Alex Hutchinson is the New York Times bestselling author of Endure and a National Magazine Award-winning journalist who has contributed to the New York Times, The New Yorker, and other publications. A former long-distance runner for the Canadian national team, he holds a master’s in journalism from Columbia and a Ph.D. in physics from Cambridge, and he did his post-doctoral research with the National Security Agency.

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The Learning Leader Show

  • People come for the content, they stay for the community. People want to feel a sense of belonging. This has been hard-wired in us from many years ago. We want to be part of a group. In the old days, this was the only way to survive. We have not outgrown that need and the feeling of being a part of something bigger than ourselves.
  • Life advice: Listen to your gut instinct and embrace the unknown. You are not ever going to know how it’s going to pan out. You have to keep taking that next step. And I loved the story of the lengthy process of adopting his son Sam. The raw emotion in Stu’s eyes as he told that story was awesome. Watch this on YouTube and you can see. Take the next step. Keep going. You’re not going to know how it will go. Embrace that. And keep going.
  • Cody Burch Story – In October, Cody’s dad was diagnosed with leukemia. Cody had been sitting with the idea of a membership. He saw the fear in his dad’s eyes that he was nervous about the financial part of it. “I wanted to take that financial fear away from him. Within a few weeks of launching my membership, I had a few hundred members, and I was making thousands of dollars per month.” “The more we make, the more we can give. The more we make, the more we can help.” Stu says that all the time
    • Create “super surprises” for your friends. Create an amazing experience for them.
  • Online communities must be one of the three:
    • Can I solve an ongoing problem? Weight loss, dog training
    • Can you teach a skill?
    • Can you make someone’s life easier? Provide teachers with lesson plans
  • You don’t need a big platform to get started. Have founding members. Float the idea that you’re thinking of it. Momentum starts with movement. Get going.
  • Pay close attention to onboarding. The first few days are EVERYTHING. His daughter’s new school was “the best school ever” because she met one friend on the first day. Help them build one meaningful relationship within the first few days. Connect them. Proactively do this.
  • Sales is the most noble profession in the world. Everything must be sold. Stu learned from John Childers, but couldn’t do it like him. So he just told stories about transformation.
  • People don’t care about the “stuff.” They care about the outcome. They care about the transformation.
  • The objection matrix – Match every objection with a story of someone who had the same objection and overcame it. Use stories.
  • The importance of building a membership around transformation, not just content. While many focus on delivering endless content. By focusing on helping people achieve meaningful outcomes, rather than overwhelming them with information, leaders can build stronger communities, improve retention, and deliver real value that keeps members coming back.
  • Take Action to Build Your Online Community:
    • Identify an ongoing problem that your community can solve. Ongoing problems take time to resolve and are perfect for memberships.
    • Teach a skill that members can learn over time. Skill acquisition creates ongoing engagement and value.
    • Offer something that makes your members’ lives easier. This could be saving time, providing resources, or offering convenience.
    • Emphasize the stability memberships create for the business, ensuring recurring revenue and financial predictability.
    • Ensure effective onboarding. The first 30 days are crucial to solidify member engagement. Aim for members to build meaningful relationships within this period.
    • Focus on community connection over content. Facilitate interactions and networking among members, as this remains the sticky element in memberships.
    • Use storytelling to address objections and communicate value. Share success stories that connect with potential members’ challenges.
    • Continuously move forward and iterate upon your community’s offering. Keep taking the next right step even if you face uncertainty.
  • Apply to be part of my Learning Leader Circle
Resources:

More Learning:

Episode 078: Kat Cole – From Hooters Waitress To President of Cinnabon

Episode 216: Jim Collins — How To Go From Good To Great

Episode #300: AJ & Keith Hawk – How To Instill Work Ethic & Curiosity In Your Children

Episode #303: General Stanley McChrystal – The New Definition Of Leadership

Time Stamps