CASE STUDY: Founder Member, Hannah Weinhold, explains why she loves The Growth Community and how it has supported her personal and professional growth.
Member Profile
Grow Traffic are a multi award winning, family owned and run, digital marketing and web agency. They love working with businesses of absolutely any size, offering highly tailored, targeted and collaborative strategies that deliver what they set out to do. They are really proud of their culture of being honest and transparent in business.
Success Summary
Hannah was not only a Founder member of The Growth Community – she was actively involved in helping it to launch in 2020.
Grow Traffic has benefitted from several new large clients; some lucrative long term contracts and they have achieved many tens of thousands of pounds in revenue.
She has connected with a new business partner who she’s launched a sideline business with.
Through mentorship and training, obtained through her membership, she feels she is a much more effective networker than she was before.
She has gained many useful suppliers through recommendations within the community.
She has gained the confidence to feel credible and supported in her business growth journey.
Having access to the highly engaged wider community has added massive value to her membership and overall success.
What motivated Hannah to join a networking group?
When I first started out in business I was crippled with imposter syndrome! But when I came along to one of Nicky’s groups, six months before the pandemic, I was three years in and ready to start feeling more credible and confident walking into a room of other businesses.
What struck me was how relaxed and welcoming that first meeting was. Despite feeling terrified I felt instantly at ease and I quickly relaxed into the room that was literally buzzing with friendly people. And that’s the vibe we’ve carried on as members. We make everyone feel welcome and part of our group – even if they are just visiting as a guest.
“Nicky just got it right from the start. It is a Community. A genuine, beneficial organisation that supports its members to grow their businesses and get help when it’s needed.”
How our Culture makes us stand out
There is such a strong sense of culture and values across The Growth Community. You can feel it in every interaction.
Culture comes from the top. The Growth Community is very representative of the Nicky Thomas’ personal values which I feel very aligned to.
Nicky just got it right from the start. It is a Community. A genuine, beneficial organisation that supports its members to grow their businesses and get help when it’s needed. It is so supportive, welcoming and nurturing and there is a real focus on growing your business along with growth of you as a person too. It just keeps me coming back for more!
I went into business so that I could do it my way. I wanted to do business ethically, kindly, honestly whilst being upfront and trustworthy. I wanted to be around people who also wanted to do business that way. I have definitely found My Tribe in this amazing community.
“If you’re planning on visiting as a guest I promise you will feel so supported and welcome. You can just be yourself, relax and enjoy being a part of our meeting.”
What Hannah loves most about The Growth Community
I love the Member of the Month initiative. It’s great seeing how invested members are in getting to know and help each other. The Growth Community really celebrates the people who are living our culture. Having access to this wider community offers so much more value to membership. At the Annual Awards lunch we had in January it was clear how super engaged everyone was.
I really love how relaxed and friendly the entire community is.
You can just be your authentic self and there’s no need to apply ‘professional armour’ and pretend to be something you’re not. We really can have fun AND get the work done!
The other thing that’s really benefitted me is access to great recommendations for absolutely anything I need. I can stick a message in the WhatsApp or Facebook group and I get useful suggestions from people I trust. For example, I’ve been getting my business insurance for the past few years from a man in The Growth Community that I’ve never actually met! Another member recommended John, told me he was great and that he’d sorted them out really well. So that was good enough for me!
I also love that fact that we don’t just ‘sell’ memberships to everyone who comes to visit us. We let people who fit with the values select themselves in their own time. This definitely makes the whole thing way more valuable to me.
I love the fact that it works.
Grow Traffic have had tens and tens of thousands of pounds of new and recurring business during our time with The Growth Community and I’ve even founded another new business with someone I met in my group.
Hannah’s advice to members and guests
If you’re planning on visiting as a guest I promise you will feel so supported and welcome. You can just be yourself, relax and enjoy being a part of our meeting. Just get booked on – you won’t regret it.
If you want proper results from networking you need to commit. Properly commit. I really saw the benefit when I understood this. You need to hardcode that appointment into your diary and protect it.
And don’t just focus on the room. Think more broadly. If you genuinely set out to get to know people you will start to help each other way beyond the walls of your meeting.
Being in business is often more tough than good. The people you develop relationships with are not just a referral machine. They will teach you things, support you through the bad times and celebrate with you in the good.
And if you are already a member of The Growth Community get out and engage with the wider community. Visit other groups – they all have their own vibe. Make sure you’re utilising ALL of the benefits that Nicky has created as part of this really valuable membership.
Useful Resources
Hannah and the Grow Traffic team are really passionate about educating people about SEO and Digital Marketing. They have tonnes of blogs on their website, along with a podcast and various webinars and training courses. So get in touch with her and the team.
The Growth Community has more resources for developing networking strategy such as: Improving 121s, building trust or helping you to decide if networking groups are right for you. Visit our library for more resources.
And if Hannah’s convinced you to pop along to one of our friendly meetings why not book on and start your networking journey with The Growth Community.
