On Monday 17th August, we held our first CWG Community Zoom, and the following Thursday evening we landed in your inbox with a brief insight into just what our Membership Community could offer you. On today’s Podcast and through this article, we’re exploring the membership even further. Diving deeper into its offerings, and shining a light on the discussions we had during our call. Monday was simply an opportunity for those who have been following along with Countrywoman’s Guide to hear more about what we’re creating through our newly launched membership and, perhaps most importantly, a chance for us to discover what you would like the Countrywoman’s Guide Community to become. It was a rich conversation full of discussions about business, but also about finding your people, wanting somewhere to ask questions without feeling silly, and the simple value of having people around you who understand. It was the kind of conversation we see at the heart of CWG time and time again, and demonstrated exactly what we want to encapsulate in our community. Finding your people Running or working within a rural business can be brilliant, but it can also be complicated, lonely, exhausting, and at times, completely overwhelming. The response to our article last Friday and discussions had on Monday really cemented this for us. There’s often many decisions to be made, things you’re unsure of how to manage, and days when you wonder if any of your ideas are actually going to work. Whilst our friends and family can be wonderfully supportive during these times, there’s something refreshing about being able to ask a group of people “Has anyone else dealt with this? How did you tackle it?” and do so knowing that someone in the group probably has, and will be able to help. On Monday, Elaine talked to us about wanting a wider circle of people to call on across all the different parts of country life, from business questions all the way through to canine and equine ones. Jess spoke about how moving away from home has meant she’s needed to build a new network around her, and how valuable it has been to be surrounded by people who have “been there, done it and understand you.” It’s that last bit that’s really important to us. Our membership isn’t trying to create a community where everyone is at the same stage, doing the same thing or even has the same ambitions. Quite the opposite. Instead, it’s a place for different ages, experiences, businesses and lives to gather and share. You’ll be amazed how talking to someone who understands your way of life can offer you a different perspective on the question that’s been keeping you awake. Often, you’ll already have the answer but just need a little confidence boost, sometimes it may lie in someone further along their journey, or perhaps you just need a younger fresh set of eyes to see it from a different angle. As Emma put it during our conversation,“Your obvious might be someone else’s amazing” and that feels like a rather good principle for a community. One we want to honour. Monthly Monday Masterclasses The Membership community isn’t just about having people to talk to, we also want to give you some dedicated time to step away from working in your business, to work on it instead. On the first Monday of every month we will gather online with our paid members for a one-hour Business Masterclass with Emma and invited guests. They will be practical, useful sessions covering a range of topics from business values to seasonal living. One thing we can assure you is that these masterclasses won’t become just another addition to that list of things you should be doing. We’ll be taking your lead on the subjects most useful to you, making sure each one offers you maximum knowledge value. So please do let us know what would be useful for you - pop us an email at team@countrywomansguide.co.uk or send us a DM on Instagram. Our first six sessions are already in the making and will be covering the following topics: September: Time HacksLet’s start as we mean to go on and find you some extra time. October: ValuesYou’ll be amazed at how useful understanding your values can be as a decision making tool - regularly saving you time and worry. November: Non-Hustle Business GrowthLet’s talk about how we can harness seasonal thinking so that running your business becomes a little more effective and a lot less pressured. December: Christmas Wrapping and ChattingA gentler session for an already busy time of year. A chance to get the bulk of your wrapping done while sharing any last minute gift ideas, seasonal tips and delicious festive recipes. Let’s come together and share ways to make Christmas a little easier on ourselves. January: VisionIt’s an oldie but a goodie. A clear vision of where you’re going can make moving forwards so much easier. As part of January’s Vision theme, we will be running a paid in person Vision Workshop Day, (see below for the full details). Ten spaces will be available, with our members getting early access to tickets and 10% off the price. February: FocusWith January being spent dreaming up and pinning down the vision, February will be spent turning this dream into an action plan. We do this because the actual doing is where the revenue is - dreams without actions stay in the clouds. March: Member ShareWe will be reaching the six-month mark for our CWG Membership Masterclasses, and we want to use it as an opportunity to learn more about you and the community we have built in that time. You will have the chance to share your wisdom, and we’d love for two of our members to lead part of this session. Our monthly Masterclasses will be recorded for anyone who can’t make the live call, but being there gives you the chance to ask questions, contribute to the conversation and get to know the other members so we’ll always encourage you to join them if possible. Gathering around the table - for real! As much as we love a Zoom call, there was one thing that came through very clearly on Monday - we want to meet in-person, too. There’s something about gathering people around a table that a screen simply can’t replicate so, alongside our online community, we’ll be creating opportunities to get together throughout the year. We’ll be hosting leisurely lunches, meet-ups at events up and down the country, alongside focused business strategy days. While these events will be open to all in the Countrywoman’s Guide Community, our members will get first access to these events, and receive 10% off the ticket price. We’re already planning our first few events… * Cotswold Meet Up When: 7th of October, time TBC. Where: Specific location TBC, near Cirencester, Gloucestershire Details: We’re up in the Cotswolds on the 7th meeting a wonderful rural brand, we’ll be stopping for lunch afterwards (we’ll let you know a date and location nearer the time) and would love for some of you to come and join us? * Countrywoman’s Guide Lunch When: 10th of November, 12pm - 2pm Where: South Somerset, near Taunton (specific location given when you buy your ticket) Details: An opportunity for our Community to gather in person around our very own kitchen table. A long lunch full of good food, good company and authentic conversations. This event will be limited to just ten tickets, with members getting early access to purchase. If all spaces are not snapped up by our members, our free community will then have the opportunity to purchase them. * January Vision Workshop Day When: 14th of January, 10am-4pm Where: South Somerset, near Taunton (specific location given when you buy your ticket) Details: Join us for a full day around the table at Emma’s farm to create a work/life vision that will guide you throughout the year. We will be cutting, pasting, and assembling vision a board for you to take away, but more importantly we’ll be working on how to juggle those work and life priorities so you can approach things in a different way. Lashings of cake, lunch and ginger beer will obviously be consumed and you’ll be chatting away like old friends around our table before you know it! This event will be limited to just eight tickets, with members getting early access to purchase tickets. If all spaces are not snapped up by our members, our free community will also have the opportunity to purchase them. Work, Life & You You’ll often hear us talk about our Three Pillars: Work, Life & You. They really are an integral part of what we’re creating here, they underpin everything we do at Countrywoman’s Guide, and lead the content we share and curate for you. You might be growing a business whilst raising a family, running a farm, keeping a house going, trying to maintain friendships and attempting to find five minutes for yourself and often, all of the above! It’s natural for there to be months when work needs more of you, and months when life does. We’re here to help you navigate it all. We don’t think the answer lies in pretending you can balance everything perfectly. We’re much more interested in helping you find a way of working that actually fits the life you’re living or wish to live. That’s why the conversations inside our membership won’t all be about sales, marketing and spreadsheets. Some of our most useful conversations have been about simply getting some time back, helping you make decisions you’re avoiding and even offering a space to hear that someone else has been in your position before and got through it. Then there’s the WhatsApp group The WhatsApp group will be the everyday part of the community, and only accessible to those in the membership. The group will be a place for you to ask a quick question, share something you’ve discovered, get a second opinion, celebrate a win or have a little vent to people who actually understand what you’re talking about. It isn’t meant to become another group chat