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When you are sitting there and you can't tell if you're afraid or if your concerns are real, there's only one solution, which is to try take the next step forward so that you create more insight, more knowledge, that you are able to have that workshopping loop. Because you're observing, you're orienting, you're deciding, you're acting, and then you're observing again. If you don't start taking those steps forward, then you're never going to learn. Hi, I'm Gina Bianchini. This is People Magic, where I am going to show you just how easy it is to build a $1 million community.
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Hey, Gina. I've been mapping out my community for a while now, and one of the things that's keeping me from going live is I don't know if it's my passion, but I know that it's a fire idea. The transition and ideal member I'm focused on is quite sad. So I'm curious, am I getting cold feet for fear of failure, or am I not excited to be dealing with heavy subjects super often? How can I tell the difference?
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It's a great question. Where I go in hearing that is, is it a transition that people need? Like, is this a community that needs to exist in the world? And if you are looking at it. And so I heard a couple of interesting things in there. So number one, it's not my passion. Well, great. Like, that actually is awesome to hear that your passion in life is not a really depressing topic. That's okay. The interesting places where I would take this. A few ideas. Number one would be, can you build this community with multiple co hosts? So the best way to navigate heavy topics is in a community. That's why you are creating a community. To be able to navigate this heavy topic, to guide or to host that community, you might also want to do it alongside some friends, some people that you can lean on, that you guys can lean on each other. So that would be one idea. Another idea is to trust your gut and not overthink it. So let's tease these different things because they just. They get used so often as a reason to do something or a reason not to do something. So let's. Let's just break it down into kind of its pieces. So in general, I like to start with what is the big purpose? You know, so who are the ideal members? What's the transition? What will be their best year ever? And those are the elements that go into the big purpose. I, or we bring together who you bring together so that we can have our best year ever. Which typically means navigating a transition, in this case a heavy transition, which by definition will probably help somebody have their best year ever if they're able to get out of a dark place into the light. As you sit with that, listen for the fears. So I was having a conversation with a amazing creator the other night in Los Angeles and she had been putting off launching her community, launching her membership. And you know, there was always a really good reason for it and there was always like she was really busy. And I sat at the dinner really listening for is this a fear based thing? Is this a time based thing? Is it real? Is it fake? And finally she said out loud, she's like, I am afraid I'm going to launch it and I'm only going to get a modest reception. And then I'm even in a worse situation than I am right now because I'm really busy. But at the same point in time, I am going to be responsible for something that is only kind of mediocre. And then I also listened for, you know, how busy is she? How many different priorities is she juggling and then thinking about those. Just the amount of time she has to dedicate to something where her intention was, what brought her energy versus what took energy away was really interesting. So where she got to was, I feel the most energized when I am teaching, when I am guiding, when I am helping people meet and build relationships with each other such that they can apply the concepts and the things that I have learned and that I want to offer as a gift to other people to be able to have their most successful careers in the area that she's working on. The flip side, she said, I'm really busy. I'm looking at my email inbox, I'm looking at my email inbox and it's making me sad. I feel overwhelmed when I'm just looking at my inbox. So here's my assessment and what I offered in that very specific case. And the reason I'm kind of going into this detail is because it's really hard to again, parse trusting your gut and powering through to do the thing that, you know, does require a bit of risk, even if it's risk of failure in our own head. So number one, I said, don't launch this right now. You are absolutely going to launch this, but don't launch this right now. Let's first take care of the acute problem, which is no one should be sad when they look at their email inbox that is a really clear signal that something bigger is broken and that the systems aren't in place for you to just live the life that you want to live and operate as the professional that you want to operate as. So step one is deal with the acute issues right now. And then the second thing I said is, and within 90 days we are going to launch this membership together and we're going to launch it together in a way that is low risk. We're going to start with something small. So instead of launching a year long membership or forever membership, we are going to launch with a simple two week challenge. And in that two weeks, if it is a total dog, you don't have to continue it. Or you can basically say, oh, and stick with this for when I launch my membership. So that two week challenge or that two week workshop and is it a week, is it two weeks, is it three weeks? That's up to you. But the point is you launch a one time thing that is long enough for you to be able to see if this is the thing you want to do, if it's giving you the energy and the purpose and the impact that you want it to have. And what's great is that you get to practice with this one time thing such that you will have more information to feed into your gut instinct. You will know, especially if you're paying attention to it, is this giving me energy? And then when you're also navigating fear of launching, because whenever there's a launch, if you're not a little bit afraid, it's sort of like public speaking. Even the best public speakers in the world are a little bit afraid. Their heart is racing just a little bit faster before they go on stage. And being good at public speaking or being good at operating on whatever excellence level that you ultimately want to operate, there will always be trepidation, there will always be a little bit of fear. So fear in and of itself is not a good enough reason not to go do something. Especially when the thing that you are doing is going to get easier and easier once you're, once you're live, once you, once you do it once, once you start the workshopping and experimentation. So I think that this direction of starting with a discrete thing is going to become more and more popular. Hint, we're also at mighty networks building better and better ways for these, you know, marketing spaces. This marketing opportunity to validate that it's the right thing for you, that you can get people to it, that there's demand for it is another way of putting get people to it and that you can use it as the basis to launch something bigger at that moment or over time. And it just starts to make a lot more sense. Because the reality is that when you are sitting there and you can't tell if you're afraid or if your concerns are real, there's only one solution. There's only one solution, which is to try take the next step forward so that you create more insight, more knowledge that you are able to have that workshopping loop. Because you're observing, you're orienting, you're deciding, you're acting and then you're observing again. If you don't start taking those steps forward, then you're never going to learn. And so, number one, do this with somebody or multiple people. If it's a heavy topic, that's just probably the right way to go because then you're not carrying the weight of this heavy topic on your back alone. But the second and more important thing that I would say is do the next step. Do the next step. And when you get into that headspace of oh my gosh, this is going to be the thing that I do forever. Do I want to do this forever? Does helping people through a hard time bring me joy? Is there enough laughter? Is there enough energizing feelings in what I'm doing and how I'm doing it? You won't know until you test it. So do a two week version of it. Do a one time event, Organize a party at your house or a small group discussion at your house, or organize a zoom call and don't put too much pressure on it. It's okay if you are workshopping your way into what ultimately is the right thing for you. Getting more information when you're at that moment of is this the thing I want to do? Is the single most important thing that you can get. It's the single most important thing for you to do. And here's the thing I would say this is true for all business. This is true for all new projects. This is true for whatever transition that you are in yourself. Take off the table for a minute the idea that you're building a community for people, going through a transition, your own transition, from, from not having a community all the way through to having one, growing it, scaling it into all sorts of other transitions. Start by taking the next step. I'm Gina Bianchini. Thanks for tuning in. This is people magic. Thank you for being a part of people Magic. If you want more of a deep dive in any of these topics, but certainly having the framework of People Magic profit. Head on over to the website. The link is in the show notes. Have your own burning question about creating People Magic? Well, I want to answer it. So here's what you're going to do. You're going to just drop your question in the review section, wherever you're listening to this podcast and keep tuning in.
People Magic: How to Build a $1M Community
Episode: Feeling Stuck? Why Action Is the Only Answer
Host: Gina Bianchini, Founder and CEO of Mighty Networks
Release Date: November 21, 2024
In the "Feeling Stuck? Why Action Is the Only Answer" episode of People Magic, Gina Bianchini delves deep into the psychological barriers that prevent aspiring community builders from launching their digital ventures. Through a candid and insightful conversation, Gina addresses fears of failure, the challenges of handling heavy topics, and practical strategies to take actionable steps toward building a thriving, profitable community.
The episode kicks off with Gina setting the stage for listeners grappling with uncertainty and fear in their community-building journey. She emphasizes the critical need to differentiate between genuine concerns and fear-based hesitations.
Notable Quote:
Gina states at [00:00]:
"When you are sitting there and you can't tell if you're afraid or if your concerns are real, there's only one solution, which is to try take the next step forward so that you create more insight, more knowledge."
A listener, referred to as Speaker B, shares her predicament: despite having a "fire idea," she's hesitant to launch her community due to doubts about her passion and the challenging nature of her target subject matter. She wonders if her reluctance stems from fear of failure or discomfort with heavy topics.
Notable Quote:
Speaker B at [00:51]:
"I'm curious, am I getting cold feet for fear of failure, or am I not excited to be dealing with heavy subjects super often? How can I tell the difference?"
Gina responds thoughtfully, guiding Speaker B through a series of reflective questions to assess the necessity and viability of her community idea. She suggests evaluating whether the community fills a genuine need and encourages collaboration with co-hosts to share the emotional load of managing heavy topics.
Key Points:
Purpose and Necessity:
Gina urges community builders to start by clarifying the big purpose behind their community. She asks:
Collaborative Hosting:
To navigate challenging subjects, Gina recommends partnering with co-hosts. This shared responsibility not only lightens the emotional burden but also brings diverse perspectives and support systems.
Trusting Intuition and Avoiding Overthinking:
Gina emphasizes the importance of trusting one's gut feelings over excessive deliberation, which can often lead to paralysis by analysis.
Notable Quote:
At [01:15], Gina advises:
"Don't launch this right now. You are absolutely going to launch this, but don't launch this right now. Let's first take care of the acute problem."
Gina breaks down actionable steps to help Speaker B move forward:
Address Immediate Challenges:
Before launching, tackle pressing issues that cause overwhelm, such as managing an overflowing email inbox. This ensures a stable foundation for the community.
Pilot Programs with Low Risk:
Instead of committing to a long-term membership from the outset, Gina suggests starting with a short-term initiative like a two-week challenge or workshop. This approach allows for testing the waters without significant risk.
Iterative Learning through Action:
Engaging in small, manageable actions provides valuable feedback and insights, helping community builders refine their offerings and align them with their passions and member needs.
Notable Quote:
Gina elaborates at [01:15]:
"Within 90 days we are going to launch this membership together and we're going to launch it together in a way that is low risk. We're going to start with something small."
Central to Gina's philosophy is the concept of the workshopping loop—observing, orienting, deciding, acting, and then observing again. She underscores that without taking actionable steps, community builders remain stagnant, lacking the experiences necessary to grow and adapt.
Notable Quote:
Towards the end, Gina reiterates:
"If you don't start taking those steps forward, then you're never going to learn."
Gina highlights the importance of not bearing the weight of heavy topics alone. By building a community with like-minded individuals and co-hosts, founders can create a supportive environment that fosters both personal and collective growth.
Conclusion and Takeaways
In this episode, Gina Bianchini provides a roadmap for overcoming the paralysis that often accompanies the desire to build a community. Key takeaways include:
Differentiate Between Fear and Valid Concerns: Understand the root of your hesitations to address them effectively.
Collaborate with Others: Share responsibilities and support systems with co-hosts to manage challenging subjects.
Start Small and Iterate: Launch pilot programs to test ideas, gather feedback, and refine your approach with minimal risk.
Take Action to Gain Insight: Engage in the workshopping loop to continuously learn and adapt, ensuring steady progress toward building a $1M community.
By following Gina's guidance, aspiring community builders can transform their ideas into successful, people-centric digital businesses that not only generate significant profit but also make a meaningful impact.
For a deeper dive into these strategies and more, visit the People Magic website linked in the show notes and submit your burning questions for future episodes.
Connect with Gina Bianchini and Mighty Networks:
Build the community you’re passionate about with the support and tools provided by Mighty Networks. Visit their website to learn more.