The Role of Community in Building Sustainable Businesses
February 24, 2025
Building a business that lasts demands a connection with people—the customers, employees, partners, and stakeholders who form the backbone of its success.
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Introduction
Building a business that lasts requires more than a solid product or a great team. It demands a connection with people—the customers, employees, partners, and stakeholders who form the backbone of its success. Community is not just a nice-to-have; it’s a necessity for businesses that aim to grow in meaningful and enduring ways. Over the years, through my work with Gasify technologies and The Hive Incubator, I’ve seen how investing in communities creates outcomes that go beyond the balance sheet. The role of community is not peripheral; it’s central to building businesses that stand the test of time.
When we launched Gasify, our primary focus was on solving a clear problem: inefficiencies in Nigeria’s gas retail market. But solving that problem required more than just technology and logistics. It meant understanding and working with the communities that formed the market’s foundation. Retailers, distributors, and end-users habits, challenges, and expectations that weren’t always aligned with what we initially envisioned. To truly address these inefficiencies, we had to engage with these stakeholders directly. By creating feedback loops and involving them in shaping solutions, we didn’t just build a business—we built trust. This trust became a critical advantage, enabling us to expand our reach and refine our offerings in ways that a disconnected, top-down approach could never achieve.
Direction Of Innovation
Community also shapes the direction of innovation. At The Hive Incubator, we work with early-stage startups that are tackling problems in industries ranging from agriculture to fintech. What makes these startups stand out isn’t just their ability to develop innovative products; it’s their understanding of the communities they aim to serve. Entrepreneurs often come to us with ideas rooted in personal experience or deep knowledge of specific pain points. The best ideas don’t just solve abstract problems; they solve real problems for real people. By connecting these entrepreneurs with mentors, partners, and local ecosystems, we create an environment where their innovations are not only relevant but scalable. Community, in this sense, acts as both a testing ground and a springboard for growth.
Resilience
One of the most striking things about businesses that build with community in mind is how resilient they become. Markets shift, economies fluctuate, and competition intensifies, but companies grounded in community often weather these challenges better than those that operate in isolation. This is because the community provides more than just a customer base—it creates advocates. When people feel invested in a business, they don’t just buy its products; they champion its success. We’ve seen this play out at Gasify, where our focus on improving access and affordability for underserved areas has led to a level of customer loyalty that’s hard to replicate. Customers who benefit from our services often recommend us to others, not because we ask them to, but because they see us as a partner in solving a problem they care about.
Challenges
Building community, however, isn’t without its challenges. It requires time, patience, and a willingness to listen—qualities that can feel at odds with the pressure to deliver quick results. There’s a temptation, especially in fast-paced industries like tech, to prioritize growth metrics over relationships. But in my experience, this approach is short-sighted. The businesses that achieve sustained growth are those that see community engagement not as a distraction but as a foundation. At The Hive, we encourage startups to think about their communities from day one—not just as customers, but as collaborators. This perspective shifts the focus from transactions to relationships, creating a dynamic where success becomes a shared goal rather than a zero-sum game.
One of the most valuable lessons I’ve learned is that communities aren’t static—they evolve. Needs change, preferences shift, and new challenges emerge. This makes it essential for businesses to remain connected and adaptable. Gasify’s success has been rooted in our ability to stay engaged with the communities we serve, constantly gathering feedback and iterating on our solutions. This iterative approach doesn’t just help us improve; it keeps us relevant. In a world where consumer expectations are constantly rising, staying relevant is arguably one of the hardest—and most important—things a business can do.
Impact
Community also plays a role in shaping how businesses think about impact. It’s easy to measure success through revenue and market share, but these metrics don’t tell the whole story. True impact is measured by how a business contributes to the well-being of the people it touches. At The Hive, we’ve worked with startups that prioritize impact alongside profitability, whether it’s a fintech company creating financial access for underserved populations or an agritech platform helping farmers improve yields. These businesses understand that their success is tied to the success of the communities they serve. It’s not an either-or proposition; it’s a mutually reinforcing cycle.
Internal Culture
There’s also an often-overlooked aspect of community: its ability to shape the internal culture of a business. A company’s employees are its first and most important community, and how they’re treated sets the tone for everything else. At Gasify, we’ve made it a priority to create an environment where employees feel valued and empowered. This isn’t just about perks or benefits—it’s about creating a sense of purpose. When employees see the impact of their work on the communities we serve, it fosters a level of engagement and commitment that no amount of financial incentive can replicate. The same holds true at The Hive, where our team’s dedication to supporting entrepreneurs stems from a shared belief in the power of collaboration and shared success.
Reflecting on the role of community in business, one thing is clear: it’s not a trend or a buzzword—it’s a necessity. In an increasingly connected world, where barriers between businesses and their stakeholders are rapidly disappearing, the ability to build and nurture communities is what separates good businesses from great ones. This doesn’t mean every business needs to focus on community in the same way; the approach will vary depending on the industry, the market, and the goals. But the principle remains the same: businesses that invest in community create value that extends far beyond their immediate reach.
Conclusion
In my journey across energy, technology, and entrepreneurship, I’ve seen how community shapes outcomes in ways that metrics alone can’t capture. It’s not just about creating a loyal customer base or finding product-market fit; it’s about building relationships that endure. These relationships create the foundation for innovation, resilience, and impact—the hallmarks of businesses that don’t just survive but thrive. For anyone looking to build something that lasts, my advice is simple: start with community. Everything else will follow.
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