The Community Builder Show

Hey Community Builder Podcast Community,

Excited about this episode I did with Dan Sullivan. We had a great conversation and some real life podcast hurdles to work through in order to get this episode done. I welcome you to embrace the process with a love/love relationship. Understand that it will make you a stronger person by dealing with challenges head on. The Obstacle is the way. Hope you enjoy this gem.

Travis

Travis's Show Notes

1. How and why did you start this community?

• Works full-time @ NJ Tech Council -> a statewide organization that helps support the ecosystem of innovators and entrepreneurs who propel the future that's been around for 20+ years
• Dan asked himself the question "how can we help inspire and energize the new jersey communities?, how can that be done?"
• Identify markets with potential and then pick a city -> Jersey City (dead zone)

2. Dan got an idea -> Let's create a Meetup. Let's find a way to do this and create a community. -> A community completely from scratch.

• Being new to the Meetup platform -> A very daunting task in and of itself
• Required before starting: a vigilant mind, someone that believes in themselves, and is ready to learn things along the way
• 1 year later -> Dan's completely transformed
• One of the rewards + benefits/positives of being in the role of being a community organizer.
• Organizer = THE Community CORE
• What's the ROI of being a community organizer?
• Image of the Community

3. Dan's Community Organizer superpowers:

1. relationship building
2. networking
3. lack of fear to reach out to people -> that's what gets the ball rolling, a really slow roll.

• Connected to some key people -> the Mayor's Office + the person who ran their innovation department
• Taking a community from being unknown to known
• Plans to take the community in a thoughtful new direction + support from the Mayor's Office (happy to help you connect with other people) -> that's how it starts
• 1st event -> 30 people and standards have since grown
• Created an environment for people to connect, network, and build community. -> seeing and feeling this experience in real life feels like planting the seeds of a tree

4. Progress update: 1 year later -> 1 member to 1,500 members

• As of 8/9/18 -> already hosting over 1,000 people at community programs and events
• Free event on Thursday nights in your city about stuff you like

5. Whats happening now and what can you do to transform? (enter football analogy) -> leads to Dan creating innovative programs -> exploring the bizarre, differences in culture, cutting edge ideas, controversial ideas like sex tech, cannabis, entrepreneurship, and women in tech.

• Hosted 2 sex tech programs attendance over 100 people both times -> people found it very interesting
• The exploration of sex in society -> Mission in the industry is to break down the barrier that the media has created
• A community of people who were trying to get their startups of the ground funding and were laughed out of the room -> fast forward 1 year later, millions of dollars are coming in.
• Outlets blocking content for brands: KickStarter, Facebook advertising
• Trojan could get their ads out but not a company like unbound box or dame products.

6. Stepping aside and and letting a new leader come in

• Community video thanking Dan on his efforts
• This moment - a complete surprise
• Hosted a blockchain and going away event / handing over the keys
• Went out and took initiative to ask people to give feedback on their experience
• Realize when you're saying you're leaving, people get shocked and scared
• Strategic Partners -> how much impact the community partners made in the community -> Gives leaders and community organizers the confidence and inspiration to inspire other people to get started

7. How Partners impact a community

• Having the ability to quickly find where a business will find value and prove it
• Venue, speaking, community -> biggest struggles
• Conversations with business owners, co-working space, founders, people in government -> always have to be reminded they have to be a good corporate citizen and a member of the community
• How important do you think this community initiative is to your city?
• How cool would it be to be a part of this mission?
• We heard about your program and we want to be a part of it. -> I saw what you created, come host an event at our space
• Listen first, then try to do some action and hear what people what from you or what they want to get out of it -> quickly figure out how to deliver on that
• Diversity of a community with different points of views
• Being completely transparent is key -> Fortunately, it's something you learn as you grow as a human being. You learn to be honest with people and open up to learning more about what people do in their spare time.
• Connect on a different level when you open up and expose past lives to people. Example, Dan used to be in the music industry -> goes to a meetup and meets another person in tech who also came from the music industry -> connection on a different level, which leads to stronger overall connection

8. How gatherings he's hosted helped people breakthrough the first level of connection and ability to share truths?

• Human error -> people get uncomfortable by nature
• The culture he built -> exceed expectations and making the event a fun and subversive experience people want to attend -> you will see results
• Always in events, he would always say "someones got to have a question". He's hosting events on tons of topics he knows nothing about, so he's curious by nature.
• We only put out the good news and sometimes it can be skewed and we tend to turn things in our favor, by human nature
• Please don't monetize IG LIVE!!
• Tech fails -> microphone wasn't working before this episode!! -> embrace the failures
• People are in the realm of listening to folks like Garyvee (maybe)
• How to relate to what Garyvee says -> the intent behind what he says versus how he's communicating his message
• Unleash your truths to the world -> nobody is really great at doing that
• When you can be honest and vulnerable with people -> superpowers emerge and you can get to the 1st, 2nd, 3rd level of connections

Key Takeaway & Dan's keys to being a great leader and community organizer:

1. Be transparent
2. Be an expert listener
3. Have the grit to go get it

Inside we're all children -> successful people are children at play 24/7/365 -> they are having fun

• Happiest when exposing your truths versus hiding them in a hidden box, which will later burst out in another form when it actually does come out

Dan welcomes everyone listening to whole heartedly join him and looking for resources -> connect with Dan!

• dan@njtch.org

Dan Sullivan - LinkedIn

NJ Tech Councile - Website