Facebook groups and Arthur Murray
Facebook.
Where do I start?
As I write this, I am currently a member of a private FB group that is for paying members of a high-ticket sales coaching program. The program’s group is one of the better-run FB groups I’ve been a member of (so far) and the main reason is because the sales coach has a small, but very effective team. The posse includes the sales coach, his wife, and four dedicated team members all skilled at a specific aspect of business who provide weekly training and Q&A support for members.
What I like about the group is that it’s small enough (less than 80 people) that it feels intimate. Each Zoom Q&A call is facilitated to get as many member questions addressed as possible. I can tell they are making an effort to make each of us feel comfortable, unashamed of our struggles, and acknowledge us for the work we have done thus far.
The other aspect about being in a FB group (or any group if it’s the right group), is the camaraderie among the members. We are all on similar journeys with our solopreneur business. Some may be a step or two ahead of others, but we all rally around each other in the discussion feed to support, share and cheer each other on.
Most of the other FB groups I’ve joined totally sucked, and for many reasons. Too many members. It’s impossible to find what you need in the discussion feed. The topics are all over the place. It’s too pitchy. It’s not managed well. The engagement with the group owner and/or team is poor and so on.
“Sometimes we need our coach or teacher to believe for us before we can believe in ourselves.”
The sales coach I referenced at the beginning of this article also has a “free” group that is not tied to the paid program. That is where he holds his challenges, launches, and does his high-value content marketing that is consistent, targeted and valuable.
It worked well enough to get me to buy his program.
When you are in a group or spending time in any place, if it’s the right group and managed well, you will stay engaged and find it valuable.
So what is it about belonging to a group, having a community of others who are on a similar journey as you and are there to support you and cheer you on?
It makes me think about when I took dance lessons at a local Arthur Murray studio about six years ago.
My Arthur Murray Dance Studio instructors. Notice my purposely mismatched flip flops. I’d just taken off my official “dance” shoes. So much fun.
I was back in dating mode and wanted to be able to confidently say, “Yes,” when I was asked to dance. I loved to dance, but had NO clue what I was doing on the dance floor. It wasn’t as bad as Elaine Benis’s dance moves, but it felt like it. I never really learned much beyond the seventh grade dances we had in the gym where my fellow classmates hugged the walls resisting looking like a doofus in front of other highly judgmental tweens.
My re-entry into the dating world made me face the fact that it was time to learn how to dance properly so I had the confidence to do it as a couple. So I signed up to my local Arthur Murray studio and danced for about two years before I moved from Orlando to Palm Beach. It was so much fun! (Ironically, Doug, who I met shortly after my dance years, has zero interest in dancing. But I hold out that someday he’ll relinquish and take some lessons with me. If they can teach me, they can teach him. A girl can hope!)
The reason I bring it up here is because belonging to a group of fellow adult dance students was comforting. We had a camaraderie of cheering each other on, supporting one another at the Friday night dance parties, and the instructors were consistently acknowledging our progress and making us feel competent as recreational dancers.
But I was quite intimidated when I danced with Stephen (pictured far left). Stephen managed the studio and was an award-winning professional ballroom dancer. He would whisk me onto the floor and lead me in a fox trot or a waltz as he loved to teach the frame. He was brilliant. It was like dancing on velvet and such a transformation from the tomboy I felt I was inside to this elegant, long-legged, perfect posture, holding my frame dance partner floating across the parquet floor with Stephen.
Sometimes we need our “coach” or “teacher” to believe for us before we can believe in ourselves.
Why solopreneurs need to belong to the right group
Being part of a group—the right group—and sharing your journey with other peers is very empowering, especially as a solopreneur. We lead a lonely life running our business, and when we get the chance to commiserate, share, encourage and learn with others, we move along that much faster.
And when someone believes in us, whether it’s the teacher or a fellow student, knowing that people have our backs makes it that much easier to be courageous and step into the vision they hold for us.
Have you found your group?
What group are you receiving this kind of support and encouragement right now? If you’re not in a group, what type of group are you looking for? Let me know in the comments below. Regardless, find your home in a group you can fully be your 1000% and get the support and guidance you need to get where you want to go.🍀
