[et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ next_background_color=”#ffffff” _builder_version=”4.24.2″ _module_preset=”default” background_color=”#34334f” bottom_divider_style=”arrow” bottom_divider_height=”39px” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.24.2″ _module_preset=”default” custom_padding=”||50px||false|false” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.24.2″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.24.2″ _module_preset=”default” header_font=”|800|||||||” header_text_align=”center” header_text_color=”#FFFFFF” header_font_size=”3em” global_colors_info=”{}”]

How to grow a local business community of 14,000+ entrepreneurs and 9-figure impact.

[/et_pb_text][/et_pb_column][/et_pb_row][/et_pb_section][et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”4.24.2″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.24.2″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.24.2″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.24.2″ _module_preset=”default” text_font=”|300|||||||” text_text_color=”#000000″ text_font_size=”1.3em” width=”75%” module_alignment=”center” global_colors_info=”{}”]

Nashville is one of the fastest-growing cities in the US, thanks in large part to its business and entrepreneurial community.

The Nashville Entrepreneur Center has been serving Nashville for about 13 years and its mission is to make Nashville the best place in the country to start and grow a business, and increase the likelihood of success of its entrepreneurs.

[/et_pb_text][/et_pb_column][/et_pb_row][/et_pb_section][et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”4.24.2″ _module_preset=”default” custom_margin=”0px||0px||false|false” custom_padding=”0px||0px||false|false” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.24.2″ _module_preset=”default” custom_margin=”0px||0px||false|false” custom_padding=”0px||0px||false|false” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.24.2″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_video src=”https://youtu.be/5XwYZZot-Zs” _builder_version=”4.24.2″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][/et_pb_video][/et_pb_column][/et_pb_row][/et_pb_section][et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”4.24.2″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.24.2″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.24.2″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.24.2″ _module_preset=”default” text_font=”|300|||||||” text_text_color=”#000000″ text_font_size=”1.3em” width=”75%” module_alignment=”center” global_colors_info=”{}”]Its CEO Sam Davidson – who took over in 2023 – came from business. He’s started and built four different companies and understands how lonely the walk as an entrepreneur and business owner can be, and how important community is as a support system.[/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.24.2″ _module_preset=”default” text_font=”|300|||||||” text_text_color=”#000000″ text_font_size=”1.3em” width=”75%” module_alignment=”center” global_colors_info=”{}”]Half of all businesses will be out of business in five years. But the EC isn’t helping entrepreneurs just beat these odds – they’re working to change the odds themselves.[/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.24.2″ _module_preset=”default” text_font=”|300|||||||” text_text_color=”#000000″ text_font_size=”1.3em” width=”75%” module_alignment=”center” global_colors_info=”{}”]

84% of entrepreneurs who come through the EC’s programs are still in business after 5 years. And they achieve this by connection.

[/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.24.2″ _module_preset=”default” text_font=”|300|||||||” text_text_color=”#000000″ text_font_size=”1.3em” width=”75%” module_alignment=”center” global_colors_info=”{}”]The EC provides virtual and in-person resources for business owners and has a co-working space, but a large part of what they do is use their membership-based community to connect entrepreneurs with each other; with mentors; and with events, ideas, and opportunities that will help them start and grow their business.[/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.24.2″ _module_preset=”default” text_font=”|300|||||||” text_text_color=”#000000″ text_font_size=”1.3em” width=”75%” module_alignment=”center” global_colors_info=”{}”]

Sam says, “Opportunity is often the result of our community. If we want more opportunities, especially more great opportunities, we need to increase our exposure to and depth in community.”

Opportunity is often the result of our community. If we want more opportunities, we need to increase our exposure to and depth in community.

[/et_pb_text][/et_pb_column][/et_pb_row][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.24.2″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.24.2″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.24.2″ _module_preset=”default” header_2_font=”|800|||||||” header_2_text_color=”#34334f” header_2_font_size=”2.2em” width=”75%” module_alignment=”center” global_colors_info=”{}”]

How to grow your community with a layered digital and in-person strategy.

The EC’s growth strategy is multifaceted because entrepreneurship itself is multifaceted. There are multiple entry points into the community, both digital and in-person, that reach people at different stages of their journey and that they use to bring people deeper into their community.

[/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.24.2″ _module_preset=”default” text_font=”|300|||||||” text_text_color=”#000000″ text_font_size=”1.3em” header_3_font=”|300|on||||||” header_3_text_align=”center” header_3_text_color=”#34334f” header_3_font_size=”1.3em” width=”75%” module_alignment=”center” locked=”off” global_colors_info=”{}”]

Choose your own commitment to community approach.

It can work both as a funnel to bring people through the stages, and each piece can also work as separate entity.

They are actively looking at how to add more benefits to the lower levels of commitment in order to help people invest in community at a deeper level.

Slack Community.

Co-Working Space.

[/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.24.2″ _module_preset=”default” text_font=”|300|||||||” text_text_color=”#000000″ text_font_size=”1.3em” width=”75%” module_alignment=”center” locked=”off” global_colors_info=”{}”]Half of the EC’s facility is dedicated to co-working space. You can get a dedicated desk, take meetings, get a PO box.[/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.24.2″ _module_preset=”default” text_font=”|300|||||||” text_text_color=”#000000″ text_font_size=”1.3em” width=”75%” module_alignment=”center” locked=”off” global_colors_info=”{}”]But there’s one major thing that differentiates it from other co-working spaces – it’s filled with other entrepreneurs. People who are going through this with you. The synergy and serendipity this creates is one of the keys to the EC’s success.[/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.24.2″ _module_preset=”default” text_font=”|300|||||||” text_text_color=”#000000″ text_font_size=”1.3em” width=”75%” module_alignment=”center” locked=”off” global_colors_info=”{}”]

Accelerators.

Referrals from people who need your community to grow the people they serve.

In the beginning, the main growth vehicle was referrals from funders. Investors would send people who weren’t ready for money yet to the EC to learn what they needed to learn and get ready.

If you find the second-level beneficiaries of your community, they can become a great referral source.

Stories like yours matter.

[/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.24.2″ _module_preset=”default” text_font=”|300|||||||” text_text_color=”#000000″ text_font_size=”1.3em” width=”75%” module_alignment=”center” locked=”off” global_colors_info=”{}”]The best communities tell a story that you can find yourself in. The community tells a story and someone says, “I see myself in that, let me go join, I want to do that too.”[/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.24.2″ _module_preset=”default” text_font=”|300|||||||” text_text_color=”#000000″ text_font_size=”1.3em” width=”75%” module_alignment=”center” locked=”off” global_colors_info=”{}”]

The EC is using its platform to tell the story, not of the EC, but of its entrepreneurs. Stories like Bill who came through the EC and 30x’ed his revenue. Or Shawnee who connected to her first funders through the EC.

Leveraging story is part of what Sam sees as the biggest source of growth – referrals from alumni.

The best communities tell a story you can find yourself in.

[/et_pb_text][/et_pb_column][/et_pb_row][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.24.2″ _module_preset=”default” locked=”off” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.24.2″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.24.2″ _module_preset=”default” header_font_size=”2.3em” header_2_font=”|800|||||||” header_2_text_color=”#34334f” header_2_font_size=”2.2em” width=”75%” module_alignment=”center” global_colors_info=”{}”]

How to nurture your community through consistency, conversation, co-creation, continuation, and connection.

Healthy communities create consistency and reliability.

This is an important lesson for community – having consistency and reliability helps you bridge the gap between touches. Maybe someone can’t make it for a week or two, then they’re not waiting out in the cold to come back in and re-connect.

Find your cadence and routine. There’s a reason church is every Sunday. Then you can play with the frequency and find out what’s too much or not enough.

Good communities ask for feedback from members.

The EC made a commitment to not just host weekly events for the first quarter of 2024, but to ask for feedback on how to improve them after every event.

Don’t just assume. Ask, have a conversation.

And sometimes picking a metric to judge success by doesn’t tell you the real story. Volume doesn’t tell the full story. Did people engage, did they tell other people, did they show up for the next one because this one was so good?

Strong communities co-create with members.

[/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.24.2″ _module_preset=”default” text_font=”|300|||||||” text_text_color=”#000000″ text_font_size=”1.3em” width=”75%” module_alignment=”center” locked=”off” global_colors_info=”{}”]Community isn’t static. You don’t just start or launch a community and then you’re done with the hard work.[/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.24.2″ _module_preset=”default” text_font=”|300|||||||” text_text_color=”#000000″ text_font_size=”1.3em” width=”75%” module_alignment=”center” locked=”off” global_colors_info=”{}”]Good communities create and re-create over and over again.[/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.24.2″ _module_preset=”default” text_font=”|300|||||||” text_text_color=”#000000″ text_font_size=”1.3em” width=”75%” module_alignment=”center” locked=”off” global_colors_info=”{}”]This goes hand-in-hand with soliciting feedback. When someone offers suggestions, the EC says, “Great, let’s do that together.” And this leads to future events that it knows members are interested in and want to engage with.[/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.24.2″ _module_preset=”default” text_font=”|300|||||||” text_text_color=”#000000″ text_font_size=”1.3em” width=”75%” module_alignment=”center” locked=”off” global_colors_info=”{}”]

“Real powerful communities don’t rely only on the leadership of that community to gather them or to grow them. The most powerful communities are those who recruit peers and start planning and doing things on their own.”

Part of your job is creating an environment that fosters co-creation and enables community members to shape the community. You won’t have a community if no one wants to be a part of it.

[/et_pb_text][/et_pb_column][/et_pb_row][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.24.2″ _module_preset=”default” background_color=”#eb535e” border_radii=”on|5px|5px|5px|5px” locked=”off” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.24.2″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.24.2″ _module_preset=”default” text_font=”Ovo|800|on||||||” text_text_color=”#FFFFFF” text_font_size=”2em” text_line_height=”1.5em” custom_padding=”25px|50px|25px|50px|false|false” global_colors_info=”{}”]The most powerful communities are those who recruit peers and start planning and doing things on their own.[/et_pb_text][/et_pb_column][/et_pb_row][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.24.2″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.24.2″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.24.2″ _module_preset=”default” text_font=”|300|||||||” text_text_color=”#000000″ text_font_size=”1.3em” header_3_font=”|300|on||||||” header_3_text_align=”center” header_3_text_color=”#34334f” header_3_font_size=”1.3em” width=”75%” module_alignment=”center” locked=”off” global_colors_info=”{}”]

Create more robust membership offerings.

Good communities build sidewalks not walls.

[/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.24.2″ _module_preset=”default” text_font=”|300|||||||” text_text_color=”#000000″ text_font_size=”1.3em” width=”75%” module_alignment=”center” locked=”off” global_colors_info=”{}”]Sidewalks connect communities.[/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.24.2″ _module_preset=”default” text_font=”|300|||||||” text_text_color=”#000000″ text_font_size=”1.3em” width=”75%” module_alignment=”center” locked=”off” global_colors_info=”{}”]Where the EC’s sidewalk ends, they want it to continue onto someone else’s sidewalk, and to have a strong relationship with their neighbor. Sam considers it a win for someone to walk to that other sidewalk in a safe way that gets them there faster.[/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.24.2″ _module_preset=”default” text_font=”|300|||||||” text_text_color=”#000000″ text_font_size=”1.3em” width=”75%” module_alignment=”center” locked=”off” global_colors_info=”{}”]Some people want to put walls around their community and make it harder to climb over and out. This doesn’t help someone get where they’re going; Sam likens getting off this kind of sidewalk to the person having to climb over the wall and end up in the middle of the road. It’s dangerous and it takes them a long time to get to the next destination. This doesn’t help the EC or the people it serves achieve either of their long term goals.[/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.24.2″ _module_preset=”default” text_font=”|300|||||||” text_text_color=”#000000″ text_font_size=”1.3em” width=”75%” module_alignment=”center” locked=”off” global_colors_info=”{}”]Part of retention for the EC isn’t just keeping someone in its programs endlessly; it’s understanding where they go after. Maybe they leave the entrepreneur side of their community, but join the advisor side and become one of the mentors that helps newer entrepreneurs.[/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.24.2″ _module_preset=”default” text_font=”|300|||||||” text_text_color=”#000000″ text_font_size=”1.3em” header_3_font=”|300|on||||||” header_3_text_align=”center” header_3_text_color=”#34334f” header_3_font_size=”1.3em” width=”75%” module_alignment=”center” locked=”off” global_colors_info=”{}”]

Create intentional and serendipitous community.

[/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.24.2″ _module_preset=”default” text_font=”|300|||||||” text_text_color=”#000000″ text_font_size=”1.3em” width=”75%” module_alignment=”center” locked=”off” global_colors_info=”{}”]Community can be a place where you trust the people you’re around to ask them for recommendations. If someone intentionally asks for a copyright lawyer, the EC can refer them to a copyright lawyer in the community.[/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.24.2″ _module_preset=”default” text_font=”|300|||||||” text_text_color=”#000000″ text_font_size=”1.3em” width=”75%” module_alignment=”center” locked=”off” global_colors_info=”{}”]But there’s something potentially more powerful – creating an opportunity for right place, right time meetings.[/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.24.2″ _module_preset=”default” text_font=”|300|||||||” text_text_color=”#000000″ text_font_size=”1.3em” width=”75%” module_alignment=”center” locked=”off” global_colors_info=”{}”]Two people meet at the community coffee pot and then something like this happens: “Hey, what’s your name? What’re you working on? Oh my gosh, that’s exactly the thing I need, can we have a conversation about it?” [/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.24.2″ _module_preset=”default” text_font=”|300|||||||” text_text_color=”#000000″ text_font_size=”1.3em” width=”75%” module_alignment=”center” locked=”off” global_colors_info=”{}”]I call this the “Small World Factor” – cue the boat ride.[/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.24.2″ _module_preset=”default” text_font=”|300|||||||” text_text_color=”#000000″ text_font_size=”1.3em” width=”75%” module_alignment=”center” locked=”off” global_colors_info=”{}”]You meet someone and afterwards say, oh my goodness, can you believe I just coincidentally met this person in this way? Whodathunkit?[/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.24.2″ _module_preset=”default” text_font=”|300|||||||” text_text_color=”#000000″ text_font_size=”1.3em” width=”75%” module_alignment=”center” locked=”off” global_colors_info=”{}”]

Part of this comes from the focus of a community. What the community is about generates the potential for the type of serendipity it will create for its members.

How to monetize your community in a way that achieves your bigger picture goal.

Raise money.

Use a membership program.

Monetization should align with your goals and values.

[/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.24.2″ _module_preset=”default” text_font=”|300|||||||” text_text_color=”#000000″ text_font_size=”1.3em” width=”75%” module_alignment=”center” locked=”off” global_colors_info=”{}”]Community is a valuable service, and it’s not wrong to make money from community. But your monetization method and amount should be congruent with the goals and values of your community.[/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.24.2″ _module_preset=”default” text_font=”|300|||||||” text_text_color=”#000000″ text_font_size=”1.3em” width=”75%” module_alignment=”center” locked=”off” global_colors_info=”{}”]But you should also be asking people to invest in themselves and their community. There’s something to be said for investing in your community. Sam says, “The things we invest in are the things we protect and grow.”[/et_pb_text][/et_pb_column][/et_pb_row][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.24.2″ _module_preset=”default” locked=”off” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.24.2″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.24.2″ _module_preset=”default” header_font_size=”2.3em” header_2_font=”|800|||||||” header_2_text_color=”#34334f” header_2_font_size=”2.2em” width=”75%” module_alignment=”center” global_colors_info=”{}”]

Measuring success requires a different metric in community.

[/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.24.2″ _module_preset=”default” text_font=”|300|||||||” text_text_color=”#000000″ text_font_size=”1.3em” width=”75%” module_alignment=”center” locked=”off” global_colors_info=”{}”]The EC has served 14,000 entrepreneurs in its history. [/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.24.2″ _module_preset=”default” text_font=”|300|||||||” text_text_color=”#000000″ text_font_size=”1.3em” width=”75%” module_alignment=”center” locked=”off” global_colors_info=”{}”]It has raised $300 million dollars in venture capital, helped generate $400 million dollars in revenue, and $100 million dollars in exits.[/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.24.2″ _module_preset=”default” text_font=”|300|||||||” text_text_color=”#000000″ text_font_size=”1.3em” width=”75%” module_alignment=”center” locked=”off” global_colors_info=”{}”]But Sam tells the story of Madeleine, who was trying to get a major licensing contract for her startup, but was getting pushback on cybersecurity from the big corporation. The EC, serendipitously, was hosting a workshop on cybersecurity. [/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.24.2″ _module_preset=”default” text_font=”|300|||||||” text_text_color=”#000000″ text_font_size=”1.3em” width=”75%” module_alignment=”center” locked=”off” global_colors_info=”{}”]All of 4 people came to the workshop, and Sam thought the event was a total bust.[/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.24.2″ _module_preset=”default” text_font=”|300|||||||” text_text_color=”#000000″ text_font_size=”1.3em” width=”75%” module_alignment=”center” locked=”off” global_colors_info=”{}”]But Madeleine came, connected with the guy leading the workshop, got help getting cybersecurity insurance, signed the deal with the big client, and was off to the races.[/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.24.2″ _module_preset=”default” text_font=”|300|||||||” text_text_color=”#000000″ text_font_size=”1.3em” width=”75%” module_alignment=”center” locked=”off” global_colors_info=”{}”]The number of attendees is the data point most people look at. By that measure, the event was a failure. But there’s a bigger story underneath.[/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.24.2″ _module_preset=”default” text_font=”|300|||||||” text_text_color=”#000000″ text_font_size=”1.3em” width=”75%” module_alignment=”center” locked=”off” global_colors_info=”{}”]

Data + Depth of story = a different view of success.

[/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.24.2″ _module_preset=”default” text_font=”|300|||||||” text_text_color=”#000000″ text_font_size=”1.3em” width=”75%” module_alignment=”center” locked=”off” global_colors_info=”{}”]“I think community is always measured in depth. One thing I tell folks is worry less about the amount of people in your community and worry more about the amount of community in your people.”[/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.24.2″ _module_preset=”default” text_font=”|300|||||||” text_text_color=”#000000″ text_font_size=”1.3em” width=”75%” module_alignment=”center” locked=”off” global_colors_info=”{}”]A hundred people in a space is just a group, a mob, or an event.[/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.24.2″ _module_preset=”default” text_font=”|300|||||||” text_text_color=”#000000″ text_font_size=”1.3em” width=”75%” module_alignment=”center” locked=”off” global_colors_info=”{}”]“It’s not how many people can we count, it’s how many people can we count on.”[/et_pb_text][/et_pb_column][/et_pb_row][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.24.2″ _module_preset=”default” background_color=”#eb535e” border_radii=”on|5px|5px|5px|5px” locked=”off” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.24.2″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.24.2″ _module_preset=”default” text_font=”Ovo|800|on||||||” text_text_color=”#FFFFFF” text_font_size=”2em” text_line_height=”1.5em” custom_padding=”25px|50px|25px|50px|false|false” global_colors_info=”{}”]

Community is always measured in depth. Worry less about the amount of people in your community, worry more about the amount of community in your people.

Build your community before you need it.

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