying to build Apple (and he did a pretty good job with that), he wanted to create an interconnected world where almost everything people needed could be found at their fingertips. And they’ve done exactly that through the iPhone, iPad, MacBook laptops and desktops, etc.
And the idea is: We’re not just trying to slam a product out there, but rather, we have a vision of the world we can create with our product, service, or thing that we’re selling.
So the idea behind community comes down to the question of: How can I tell a story that allows people to see that I’m not just trying to get their money? Instead, I’m trying to build a greater future.
What Is Your Vision?
And what are you doing to articulate that really well? And the next step to consider to build community is…
4. Decide And Live By Your Values
When you think about values, what you’re really doing is thinking about how you are going to live your life. Of course, other factors such as morals and ethics come into play as well. However, what you’re talking about more so than those things is trust. People trust those who have the same values they have.
Because here’s the deal…
Values attract values-based people. So if you want to attract people with the right values to your business or organization, then you have to be a values-based person as well. And I’ll tell you what, this means that a lot of us (myself included) need to take a look in the mirror.
We need to ask ourselves: How is it that my values can better line up with my life?
Because in order for any of this to be effective, authenticity must be present. There can be no incongruence between what you say you stand for and how you actually live.
And the final step to build community is you need to…
5. Add Value
When considering the idea of how you can build a community, the question at the forefront of your mind should be: How can I serve people? I am a massive proponent of servant leadership; adding value to others. And the reason many people struggle with this is because sometimes it can look like:
- You putting yourself out there and not getting appreciated
- Trying your best to give and others not giving anything back in return
- Going the extra mile to be helpful in your content creation strategy only to be ridiculed by an internet troll
None of these scenarios are fun; however, you must remember that if you’re not adding value, you’re taking value.
I want you to think about that for a moment.
You don’t want to be that kind of person. Takers never last. If you add value to others, others are going to add value to you.
Wrapping Up
Your business is not just about profit. Yes, that is the bloodline that will keep it afloat; however, the purpose of your business is to serve—first and foremost. And when you can adopt this mindset, the most incredible things will begin unfolding for you. Moreover, we at Certified Flourishing Coach want to help you take that step.
Our team of expert coaches and facilitators is here to guide you through the process, step-by-step, to help your business flourish! So contact us today if you’re ready to learn more!
About the Author
Abe Brown, MBA, CMCT, CPHSA is the Coach’s Coach, and is an Entrepreneur, Professional Speaker, International Best-Selling Author, and High-Performance Leadership Coach. He is the founder of Certified Flourishing Coaching™, the Flourishing Life Coaching Program™, and Flourishing Workplace. Abe is also the author of the Certified Flourishing Coaching™ Programs.