January 2026,
I’ve been thinking about community building lately—what makes it real, what makes it thrive, and what makes StartupExperts so special. It seems like in the post-pandemic world new “online communities” are being formed if not weekly than monthly. It’s become a buzzword by many and some of these groups are really well funded. Yet I’ve come to learn over the 8+ years that we’ve been around, its not dollars that makes a thriving group. It’s creating belonging and in turn encouraging members to participate.
I often read business books early in the morning over a cup of coffee and I recently revisited a book called The Art of Gathering by Priya Parker in which she shares her insights on creating belonging at events. One statement in particular resonates with me:
"When we don't examine the deeper assumptions behind why we gather, we end up skipping too quickly to replicating old, staid formats of gathering. And we forgo the possibility of creating something memorable, even transformative."
That's exactly the question I’m encouraging us all to ask ourselves this year: Why do we gather and is there room for improvement?
I also recently read Community by Peter Block, which offered another powerful concept which I hadn’t really considered. We have since added this simple quote to the beginning of our New Member Orientation deck because it does such a fantastic job of framing up what StartupExperts is all about.
"Community will be created the moment we decide to act as creators of what it can become."
When I think about many of the groups being formed these days, most call themselves "communities" when they're really just assembled audiences for one event or purpose—people show up for free dinners, marketing swag, or panel discussions- and then we all go home. What I have learned is that true community is what happens the other six days of the week that follow. Are members helping their peers get better? Are they volunteering to support one another? Are they actively investing themselves in lifting up the group and working to improve their future together?
This year in StartupExperts after much leadership team discussion, we're focusing our efforts on creating a space for greater participation. To best service each other, we want StartupExperts to be a place where members find belonging and actively contribute, not just consume each other’s efforts or dollars.
Our Two Priorities Areas for 2026:
Build a Go-Giver culture that supports increased member participation
Build the systems that support scale
I’m thrilled to be on this journey and I hope you're exceedingly proud of StartupExperts and all of our contributing members. My ask of you this year is simple: become more involved and participate. Share your knowledge. Volunteer to help someone. Celebrate your wins publicly. Thank other members online.
StartupExperts will be an even more amazing community when we all step up and participate—because we're stronger together than we ever could be alone.
Let's make it happen!
DISCLAIMER
The opinions in this newsletter are solely my own and don't represent any affiliated organization's views. Information is provided for general purposes only without warranties regarding accuracy or completeness.
