How Community Drives Sales, Profit & Wealth With Lindsey Schwartz

Building a community around your brand is more than just a marketing strategy - it's a powerful tool that can transform your business. When customers feel connected to a brand, they become loyal advocates and repeat buyers, creating a snowball effect of positive growth.

Today, we're exploring the fascinating topic of how community can drive sales, profit, and wealth for your business. And we're lucky enough to have a fantastic guest to help us dive deeper into this topic.

Joining us in this episode is my dear friend, Lindsey Schwartz, an entrepreneur, bestselling author, and founder of the Powerhouse Women community. Lindsey is an expert in community building, and she's here to share some of her insights with us.

Together, we'll dive into the importance of nurturing genuine relationships with your community and providing value to your customers. Lindsey will share valuable insights and key steps to help you build a thriving community around your brand that drives long-term growth and success.

So get ready to level up your business game with the power of community! Don't miss out on this engaging and eye-opening conversation.

IN TODAY’S EPISODE, I DISCUSS: 

• Nurturing your community for long-term success
• Three steps to establishing a thriving community
• Using intentional content on social media to encourage connections

CONNECT WITH LINDSEY:
Know more about Powerhouse Women: powerhousewomen.co
Listen to Lindsey’s podcast: Powerhouse Women
Follow Powerhouse Women on Instagram: powerhouse_women
Get her book: Powerhouse Woman

RECOMMENDED EPISODES FOR YOU
If you liked this episode, you'll love these ones:

• Connection is the New Currency to Build Wealth 
• How Entrepreneurs Really Build Wealth!
• Using Trusts To Protect Your Wealth
• Building Community and Connection

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Affluent Entrepreneurs Private Facebook Group https://www.melabraham.com/group/

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Transcript

Mel Abraham  00:00
While that was a good one, this one I just finished up a segment with my dear friend, Lindsey Schwartz. Listen, if you think about this, you're trying to generate more revenue, you're trying to scale and optimize your profits, you're trying to create more income. So you have the ability to then build your wealth faster. You know, can you imagine doing this and not having to worry about ad spend and all of the other stuff that goes on and, and that you have you sell out multiple six figure launches and events, without without all the heavy lifting? In this episode, you're going to find out exactly how Lindsey has done it over and over again, this is this is gonna be cool. And this is a big deal when it comes to your business, your wealth, and the fulfillment in your life. Enjoy this episode. Welcome to this episode of the affluent entrepreneurship with me. This is the Affluent Entrepreneur Show for entrepreneurs that want to operate at a high level and achieve financial liberation. I'm your host, Mel Abraham, and I'll be sharing with you what it takes to create success beyond wealth. So you can have a richer, more fulfilling lifestyle. In this show, you'll learn how business and money intersect. So you can scale your business, scale your money, and scale your life while creating a deeper impact and living with complete freedom. Because that's what it really means to be an affluent entrepreneur. Hey there, Lindsay, so good to have you. I think this is, um, this is kind of fun for me, because not only are you just genius at what you do, you're making such a big difference. But you're just a dear dear friend, and to be able to just have a conversation with you. This is going to be so much so much fun. So much fun. Thank you for being here.

Lindsey Schwartz  01:52
It's the best part about having a podcast you get paid to talk to really great people that you would talk to anyway.

Mel Abraham  01:58
Yeah, yeah, you do, you do so. And for those of you that are known to Lindsay, Lindsay Schwartz, Schwartz, first, you should know her. And we'll make sure that you get hooked up with how to follow her what she's doing and how she's doing things. But she's making huge strides in a couple of places, one helping women show up powerfully in, in their voice in their world, in their content, and just how they show up in life and to how to create powerful communities. Hopefully, we'll get a chance today, to have a little bit of a conversation of the journey, and the need for community and connection, and how that's gonna drive revenue and profits and longevity in the business. Because, you know, when we talk about the ambulance blueprint, the one pillar one of the pillars is generate, and the other pillar is accumulated accumulates about creating assets generates about creating incomes. And I think a community is a huge asset. And so, so, so with that, let's this talk start off with letting them know who Lindsey Schwartz is. And I I read your bio, which was kind of cool to see that. You can tell us about this. You had a best selling book that had a typo on the cover.

Lindsey Schwartz  03:18
I absolutely did. So if anyone needs permission to just do it imperfectly. There you go. There you have it. Yeah, you know, the book powerhouse woman published almost exactly six years ago in April 2017. And it was the first time that I'd ever taken on a challenge of something that I honestly didn't know if I could do. And you know, today people know me as this community creator, the powerhouse Women event is a sold out event, every year, we have a top podcast, all these things that are very glamorous when you see them on social media. My favorite part about my story is that I started so small, and I started before I had a big audience or any of that. So no one can come to me today and say, Well, I'm too shy, or I have too many doubts. And I don't believe in myself enough, right? I don't have an audience because I started without all of those. And I think my my story was supposed to be that way so that I can really help other women get into action around their big ideas. So the the book powerhouse woman really started everything for me. And when it published I will never forget, since he talked about the typo because this is just such a fun story. You know, writing that book and you know, you know this journey so well. It's a it's an emotional process. It's It challenges you on every level, you have to really face some fears and some of my fears were, you know, what are people going to think? I don't know if anyone will listen to me. I was pivoting from a totally different industry health and fitness into wanting to talk about personal growth and business. And I felt like a fraud. I felt like an imposter. I had all those feelings that are so normal if you're building a business come up, and everyday I just chose to keep going And of course, there's a lot more to that story. But I want to kind of fast forward to when it got to the point where the book published after a year. So it's been an entire year, repeating this mantra to myself that I learned from our mutual friend, Laurie harder. And he just kept saying, Done is better than perfect. Just get it done. Show yourself, you can do it never ever planned for it to turn into his whole separate business. And I just kept saying Done is better than perfect. So, launch day comes. And I really had very small audience. And really not that many. I didn't have an email list, I had a couple of Facebook friends, but I didn't even have an Instagram presence at the time. And book ended up hitting, you know, number two, under like women in business on Amazon, basically, you just get everyone to buy it on the same day. That's how you how you reach those lists. And I'll never forget, you know, sitting in that moment and feeling the accomplishment, not of hitting some arbitrary list. Yeah, but that I did it, you know, that I actually kept my promise to myself, and I did something that really scared me. And then my publisher calls because this was a self published, I actually paid someone to help me publish this book. So I had a publisher that just kind of helped me put it together. And she calls and she said, I'm sick to my stomach here. I think she's calling to congratulate me. And she said, Lindsay, there's a typo on the cover. But I had to flashback in that moment, to the whole reason I wrote the book in the first place. And I know you run your whole business just from this deeper purpose that's not about you. And luckily, this book was not about me. And I remember just going back to that motto Done is better than perfect. And I knew even somehow in that moment, I knew that number one that was going to become a really great story someday. And it is. I remember thinking like, oh, maybe people needed to see me do this imperfectly. So that they would know right? The women I want to impact would know that. Okay, yeah. So this imperfect book went on to inspire everything that people see today as far as powerhouse women, but I easily in that moment, because this would have been my nature before. I easily could have said, Wait, let's pull it all back. See, I never should have done this. This is such an embarrassment. Let me just crawl into a hole and stop sharing my voice. Yeah. But I knew better in that moment, because I knew that the mission was just bigger than me.

Mel Abraham  07:25
So good. So good. It's interesting. You said that, you know, there was a lot in you and everything. I wrote my book. The first book I wrote, and I sat on a manuscript five years. And it was until a dear friend of mine, I came up with an idea because I don't want to hear your ideas, where's your book? sits on the shelf? And he says, why? And they should, because it's, there's just so much of me in there. And and I don't know if I'm ready to let it out. I'm not. It was a manual originally written to my son. And, and there's a lot of me in it. And he said, I get it. And what's the deal? And I said, well, also, you have impostor syndrome. I said, How many books on entrepreneurship and entrepreneurial mindset are out there. And then one of them want to he says, he said, didn't I said didn't share with Brendon Burchard. And I said, Use road student leadership guide when you're in college, I said, Weren't you worried about the fact that maybe Covey was going to call you up? He says, first thing and copy called me up, I'd be happy. But you know, but he said, and say, Hey, kid, what do you know about leadership? Why are you even writing this book? And he said, Oh, no, never even crossed my mind. And I said, really? Why? He says, because the book is my truth. And I don't need approval. I don't need acceptance. And I wrote it, because it was my truth, my experience and what I have experienced to that point, so there was nothing untrue about it. And so that's when he kind of got me go. Alright, I guess I'm gonna put this thing out. You know, and I think you're right, Done is better than perfect. And, and there's reasons we do, I'm in the middle of a book right now. You know, and, and hopefully have the manuscript within the next 30 days, but it's the same thing, but I'm coming at it very differently. And you know, and it's really about the impact the the solving of a problem that I see in the in the world, the suffering and the struggle that I see people having financially and giving them tools and tactics and equipping them and all of that stuff. And so you get driven by that angle. Should a typo, stop that impact? Now, I'm guessing the answer is always going to be no. Right?

Lindsey Schwartz  09:57
Right. Or maybe you know, for For those of you that maybe have some perfectionistic tendencies, maybe it's, oh gosh, what if this is imperfect? Or, you know, if you fall prey to more of like the people pleasing tendencies, maybe it's like, okay, so what if one person does challenge you? Or say like, Who do you think you are? I think it's cool to even play that out in our mind and let let ourselves go there and say, like, okay, so what if that happens? What would I do next? What's the very next thing I would do? Because it's all just our mind trying to keep us safe and trying to keep us from growing.

Mel Abraham  10:31
So true. So true. I think you're right that in a lot of even our loved ones will do the same thing. And it's from a, they'll squash your dreams, they don't realize they're squashing the dreams. But but they're doing it because they love you. And because they're trying to keep you safe from disappointment and things like that, get your head out of the clouds kind of thing. You know, we know, I know, in my world, a lot of people said, well, we you know, we didn't come from money. So what you know, just get a job, do your thing, and I'm gone. I just I don't know, I have a different philosophy. I think that that you know it when we get to those end, that those last moments of our life, when our toes are right on that ditch ready to jump into that hole and say, I'm done. I want to be sweaty, I want to be dirty, I want to be bloody our look back at everyone I loved and all the missions and the movements ago, I gave allow, Yeah, I'm ready to go.

Lindsey Schwartz  11:28
I love that.

Mel Abraham  11:30
You know, so. So it's so cool that you did that it but that was the birth of everything you do now, it was the birth of a brand, it was a birth of a movement. Because I do think it's a movement with what you're doing. Because now so fast forward, you have the book. But beyond that, now all of a sudden, you've gotten more than that. Tell us what we're doing now and how you're impacting lives and the key things that are driving you, as we move forward.

Lindsey Schwartz  11:58
We have well, you know, in the without realizing it, the experience of launching that book birthed the next vision. And I think that's important to talk about to that anyone listening who knows you're meant for more and you know, you can feel it inside, we don't have the clarity, peace. I didn't either. I just felt a very strong pole to say yes to writing this book to joining, I paid money to be in a program that helped me write it and do the whole thing. And then I was like, but for what, and I'll never forget the day at launch. Before I found out there was a typo. I was overwhelmed by the support. Like I said, I had a very small audience at the time, but I lost count at like over 50 people that I knew coming out of the woodwork, we're talking Mel, I remember seeing a post from my fourth grade reading teacher. When I was in fourth grade, I thought she was she was an older woman. I couldn't believe she was number one alive and number two on Facebook and was so excited about what I did. But here's what impacted me is I remember in that moment thinking, Okay, wow, had I known that this level of support was waiting for me because I actually wrote the whole book in secret didn't talk about it, I really didn't trust myself that I would finish it. That's what was going on. So I didn't tell a soul until about two weeks before launch. And then I saw how excited people got over the fact that I did this thing that was pretty major. And I sat back and I said, Wow, I wonder if I would have gotten less in my own way. If I had known that this support was waiting for me and how many other women are sitting on brilliant ideas or men, right? How many men are sitting on their brilliant book that's going to impact lives? Because either they don't feel the support or they don't have that friend, like you had to call them out and say like, Hey, dude, what are you doing? So without realizing it, it was starting to inspire this bigger vision of community and like you said, a movement, if I felt that way. And if I felt alone in this journey of pursuing my big ideas and my business, maybe other people felt that way. So I just kept following that next little breadcrumb right in front of me. And the next one for the book journey was, my publisher said, Well, you should do a book launch event. And what ended up happening from that one conversation was I hosted the first ever powerhouse Women event because I said, a book or a book launch party that's kind of all focused on me doesn't sound like very much fun. I'm not that interesting. So why don't we instead take, you know, the whole heart and soul of the book, which is to show other women that none of us have this all together? We're figuring this out as we go, but actually show that through having speakers and panels and just this experience in this beautiful day together. So I host the first event and I'll never forget standing on the stage at the end. It was just a half day. That's all I could commit to because I was petrified and just started the page and I waved everyone off and I was like well, thanks for coming. And they said well, okay, when's the next one? What's next? I was like, this is literally it. I have nothing else for you. I'm done. But when you start See the impact. And you start to listen to the people that are showing up in response to you doing that one brave thing, the first step, I started to see like, okay, there really is something here. So eventually it turned into this annual event. And now we've, we've grown and I finally dusted off. Yours was your manuscript collecting dust for five years, mine was podcast equipment, collecting dust for five years, finally launched the podcast. And, you know, now it's this thriving community in something way, way bigger than I ever imagined. But it really all started with me being in the shoes of the same person I want to serve, which is I knew I was meant for more, I knew that it was going to require me to grow into a different person in order to achieve that. And that process is tough. If you're trying to do it alone. It just is, if you're not surrounded by people who are like, oh, yeah, you're petrified, that's normal. Here's what to do about it. Here's how to support yourself or read this book or listen to Mel's podcast. You know, if you're, if you're trying to do this in a vacuum, or if you're even worse, if you're surrounded by people trying to talk you out of the dream, you're not going to go very far, right. So we really rally this community around the motto that we're not meant to do business or life alone. And that is my belief. And it's my truth, because I wouldn't be the person that I am today, if I wasn't a part of community during this whole journey.

Mel Abraham  16:22
So good. So good. And I hope, I hope those of you listening and those of you watching, really hear loud and clear one, this, this whole message of just start, get it done. Even if it isn't exactly the way you wanted, there are things I learned early on from my dear friend, Brian Tracy, he said, there's this idea called the corridor opens, the doors of opportunity are in the quarter, not in the room. And too often we lock ourselves in the room. And so, so we need to do is get out of the room, in the hallway where all the doors are, and get in motion, and then see what's happening. And so, you know, when we think about entrepreneurship in the journey, or we think about building wealth, or even finding a relationship, all those things are one more in motion. And in action versus contemplation. And I think we spend a lot of time thinking and not doing and I think it's in the doing, we get the clarity. And we see the opportunities. And then there's the other side of that, which you're able to do is one to recognize it. And to not to discount it and say, yeah, don't be silly, and talk yourself out of it, and then be willing to accept it and say, Let's being curious enough to just at least explore. Yeah, I hope you all are listening, take notes. Because this is this is really important to to any journey in your life. And and so, and I know that she mentioned the podcast, we'll make sure we hook it up. It's it is it is powerhouse women, you know, we have more to talk about, but I'm gonna be really straight with you. How about dude that listens to powerhouse women? Because it's that good. So it is not just for for women? 

Lindsey Schwartz  18:14
No, it's not. And anytime I was telling Mel, before we started anytime, you know, my guy friends or my husband, you know, we'll share an episode or he'll my husband, I'll mention like, oh, when you said this on the podcast, it just, it means even more knowing that a dude was bold enough to click on a podcast called powerhouse women. But you know, it's really a message for people who are, who are in the same season you and I are in like, we're creating things like we're going after that next version of ourselves. And, you know, sometimes it just takes that reminder that yeah, it's normal to feel all the things and to feel scared. And just to get a little inspiration from someone who's a step or two ahead of you. At least that's what that's what inspires me. That's why I love hanging around you.

Mel Abraham  18:56
Yeah. Oh, you're so kind. Can I, Kate? Shift gears just slightly. Because I know that your husband Elliot is taken on an entrepreneur journey. Now you have yours. At what point did did you all look at each other and say, We got to do life differently, and that differently includes living? Not opulently. But with affluence with with a meaningful life that's full of richness and rich experiences. What was it like? Because, because he came out of a nine to five.

Lindsey Schwartz  19:40
Yeah, he just recently did. But we had dabbled in some other things together. So we were a part of a network marketing company for gosh, the last 12 years because we joined before we got married. And I think that was the first time we were introduced to people like Brendan to people, you know, Tony Robbins and just to bigger conversation, so whether you find it through, you know, business entrepreneurship, network marketing, or just through personal development, I think when you start to I just noticed that there was a different way that successful people thought, and I, for me, it started back in college. But even just as Elliot Knight came together as a couple, I think we just loved to talk about like big dreams. But neither one of us are just talkers. So we were always, you know, without realizing we were doing it, speaking these dreams into existence, but then noticing where opportunities showed up, or, Hey, we should look into this, or maybe we should check out this book, or, you know, we should join this mastermind. So little by little over the years, we were constantly surrounding ourselves with people and ideas, and, and just the, the belief that a different kind of life was possible. Because we both grew up, I grew up in the Midwest, and Elliot grew up in, in New Mexico. And just from like, families that there was no shortage of love, there was a shortage of finances, right. And there wasn't, there wasn't really a conversation for more. And there was even kind of like this undertone of the people who had more weren't great people. So quite honestly, it's been a, it's been a journey of unlearning some things, putting ourselves around people who show us evidence to the contrary of those beliefs. And I think overall, there's something some friends of ours just did a post the other day, and I know you and Stephanie, like really live this way, too. When you take two people like Elliott is just as powerful as me, we have complementary strengths, but we're very different. And when you put two people like that, who are willing to just dream really big and take the action to back it up, I think, especially when it's in, you know, partnership, a marriage, I think when you bring two together, it multiplies to like 789 10 of like, the impact you can make. It's one of the things I'm most grateful for about my life is just having a partner who's he has never once challenged any one of my big ideas. In fact, he's usually telling me to think a little bit bigger. And as a, especially as the, you know, a female, I think just having that belief, he's always just been willing to like bet on me, has made me even more bold. And now getting to return that favor and pour that belief into his new venture has been so cool. But you know, I think it's kind of also cool to say like, we haven't always had the same growth styles, I think sometimes people hear that, or maybe they look at your relationship or mind and think like, gosh, if I just had a partner like that, but honestly, we're pretty different. I loved, I want to go to all the things and all the seminars, and he's like, I'm cool. But then he'll go to this, he went to this one event, you'll have to ask him about it, that it was like this men's event, and they shot guns out of helicopters at like targets on the ground, and did all this cool stuff. It was led by this, like former Army Ranger, oh, this sounds like Mike. But then they would sit around and have these deep and rich conversations around a fire at night. So it was like allowing him the freedom to find his version of growth, and coming back together under the same goal, that growth as a couple is our goal. But how we do that, and what speaks to us individually could be totally different.

Mel Abraham  23:33
I love I love this idea of growth as a couple as a goal, but how we accomplish it, the routes we take the methodologies can be different. And we come together. You know, people ask me because of the way I when they hear the story about how I met Steph, and they go What was it about her that caused you to keep going to keep keep pursuing. And, and I don't the only thing I can come up with is I knew that I found my equal. I knew that I found the one that would challenge me in a good way. Support me boost me and an N and just do those things. And I think that you're right. And one of the greatest experiences is to share your life with someone special. That that gets you and and so I I can't I haven't met ELLIOT I can't wait. 

Lindsey Schwartz  24:26
I know. I'm actually a little afraid in a good way of just how much you two are gonna love each other. Yeah. Besties from day one, I know it.

Mel Abraham  24:36
I know. So good. So good. And so this idea then really kind of flows into really where your focus is right now. And this idea of how community is really driving everything you do but how it really is. Maybe not the missing link, but it is so sorely missed. midst, in our society, in our businesses, in our journeys as as humanity right now. And, and so, and this is relatively new, you kind of did it naturally and in in organically and then people kept going, Lindsay, how are we? How are you? How you doing? So, keel? Tell us a little bit how that that kind of because this is, I'm gonna say in the last 12 months is when you start to really focus in on this?

Lindsey Schwartz  25:30
Well, it was one of those things that actually again, our mutual friend, Chris harder was the first one who came to me and said, Linds, hey, I want you to come and speak at my mastermind on building organic community. And it was one of those moments where I was like, What am I going to say about that? I don't know, I just do it. I'd never been asked to specifically train on something that I didn't actually realize wasn't everyone's gift or the way that they saw, you know, business and, and building business. So it was the first time that I sat down, and I said, Okay, if I were to teach this, if I were to give a roadmap, a framework to someone who had any type of business, what would I do? And I started to break it down and realize that, you know, it's not rocket science. And I think part of it is understanding the view of community. And I'll clarify how I see community, I think that starts to give to give life to this idea that maybe you're missing something in your current business growth strategy. But it was to realize that it's not rocket science, it's the simple things that you have to commit to you over the long term, because it's not the sexy growth strategy that like you implemented today, you just have these amazing results tomorrow, but it's, it is the strategy that I will bet my whole business on. And I will say that, right now it's recorded, because I've seen the results. And again, didn't realize that the results we were producing were extra ordinary. So when Chris said, Hey, will you teach this because I was talking to him a little bit about what we've been able to do with no ads, you know, we feel 500 600 person events, zero ad spend, we have an email list of under 10,000 people, and we sell out, you know, multiple six figure launches. But it's because we do these simple things on the front end. And we've cultivated community from the beginning, because I had a small audience. And I think, number one, people either get caught up that the size of their audience is what's holding them back. When I just never saw that as a problem. I never saw having a small audience as a problem. But I knew I had to think differently. So I think it's either that people kind of discount the fact that they can't do more with the audience that they currently have by serving them in a better and a deeper way. Or it's entrepreneurs that have just gotten so accustomed to, you know, growth through ad spend, and things like that, which is beautiful, that's amazing. But when you have community to back it up, you're not as susceptible to changes in algorithms. And, you know, there's been a lot of change in the ad space. So I realized that what we'd done naturally, very intuitively, was something that not everyone thinks about this way. And when you said the part about it being one of the best, most valuable assets that you can build. Here's the proof. I recently received an email from a venture firm that said, we're actively looking to acute to acquire community based businesses. And they said that they were, you know, they were specifically going through the strategy because in this is my paraphrasing it, you know, yes, people can buy leads, you can buy an email list, you can buy a list of customers, but what you cannot buy is the kind of engagement and loyalty that a true community has. That's invaluable. That's actually and I would never sell my community, I would never sell it because there's actually not a price that you could ever pay for the level of and the depths of that connection that we create, with a relatively small audience compared to others in our space. So yeah, this topic gets me real fired up, because I think, Oh, good. I just think there's so much gold for those who really have their heart invested in building a community and are in it for the long game, as well. 

Mel Abraham  29:23
And that's where I was gonna go next is that just like I talk about money, and wealth and that kind of thing, and even the thought leadership stuff I do. It's the long game. But it's also the sustainable game. If if someone said off the bat, they might have discounted the idea of oh, you know, community how am I gonna make money off of community you just told us you just said you did multiple six figure launches with very little list. No following no ad spend. Which people are struggling like crazy Brad Smith and Have you filled a room? So seems to me that community, and you've not done it once you've done it multiple times over a period of time. It's proven over and over again. And this, I'm hoping y'all are hearing this, that this is not transactional, that she's talking about. This is relational, this is about your part of your product is trust, it's caring, it's compassion, it's empathy. It's all those things that are lacking in a transactional environment where you get an ad and say, buy from me, you're not saying that. And the dividends that are paid over a period of time far exceed any transactional environment?

Lindsey Schwartz  30:43
Yeah, it's so true. And again, I'm speaking to a very specific type of person who realizes that there's more, there's a deeper way that could be serving. And I think it has to start with that heart of service. Because as you start to implement kind of the small strategies, and I'm happy to give a few that are just easy to start with, you're not going to see the immediate result. But I guarantee if I check back in with you over time, two, three years, you could have a very different looking business where even if you're, you're investing in ads, the cold leads that are coming in, there's an energy, there's a magnetism that pulls them in, it makes them want to stay, because I'm not interested in gaining a customer once I want to serve someone for as long as they want to let me serve them. And so from the beginning, I think some of the differences, and I always look at these through like the misconceptions, here's where I think people are missing the mark, and why I think this community topic doesn't always land with people. Number one, I think we confuse building an audience with building a community. To me, they're not the same. building an audience is still something that's part of my growth strategy, you should build your audience. But that's really answering the question, how do I get more people to connect with me? How do I create great content? How do I serve? How do I put out amazing podcast episodes that make people say, Yes, I'll listen to you. But then building a community is really cultivating a community. And it goes a layer deeper, because now I'm asking, How do I get more people to connect with each other. And here's what I've seen happen over time, as I prioritize, creating those connection opportunities, my retention goes up. Because when people when your brand becomes the place, that people meet their best friends, that people meet their their best clients, people within our community have literally introduced others to their their spouse, when you have those kinds of connections within the members of your audience, they want to stay because they don't want to leave their best friends are there, you notice that like the the word of mouth, just organic, essentially, affiliate marketing, skyrockets, one of the reasons we sell out our events is because women can't stop talking about it, they want their friends to be in that room, they want to meet and connect with new people. So it becomes this, this energy that you almost it's like a freight train, you can't stop it, because the combined energy of the excitement of everyone starts to draw in those who are kind of right on the outskirts kind of watching but not really sure that they that they want to jump in and be a part of this community. And you know, just add so much more value. And I think especially for those who are coaches, consultants, realizing that your ability to impact is going to be it's going to be limited by your ability to show up. But when you have a community element to your business, it's adding additional value often that you can charge more for, that does not require you to show up more. I don't have to do more coaching calls. I the community itself, is the value. Yeah. And I think the other misconception that a lot of people get stuck, and maybe you've even been listening and thinking this in your mind. Maybe you haven't clicked off the episode because you're like community. All I hear when someone says that is a Facebook group. And I hear this so often from from people. No, I hate Facebook groups. My people hate Facebook groups. I didn't say a Facebook group. Nope. And you could have one you could actually have. Here's the perfect example. I consulted with a group that has a Facebook group of 53,000. Members. Wow. I would not say they have a community. Because there's no connection. Yeah, there's just a bunch of people in a group and nothing wrong. Obviously, they have something that's drawing these people in. But community isn't defined by the container, like where does the community live? Where do the people connect? It's defined by the connection. So I can create community, meaning I can create connection through my podcast, through my Instagram, through my email list or my texts list. Anywhere that you're currently serving people is an opportunity to create community and cultivate that connection. If you're looking for it. But if you write it off from the get go saying, Well, I don't want to manage a Facebook group, you're missing the opportunity, because it doesn't you don't have to manage a Facebook group. And I wouldn't, I wouldn't recommend that you start one unless you actually want to support that group. But you can create community in other ways.

Mel Abraham  35:18
That's cool. Yeah, I hadn't really thought about it in that con construct in that context. So if someone is someone's sitting back saying, okay, I get it. I don't think I'm that good at building community. What's like the first one or two, three things they should be thinking about? Or considering doing?

Lindsey Schwartz  35:41
Yes. And that's the question to ask yourself. So I'm going to give you three really easy places to start. And it's going to be more of an an, an exercise for you have looking for where you're missing opportunities, there are opportunities everywhere. But first, it starts with defining what are you unifying people around? Because if community means connection, then there has to be like the connective tissue, right? So what's the thing that you're rallying people around communities are created all the time, around shared values, right? If you look at religious groups, or you know, even just social groups that share a specific set of values they're connecting, because they share that same value. You can connect people around a shared challenge or problem, you know, I could create community around the fact that I, I have celiac disease, and I, you know, have to live a gluten free lifestyle. Now, what I always caution people with is, when you create community, and you unify people around a problem, the problem tends to become the main topic of conversation. So if you're going to address a problem, and you want to build community to solve it, unify people around the hope that's waiting on the other side of of the challenge. So don't make the challenge itself, the focus and the main topic of conversation that everyone's because people can create community and connection, around commiserating about how terrible their problem is, right. But I think the most powerful thing to unify people around is the aspirational identity that your community member wants to become. So who is it that they want to become? And how can you position your business, your brand, your product, as the thing that's going to help them go from where they are to where they want to be, because when they're on this journey with other people who are, you know, whether it's in my community, it's like, I want to be this powerhouse, woman, I want to be living on purpose, and, you know, creating impact. That's how I want to see myself, and I'm surrounded by other people who are on that same journey, a couple of steps behind me a few steps ahead of me, what happens is, now the community is kind of mentoring each other. And we're seeing examples of what what's possible, right? So what's the aspirational identity? Who does your ideal community member ideal customer want to become? And how can you create that as the common connection point, right? So within powerhouse women, we talk a lot about this higher self, this future self that you want to become we create a lot of content around this transformation and growth process. Yes, we attract a lot of entrepreneurs, but the connective tissue is growth, where people who want to grow because we know we're meant for more, which that tells me there's untapped potential within me. So turning that into a whole conversation and making sure it's infused into every single place that you have a touch point with your people that they know if I'm part of this community, here's what I stand for. So what are you unifying people around is number one, number two, is looking for now that you are starting to understand and hopefully look at community through this lens of it's it's really about asking question, how can I create more connection opportunities between the people who are in my world and looking for where are the missed opportunities to create connection? A really simple example I'll give an A the longer keynote when I do this presentation is, you know, it could be as simple as most of us are showing up on social media, right? So LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram doesn't matter. Were using your content intentionally to get other people to connect not just with you, but with each other. So we'll do intentional content or posts that will say things like, you know, we believe our motto within powerhouse women we're not meant to do business or life alone. So share below in the comments what's one need, or ask that you have right now? What's a resource you need a connection, whatever it is, share a comment below one thing that you need right now and then after you comment, go through the other comments and see if you can meet someone else's need. Or it could be as simple as hey, we want to help you connect and make more like minded friends. So you drop an emoji in the comments below, and then go and follow the person who commented right above you, and send them a DM to connect and just get to know them. So you're going to send one message and you'll receive one message. So just from me making this post, I'm making sure that my community is making other connections. So where can you more intentionally use the spaces that you're already showing up, to give people a platform to help them connect with each other and find each other, and just to provide that additional value? It literally starts there. And then like I said, since this is the long game, it's that repeated over time. And then of course, there's a lot of deeper layers to it. But if you're not willing to do even those first steps, you're not going to have success with the deeper implementation of it.

Mel Abraham  40:44
I think the beauty is a lot of people in social media are kind of saying, Look at me, look at me, look at me, you know, hey, comment to me, send me a DM do this. But you're not doing that. You're saying, Hey, y'all having a chat to each other, and see how you can support each other. And you're off, you're off on the side, just kind of watching it happen.

Lindsey Schwartz  41:08
And what happens when you're and it's so cool, obviously getting to have this conversation with you. Because you're this person, you're the friend who is always like, Hey, how can I connect you with something you need? Can I can I support you in some way? But you're adding value to my life? And everyone who knows you because you're the connector? You're not the person who's like, I know everything come to me for all your answers. You're just like, hey, I know a lot of people, can I connect you? Is there anyone you want to know that? I know, I'd be happy to make an intro realizing and that gave me so much permission. Because one of the things that almost stopped me was like, I don't know everything about business, nor do I want to that sounds overwhelming. No, thank you. But to realize my value is I bring in great people, we've had you come and speak to our community we've had, you know, brilliant people, and I you guys make me look good. Because yeah, I'm bringing the value by saying, Hey, look at how amazing this person is. My friend, Mel is a genius. He's gonna come and talk to us and spend an hour with us. I didn't have to know that information. And I think when we look at business through this light, whether you have an obvious community based business like mine, or and this is where my favorite conversations are with other businesses that think this doesn't apply to them, I guarantee you, I can find a connection, that community absolutely applies, even if it's like, I remember one guy raised his hand. So briefly at a talk I did, and said, Well, hey, I'm a, you know, he worked in a big software like company. And I said, Well, do you create community among your employees. And he was like, his face just kind of melted, like, Okay, you got me there, you know. And it's true. It's like, if we actually look at it through this lens, I want to create community within my internal team, I want to create community for the people who aren't my customers yet, because that's going to draw them in. But I also have community, smaller communities with the clients I'm already serving, I just look at everything through this lens, because I know that the value goes so much deeper when I do.

Mel Abraham  43:11
So good. I know we, you know, we get into business, and we'll talk about the idea of corporate culture and that kind of thing. But culture is community, the wrong culture, the wrong community will destroy the best strategy. I mean, it truly is. And so, you know, working through that becomes so, so important, and I love that these things are actually simple things to do. You know, if you're willing, willing to do it over time, and it just becomes a habit. I mean, little little things that people don't think about, you know, when when someone buys from me, I automatically get an email with their, their name, their city, and state and country, their phone number and their and their email address. Now I'll get to every one of them because it's not, it's not scalable, but I have a secondary phone. And I literally, if I'm going for a walk or whatever, or I'm driving up, pick up the phone, and I'll call them and say thank you. Just thank you. Because, you know, the other thing for me is, which kind of speaks to this whole idea of community when I hear these people talking about, oh, they're, they're self made millionaire, they're self made this and no, you're not self made. That's an insult to the people that supported you, the people that love you, and your customers, everything else. No one, no one is self made. I'm not self made. At least there's someone above me. That's making me too. And so let's not disrespect and think that it dissolved. US that's doing it because I can tell you I wouldn't be where I am. If it wasn't for people like yourself, and the people that are listening and watching and buying and being in my sphere and having conversations sitting in my audiences and all that and I don't take that lightly. I don't take that lightly.

Lindsey Schwartz  45:02
So well said it's so true. And you know, and it takes the pressure off. Again, I would not want to be self made, that just puts all the pressure on me. Yeah. When I realized that my power is found in community, not just like my natural gift, I do have a gift for bringing great people together and cultivating those relationships and, and growing a business that way. But even at its core, even if you just look at your, your own need for community to support yourself, you can start to see that when we when we look at our businesses through the lens, or even your family's growing your family through the lens of community and who's supporting you and coming alongside you on that journey. It just makes everything more fulfilling. And you started the conversation by talking about that, too.

Mel Abraham  45:51
So good. So good. I know we've been going for a while I could talk to you for days, same. So let's let's let them know how, you know, as as we start to close out how they can follow you how they where can they go? What can they do? Where can they start to understand because I think that this is a in some senses, a lost arts, this idea of connecting deeply creating community. We've We've I think social media has de socialized us. And it's time to bring that back in. If the pen if if we didn't know beforehand, the pandemic certainly highlighted the need the desire for us to actually be amongst a community and that serves us in our soul. It can serve us in our bank account, and it serves us in our life. And so I just love to let people know how they can follow you all the work they the great work that you're doing. They got to be in your sphere.

Lindsey Schwartz  46:55
Well, thank you so so much just for this opportunity and for what you're doing in the world because you've had such an impact on my life any any opportunity to get to repay the favor is something I will always be a yes to. The easiest way to find everything is just under powerhouse women. So the podcast is powerhouse women. Instagram is powerhouse, underscore women. And then our event or annual event takes place in August in Scottsdale. And that's just powerhousewomen.event.com.

Mel Abraham  47:25
So good. So good. I blocked it out on my calendar, just so you know,

Lindsey Schwartz  47:29
you got to come. I'm telling you. Everyone's like, what would you do guys comment? I was like, I would never turn one away. They just you know, so far other than Elliot and last year, Josh, Josh was there. Yeah. And some you know, a couple husbands snuck in the room. But, you know, we would never turn away a powerhouse, man. Listen, I would

Mel Abraham  47:47
tell you so that there is something about that and and it's not just for women, I know that you're focused on women but but the reality is that the genius in the stuff that you teach in the things that you do, are for everyone. And, and such a deep level, we'll make sure that we hooked everything up in the shownotes. Y'all, you need to follow Rosie Schwartz powerhouse women, you need to start to understand how community is an element of your business, it's an element of your life, it is an element of your wealth, it actually becomes one of the greatest assets you can nurture over the long term. And so So I want you to I want you to follow I want you to start thinking about it. And I want you to listen to the three tips that she gave and say how can I implement those in the next seven days? Because they're not that hard to do. And you might be surprised when you do that consistently what might happen. So, Lindsay, thank you so much for being here. You are such a dear sweet soul, and I can't wait to see you in person soon.

Lindsey Schwartz  49:01
Likewise, this was so much fun. Thank you so much for having me.

Mel Abraham  49:05
Thank you for listening to the Affluent Entrepreneur show with me your host Mel Abraham. If you want to achieve financial liberation to create an affluent lifestyle, join me in the affluent entrepreneur Facebook group now by going to melabraham.com/group, and I'll see you there.