About four months ago we hired our first US-based virtual team member, Lisa, to help out with some of our more advanced tasks and with a little project management.
One of her first tasks when she came on board was to help me revamp the Podcasters’ Paradise Hub Meet Ups.
In fact, that was one of the main reasons we hired Lisa: I already had 4 projects in mind that I knew Lisa could help with, and I hired her specifically for her skills in the areas related to those 4 projects.
How did I know it was time to hand off this project specifically?
Of all the community management tasks I “own” here at EntrepreneurOnFire, the Podcasters’ Paradise Hub Meet Up management was something I knew I could easily delegate: every time the meet ups came around, it was me doing the same things over and over again. Repetition is a good indicator of something that can be delegated (as long as it doesn’t require you as the face, voice or name behind it to make it work.)
Once we had a system set up for how the meet ups would run, I knew Lisa could handle managing them.
How did I actually hand off this project?
I had been managing the Hub Meet Ups for 2 quarters, and I could tell something needed to change. They weren’t picking up the traction and momentum I had hoped, and as a result, they weren’t adding value to the community.
When our team is investing time in something that isn’t adding value to the community, (which was our goal in starting the Hub Meet Ups in the first place), then we know it’s either time to move on or pivot.
I wasn’t willing to give up on the Hub Meet Ups just yet – so Lisa and I brainstormed a bunch of different ideas, and we can up with a few that we thought might help us gain traction and momentum.
These things included:
- Going to monthly instead of quarterly
- Asking Hub Leaders to commit to their location
- Sending Hub Leader Kits
- Holding Hub Leader Hangouts to share ideas and what’s working
- Streamline the overall management to reach more of our members who were in Hub areas
Lisa and I were PUMPED, and so were our Hub Leaders!
We also had a TON of members who had reached out to us, telling us they were SO excited about the meet ups, and that they couldn’t wait to attend.
A lesson learned from managing Podcasters’ Paradise
Just because your community or members tell you they want something doesn’t necessarily mean they are going to leverage and utilize it.
YOU have to be the judge of whether or not a specific project or program is worth the time you or your team are investing in it.
This is why it’s so important to set SMART goals for everything you work on in your business, because with SMART goals, you’ll know whether or not it’s working, and it will help make it an easy decision as to whether you should move on or pivot.
So when the third monthly meet up came around, after we had implemented all of our engagement ideas I listed above, and we continued to receive emails from our Hub Leaders that they were showing up to meet ups and no one was there, we knew it was time to move on.
Being in The Dip
There will be several times along your journey when you’ll find yourself in The Dip – the space where you need to decide whether or not continuing on in order to try and get yourself out is worth the time, energy, and resources you’re giving it.
Moving on from the Hub Meet Ups was a tough decision emotionally speaking, but I know it was the right one to make not just because my gut said so, but because I had set SMART goals for what I wanted the Hubs to look like: Full participation in at least 10 locations on a consistent basis, which was not happening.
So next time you’re faced with moving on or pivoting with a project or business idea, remember: if what it is you’re working on isn’t getting you one step closer to your SMART goal – if you’re not making progress day after day towards achieving what it is you set out to do – then it’s time to move on or pivot.
