Greg Raiten, a former lawyer and a co-founder at The Suite, a curated community-based platform for C-suite executives, joins Erik Torenberg to share the evolution of The Suite, from a side project that grew into a revenue-generating model through membership and sponsorships. They also discuss the process of building and scaling community-based businesses, effectiveness of paid memberships, and exploring future community expansion into other C-suite roles.

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RECOMMENDED PODCAST:

Check out Modern Relationships, where Erik Torenberg interviews tech power couples and leading thinkers to explore how ambitious people actually make partnerships work. Founders Fund's Delian Asparouhov and researcher Nadia Asparouhova kick off the series with an unfiltered conversation about their relationship evolution.

Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/id1786227593

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5hJzs0gDg6lRT6r10mdpVg

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@ModernRelationshipsPod

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LINKS:

Explore the GC/legal community: https://www.lsuite.co

Explore the CFO/finance community: https://www.fsuite.co

Company website: https://www.thesuite.com

Subscribe to the Media Empires Newsletter: https://media-empires.beehiiv.com/

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X / TWITTER:

@eriktorenberg (Erik)

@gregraiten (Greg)

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TIMESTAMPS:

(00:00) Intro

(00:58) Greg's background and early career

(03:17) Evolution of The Suite 

(05:51) Vision and expansion

(11:32) Business model

(13:45) Community engagement and events

(17:46) Online membership experience

(20:22) Sponsor: Metaview

(21:29) Sponsorship and revenue model

(22:55) Challenges of future of events

(28:44) Expanding professional communities

(34:16) Building a network

(35:49) Pricing strategies for community memberships

(42:08) Scaling and fundraising

(45:05) Future of paid vs. free communities

(47:37) Successful community models

(50:22) Wrap

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This show is produced by Turpentine: a network of podcasts, newsletters, and more, covering technology, business, and culture — all from the perspective of industry insiders and experts. We’re launching new shows every week, and we’re looking for industry-leading sponsors — if you think that might be you and your company, email us at erik@turpentine.co.