2 builders who never spoke to each other

Leave rough edges people can finish

Something visibly unfinished gives a newcomer an obvious way in, and the act of improving it is what makes the thing theirs, which shows up as both better recruitment and longer retention. Ask people to bring a friend at the moment there is work to get stuck into, say the invitation out loud rather than waiting for it to be noticed, and remember that your roster and your events only create the conditions. A founder holding every relationship personally is running on their own savings.

The method

1. 01

   Leave visible rough edges that customers can improve, because the act of polishing them makes the product theirs, and people who feel that way recruit friends and stay longer.

2. 02

   Ask existing customers to bring a friend at the moment when there is visible work to get stuck into, because an unfinished project gives a newcomer an obvious way in.

3. 03

   Some of the opportunity next door has been sitting there the whole time and was simply never said out loud, so make the invitation explicit instead of waiting for it to be noticed.

4. 04

   Your member roster, your LinkedIn group, your events and your discussion list only create the conditions for relationships; the people themselves have to keep them alive, and your job is to make that easier rather than to own it.

5. 05

   Run inspire, motivate, organize and mobilize as a repeating loop rather than a one-off campaign, since every pass leaves you with more people able to run the loop without you.

What it returned

• 2022

  Tatiana Figueiredo, April 2022.

• Hillman credits this with both better recruitment and better retention, saying members got keener on bringing friends along and stuck around.

• Hillman told members the expansion would create many chances to get involved, which made it a good moment to invite someone to join.

• Hillman reads the whole four step cycle off Milk's career, noting that each repetition had a bigger effect than the one before.

Sources

• What I learned from watching Harvey Milk: A Roadmap for Community OrganizingAlex Hillman · dangerouslyawesome.com · Repeat · 2008-12-01
• The Importance of LinesAlex Hillman · dangerouslyawesome.com · Discovery of Others · 2011-02-01
• How Much Does It Cost To Start A Coworking SpaceAlex Hillman · dangerouslyawesome.com · 2) How much does it cost to open a coworking space · 2012-01-01
• Not a Joke: Indy Hall v3.0 - The Future of Indy HallAlex Hillman · dangerouslyawesome.com · What happens next · 2012-04-01
• The three necessary ingredients for community. Do you have them?Alex Hillman · dangerouslyawesome.com · Factor #2 Relationships · 2012-11-01
• Entrepreneurial false-positivesJustin Jackson · justinjackson.ca · What to look for in a new business opportunity · undated