[00:00:00] Rebecca: Hello and welcome to another episode of the Rebecca Saunder Show. If you've been following along over the last couple of weeks, you'll see that in the video clips of today's episode, I am back in my beautiful pink walled office. No, that doesn't mean that I've got floorboards downstairs, but the builders did lay me some MDF flooring so that I could get to the stairs to come up to the one part in the house that is organised, tidy, colorful and brings me joy.
[00:01:06] So I'm very excited to be recording today's episode from the comfort of my office with all my proper podcasting gear, my nice camera, the nice lights, all the things. So I'm back in my happy place I'm feeling good. Today I'm, I'm recording this podcast on Valentine's Day. So yes, feeling, very, very happy, joyous really looking forward to heading to Sydney tomorrow.
[00:01:30] So it's been, it's been a bit of a week and I wanted today to talk on for me the power of community over competition. Community's been a running thing for me to talk about, to think about since moving to the country. I last week hosted my first dinner series in Mudgee for female business owners.
[00:01:55] So there was a small group of just six of us in a beautiful restaurant [00:02:00] in town that opened especially for us on Thursday evening last week, which was absolutely incredible. And I bought six women or five myself as the six, six women together had never met each other before. I mean, I knew every single one of them around the table.
[00:02:17] I'd met them over the last few weeks and months being in the new town, I decided to pull this dinner together because as business owners working from home actually don't even need to be a business owner or an entrepreneur, you could just be you know, working from home, working remotely in the role and the job that you are in, it's really easy to stay home, not move outside your bubble and to stay in, not meet anyone and sort of feel a little bit meh about the whole situation.
[00:02:47] And I knew through conversations with multiple people, both here, in Sydney abroad, the art of conversation and the art of community building it's kind of gone and it's kind of got a bit shaken up with Covid and the remote working situation, people moving around, you know, not having that workspace, building those connections, those conversations with people in an office space, you know, in the local coffee shop, whatever that may be. And so for me, you know, being that extroverted personality, for me it was really easy to go, you know what? I'm gonna solve this and I'm just gonna host the dinner and I'm gonna invite people to come.
[00:03:25] And it was a hit. We've already half sold out the next one in March, I'm gonna be doing it as a monthly thing and I'm really excited about it because some of the key takeaways, two of the ladies, so two outta five, right? Two of them said, I'm just really grateful that something like this exists.
[00:03:43] And you're like, wow. Like, yeah. Mm-hmm I've done something really good there and that just made my heart sing because I am all for community. I'm all for sharing. I love, love, love getting people together and having the [00:04:00] conversations and just seeing how the conversations ebb and flow and the quality of conversations when you put the right people in the room, around the table, on the walk, you know, is so, so powerful.
[00:04:12] And I wanted the conversation at the table. I did a little bit of an agenda, and one of the discussion items was very much around community, community conversation, connection. You know, have we lost it? Are we getting it back? How do we, how do we build that? And it led into what sort of led led it into, you know, that whole piece of there is so much out there and available to us.
[00:04:36] Even the notion of trying to keep it all closed in, keep it all to yourself the notion of hard competition was one of the things that came up and just was, you know, no, you know, it was definitely more around community connection, conversation and the high idea of competition really was one of those things that goes, there is enough to go around. So play in your lane, play to your strengths. And it really got me thinking because if you, can build the right community, when you build the right community and you've got the right network around you, you know, there, there is no absolutely no fear at all in going, you know what, I'm not the right person for that particular project or role, but I do know someone that is.
[00:05:19] And so you've got that feeling of reciprocity. You've got the paying it forward thing happening and, you know, you've got the ability to go, you know what, that's not my jam, I'm not, I'm not good with that. I'm staying in my lane. I can do what I do really well, and I'm gonna pass you on to someone that can do a really good job.
[00:05:37] That for me makes my heart sing. It's a toughie because when I was starting the video business, you know, I always would say yes to any video project. You know, like, yep, we can do it. We're in video. Yep, we can do that. Not a problem. And as the business grew, and I grew, you know, as a, as a leader, as a, as a business owner, it became very clear to me that.[00:06:00]
[00:06:00] I don't wanna do all the video projects. There are some that we want to do and some that we don't wanna do. And as I've built that out and as I planned 2023 and the sort of rebrand and the relaunch of me, the business, what we're doing, you know what we, we niche down hard in terms of the video projects that we do.
[00:06:20] And our specialty is online courses. So filming of online courses and filming of customer client videos. They're the two things that light us up. You know, they're the things that we absolutely love to do. So we're not gonna be doing any other types of video projects. We'll do the occasional bespoke one if it floats our boat.
[00:06:40] And of course, we've got some phenomenal clients that we work with very closely on their projects. But overall, They're the two things that we're gonna focus on. And you see, the thing is when people come to me and go, can you do X, Y, and Z? And I go, you know what? That's, that's not really what we're doing right now, but I can give you a dozen people who are doing that really, really well and can most certainly help you navigate that, film that, produce that.
[00:07:07] And I know that those people, when they're wanting a film, an online course or a client case study video, they will come back to me because they know that that's my jam. That's what I'm good at. That's what we're known for. And they're grateful and they're thankful that I've passed them on to someone who can do the job who'll care about the job, who will execute the job exceptionally well, and just enjoy the fact that I haven't tried to fit them in, right. I haven't tried to bend my model. There's no resentment there when things go wrong or isn't quite, you know, no one's quite enjoying it. The boundary line is there of what we do do and what we don't do, and we can pass them on to someone that very much can do something bigger, better and actually execute that really well.
[00:07:52] And so I, I got me thinking about that in terms of community, people, spaces, and I'm in a small town, right? Very small town [00:08:00] now. I think there's only 10,000 people in town. So very small But the, joy of the community feel here is just off the charts.
[00:08:08] You know, you've got shop owners, support and help other shop owners. The same with cafes. You know, the restaurants, they're all, they all know each other and they're all there to support each other. There's no competition in the sense that, you know, I'm a clothing store. Store. You are a clothing store.
[00:08:26] Yeah. We're both closing stores, but we serve different clientele and we have our own slightly different style. And that can ripple on through, you know, whatever types of industry and space we're talking about. And it just brings me so much joy to see that in terms of that community, that connection, that support, because we're really lacking that overall.
[00:08:45] So start thinking about like, if you can think about and ponder about how are you showing up in the community space where you are, how are you supporting the others around you? How are you building that up? How are you building that network up? And most importantly there, you know, are you taking, are you taking on projects from a fierce space over, you need the cash or you know, maybe it's a fierce space of if you don't say yes to doing in the project, they won't come back to you again.
[00:09:11] You know, cuz I'd argue very much so like with the video space, if you can pass someone on to the next person and promote someone else's business and have the mentality that there is enough to go around. Wow. That is, that is a superpower in its own in itself, right? That is an incredible, incredible thing to be able to do.
[00:09:32] It will enhance boundary setting. So, we want boundaries in place for us energetically, right? Energetically we need the space to be creative, the space to work in the projects we wanna work in, you know, having the self-care piece, having the projects that we wanna work on.
[00:09:49] So if you can decide and sort of plan out what it is that you really wanna do and what really likes your soul on fire and sort of let go of the other things that doesn't do that and pass on the [00:10:00] joy and the projects and stuff to the, to the universe, to the community that you're building then the, comeback from the, from doing that and sharing that on, it's gonna come back tenfold. In terms of the, the work that you'll get, the joy, the connection. I just think it's absolutely phenomenal. So start thinking about that. For me community has been, has always been something that has lit me up, has supported me, has helped me through the good times and the bad times.
[00:10:29] It's something that I've always strived to be a part of, to find my tribe to find that connection of, of, of people that can really support me and light me up. And I have been part of many a network, many a community group both business-wise and personal-wise, that has led to personal growth and business growth and long-term friendships.
[00:10:52] You know, the friendship piece is, is, is amazing. And I talked last time about making friends as an adult, you know, it's really quite hard. Well, it can be perceived as hard, right? It's, it's the mindset for me as I, as I dive into this and I live more in the community space, it is the concept of asking for help, saying hello, you know, complimenting someone on what they're wearing, whatever it is to start that conversation. I'm gonna be present and be mindful to start that conversation and start building that community piece.
[00:11:27] So locally here, it's the dinners, it's the business uncorked dinners that I'm doing once a month. I am actively reaching out and meeting people so that I can be part of the community so that I can recommend restaurants and cafes and, and wineries and, and shops and all the things so that when people come to town or ask for recommendations, I've got that and I can celebrate the small businesses that are in town here.
[00:11:53] And then taking it further. It's why I bought, I built this champagne lounge. You know, it's that community piece of like-minded people that [00:12:00] will just get it and there is enough to go around, enough to share and we can share our learned experiences and our lessons and all of those things and help each other, support each other, encourage each other rather than be really close-minded and just think that we've gotta do it alone and take on all of the projects and all of the things, because there's a lack of it.
[00:12:21] And I tell you right now, there is no lack of projects. There's no lack of money in the universe. You know, if you've got the right mindset to do community over competition. Oh man, it's gonna be super powerful. So take away from today's episode cuz I know that I could just keep talking and I'm gonna go round in circles on this and that's not the point.
[00:12:42] The message is actually quite simple. Community over competition is an absolute superpower. It is on a post-it note that I have on my desk. I know that when I post it in comments, when people recommending each other's businesses and we're doing shout outs on social media. I know that a few people have picked that up and now have it on Post-It notes above their desk, you know, and on their wall as a little statement to just remind them that, yes, community over competition is a superpower, and it's something that is absolutely phenomenal.
[00:13:14] So grab your post at night, grab your sharpies. You know, I'm a huge fan of both of those. Write it down. Remember it. Next time, you know, take a little bit of interest in terms of other people, you know, work out what your boundaries are in terms of your business, if you're a business owner, and go about life right now, moving forward with that concept of community over competition because the world needs a lot more community, a lot more love, and a lot more conversation and collaboration.
[00:13:42] And we definitely, I definitely wanna see more of that. So, hook me up with any recommendations that you might have or any stories of community over competition over on Instagram. Come say hello. Let me know. Tell me the stories. Tell me what's going through your mind as you're listening to this episode.
[00:13:58] Because I'd really love to know [00:14:00] what kind of community feel you are doing in your own space, in your own businesses cuz that would really lighten my soul on fire. So, until next time, thank you so much for listening, watching. If you're doing the video, I look forward to tuning in next. Thanks guys.
[00:14:14] Have a great week.
