AA for Tech

In the past we’ve often focused on the bigger names who do community especially well. Today we swing the lens towards a younger enterprise which is embedding community in everything it does - CTO Craft. We spoke with their Community Manager, Megan Slater.

Background

CTO Craft was set up by former CTO, Andy Skipper to address a need he perceived for senior tech leaders to connect and share experiences. It can be lonely at the top and Andy could find little in the market that offered effective support to this group in their personal and professional development.

It all started as a simple IRL Meet Up group in London in 2017, but they soon developed an online offering and introduced “Circles” - groups of up to 12 members with similar backgrounds or interests who meet (online) every month. They’re joined by expert moderators who help steer the conversations to make sure the groups get real benefit. (Megan has heard some members call it “AA for technologists”.) There’s a minimum commitment of one year as it can take time for groups to gel. Sessions are confidential so ensure a safe space. Members find the groups hugely impactful, so much that one of the original groups is still meeting six years later. 

As well as the Circles groups, there are weekly newsletters sharing relevant resources from around the web, and weekly online events which could be talks, panel discussions or fireside chats. Most of the speakers are also members.

The final piece of the offering is the opportunity for members to connect, share their own content and resources and ask for help or support around issues they are facing.

Basic stats:

• Close to 10,000 members, up from 8000 a year ago.

• Platforms used  – Slack for the member messaging, Zoom for events.

• Geographical spread – global, but with strongest representation in UK, US and Continental Europe

• Business model – freemium (free to join and be part of the Slack group, attend any of the events, receive the newsletters. There’s a charge for those who want to join the Circles groups or attend conferences).

• Application process– you need to show you’re a senior leader in this space. Applicants are vetted to make sure the community is right for them.

• Funding – primarily from sponsorship. Sponsors are able to pitch event ideas, but if they do give a talk, all content is pre-checked by the team to make sure it isn’t salesy and offers genuine value. Other revenue channels include the mentoring and Circles offerings. They held their first in-person conference this year, which was a sell-out.

What’s next?

They recently did a call-out for potential Ambassadors to help spread the word and organise events in their area, and received an overwhelming response. They expect to see the membership drive ever more engagement and activity around the world.

Our key take-aways

Clear value proposition

The offering has razor-sharp focus: It’s for the personal and professional development of CTOs – and that’s it. No diversions, no merging with other groups – it’s clear and limited. Members are confident that if they’re looking for support in their careers, they’ll find it here. CTO Craft are unaware of any other groups with an offering which is so broad but just for senior leaders in this field.

Culture embedded

Megan feels that one of the main contributors to their success has been a culture which is so firmly  embedded in the offering that it is proving incredibly durable, even with the heady rate of growth they are experiencing. This is partly because the the community has spontaneously embraced the culture. Megan comments, “it’s so lovely to see. Yes, we curated the space to allow a culture of support to thrive, but we’re not forcing people to do it: they’re just naturally helping each other. It’s all organic, and it’s great to see that the  most active channel on the Slack is “ask a question”. We don’t have to get involved much nowadays – it ’s all being driven by the members”.

Platform choice

There’s much debate in this space about whether Slack constitutes a “community” platform, but it certainly does the job for for CTO Craft. Most members use Slack is their day jobs, so it’s a  frictionless step to access this channel.

It’s not for everyone

CTO Craft are clear who the group is for but - just as important - who it’s not for. They haven’t chased numbers, with the result that the people who do join really belong. If the company had wavered even slightly from this, everything from the culture to the content to the connection might have faltered and the offering could have failed.

Although Andy Skipper and his team definitely didn’t get into this for commercial success, they are finding that by offering something of real worth with authenticity and commitment, they’re building a thriving business.

All in all, a great example of a community of practice. Does your sector or position type have a similar need and is there an existing solution for you? If not, might this be something that you or your brand could consider leading? Get in touch with us if you would like to explore further.

With thanks to Megan Slater for taking the time to speak with us.