Building Brand, Building Community:

Lessons Learned from General Assembly & Daybreaker

Matthew BrimerCO-FOUNDER

GENERAL ASSEMBLY

CO-FOUNDERDAYBREAKER

About Me

■ Graduated from Yale, moved to NYC

■ Previous startup failed, never had real “job”

■ 2009: Founded General AssemblyNow: $50MM in funding, 500+ employees, campuses in 14 cities globally

■ 2013: Founded Daybreaker Now: 8 cities globally and counting, tens of thousands of participants

@brimer

New York — 2009

New York — 2009

■ Recession hit NYC, tech was transforming every industry

■ The New York tech scene was burgeoning but disjointed and ad hoc

■ People were seeking new career paths, new skills, new inspiration

@brimer

The Answer? General Assembly

The Answer? General Assembly

@brimer

Let’s create a community nucleus for the startup ecosystem in NYC — housed in a real, physical place! A place of social interaction, professional collaboration, and shared learning.

New York — 2013

New York — 2013

■ Always loved music and live entertainment, but frustrated with nightlife in New York

■ Dance culture and ‘going out’ were inevitably linked with drugs, alcohol, exclusiveness, escapism, etc.

■ Mornings as a space & time were boring!

@brimer

The Answer? Daybreaker

The Answer? Daybreaker

@brimer

Let’s create an exhilarating, positive, values-driven morning dance party experience that will start off your day unlike anything else.

5 Learnings on How a Strong Brand Supports a Strong Community

1. Activate the core2. Give karma, get karma3. Establish clear brand values4. Create meaningful offline experiences5. Balance curation with openness

@brimer

1 / 5

Activate the core

Activate the core

@brimer

■ Focus your early efforts on building a powerful core of true believers

■ Examples:○ 1:1 coffees○ Group dinners○ Space tours○ Manually building email list

■ Early adopters you cultivate become evangelists

2 / 5

Give karma, get karma

Give karma, get karma

Give! Be as useful as possible. Connect, inspire, support.

@brimer

■ Well-placed intros add value to the ecosystem — everyone benefits■ The karma you send out inevitably comes back to you■ Try to make 2-3 intros per day as a habit■ Focus on increasing network density around you

3 / 5

Establish clear brand values

Establish clear brand values

Codify the founding principles of the brand early to shape the community ethos

(and ultimately the business)

@brimer

■ GA: culture of reciprocity through a “I’m offering / I need” bulletin board

■ Daybreaker: culture of positivity and warmth in our music, check-in process, and closing remarks at each event

Establish clear norms and values

@brimer

1. People before the machine2. Learning by doing3. Journey over destination

General Assembly Daybreaker

1. Camaraderie2. Wellness3. Self-Expression4. Mindfulness5. Mischief

Create meaningful offline experiences4 / 5

Create meaningful offline experiences

@brimer

■ Think offline UX design! Create experiences that are magical and memorable. Engage people IRL.

■ Examples:○ Take people to the edge of their comfort zone (7 am sober dance party, what?!)○ Surprise and delight! Unexpected performances, spoken word, new locations○ Intimate fireside chats with amazing people at General Assembly

■ People connect far more deeply offline than online■ NPS (Net Promoter Score) as your north star

Balance curation with openness5 / 5

Balance curation with openness

@brimer

■ A tightly-curated membership yields quality, yet can be unwelcoming / too “clubby” to the outside

■ Examples:○ GA: Workshops/events open to public, but membership/courses were selective

○ Daybreaker: Invite-only, password-protected events, avoided all PR… until we felt the community was strong enough, then opened it up more publicly

The Future of General Assembly & Daybreaker

The Future of GA & Daybreaker

@brimer

■ General Assembly & Daybreaker are both about creating community at their core — and are doing so by focusing on building strong brands

■ Both organizations are empowering people transform their lives for the better, connect with like-minded peers, and pursue their inner calling

■ Without a strong brand, the communities wouldn’t be as loyal. Without a strong community, the brand wouldn’t be as valuable.

@brimer

ga.co@GA

MATTHEW BRIMERCO-FOUNDER, GENERAL ASSEMBLY

CO-FOUNDER, DAYBREAKER

#hustlecon@brimer

Twitter: @brimer Facebook: /brimer Instagram: /brimer

daybreaker.com@dybrkr

ThankYou!