Why You Need Capital, Community, and Clubs

If you are an individual producer or even an entire agency that knows you can generate significantly more revenue than you’ve been producing, keep reading.

Would you like 2025 to be the year where you reach your revenue growth potential, become a stronger organization, and maximize the return you are getting on existing investments? Becoming a part of the Goose community and participating in our small cohort groups may be the answer you’re looking for. Here’s why.

Social capital

While he didn’t conceive of the concept of “social capital,” political and social scientist Bob Putnam, through his research and book “Bowling Alone,” created a significantly greater awareness of the concept. While it is nuanced, complex, and even complicated, social capital might be summarized by one reality.

Communities with thriving participation in clubs and associations thrive themselves.

While Putnam focused primarily on the civic application of his research, it applies at all levels. Being an active member of a community and belonging to small sub-groups within that community makes each individual stronger and more effective while also increasing the strength and effectiveness of the community itself.

And, yes, this applies to each of us as business professionals.

Agencies with active participation in thriving networking groups and their smaller-group cohorts thrive themselves.

Enter Goose by Q4i

Putnam’s research and findings have opened my eyes to why our Goose community and the subsets of Peer Accountability and Roundtable (PAR) cohorts (“clubs”) within it are so effective at driving growth and improving results for our members.

Using Putnam’s inspiration, let me explain how we deliver the critical ingredients and how you would benefit from joining our Goose community and PAR cohorts. I’ll start and finish the explanation with the concept of social capital.

Social capital

Social capital refers to the connections among individuals and the resulting expectations of mutual support and trustworthiness within an overall community and even more so within small groups/clubs. Social capital is the glue that holds communities together and enables cooperation for mutual benefit. As Putnam explains, “Social networks have value.”

However, two additional types of capital are important and necessary to allow the value of social capital to grow exponentially: physical and human capital. This is especially true as we look to grow our businesses.

Physical capital

These are the tools required to operate your business. For example, if you were a manufacturer, you would invest in production equipment. The more equipment you buy, the more you can produce.

Human capital

For this explanation, I’m using Putnam’s term and definition, “human capital,” which he identified simply as training and education.

Just like manufacturers invest in production equipment to produce more products, they must also invest in training and education to create the most effective and efficient manufacturing process. Additionally, they must invest in machine maintenance and repair training to keep the lines running.

Now, circling back to the idea of social capital. If you take two manufacturers who have invested in the same tools (physical capital) and training (human capital) but only one invests in social capital, their success and growth paths split.

A manufacturer with the same tools and training will be more productive and successful if it has also invested in social capital by aligning itself with a community (associations, networks, etc.) of like-minded professionals and organizations. The productive social connections with others allow an organization to maximize the return on its investments in physical and human capital.

A Goose engagement provides all three critical types of capital

We are launching a few PAR cohorts for Goose community members early in the first quarter of 2025. You need to learn more about this offering to see how participation can unlock your revenue growth potential.

Goose is our online education platform and peer community that provides much of the physical (tools and resources), human (training, education), and social capital (community, cohort) you need to drive your success.

1. Physical capital - Access resources, guidebooks, templates, analysis tools, scripts, etc., that are proven tools for driving revenue growth.

2. Human capital – Take online video courses that train and coach on topics from effective prospecting and a buyer-focused sales process to guidance on building a sustainably scalable book of business. Learn how to maximize your return on physical capital.

3. Social capital – Goose is a community of like-minded agencies and producers who believe in the mutual support of other community members. From online discussions and monthly virtual meetings to live events, the Goose community thrives because of its members and their support of one another. Align yourself with others to ensure you further escalate the return you make on physical and human capital.

As part of the Goose community, you will have access to participation in our Peer Accountability & Roundtable groups. These are small cohorts of 8-12 individuals with narrowly focused interests (rookie producers, agency owners, and female leaders, as a few examples). These PAR groups meet monthly over Zoom to learn and grow together and provide one another with a healthy dose of accountability.

PAR cohorts deliver:

1. Peer learning and idea sharing

2. Accountability and motivation

3. Networking and relationship-building

4. Real-world problem solving

5. Confidence-building and skill development

Two last bits of encouragement to join our community.

Putnam’s research identified that by joining ONE club, individuals reduced their likelihood of dying by 50% over the next year. Choosing to look at the much brighter side, imagine how much life can be brought to your revenue growth by joining one of our PAR groups.

The competitor to be feared is one who never bothers about you at all but goes on making his own business better all the time. – Henry Ford

Make 2025 the year you become the feared competitor in your market. Start by visiting our Goose page to learn more about your future community. Also, let us know which PAR group would be of most interest to you.

Content originally published on Q4intelligence

photo by peopleimages12