How to Build a Business Community

Sharon Gaskin?? had been working as a successful freelance trainer, travelling nationwide to deliver her training workshops. However, in 2009, life changed as her son, a gifted tennis player, was recruited to a Lawn Tennis Association High-Performance Centre in Edgbaston. Travelling long distances was no longer an option.

Successful business people are often defined by how they manage change. Sharon's story demonstrates her ability to pivot, anticipate changes in the market, and develop a very different business model from that she originally created.

The story of The Trainers' Training Company will fascinate any entrepreneur looking to find the right path to success, providing clarity about gaining commitment from participants or customers.

The Trainers' Training Company's origins

As Sharon became responsible for transporting her son Ryan to his tennis centre every day, she soon realised that she needed to change her working practices. At the same time, she was getting messages from her market. "In 2009, I noticed many trainers coming to me asking how I ran a freelance business."?

The need to work from home and an apparent demand from potential customers led to a change in Sharon's thinking. "It was time to reinvent myself. 2009 was when online was just getting started. I had access to Skype, I could run 'teleseminars', and email marketing was starting to take shape."

Consequently, Sharon wrote a book,??How to Launch a Training Business in 30 Days which is still available on her website fourteen years later.

Her physical business was replaced by an online model – The Trainers Training Company in no time. But that was just the start of a journey that has brought her to the membership of hundreds she has today.

The idea behind TTTC

The answer to this question is simple: a lot of hard work. "Things evolved. Trainer Talk developed as a member community but was the germ of an idea from my experiences going to networking events", Sharon explained.

She found those meetings were false environments, lots of business cards thrust into her hand accompanied by the question, 'How's business for you?' She recalls: "The temptation was always to say, 'yes, really great. And you?' And everyone answered they were great too." But the reality was often quite different. "Things weren't always great. I was figuring out what to do and how to do it. What I wanted to say was, 'Somebody, please help me because I don't know what I'm doing.' But in those environments, I didn't feel comfortable to do that."

Sharon realised she wanted to create events for trainers where everyone talked the same language and was in the same boat. It was essential that people felt they were in a safe place to talk about their challenges.

She started to create these online meetings for trainers and found people came and enjoyed them. "I was a typical trainer. I ran a happy session; people provided positive feedback, it felt great. But I wasn't making any money."

In 2015, Sharon went through deep reflection and had a hard talk with herself: "I thought, 'Right, Sharon, put on your big girl's pants, look at your numbers, and see what needs to be done.'" What she found was that in four events, she had earned ￡1000. That was not sustainable.

In addition, Sharon had a vision of creating a sense of community: "That wasn't happening either. People came to an online meeting, enjoyed it, but didn't come back. I wasn't creating a community because the commitment wasn't there." It was that commitment she was determined to achieve – she knew it was 'where the magic happens'.

Converting to a membership model

Sharon realised if she wanted to build a community, she would have to create a membership model. "That's when people start putting events in the diary and committing to each one."

The lesson is clear:?people value what they pay for.?It is then they will show up and participate. You must value what you're offering if you want others to appreciate it too.

Creating a place of psychological safety

Sharon's observations showed a lack of psychological safety at typical networking events. To overcome that issue, she created a platform hosting events that offered a sense of safety for all participants. People could show up, be themselves, and reinforce their commitment to the process. "This was an evolution as business generally is. You have to run with your ideas; some work, some don't. But this was a basis for community."

Do what you love

As Sharon's business evolved, she started to ask herself two questions every time she was faced with a decision:

1. Is it easy?
2. Is it joyful?

If the answer to either is no, she does not do it. "Many business owners don't realise the control they have over their business.” She provides another leadership lesson courtesy of success coach Michael Neill: "Michael found from his research that one thing all successful businesspeople had in common was the ability to stop doing things they disliked. It's so simple but makes total sense."

Trust your intuition

Sharon has built her community, having listened to the needs of her members, found a path to commitment, and created an ever-evolving programme. Often that has come from careful thought and deliberation. But much has also developed through intuition, something she believes all leaders should listen to. "I often say if it doesn't feel right, then often it isn't. For example, my signature programme used to be a one-day face-to-face session. But I realised that it wasn't fit for purpose."

Four years ago, Sharon felt the whole programme needed a revamp. "I moved to a 6-week online programme and ran two a year. Which went well." Then, like so many other entrepreneurs, her programme was hit by the pandemic in March 2020. "I couldn't run a programme to help trainers set up their businesses when no training was going to happen for the foreseeable future. But it became clear that people did want training; they had more time at home after all."

Now, her intuition kicked in. Recognising this was the ideal time for those people to take stock of their businesses, she created a new programme,?How to create a future training business.?She was able to run a programme retaining original elements but could really help participants understand, at a deeper level, where they were and what they needed to do. She intrinsically knew that her regular programme was not suitable for that time and changed it to meet evolving needs.

Here is a crucial lesson –?Trusting our intuition and connecting with what is around us is a fundamental skill. Don't rush in with what you THINK you should do. Listen to what your gut is telling you first.

Final words of advice

Sharon believes there are positives in everything. We just need to focus on them. "I know people have moved on since the pandemic, but it was so useful to me to review that time and discover how many positives I could take from it."

She recognises there were significant challenges but plenty of opportunities, too. "We're doing things now we may never have done before. We've got to grips with change through necessity. For example, we don't need to travel miles for work today. We can be just as effective in the comfort of our own home or office."

Sharon's advice resonated with me. Value your product or service so others will too. Work on things you are passionate about, that bring you joy. And trust your intuition to guide you.?

Find out more about The Trainers Training company - click here

?#lessonsinleadership #leadership #leaders #leadershipcoach

?

?