Hola, hola! Welcome to Casa Cinco, a weekly newsletter curating connection.

Are you building or investing in human connection, social health, or community? See the bottom of this email to connect with Casa Cinco.

This week I’m encouraging you to build your own community, sharing the secret to a happy life, and introducing you to an app building a more sociable world. Happy reading!

Here’s to connecting,

Andy

Can’t find a community? Build your own

In the past few weeks, I’ve had a series of conversations with friends and strangers about their need to build a community.

They looked for a community, but existing options just didn’t seem to work.

Now, they’re set on building the one they want. Let’s go, fellow noncomformists!

After having very similar conversations with people starting running clubs, business groups, members’ clubs, and more, I decided to put this piece together (split in two parts because - who has the time?) to provide a broader overview of the process and form for building communities.

Ready?

FIRST THINGS FIRST

In his piece on How Communities Emerge, David Spinks argues “We don’t build community. We build containers where community has a chance to emerge”. This is closely related to the U.S. Surgeon General’s 2023 report on loneliness exposed when addressing the need for social infrastructure: “the programs… policies… and physical elements of a community that support the development of social connection”.

In simple terms - before we can have a running club, we must have somewhere to run.

Why is this relevant to mention? Because what you should really be focusing on is your ‘container’ - the purpose, people, space, and guidelines for your community. Whatever happens after that, what your community ends up looking like, is (and should remain) out of your control.

If you’re serious about building a community and giving others a sense of belonging, then by definition you have to build a community that people (not just you) want to be a part of.

GOT IT? ON TO THE PROCESS

Just like starting a business, the key to building a container where community may emerge is to iterate. Experiment. Build one container, see how it goes, make a few changes, try it again. Again and again until magic happens (more on magic later).

That, in essence, is the process.

However, to get you started, you can do the following:

1. 📃Before all else, fill out the Community Weaving framework. Answering these prompts will help you understand what it is you’re hoping to create (and improve). It all seems clear in your head, doesn’t it? Try putting it down on paper!

2. 💌Tune in to your intuition, then ask people what they want. Your personal needs may or may not be similar to those of others. Understand what you’re building and who it is for (see Step 1), then ask those people what they want. Was your hypothesis on track? Continue. Are there large differences? You may need to reconsider i) the type of community you are building, or ii) who you’re building it for. Note: Asking people what they want is just that. You can do this through conversations, surveys, focus groups, or more. Just make sure you’re not asking leading questions (“Wouldn’t you just love to be a part of this wonderful group that solves all of your life’s problems?”.

3. 🧪Experiment. Get out there. Create a minimum viable container (this could be as simple as a Zoom call, a short run with friends, an open table at a local pub) and test a few of your hypotheses from Steps 1 and 2. Then, ask for feedback. Keep it short and sweet - you’ll be running these a few times before getting deeper insights and traction. What you want to understand is who felt a sense of connection and belonging, who didn’t, and why.

4. 🛞Go again. Use the lessons from Step 3 to improve the whole process. Head back to Step 1, make changes, and experiment again. And again. And again.

To summarize - we’re talking about the what here. The process for building community, or a container for it, which is essentially a series of experiments.

Next week I’ll be sharing tips on the how - the form that glues the process together for maximum impact (and magic!).

Curious for more? Hit reply to this email, and let’s have a chat! I’d be happy to share additional resources, insights, and suggestions based on your specific situation.

WEEKLY CURATION

PEOPLE

• 🗝️McKinsey: People who are the happiest, the healthiest, and who live the longest, are those with the warmest connections to others. Yes, yes, yes!!

• 🫠Why meaningful work may increase the risk of burnout

• 💾Jerry Kaplan on 'AI theater' - why programmed emotions will never be on par with the emotions humans took millions of years to evolve

• 🧑‍🍳Will Guidara on connecting to the source. How hearing praise directly from the source could have profound impacts on your team’s performance

PRODUCTS & SERVICES

• 📖Hope for Cynics: The surprising science of human goodness. On human connection and how we can all learn to connect better

• 😀Sociability: Making the world a more sociable place by helping disabled people find accessible venues. A Casa Cinco portfolio company, maybe?  

PLACES

• 🔥How to Have a Great Time, by Richard D. Bartlett. I highly recommend subscribing to his newsletter! Great insights delivered with humour. 

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