This document introduces the CMX Summit East and discusses building communities. It notes that the speaker has experience founding startups and mentoring companies. It then discusses challenges in building communities, including lack of definition, unclear value, and unsupportive culture. It proposes a model where the community and vision are central, with the team and audience as extensions. Finally, it discusses how community can create value for products through support and growth.

1. Welcome to
CMX Summit East!

2. • Founder and CEO of CMX Media
• 7+ years professionally building
communities
• 3x startup founder
• Mentor at 500 Startups and
Startup Chile and advised
hundreds of companies
Who Am I?

4. Help every willing person and
organization on earth to
become a more capable
community builder.

5. Community is on fleek.

6. Technology has made it easier for consumers
to communicate and for companies to
distribute control.

7. More companies are
interested in community.
That’s a good thing.

8. But We are Faced
with 3 Major Challenges:
1. Lack of definition
2. Unclear value
3. Unsupportive culture

9. The Traditional Organization
Team
Audience
Product / Service
Feedback
The Community - Driven Organization
Vision
Community

10. Team
Audience
The Community - Driven Organization
Vision
Community
• One entity
• Team = Core of
Community
• Community and
audience is an
extension of your
team

11. The Community Curve
Commitment
Control &
Reward
Audience
Community
Team

12. The Community Curve
High
The Community Curve:
1. Commitment
2. Control
3. Reward
Low
Team
Audience
Community

13. Community Value
1. Product
2. Support
3. Growth

14. Airbnb ( product )
Team
Guests
Hosts

15. Salesforce ( marketing )
Team
Customers
MVP’S

16. Apple ( support )
Team
Consumers
Forum Responders

17. Apple ( product )
Team
Consumers
App Developers

18. Wikipedia ( product )
Team
Readers
Editors

19. The Etymology of “Company”
• Late Latin word
companio, "companion,
one who eats bread
with you”
• Society, friendship,
intimacy
• Started with trade
guilds

20. • Early humans formed
communities in order to
survive, outliving the
bigger, smarter
Neanderthals
• We are wired to seek
community
2 Million Years of Research

21. 3 Major Challenges:
1. Lack of definition
2. Unclear value
3. Unsupportive culture

22. Build the
core, then
distribute
control
Team
Audience
Vision
Community

23. “Community makes your product
indestructible.”
– Rob Hayes, First Round Capital

24. Let the show begin!