Description

Building a community is tough. It's not easy, and anyone who tells you otherwise is lying. But here's the thing, communities have the power to change lives. This episode of Welcome to Eloma features host Kiley Peters in conversation with Deb Schell, a seasoned community strategist and co-founder of Community Consultants Collective.

Delving into her rich experience in this space, having launched more than 60 online community projects, Deb highlights the essence of fostering intentional and authentic connections within a community. She emphasizes creating an environment of psychological safety where members feel a genuine sense of belonging. It's not just about bringing people together; it's about nurturing a space where everyone feels valued and heard.

There are watch-outs.  Deb points out common pitfalls in community building, such as rushing into launching without a deep understanding of the target audience or the unique value the community offers. She underlines the critical role of listening to community members, actively seeking their feedback, and using it to enhance engagement and meet their needs effectively.

Deb's greatest insight? Trust. Trust that things will work out, even when entrepreneurship gets tough. Deb encourages entrepreneurs to embrace resilience, trusting the process even through challenging times and leveraging their unique strengths. 

For anyone intrigued by the idea of building and growing a community, this episode offers actionable insights. Listeners may also want to check out the Community Strategy Podcast, where Deb has interviewed over 100 business and community leaders to learn firsthand what strategies work for online community builders.

Quotes:

• “A lot of people have that philosophy that it's a passive income generator. And community is anything but passive.” (7:18 | Deb Schell) 
• “A lot of people miss that step of what problem is this community solving? How am I helping them and what's in it for them as the member versus what's in it for me as the host? And you have to have two lanes, right? Because you can't only think about members because you might have a revenue problem. And if you don't think about the business, if you think about the business only, then you really don't have a good path to really serving the members in an authentic way. So it's really about that balance.” (11:45 | Deb Schell) 
• “The biggest measure of success in a community is, are your members actually utilizing and implementing whatever they're learning in their daily life?” (13:47 | Deb Schell)  
• “The impact of community is helping other people to connect with others, authentically and intentionally, so that we can feel more sense of belonging and acceptance, because our world has been one of lack and exclusions and not including people and keeping people you know, not available in a lot of scenarios. Not accessible to things. While the world is changing, it's also that this is the time for us, as community builders, to open up the gates and to be able to connect with others.” (37:17 | Deb Schell)

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