Ep 49: Connected at a Distance: Building Strong Communities in an Online World with Sam Ovens

Jan 24

The Community-First Online Business: A Conversation with Sam Ovens

Recently I flew out to Los Angeles to meet with Sam Ovens, the founder of Skool, to have a conversation about community for his podcast and it ended up being a three hour conversation focused on community. Watch the full interview here.

We talked about how he's building Skool as a community first platform and what we think the future of community looks like inside of the online space. This is a new way of thinking about community as it relates to online programs.

The Future of Entrepreneurship

For many aspiring entrepreneurs, the biggest hurdle is coming up with a solid business idea. But what if the solution was to find a community first and then let the idea emerge naturally? By interacting with a group of people you care about and identifying the problems they face, you can start working on potential solutions and validate them within the community. This approach takes the pressure off trying to come up with a revolutionary idea and instead allows the business to organically grow out of the needs of the community.

Why Community Matters in Online Spaces

In today's online space, we have access to more platforms than ever before. However, many of these lack a sense of community. It's not uncommon for people to create a community because it's the thing to do, but it's missing something crucial. Building a community should not be treated as a task to check off a list.

Whether it's online or offline, the need for connection and shared intention among like-minded individuals is only getting stronger. Entrepreneurs who aren't paying attention to this trend are likely to be left behind.

The Value of Community in Online Business

Sam’s experience with consulting.com revealed that the majority of value was coming from the community side rather than the content side. People were far more active in the community and forming relationships that lasted long after the course was over. When he looked at how people were succeeding, he found that the key was interactions and relationships. The content was simply bringing people together around a common interest.

It's such an upside down way of thinking about it compared to how the rest of the online space has been doing it for so long. We create a community first to bring people together, we help them get results, they share those results, and ultimately we end up getting more people in. Then people within the community get more motivated to create the result. It ends up being, The Progress Wheel™, (what I teach in my program) where we identify the purpose, give them the path, they take action, they see the result, we spotlight the result, and then it just cycles around. This keeps them in motion and keeps your community in motion as a whole.

Create a Space for People to Show Up Fully

When we create a space where people can show up fully and experience a sense of belonging, they show up more fully in all aspects of their lives. As humans, we need validation from others to confirm that our thoughts, ideas and selves are valid. Without community, we often don't get that validation. And if we've been a part of a harmful community, it can make it difficult to trust community again. But when we create a space where people can show up fully, they will show up more fully in their life. This ultimately leads to better businesses, better schools, better families, and better friendships.

When we hold back because of fear or lack of validation, we miss out on opportunities. We miss out relationally, we miss out from an economic perspective. Businesses need to create spaces where people can create these trusted connections. Creating a community can be messy, but it's worth it. When people can show up fully and collaborate in a trusted environment, we can achieve the "hive mind" of people working together towards a common goal.

Build Community First

It's exciting to see how the community platform landscape is changing, with more platforms being built with community in mind, rather than adding it as an afterthought. When a platform is built with community in mind, it opens up many opportunities for people to connect and collaborate. Communities that are built with intention and purpose are more engaging and fulfilling for members.

Community is crucial in online spaces. It provides validation, support and an environment for people to collaborate and achieve common goals. Building a community should be a priority, not an afterthought. And when we create a space where people can show up fully, everyone benefits.

Shana Lynn