Learnings from building IMMA Collective - part 2
Building a community and being together is harder than you think. Here are some reflections from the last 6 months.
In the last issue, I shared five reflections on building IMMA Collective. This week, I’m adding another five that focus more on building a collective.
We’ll cover:
Building a collective
The capacity of being in community
Enabling contribution
Experimenting with different business models
The scrutiny in the impact space
Additionally, I'd like to offer some question prompts to spark your own reflections.
6. Why Start a Collective Alone?
I never wanted to build IMMA alone. I don’t believe in collectives run by one person. I want to build it together with others.
That said, I struggled to find people willing to invest as much as I have to get IMMA off the ground. Instead of waiting for the right people to start, I took the first steps.
Now that the community exists and we’ve gotten to know each other, the conditions are right to open up to the process of co-designing.
But how do you co-design?
Luckily, there are people like Nenad Maljković and Cecilia Scolaro who have done this before, generously share what they know, and support the process.
Like Tom Nixon’s book, Work with Source, actually busts the myth that things are created collectively. It suggests that there is usually one person who is ‘the source’—the one who takes the initiative to bring an idea to life.
“Every human initiative – from projects to parties to entire businesses – starts with one single founder, the source. The source is the person who takes the first risk to realise an idea.”
The source is responsible for 1) finding clarity over what the edge of the initiative is (what’s in and out of scope) 2) maintaining the integrity 3) sensing the next step
7. The Capacity of Being in Community
IMMA is built on a paradox.
It brings together people who have chosen independence.
Many join because they miss the structure of a team and finally feel less alone. They want to collaborate on proposals and develop new offerings together. Given that our community is small, it allows for deeper connections, and it’s wonderful to see how members support each other, co-host events, amplify each other’s work, and provide advice and feedback.
That said, I can see how we have been conditioned to individualistic thinking, a scarcity mindset, and a zero-sum game. We all deal with the consequences of internalised capitalism, which affects our ability to be together, have hard conversations, and repair relationships.
It’s a muscle that needs rebuilding, and it’s crucial. Those who can collaborate, cooperate, and do more with less are better able to navigate the uncertainties and disruptions of our times.
8. Enabling Contribution
I’ve been reflecting a lot on a quote by James Clear:
“Greed is wanting the benefits of community without contributing to it.”
At the same time, there are naturally different levels of participation in a community.
Jess Colchester talks about the 1-9-99 rule in this recent post:
“for 1 person who creates, 9 people will contribute something, while 90 will consume. Don't bother spending your life fighting against gravity; create a community or structure that works with this, or you will be disappointed.”
Like many, I had unrealistic expectations until I realised that healthy community engagement is when around 4-20% of people participate.
This is why we started to reflect on how to cater for different roles within IMMA: Consumers, Supporters, and Contributors.
A question prompt for you: What roles do you have in your business, or are you serving?
9. Experimenting with Different Business Models
With IMMA, we have a playground to figure out what a post-growth business looks like.
Easy to say, hard to do. There is a lot of theory and relatively little practice. It became evident how much we romanticise the idea of regenerative businesses or community.
We live embedded in a capitalistic system and mindset, and to find a balance between short- and long-term financial sustainability, IMMA has two different business models: Seed is a 2-month program designed to craft a clear offering and lay strong foundations. Think of it like an incubator for purpose-driven freelancers and solopreneurs.
Nurture, on the other hand, is a membership (subscription model) based on peer support. Think of it as an accelerator that allows members to achieve what they wouldn’t be able to do alone. It adapts to the emerging needs of our group as we evolve together.
IMMA currently requires more investment than it gives back, but the goal is to make it sustainable and generate a surplus that can be reinvested in its mission, such as providing financial support for those who are going through a hard time. We will decide together when we get there.
A question prompt for you: What is your business model, and is there a way you could change it so it works better for you?
10. The Scrutiny in the Impact Space
One thing I hadn’t realised is the level of scrutiny we put on purpose-driven businesses. I say “we” because I tend to do it too.
Now that I’m building IMMA, I experience it firsthand (in addition to the challenges that come from being a woman). We have much lower expectations for ‘traditional’ businesses, but impact-driven businesses need to operate in an equitable, just way.
They should give back as much as they take, or even more.
But that’s not possible when you’re starting out and trying to make your idea work. It’s like asking a seedling of an apricot tree to already bear fruit. It takes time and nurturing for the tree to grow before it can give you fruit.
A question prompt for you: What expectations do you have of others, or are placed on you?
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To summarise, I’m privileged to do what I deeply enjoy, and I complain about having chosen to do something hard. 😅 Some weeks, like this one, are particularly hard, so having people within the community that you can connect and rely on is a game changer.
What would you like to know about IMMA? Share it in the comments.
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And if you feel like IMMA is something you want to be part of or support, you can join us or reach out.
Interesting opportunities for you
We comb through numerous job boards to find freelance opportunities, saving our members hours of time. Here is a selection of 10 from the 20 opportunities we shared on IMMA this week alone.
🧑💻 Design Brief - Unibloom
📍UK (Remote)
🤝Contract
💰£30-£40/hour
🗓️June 28, 2024
🧑💻Account Manager / Creative Strategist - Lumina Creative
📍Remote
🤝Part-time
🧑💻Creative Strategists - Purpose Disruptors
📍Remote
🤝Contract
🗓️June 25, 2024
🧑💻European Communications Expert - GSCC
📍Remote
🤝Contract
🧑💻Project Coordinator - KDE
📍Remote
💰33€/hr gross
🤝Contract
🧑💻Marketing Integrator & Project Manager - Cornell Content Marketing
📍Remote
💰$26-35/HR
🤝Part-time
🧑💻Tech Lead - EcoWiser
📍Remote
🤝Contract
🧑💻Freelance Development Partner - Lloyds Bank Foundation
📍Remote, England & Wales
💰£525 Day
🤝Contract
🗓️July 22, 2024
🧑💻 Change Maker Fellowship - NDN COLLECTIVE
📍US
💰$150,000 USD
🗓️July 1, 2024
🧑💻Grant Writer - Plant With Purpose
📍Remote
💰USD 32/h
🤝Part-time
🗓️June 30, 2024
Found something interesting for a friend. Share the newsletter with them.
Behind the Scenes at IMMA:
In the last few weeks, we've had many in-person meet-ups in Amsterdam, Paris, and Milan, plus our monthly networking event, Impactful Connections. Join us for the next one on July 17th!
Our April Seed cohort came to an end and in our check-out the thing that came out more often is how powerful it is to do this process together and in a structured way. If this is something you crave, why not join the next small group at the end of July.
Getting to end of June, we looked back and realised that we organised 60 events in our community, shared over 530 opportunities, grew from 0 to 46 members. Members started to develop stronger bonds, deeper connections and developed new offerings.
Thanks for reading,
Take care,
Lilli
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Whenever you want to stop working by yourself and want to build your purpose-driven solo business together, consider joining IMMA Collective.