If you’ve been following my socials, emails or my last blog, you know I’ve taken on a passion project. I’ve started an online community under the Business Success Network… For Disabled Entrepreneurs.
I’ve had an amazing response to this — people keep wanting to talk to me about it!
So today I thought I’d tell you about growing the community.
This was the race to 100 Members!
To start, a story
The wonderful Stacey Calder who runs the Business Success Network UK has been trying to plant seeds in my brain for a while now about running a local community group with her.
However, I personally think a local group would lend itself to in-person networking and due to chronic illness, I can never be sure if I will be well enough to go out and do something.
Then it hit me.
I know quite a few business owners with similar problems — and I recently went to an FSB meeting for disabled entrepreneurs, and I absolutely loved the supportive feel of the event
But I want that every day!
So of course, that gave me the idea of setting up a disabled entrepreneur community under the banner of the Business Success Network — I told Stacey this and she got exited too! 2 days later it was live and accepting members.
13 days later we hit 100 members — with a very engaged base!
How did I do it?
The first thing you need to know, is when I get my teeth into something, I go all out. It turned out, this really is my passion project.
Whenever I am asked to join a group, I am always hesitant if there isn’t a lot of people there. So, I felt it was pertinent to get those numbers up as quick as possible — though I wasn’t specifically aiming for 100 — to start with. I had said once I hit 100, I would look at running networking events, but I was looking at jumps of 25 people maybe over a week or two — I really didn’t expect the response I got.
I’m pretty sure Stacey did a bunch of these steps alongside me too!
Step 1: Invite your close friends.
I am probably lucky that I have some very close business friends in the same boat as me — a disabled entrepreneur. Plus, a bunch of other people that I’ve networked with a lot. So, they were the first invitees, that probably got the first 10 or so people in the group — great it wasn’t just two of us anymore. A good start!
Step 2: Socials!
The next step was to put the word out on social media. I knew there would be more people that I hadn’t thought of.
So, I put this post out:
“Are you a disabled entrepreneur? Or work with this amazing group of people?
Many disabled people find they must leave the world of traditional work to focus on their health or they find that accommodations don’t stretch to the point they need. Some people fall into self-employment to make ends meet, others to keep themselves active in any way they can be.
That doesn’t mean it’s easy, it can be lonely, and it can be tough, but Business Success Network… For Disabled Entrepreneurs aims to bring those business owners — and those that support them, together in a vibrant and supportive community.
With lots of advice, support, check-ins, and networking to help grow our businesses and make them what success looks like for you.
Then come and join the latest Business Success Network community with your business no matter how big or small! https://www.facebook.com/groups/bsndisabledentrepreneurs”
I put this on Facebook and LinkedIn then asked people I know to comment and share to give it a boost. I also targeted a few twitter hours with a shorter version.
I put it out again about a week later: my sister-in-law even got excited and shared it.
Step 3: Emails.
Then came emails, I have a fairly engaged email list of around 700 people, so I sent them this email, and asked them if they’d either like to join or pass it on to anyone that they may know who would.
I am also a fairly avid networker and try to always follow up — I’d even been in a meeting with my target audience (who have since asked me to do a slot about it in April) so I added it into my email template for my follow up emails too!
We were flying by this point, a nice trickle of people asking to join, and getting excited about it!
Step 4: LinkedIn Targeting
Since so many people were telling me how much of a great idea to was, this just spurred me on — to hell with my target of 25, I wanted 50 members in that first week (we’d got to 75 by the Sunday) and 100 by the end of the second week — took until the Tuesday.
I went on what can only be described as a LinkedIn Assault.
I searched for the terms; Disabled. Disability. Neurodiverse. ADHD and Autism.
Using one at a time, going through my first connections. Anyone that was a disabled entrepreneur or looked like they served them I sent this message:
“Hi (name),
I’ve started a community Facebook group for disabled entrepreneurs and those that support them.
It’s becoming a really vibrant and supportive space, and we’ll be adding in networking and other ways we can support and work with each other as we grow.
So, I was wondering if you’d like to come and join us? If you do you can find it here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/bsndisabledentrepreneurs”
This really worked! (I did expect it would, it’s how I get visitors to my 1N meetings, but the response was so much bigger!)
As this really worked, once I ran out of 1st connections, I decided to give it a go on my 2nd connections (this is how I met Philip Connolly, and a few others)
Now, I was probably aided by the fact that I was using a month’s free trial of LinkedIn Premium, so I had more connection requests (which I didn’t get to the end of) but the idea is the same.
When I went to connect with the people I was targeting, I sent a note with it, I had to modify my message as the original was too long.
“Hi (Name),
I’ve started a Facebook group for disabled entrepreneurs and those that support them.
It’s becoming a really vibrant and supportive space. So, I was wondering if you’d like to come and join us? If you do you can find it here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/bsndisabledentrepreneurs”
This would of course also work with 3rd connections — but I never got that far in my race to 100 members. In fact for 2nd connections, I also searched for disabled and neurodiverse.
Stacey was amazed at how many people this brought through, having 15 people waiting for approval at one point. Even after hitting 100, the messages I’ve sent are still bringing people through.
Oh and I also added a ‘community leader’ for the group as a current job role on my profile with a link to the group — this one is more long game, but now anyone looking at my profile can find the group.
Step 5: Groups
Like anyone of Facebook — I’m in a bunch of groups!
So, for the ones where it was appropriate, I posted in those! (Stacey definitely did this too!) I mostly used the same post wording I had put out on my own socials, editing if I needed.
I know we got a bunch of people this way.
Step 6: Meetings
As I said I’m an avid networker — so as soon as the group was live, I mentioned it in all the meetings I was in. Either during my pitch, a wins section or just dropping it into the chat. The direct feedback of people’s excitement at this was awe inspiring!
Step 7: Asking the Community
Of course, it’s not all about me and Stacey, some people upon joining the group of course added the people they knew who would like it.
But we also specifically ask the community to add people or advertise the group — people are more likely to do something if you actually ask!
For the second week, to help with this I put two documents into the files section to help with wording if they didn’t know what to put. One was the email I’d sent out to my list, the other listed the posts and messages I’d sent. Make it as easy as possible for people!
Step 8: Going Live!
Again, this is telling people about the group just in a different way. Stacey and I had planned on going live ourselves — this actually happened the day after we hit 100 members.
But we are both members of 1Networking — and Jen the MD got very excited about the idea and that it was a collaboration between her members and asked us to go live with her and talk about it, it went out to the members and people on her LinkedIn — we both then shared it as well.
Going Forward
Now we are beyond 100 members we are not stopping promoting it. We are more likely to let it grow organically, but there are still other ways we will be promoting.
Just from the first 13 days of telling people I received the following invitations;
To interview Philip and write a blog on it — it has another purpose but still advertises the group. Which, will get shown on at least my own website, the BSN website and Philips website and all associated socials. (plus, other blogs I’m writing, like this one)
To appear on a podcast and talk about it and my experience as a disabled entrepreneur. (there are plans in place for our own podcasts too and we’ll get the members involved)
To join a webinar or two.
To possibly go on a radio show and talk about it.
My advice, once people start noticing, don’t turn down any opportunity to get visible! (that goes for your business as well!)
Keep talking about it! and never miss an opportunity to tell someone to join the community!
