Building A Community With Jessy And Perry
MELINDA HARCOURT
January 11, 2020
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I’ve become a huge fan of Jessy and Perry from Rhodes Wedding Co. in the US. They’ve created a truly impressive company where they make handcrafted wedding bands and engagement rings. They’ve somehow also managed to establish the perfect combination of creative output along with a beautifully connected community. So, I wanted to chat with them about how they’ve been able to build this special kind of tight-knit community with such true intention and passion.
How to build a business that you actually love
One of the most important steps you can take to create a business that you absolutely love is to figure out what you’re passionate about. Don’t just tolerate specific aspects of your business – instead, discover the tasks that you actually love and focus on those. It’s easy for me to stay creative and motivated with my work because I do truly love every task I do – and the ones I don’t, I delegate to someone else! You can also get rid of tasks you hate by asking yourself, “Is this really adding to my community and my mission?” It’s okay to toss out things that aren’t working for you or that don’t play to your strengths.
Photo by: katchsilva
When it’s not about the numbers
It’s so easy for people today to get caught up in the numbers game. Whether you’re focusing on how much money you’re making or the number of Instagram likes you’re getting, it can be hard to put your attention anywhere else. However, I’ve found that if you’re creating something with good intent and heart, people will see that and the rest will follow. People will flock towards authenticity. Jessy and Perry created their company from a passion project that has since flourished into a successful business. Their creative outlet expanded because they decided to focus on making a living doing something they actually love and are passionate about instead of how much money they could potentially make. It can also be helpful to become a ‘giver’ – a person who makes an effort to give back to their community (to clients, colleagues, customers, etc.). If you think about how to give back, you’ll get so much more in return and you won’t be as obsessed with those other numbers. Your relationships and your success can grow from there.
Photo by: Phil Chester
Using creativity in your business
As a creative person, I’m always bringing my creativity into my business. Jessy also noted that she can bring creativity into almost every task she does. With her social media outreach, she’s creating relationships and fostering connections with people in their community. These communications lead to the creation of their products – actual, tangible pieces of art that were inspired by that person’s story. Relationships within the community are also like a creative dance with another person since they lead to creative output. Working with a limited number of clients with a focus on clear communication and developing a deeper insight into the relationship allows them to craft unique pieces that resonate with their clients and the community as a whole. I totally agree with this perspective – I can feed my creativity doing any task (from looking after clients to marketing). Creativity doesn’t have to stick to a specific, traditional definition (me photographing something or playing the guitar or drawing a picture), it’s really just problem-solving with a new idea or bringing in a fresh perspective that can get my juices flowing.
Photo by: Nirav Patel
How to foster relationships in the community
Along the same lines, this creativity can lead to strong relationships within your community. In order to do this, it helps to be open and genuine about your own life. It can be incredibly rewarding to create an open line of communication with your customers. People weighing in with offers of support or by sharing their stories creates valuable relationships (even with strangers you’re just interacting with on Instagram). If you put yourself out there in a vulnerable way, you might be surprised by how much you’re positively influenced by these interactions. I’ve had fans reach out that have been following me for years, and their support means so much. Even just an email from someone sharing their story really makes all of the hard work worth it because you’re building something real with other people.
When it’s not all about the gram
As I mentioned already, it can be really tempting to get drawn into the obsession with Instagram. For some people, getting more likes and more followers is the ultimate goal for their business. However, for people like me and Jessy and Perry, Instagram can be an effective tool that doesn’t have to be used solely for numbers. Jessy notes that she spends around 20 to 25 hours a week on Instagram, connecting with new followers and commenting on posts to boost engagement. This isn’t about increasing likes though; it’s more about putting the time and effort in so that their customers notice the dedication they have to the community. Perry said it did feel like a burden at first to interact with Instagram on such an intense level every week, but then it felt more worthwhile once they were both able to experience a perspective shift. They realised that Instagram could be used as much more of a community-building tool for them and a way to effectively connect with the right people and form long-term relationships. I can definitely feel this goal when I look at their Instagram – it’s carefully curated and shows them being unapologetically themselves.
I’ve also found that I don’t have to get hung up on how many likes my posts are getting because I can be confident in my own work. A lack of likes doesn’t mean I’m not worth it; it could mean I need to work harder or set different goals, or it could mean that people just don’t get my work. I respect their opinion, but at the end of the day, I make my art for myself and not for other people. So, a less successful Instagram post won’t necessarily make me feel insecure or bummed out.
Setting new goals for social media
Since I don’t want to get myself down about low numbers on Instagram, it helps to make new goals for myself that feel more true to my own intentions. I do know what the Gram will like, but like Jessy and Perry, we’d rather do something that will resonate with others rather than just post something that would receive a less meaningful mass appeal. And if you’re not being true to yourself, what’s the point? To fail at what you don’t even love is tragic, but to fail at what you love, that experience can still have a lot of worth to it. So, my goal for social media often means that I need to keep reinventing myself. I want to keep being true to what I love and to always be growing. If this is a goal for you too, try asking yourself, “How else can I push myself?” This question can open up a brand new avenue both for expression and for success.
Photo by: Nirav Patel
What do you find rewarding?
You can build a really strong community by determining what you find valuable. Basically, you shouldn’t feel ashamed if your goal is not based on likes and followers, but rather on something more substantial like strong relationships or giving back to others. Sometimes this path might be a little harder (with not as much instant gratification or validation), but it can also lead to a long-lasting career with engaged community members who will be there for you throughout your journey no matter what. Holding onto goals that don’t feel genuinely rewarding to you will end up meaning you’ll attract the wrong people anyway. It’s always better to be true to yourself and what matters to you than to be fake.
Photo by: Nirav Patel
I had such an amazing time talking with Jessy and Perry. I’m seriously inspired by their goal to push themselves to aspire to limitless growth as well as by their success at building a community that blends perfectly with their business goals.
Make sure to follow them on Insta @rhodesweddingco and check out Jessy’s website for info about their upcoming projects.
Cheers guys, I’ll see you for the next podcast when I’ll be sharing more stories from awesome guests like Jessy and Perry!
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