“There’s a big difference between marketing personas and understanding the community drivers that make people want to join a space.”

In this episode, we discussed how to connect community goals with business goals by designing for trust, stakeholder alignment, member needs, platform fit, and ROI storytelling, in particular:

👉 Why strong communities need one-on-one member interviews before strategy, platform, or launch decisions.

👉 How to choose a community platform based on goals, use cases, budget, and member needs, not just brand recognition.

👉 Why people “love to buy, but hate to be sold to”, and what that means for community-led growth.

Join Yurii Lazaruk, the Community Consultant, and Todd Nilson, a community strategy advisor who helps b2b enterprises and nonprofits build online communities that don’t just look good on paper, but actually hold up under real-life pressure, and the president of the Community Consultants Collective, an amazing place for independent community professionals to network, learn, and find projects!

Together, we're connecting community goals with business goals to drive business growth!

Connect with Todd and Yurii on LinkedIn:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/tnilson/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/yurii-lazaruk-community-consultant/

Timestamps:

(00:00) Meet Todd Nilson

(01:04) Events vs Community First

(03:30) Event ROI and Business Value

(06:29) Aligning Stakeholders

(10:51) Selling Without Selling

(16:33) Inspiring Community Missions

(19:13) Executive Buy In Matters

(23:18) Member Research Interviews

(31:55) Choosing Community Platforms

(38:56) What Makes Platforms Lovable

(41:56) How to Evaluate Options

(45:08) Proving Community ROI

#communityROI #communitybuilding #businessgrowth

“65.8% of community professionals said that they want to stay in this profession, and the exit intent is the lowest it’s been over the past three years.”

In this episode, we discussed how community professionals can connect community data, human stories, and cross-functional relationships to prove business impact and earn stronger leadership support, in particular:

👉 why community metrics should depend on the company’s goals and the department community supports

👉 how AI can reduce administrative work and give community teams more time for meaningful human connection

👉 why “community plus” marketing, customer success, product, or sales is becoming the new professional standard.

Join Yurii Lazaruk, the Community Consultant, and Cat Nilsson, a community and growth strategist with a background in GTM, spanning sales, marketing, PR, and customer success, who currently leads CMX, the global home for community professionals, and brings to fruition all the amazing things like CMX Slack space, CMX Summit, Loop, Community Industry Awards, and, of course, CMX Community Industry Report !

Together, we're connecting community goals with business goals to drive business growth!

Connect with Cat and Yurii on LinkedIn:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/catharinanilsson/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/yurii-lazaruk-community-consultant/

Timestamps:

(00:00) Meet Cat Nilsson

(01:51) Leading CMX Mission

(03:42) Why The Report Matters

(05:54) AI Everywhere Now

(08:41) ROI Confidence Drop

(11:13) Data Plus Storytelling

(12:54) Winning Leadership Buy In

(15:30) Proving Growth Impact

(16:36) Metrics That Matter

(18:39) Career Optimism Stats

(20:59) Community Plus Era

(24:12) Will Teams Stay Small

(26:00) Future Skills And Events

(33:05) One Action After Reading Report

#communityROI #communitybuilding #businessgrowth

“Not all events are designed to build community. Some events are designed to build audience.”

In this episode, we discussed why the future of events, content, and community revenue depends on designing spaces where the right people actually connect, in particular:

👉 Why community starts with getting the right people in the room.

👉 How community can become a product, not just a support layer around another product.

👉 How to design spaces where valuable connections happen.

Join Yurii Lazaruk, the Community Consultant, and Seth Resler, a professional who has been building communities long before “community building” became a strategy and now helps creators, media organizations, event producers, and arts institutions turn audiences into spaces where people connect, participate, and keep coming back!

Together, we're connecting community goals with business goals to drive business growth!

Connect with Seth and Yurii on LinkedIn:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/sethresler/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/yurii-lazaruk-community-consultant/

Timestamps:

(00:00) Meet Seth Resler

(01:43) Why To Give Bad Advice

(04:42) Audience Versus Community

(09:12) First Steps to Community

(11:04) Find the Right Members

(13:19) Start With Events

(16:45) Free or Paid Events

(21:46) Monetizing Community Value

(26:41) Community Meets Content

(28:13) Community Revenue Model

(30:41) Engineering Serendipity

(32:26) Designing Better Networking

(36:21) Onboarding Before Events

(38:23) Year Round Community Shift

(40:35) Three Ingredients Framework

(46:32) Engagement Versus Value

#communityROI #communitybuilding #businessgrowth

“The community is a middleman from the community member to the organization revenue.”

In this episode, we discussed community building through an engineering lens as a system that can move people from interest to participation, advocacy, career growth, and business value, in particular:

👉 How hackathons help companies connect product adoption with real-world problem-solving.

👉 Why advocacy happens when a product becomes part of someone’s real workflow.

👉 How companies can recognize advocates in personal, useful, and meaningful ways.

Join Yurii Lazaruk, the Community Consultant, and Gift Ojeabulu, an ML Engineer, Developer Advocate, author, speaker, and co-founder of Data Community Africa, one of the largest data and AI communities globally, who treats community not as a “soft skill,” but as something you can engineer, measure, and connect directly to business outcomes!

Together, we're connecting community goals with business goals to drive business growth!

Connect with Gift and Yurii on LinkedIn:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/gift-ojabu/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/yurii-lazaruk-community-consultant/

Timestamps:

(00:00) Meet Gift Ojeabulu

(01:12) Why Hackathons Work

(04:28) Hackathons For Business

(06:33) Defining Community Value

(10:29) Community As ETL

(15:57) Amplifying Advocates

(19:46) Swag That Matters

(26:21) Community Goals Explained

(29:53) Finding Member Value

(36:42) Why Gift Builds Community

(41:39) Impact In Africa

#communityROI #communitybuilding #businessgrowth

“I wasn’t able to have a community-led community the day that I joined. It took about six months of listening to the community.”

In this episode, we discussed how to connect community goals with business goals by building community-led programs and sharing insights across teams, and prove community value for both members and the business, in particular:

👉 How to identify and support potential community ambassadors.

👉 What it takes to create a meaningful ambassador program for members and business.

👉 Why AI should free up time for human connection, not replace it

Join Yurii Lazaruk, the Community Consultant, and Karisa Desjardins, an experienced community leader who operates right at the intersection of community, customer experience, and business impact, from supporting customers at Hopper to managing large-scale ambassador activation at theSkimm, and now leading the L&D Collective — a community connecting Learning & Development leaders at 360Learning!

Together, we're connecting community goals with business goals to drive business growth!

Connect with Karisa and Yurii on LinkedIn:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/karisadesjardins/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/yurii-lazaruk-community-consultant/

Timestamps:

(00:00) Meet Karisa Desjardins

(01:11) Why In-Person Events Matter

(02:30) Proving Event ROI With Insights

(05:43) Planning High Value Meetups

(06:47) Community Led Programming

(10:09) Nine Month Listening System

(12:40) Choosing Ideas That Stick

(14:19) Ambassador Follow Through

(16:24) Coaching New Event Hosts

(19:13) Building Ambassador Roles

(24:14) Finding Ambassadors With Surveys

(29:34) Working With Internal Teams

(35:24) Leadership Buy-In Long Term

(39:10) Tools and AI Without Losing Voice

(42:02) Community ROI Advice

#communityROI #communitybuilding #businessgrowth

“Customer storytelling coming out of community is so natural, and it’s such a fun win-win.”

In this episode, we discussed how community helps to listen closely to customers, translate their needs into business language, and create win-win opportunities for both members and internal teams, in particular:

👉 Why one-on-one conversations are still at the heart of strong community building.

👉 Why customer storytelling is one of the most natural community ROI wins.

👉 How small tests can help prove the value of community before overpromising results.

Join Yurii Lazaruk, the Community Consultant, and Audrey Van Zee, a community and marketing leader who loves bringing new ideas to life, especially when they create real value for customers and the broader community, and who currently brings together community-building, customer storytelling, user feedback, and cross-functional collaboration at HeyGen!

Together, we're connecting community goals with business goals to drive business growth!

Connect with Audrey and Yurii on LinkedIn:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/audrey-van-zee/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/yurii-lazaruk-community-consultant/

Timestamps:

(00:00) Meet Audrey Van Zee

(01:26) Favorite Community Moments

(02:36) Working the Room

(04:23) Event Conversation Playbook

(05:57) Human vs Business Talk

(07:16) Defining Community Goals

(08:02) Prioritizing for Impact

(11:23) Customer Stories from Community

(12:56) Choosing Stories and KPIs

(15:28) Getting Leadership Buy-In

(18:51) Cross-Team Alignment

(21:51) Where Community Belongs

(24:08) Bridging Customers and Business

(26:15) Find Allies Not Naysayers

(27:27) Community Wins in Action

(31:44) Using AI to Scale Community

(35:30) Proving ROI With Data

(38:22) Quick ROI First Steps

#communityROI #communitybuilding #businessgrowth

"Podcasting has changed my relationships, my network, and the people I've learned from."

In this episode, we discussed how podcasting and intentional human connection became the foundation for community growth, business opportunities, and long-term partnerships, in particular:

👉 Why podcasting is one of the most underrated community-building tools.

👉 How David turned a small gathering into 70+ podcast mixer events.

👉 How to start a podcast without expensive equipment or a big audience.

Join Yurii Lazaruk, the Community Consultant, and David Nebinski, a community builder, founder, and event operator who has brought thousands of people together through over 100 events in New York, built communities from the ground up, hosted 400+ podcast conversations, and spent years turning human connection into business momentum!

Together, we're connecting community goals with business goals to drive business growth!

Connect with David and Yurii on LinkedIn:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidnebinski/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/yurii-lazaruk-community-consultant/

Timestamps:

(00:00) Meet David Nebinski

(01:20) Why Podcast Mixers Work

(04:55) Keeping Momentum After Events

(09:50) From Mixers to Business ROI

(15:57) Easy Way to Start a Podcast

(20:14) Picking Topics and Catalysts

(26:11) Preparing for Great Interviews

(28:06) Podcasting ROI Reality

(31:43) Conversation Over Scripts

(33:41) Repurposing Content Flywheel

(38:07) Evergreen Posting System

(41:27) No Endgame Just Momentum

(45:23) Start Today Press Record

#communityROI #communitybuilding #businessgrowth

“90% of a relationship is friendship and that 10% is business. We always think it’s the other way around."

In this episode, we discussed how community leaders can turn authentic human relationships into measurable business impact by aligning community initiatives with company goals while staying deeply member-focused, in particular:

👉 Why community growth without retention and engagement is a dangerous metric.

👉 Why understanding “what keeps members up at night” changes everything.

👉 The balance between business objectives and protecting member trust.

Join Yurii Lazaruk, the Community Consultant, and Rochelle Sonnenberg, an experienced community leader who has spent years leading large-scale community initiatives (such as a global network of 700+ Most Valuable Professionals and Regional Directors at Microsoft), designing programs that drive retention, partnerships, and long-term growth, and even founded her own communities, such as Her Tech Community, a connection‑driven space for women and nonbinary professionals in tech!

Together, we're connecting community goals with business goals to drive business growth!

Connect with Rochelle and Yurii on LinkedIn:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/rochellesonnenberg/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/yurii-lazaruk-community-consultant/

Timestamps:

(00:00) Meet Rochelle Sonnenberg

(02:05) Value Of Small Roundtables

(07:05) Small Events Meet Business

(08:59) From Attendee to Leader

(13:06) Facilitating Inclusive Talks

(16:05) Office Hours Value

(18:21) Setting Goals and Programs

(22:32) Cross-Team Partnerships

(26:22) Art and Science Cadence

(29:40) Internal Community Glue

(31:11) Hard Truths and Next Steps

(33:35) Winning Leadership Buy-In

(39:20) Fast ROI Move: Find Champions

(43:04) Sustainable Community ROI

#communityROI #communitybuilding #businessgrowth

“The first step is understanding what that team is trying to accomplish, and how community can slot into that.”

In this episode, we discussed how community teams can position themselves as strategic cross-functional partners rather than isolated engagement teams, in particular:

👉 Why community ROI is more than engagement metrics.

👉 How to get leadership buy-in for community initiatives.

👉 How to make community a cross-functional business asset.

Join Yurii Lazaruk, the Community Consultant, and Michelle Baltrusitis, a Head of Community and Social Impact at Fiverr, who's helping freelancers and underrepresented entrepreneurs grow through community, coaching, and real opportunity!

Together, we're connecting community goals with business goals to drive business growth!

Connect with Michelle and Yurii on LinkedIn:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/michelle-baltrusitis-aa1700136/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/yurii-lazaruk-community-consultant/

Timestamps:

(00:00) Meet Michelle Baltrusitis

(01:03) Michelle’s Social Impact Path

(03:28) Building Internal Advocates

(06:48) Getting Team Buy-In

(09:43) Freelancers and Marketplace Strength

(12:36) Trust and Success Stories

(16:50) Metrics and Content Strategy

(21:58) AI and Community Workflows

(25:44) Tool Stack and Collaboration

(29:46) Proving ROI to Leadership

(32:19) Social Impact vs Community

#communityROI #communitybuilding #businessgrowth

“Sometimes one deeply trusted conversation is worth more than a thousand shallow impressions.”

In this episode, we discussed how curated community experiences generate real ROI by bringing the right people together, and connecting community work directly to sales, marketing, product, and leadership goals, in particular:

👉 Why smaller, highly curated community experiences can outperform scalable events.

👉 How to turn community conversations into warm, consent-based leads.

👉 What community professionals can do right now to prove their value internally.

Join Yurii Lazaruk, the Community Consultant, and Ed Giansante, a community professional with decades of practical experience from driving millions in savings at Zynga to scaling engagement and support for over 500 million Dropbox users, and beyond that, creating his own platform, Edublin, reaching millions, who turns communities into real business outcomes by trusting guts, backing it up with data, and telling compelling stories!

Together, we're connecting community goals with business goals to drive business growth!

Connect with Ed and Yurii on LinkedIn:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/edugiansante/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/yurii-lazaruk-community-consultant/

Timestamps:

(00:00) Meet Ed Giansante

(02:33) Small Events Big ROI

(06:17) Dinner To Pipeline Engine

(13:08) Community Is Revenue

(16:12) Keeping Sales Out In A Good Way

(19:10) Jeffersonian Dinner Format

(22:05) Choosing Right Topics

(23:44) AI for Community Scale

(25:09) Proving Community Value

(26:44) Awareness to Revenue Funnel

(30:36) Questions That Matter

(35:38) Cross-Team Community Work

(38:01) Leadership Buy-In ROI

(40:47) Internal Allies First

(43:38) Stop Overthinking Start Doing

#communityROI #communitybuilding #businessgrowth