SMALL BUSINESS,
BIG IMPACT
EXCEL IN THE
COMMUNITY
Who am I?
- Founder, Darling Donuts, Werk Nights
- Project Coordinator at Mohawk College, Centre for Entrepreneurship
- Introverted Extrovert, foodie, lover of all things wine, craft beers, fitness, events, and community building
Who am I?
- Founder, Darling Donuts, Werk Nights
- Project Coordinator at Mohawk College, Centre for Entrepreneurship
- Introverted Extrovert, foodie, lover of all things wine, craft beers, fitness, events, and community building
AGENDA
- What is community?
- The different types of community Why is it important to be involved in your communities
- Tips and tricks for community building, & getting involved in your community
- Exploring the communities in Hamilton
WHAT IS COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT?
Active engagement of your business with local or online community in ways that go beyond mere transactions
Types of community involvement:
- Online engagement
- In person involvement
QUICK ACTIVITY
Think of all of the “communities” you have been involved in in your life:
- As a child
- As an adult
Now, write them down:
I’LL GO FIRST
Growing Up:
Italian Club
Soccer
Peer Mentoring
Volleyball
Field Hockey
Student Council
Childhood Friends
Summer Camps
Soph at University
Adult Life:
Motherhood: mom groups, Binbrook Community
Soccer
Entrepreneurship
Werk Nights
Online Community
IG, Facebook, TikTok
CIBPA
HRPA
BENEFITS OF COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT
Builds Brand Loyalty
Gaining Valuable Insights
Expanding Your Network
Increasing Customer Trust
Fostering Goodwill
ONLINE COMMUNITY
More than just selling:
- What is your why? Explain your story to your community
- Show off passions/interests: Ex: fun recipes/places to go
- Celebrating holidays, and other “national days”
Engage with Followers
- Responding to
- comments/DM’s/reviews
- Commenting on their stories/posts
- Sharing content/tagging others in your content
- Featuring customers in your content
- Not just all about you, it’s about your COMMUNITY -ASK QUESTIONS, POPOLLS. ETC, shoutouts to others
Content Creation & Consistency
- Talk to your audience on IG
- Share stories, not just your products/services all the time
- Feature others that inspire you
- Be real: not everything has to be a professionally shot image - unless you are a photographer
- Feature YOURSELF in every 9 posts
- SHOW YOUR FACE
SHOW YOUR FACE
IN EVERY 9 POSTS (AT LEAST)
IN PERSON COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT
Are you participating/attending local community events?
Are you collaborating with other businesses?
Sponsoring local causes and/or volunteering
Are you organizing or helping to organize any events?
MORE ABOUT THIS TO COME
EXAMPLE: DARLING DONUTS
Online Involvement
Online Presence: Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn
Different audiences on each of these platforms --> Different communities
ONLINE
INSTAGRAM: BUILDING YOUR COMMUNITY
Collaborations
Giveaways
Audience Engagement
feature customers/clients
Dirty South
Monarch Tea
Comeback Snacks
Back 10 Cellars
Barton Salumeria
Sushi on Fennell
Cake & Kale
Steel Town Cider
Think of ways you can collaborate with someone in your industry
Can you provide a giveaway with other local businesses?
Are you engaging with your followers?
What do you like doing
when you’re not doing
your business?
SHARING RECIPES
VISITING A LOCAL
RESTAURANT WINERY/BREWERY
WATCHING NEW SHOW
MOM CONTENT
IN PERSON COMMUNITY: ATTENDING EVENTS
What is your purpose?
- Meet new people, build new friendships
- Don’t go with the objective of selling
- Offer more than you ask for
Small Talk
- Where are you from?
- How did you start your business?
- How long have you been doing it for?
- What do you like to do when you’re not doing your biz?
- PAY A COMPLIMENT
Events in Hamilton
- YWCA
- Mohawk Centre for Entrepreneurship Hamilton Chamber of Commerce
- YEP Hamilton
- Werk Nights Fempreneurs
- Fem City
Building Your Community
- People remember not what you say to them but how you make them feel
- Listen more than you talk
- Smile - Be kind and approachable
- Aim is to be helpful/resourceful for others - not the opposite
- Not everyone will be for you and vice versa and THAT IS OK
Are you an introvert?
Bring a reliable friend or partner - bring them!
Connect with someone going to the event beforehand - meet at the door or for a drink beforehand
Do some research before the event - see if you can find out who is going
Community Friendships
Brainstorming/Admin Work Dates
Shoot the shit with a drink
evenings
Fun activity in Hamilton
Group Chats
Voice Notes
MAKE THE EFFORT
YES, WE KNOW HOW HARD NETWORKING IS
- Mere exposure effect
- Do not show up to sell
- 2 ears 1 mouth
- Positive attitude
- Relational vs. transactional
- Open 2/Open 3/Open 4
- Interested rather than interesting
- You are the expert in your field - how can YOU help
Networks in Hamilton worth checking out for entrepreneurs:
