Ep 191: How to Create a Community People Never Want to Leave
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How to Create a Community People Never Want to Leave
I recently shared my Community Cultivated Framework™ with a group of artists, and while the examples in that presentation leaned creative, the strategy applies across every industry. Whether you teach painting, run a membership, sell digital products, or lead in-person workshops, this framework works. If you want to keep more customers and grow more revenue, you need more than content. You need community.
Not just a Facebook group, a true ecosystem of connection, purpose, and progress.
This is your blueprint.
Whether you're running a membership, course, or physical studio, these four pillars will help you create a thriving community that drives retention, referrals, and revenue.
Pillar 1: Cause
A shared interest isn't enough. You need a shared purpose. A clear outcome your people can rally around.
Your cause answers this:
"We [do X] so that [Y becomes possible]."
Examples:
We stitch to preserve heritage.
We paint to heal.
We host art nights to reconnect and find joy.
A strong cause includes:
Purpose: Why your community exists.
Path: The steps you guide members through.
Progress: Support to help them move forward.
Engagement is not the goal. Progress is.
Ask yourself: What change does your community make possible?
Pillar 2: Culture
Culture tells your members: I belong here.
If you're not shaping it intentionally, it's happening anyway. Your community already has culture, you just need to define it.
Start with your:
Beliefs: What do you believe about your industry, your members, and what's possible for them?
Behaviors: What actions reflect those beliefs?
Boundaries: What won't you allow?
Examples:
Belief: Progress over polish
Behavior: Share messy first drafts
Belief: Celebration matters
Behavior: Celebrate every tiny win
Belief: Rest is part of the process
Behavior: Share downtime, not just hustle
People thrive with boundaries. Uphold them.
And make sure your culture shows up in your marketing too.
Ask yourself: What belief would you instill in every member today?
Pillar 3: Communication
There are three types of communication in a thriving community:
Outgoing: Your announcements and content
Incoming: Listening to your members
Internal: Member-to-member conversations
Most businesses over-focus on outgoing. But if you're not listening, you're missing the gold.
Use feedback loops: Surveys, polls, casual check-ins
Facilitate member connection: Events, breakout rooms, prompts
If you're the only one talking, you're not building community.
Ask yourself: How are you inviting your members to share? Are you really listening?
Pillar 4: Connection
We often throw connection strategies at a community problem, but the real root issue is usually safety.
Without safety, people won’t share. Without sharing, they stop showing up. And when they stop showing up? They leave.
Connection is built on:
Trust: You are who you say you are. You do what you say you'll do.
Clarity: Clear purpose, clear culture, clear boundaries
Leadership: Show up. Set the tone. Protect the culture.
Your platform, your events, your content, they all need to be designed for connection.
You don’t scale connection. You facilitate it.
Ask yourself: What makes your space feel safe to show up?
Ready to Apply the Framework?
Want 77+ ways to spark more connection in your community? Download the connection ideas guide at connectionideas.com.
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