Today I am visiting my friend Tori Pintar in Big Sky, Montana. When I travel, I tend to stay with friends as often as I can, because who doesn’t love to visit friends? I’m super fortunate to have some really amazing friends that have welcomed me in to their home.
As we sat in the living room talking, Tori pointed out that AirBNB has a new logo. I went to their website and discovered it was actually so much more than that. AirBNB has shifted their focus to building a community.
It got me thinking about how Tori & I met initially. We are both a part of the Team-X Community. We shared a business coach in Jeff Jochum, we are together on a forum of like-minded people, and she is a mentor & I am a coach for Team-X. Being a part of that community has brought me so many rich blessings by the way of friendships, as Stephanie mentioned last week – Vivid & Brave wouldn’t exist without it!
Community is at the core.
As I read through AirBNB’s post about “Belong Anywhere” I thought of what a brilliant move this is by them as a company, giving like-minded people a place to come together.
I think of the type of person who uses AirBNB — of which I am one of them. I rented a cute flat in Paris when I was there two years ago. You have to be an adventurous type, willing to enter someone else’s home to stay, or willing to open your home to others. You likely love to travel. You want to see new places, and experience new things as if you were a local, not from the viewpoint of a hotel room in the center of the city. It is simply different.
We asked ourselves, “What is our mission? What is the big idea that truly defines Airbnb?”
It turns out the answer was right in front of us. For so long, people thought Airbnb was about renting houses. But really, we’re about home. You see, a house is just a space, but a home is where you belong. And what makes this global community so special is that for the very first time, you can belong anywhere.
That is the idea at the core of our company: belonging.
Are you Building a Brand? Or a Community?
What are you doing? Are you building a brand, focused on getting your message out there, to the world? Or are you building a community? A place where others can come in and feel like they belong? Something bigger than you? Greater than you and what you do?
For some of you, a brand is exactly what you want, and that is awesome. But for many? A community is what you crave. A place where you can bring together others who share your core desires.
Which one is it?
For us? It is all about community.
As Tori and I sit here, I wonder how our paths would have otherwise crossed if it wasn’t for Team-X — I can imagine renting a room from her as an AirBNB guest if I did not already know her. We would bond over amazing travel adventures, and late night talks about self-discovery and our love of food.
Kudos, AirBNB. Thank you for giving people a place to belong.
How can you give YOUR clients a place to belong? A tribe to call their own? A place for them to invite their friends?
This post is written with gratitude to so many of you who have opened your home to me over the past year. Thank you, thank you, thank you for making sure I always knew I belonged.
Want to join the Vivid & Brave community? Come find us over on our Facebook Group. We will welcome you with open arms.
Christine Tremoulet
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