Meet the Community Builders - Emma Sexton and Sarah Halfpenny - Inside Out Community - Interview
In this Meet the Community Builders I am delighted to introduce Emma Sexton and Sarah Halfpenny.
They are the irresistible force behind the Inside Out Community - a membership offering and community, created to give in-house creative leaders the connections, insights and knowledge they need for creative impact and influence.
It’s the world's only independent professional learning and development community for in-house creative leaders and is a brilliant example of a community with a commercial model, but also heart, purpose and impact.
Its members include in-house creative leaders from Trustpilot, Unicef, Waitrose, Meta, Deliveroo, Gymshark and Tony's Chocolonely.
They shared how the community evolved from a successful awards event into the growing, supportive, highly valued community of practice it is today.
The Inside Out Community is the world's only independent professional learning and development community for in-house creative leaders
We discuss:
How both Emma and Sarah have always been community builders (without ever having a formal community job title) and believe that it's "the best job ever!"
What community means to them both
Their definitions of community - why communities differ from networks
Why they believe people, connections, relationships, championing others, identity, galvanising people around a purpose and generosity are critical elements of a community
How the philosophy of "a rising tide floats all boats" applies to their Inside Out Community
What the Inside Out Community is, where it is in its community lifecycle, why they created it and the work it takes to constantly evolve and grow a community of practice
The reality of the ebb and flow of engagement in a community of practice
The importance of designing for different community member personas/types
The patience required in community building and designing/building for the long term
The importance of understanding the fragility of communities and the need to "to hold a community and its fragility"
How they constantly test and learn and iterate based on the community, member feedback and data
How they have adapted their community efforts and measurements based on 'community market fit'
Famous (past and present) people they would love to have in their community
Watch the interview in full below.
I hope it inspires you to do great things with your community, or perhaps like Emma and Sarah, create a community-led business.
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Want help developing a community-led business, launching or growing a community? Whether its a Minimal Viable Community (MVC) or a larger community project, I’m ready and waiting to hear from you. Book an introductory call.
Photo © Inside Out Community.
