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Do what you love: Why you are not your job

Written by Jerome on . Posted in Start-up.

Even as someone who works for myself and makes a living off of creativity, it’s not always fun. I’m not like those photos you see from Google image searches of people who work from home, stretching out while letting the rays of sunshine wash over my face.

Most days, I bust my ass designing websites that require lots of rounds of revisions with clients, and we may not see eye-to-eye. Or publication editors ask for revisions I don’t always agree with.

I butt heads with people that pay me, and some days I wouldn’t work if I didn’t have to. I sometimes miss out on doing things I want to do because I have to work. And I have it so easy (because I work for myself doing something I mostly enjoy) that I don’t even have the right to complain.

While I love doing what I do, it’s still work. I still get up at 6 a.m. or 7 a.m. everyday and sit down and work for most of the day. I don’t wait to be inspired because it’s a job. And I stop when the work is finished.

I’m lucky to have this life, which is afforded to me because I live in the first-world and grew up middle class. I don’t have to stress about how I’ll pay rent, afford health-care or wonder when we’ll be able to buy groceries next. I completely see the hypocrisy and classist edification of me even talking about this subject.

But if everyone’s job was simply to “do what they love,” who would collect garbage, work as a cashier, do data-entry or any other job that doesn’t seem as soul fulfilling? Those aren’t even lesser jobs either, they’re just jobs.

The reality of jobs

Doing what you love for a job is awesome, but not mandatory or valued above anything else.

I’ve never understood why so many people are so concerned with only doing a job that makes them happy – as if anything else wasn’t worth doing.

Find a job that you don’t have to worry about when you’re not doing it – or a job that doesn’t make you miserable every single day. You’ll still be far better off than a lot of folks.

As I enjoy telling my wife, work is called “work” and not “super happy fun time” because often it’s just tasks that need to be done. It doesn’t mean your life is less meaningful just because your job lacks existential value.

You aren’t your job. It doesn’t have to define you unless you let it. Plus, you can always do what you love in your spare time.

“Doing what you love” doesn’t have to mean a job. It can be a hobby, a passion or even simply spending time with the people you that you love the most. If you like something enough, you’ll find time to make it happen.

How to grow an awesome community to fuel your social startup

Written by Jerome on . Posted in Start-up.

When you’re starting a social company, building a loyal and engaged community is paramount. But that can also be one of the most nuanced and challenging elements of launching your startup.

As employee #6 and community director at Polyvore, I’ve had the opportunity to watch our community grow and build relationships with many of our early users – some of whom have been on our site for more than six years now. Today, our site attracts 20 million unique visitors per month and our awesome community has created more than 100 million collage-like “sets” that are shared across the Web.

But like all social startups, we started with a community of zero. So what does it take to grow a strong, engaged audience? We’ve focused on four core principles that have helped us create, nurture and grow our global community.

1. Community starts from within

The first step is to recognize that there is no company without its community. Community is the DNA of any social-oriented business, and it’s important for your entire company to understand, appreciate and celebrate it.

You can do this by incorporating a community section into new hire orientations. You can also celebrate community successes as a company by sending around community love letters, successes and stories. You can even make your users part of your office decor.

For example, our office walls are decorated with “sets” created by our users and love letters they send us. It’s a good daily reminder of why we do what we do.

Recognizing the importance of your community and celebrating it regularly throughout the company creates a culture that will help foster its growth.

2. Listen with open ears

Embrace your community’s feedback. Read every email, comment and suggestion, and reply to them! Your community interacts with your product on a regular basis, so it’s important to understand what they like — and don’t like — about it.

Go the extra mile and proactively reach out to your users from time to time to solicit their thoughts about your product and your team. Our team has delivered a number of product launches and feature updates based on popular demand from the community. User feedback can and should help shape your product and the company.

Consistently ask for feedback and user stories over social media. By acknowledging community feedback, your users will be empowered to have a voice because they know that they are being heard.

3. Give them the personal touch

Take the time to thank your members for all they do for your company because they are your greatest brand ambassadors. Be on the lookout for members who are making an impact in your community, and reward them for it.

You can celebrate user stories and achievements by sharing them across your site through a blog post or on your homepage. You also can keep in touch with users on birthdays and anniversaries with your product.

Personalized gifts and hand-written notes are an easy way to give thanks. And if budget permits, community appreciation events are a great way to get individual feedback, learn about their experiences, and make your users feel special.

You can also send out a curated newsletter that’s specific to a user’s taste and interests. That personal touch can really delight users. They go the extra mile for you, so you should for them! These relationships are key to building a loyal community.

4. Make their dreams come true

Encourage your community members to follow their dreams and help facilitate that in any way you can. While you’re building your dream company, remember that your community is working to reach their dreams right along with you.

Support that, and they’ll support you. Find out what your users love and see if there’s a way to encourage that in a way that’s beneficial to both parties.

For example, we recently sent users to New York Fashion Week to cover shows like Rebecca Minkoff, Cynthia Rowley, BCBGMAXAZRIA and more. Last year we also flew users to London to visit the NET-A-PORTER headquarters and meet top fashion designers. Whenever possible, help open doors for your users and their successes will be yours, too.

While every company is different, community is at the core of any social business. By recognizing its importance, listening, giving thanks and celebrating successes, you can create and grow a loyal community of your own.