Welcome to CMX Summit East!

• 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?

Help every willing person and organization on earth to become a more capable

community builder.

Community is on fleek.

Technology has made it easier for consumers to communicate and for companies to

distribute control.

More companies are interested in community.

That’s a good thing.

But We are Faced with 3 Major Challenges:

1. Lack of definition2. Unclear value3. Unsupportive culture

The Traditional Organization

Team

Audience

Product / Service

Feedback

The Community - Driven Organization

Vision

Community

Team

Audience

The Community - Driven Organization

Vision

Community• One entity• Team = Core of

Community• Community and

audience is an extension of your team

The Community Curve

Commitment

Control & Reward

Audience

Community

Team

The Community Curve

High

The Community Curve:1. Commitment2. Control3. Reward

Low

Team

Audience

Community

Community Value

1. Product2. Support3. Growth

Airbnb ( product )

Team

Guests

Hosts

Salesforce ( marketing )

Team

Customers

MVP’S

Apple ( support )

Team

Consumers

Forum Responders

Apple ( product )

Team

Consumers

App Developers

Wikipedia ( product )

Team

Readers

Editors

The Etymology of “Company”

• Late Latin word companio, "companion, one who eats bread with you”

• Society, friendship, intimacy

• Started with trade guilds

• Early humans formed communities in order to survive, outliving the bigger, smarter Neanderthals

• We are wired to seek community

2 Million Years of Research

3 Major Challenges:

1. Lack of definition2. Unclear value3. Unsupportive culture

Build the core, then distribute

control

Team

Audience

Vision

Community

“Community makes your product indestructible.”

– Rob Hayes, First Round Capital

Let the show begin!