From publishing to community powerhouse: How a CEO used Community to shift her magazine into a connection company

After joining about a year ago, I have attended the Lancaster chapter meetings usually in the evening since that works best for my schedule. I also have enjoyed the smaller group that the evening meetings tend to host, which offers a cozy atmosphere. It helps that we have a fantastic director, Jackie Orth. She has been a welcoming host from the beginning of my journey as a member and encourages me to share, connect, and attend meetups. 

The PDP team, led by Shannon, hosted a day-long event in three major cities this year: San Jose, California; Lancaster, Pennsylvania; and Denver, Colorado. When I walked into this event, I was blown away by all the energy in the room. There were 150 women from across the state and nearby states, some driving hours to be there. 

Since the pandemic, I’ve developed a bit of Social Anxiety Disorder, and it has been really challenging for me to be in large groups of people. This was the first event of the year that I committed to going to since I’d hibernated for the winter, writing the Creator to Community Builder book (now in the third round of edits). I opted for sitting on the “edges” of the event to have an “escape” route if needed, but luckily, I didn’t. 

The event was focused on helping each individual understand our innate value and that we are each worthy and deserving and require time to rest, relax, and enjoy life, just like everyone else. When Shannon shared her story of starting PDP, I was blown away by how similar it was to my journey just three years ago. She launched an online community with just 1 paid member at the time in 2012 and started growing the group with a few members at a time, and little by little, it grew, and at the end of the first year, they had 30 members. She could sell the magazine to someone else and double down on the community. 

“When asked about my goals, I tell people that I’m not trying to reach a specific number of members, but it’s about aligning the vision and focusing on the mission. I want to ensure we are giving the members a good experience,” Shannon said. 

After the story Shannon shared, and with many women holding napkins from tears about her journey and challenges, I asked myself the question I’m facing right now – How do you keep going? 

What Shannon said was so powerful – Use headlights – If you can trust the distance of light provided by car headlights (approximately 300 ft) to shine a path in front of you, you will be shown the next steps, but when it’s time, and when there is a reason; keep going, you can’t deal with challenges unless they are right in front of you. Don’t worry about the next month or year; worry about the next few hours, days, or weeks. 

PDP’s vision is to reach every woman who needs support when needed and understand that not all women will need their help, and they aren’t a fit for every woman. She’s the CEO and believes it’s essential for the CEO to understand the mission and vision of the community. Since this community is the business, that’s the core objective to keep memberships and encourage growth. “I wanted to be a great CEO, and if a CEO can’t visit with their members, it isn’t a sisterhood!”