Member or Product
We all know the old adage that “the customer is always right.”
The question is, who is the customer?
Answer: It’s not always who you think it is.
TL;DR: We're doing business differently. Goodbye "fundraiser first, member second". IN this bottom up, member led initiative, it's not about how much money WE raise. Our metric is YOUR success. By building a grassroots, collaborative ecosystem that throws the status quo out the window, we're disrupting the status quo and by ConnectingDaytona - making money and creating change!
Jeff Bezos has famously stated that one of the fundamental keys to his success is that in his early days, the company was obsessively focused on the customer. Many companies, while saying they're customer-focused, were actually obsessed with the competition. They're so busy glancing over their shoulders, measuring themselves against others, that they forget to listen. To hear what is being said, quietly and overtly.
As we’re introducing the Daytona Beach Entrepreneurial Center to the community one conversation at a time, a common question we’re hearing is “how are you different from XYZ community organization?”
Admittedly, my response varies depending on the person and circumstances… but generally it’s two fold:
“If all the needs of the entrepreneur were being met, we’d all have everything we need and plenty of money and everything would be great.”
“How many brands of bottled water are there?”
We see things as we are, not as they are.
This is why it's nearly impossible for employee run organizations to truly grasp the nuanced needs of the entrepreneurs because, well, they're getting paid to figure things out — entrepreneurs are not.
If we were to go into this beholden to the big checks, funded by the main sources, we’d inevitably find ourselves creating a different version of the same thing. We'd become distant from the drive, connected instead to catering to those providing the cashflow.
When success is measured by dollars raised, pay to play and rewarding those with the biggest bank account, the members become the product. They're being used to attract funding, their needs are a footnote in someone else's story.
So, let’s not do that.
Instead, we're not just doing things differently.
Our Customer Is You. Period.Full Stop.
We're laser-focused on the individuals who make Daytona Beach tick: the consultants, the entrepreneurs, the small business owners, the innovators.
Our programs, events, and resources are built around your challenges, your aspirations, your wins. We measure our success by your success.
Are you connecting?
Are you converting?
Are you celebrating?
Challenging the Status Quo. That's the only game we're playing.
We're not looking at who is doing what.
We're looking at what needs to be done.
The old way leaves too many businesses feeling lost, voiceless, and ultimately, stagnant.
We're here to disrupt that. Boldly. Intelligently. Swiftly. Profitably.
So we're building something different:
For the people, by the people, powered by the people: A true grassroots movement. No top-down mandates. No big budget stakeholders. Zero strings attached. Just a community coming together to lift each other up.
A collaborative ecosystem: Everyone has a voice. Every contribution matters. Fairness and equity aren't just buzzwords, they're the fabric of our foundation.
A catalyst for real change: We're not just offering services; we're igniting a transformation. We're shifting the paradigm of how business is done in Daytona Beach.
With more opportunities than grains of sand, there's no better time to start creating tomorrow today!
