The Culture Club is Live!
Do you ever have those times when you don’t think things are going to be ok.
You are not looking forward to it.
You wish you could cancel.
You think it’s going to fail.
And then it doesn’t.
Let’s back up a bit......
I have been thinking about starting my business for many years:
Specifically about Culture and Diversity & Inclusion since 2019,
More generally since 2016, after I moved my whole family to the UK from Singapore and was made redundant 2 months later, and
More generally still much earlier in my career when I dabbled in custom handbags. You will need to buy me a drink if you want to know more about this one ;)
So I woke up feeling bummed yesterday.
As part of starting The Culture Ministry I also started The Culture Club for organisations. An annual membership consisting of curated resources for Diversity & Inclusion work. Research, articles, templates and tools, specialist organisations, videos and podcasts. Depending on the organisation and their needs it could also include research and advisory services, presentations on specific topics, and coaching.
I love this part of my business because I get to work with organisations over the longer term and really understand their challenges and opportunities in building inclusive cultures. I get to present to larger groups and work one-on-one with people making a difference.
I had always intended on creating a public version, but up until now it hadn’t happened.
And then, maybe 6 weeks ago I realised that now is the time.
I built new website pages. I hustled to get amazing speakers. I brainstormed content that would be helpful and support people passionate about Diversity & Inclusion work, and now I have a full program of speakers, learning and coaching, until the end of the year for The Culture Club.
And then I started freaking out. What if no one joins? What if the speakers aren’t great? What if people don’t like it? Maybe I should just cancel it all.
And then I had a little chat to myself. I did my hair and make-up. I put on clothes that don’t resemble gym gear. I showed up.
And you know what? It was great.
My first speaker Anne Rayner was very special. Apart from being one of the first people I tested my business ideas with, she subsequently become one of the first corporate clients of The Culture Club and continued her support over a number of years.
Now leading her own business Productivity Bargain, yesterday she shared about building more equitable businesses, and better cultures. Her work and frameworks are pushing organisations to think about the structure of work, how we think about time, and how we should be measuring to outcomes, and all of this is relevant to how we build cultures that attract and retain people.
Lisa xx