I've been working as the first (and the only) full-time Community Manager for a startup for the last ~18 months.
And I have been immensely enjoying the experience!
There are times when I do feel a lack of mentorship. But I wouldn't trade that for the autonomy and purpose that comes with being the person in-charge of making community the competitive advantage of the business.
And anyway, with the community-led revolution going on, an increasing number of great education resources are available on the Internet.
On my best days, I feel like I'm the CEO of the community at our company. 😛
So, reflecting on this experience, I have concluded that the best community jobs might be at companies that don't have a full-time community person yet.
What do you think?
Discussion (2)
Hi Nityesh! That's an interesting question, and I guess it can open plenty of perspectives. On my side of the world, I've been a solo player as a community builder way too often, and I genuinely value a comrade that works next to me. What I enjoy most is the power of dialogue, sharing ideas, and finding new ways of doing this work.
I guess I'm a lucky one since I have a mentor with a community-building background, and looking back, and I'm aware of the good influence she has over me.
Thanks! 👋
Hi Nityesh!
I just became a community lead at a start-up in February.
I also have a lot of autonomy, and very little guidance! Basically my main goals are to grow the community, increase MQLs, maintain the webinars, and our newsletters.
I think it would be great to have a community team to take on larger campaigns, plan larger events, and co-create with more colleagues. Moving quickly has it's benefits and pitfalls.