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The Vision for Local & Left

Local & Left is about creating a community where our values show up in how we do business, who we support, and how we show up for the community around us.

The goal is to bring together a small group of local professionals who genuinely want to know one another, understand each other's businesses, and intentionally create opportunities for one another when there's a good fit.

But I want this to be about more than referrals. I want us to build relationships, amplify local businesses that share our values, use our collective reach to give back, and create a group that we actually look forward to being part of.

REFER • CONNECT • AMPLIFY • GIVE BACK

How Membership Could Work

The plan is to start small with approximately 10–15 founding members, generally with one person representing each referral category.

The goal isn't exclusivity for the sake of exclusivity. Limiting overlapping categories gives each member a meaningful opportunity to build relationships and benefit from the network.

A referral category doesn't necessarily mean an entire profession. For example, an Estate Planning Attorney and a Real Estate Attorney could represent different categories because they serve different needs. We can define those categories together as the group develops.

Members should work in a role where referrals directly support their business, book of business, client base, or personal income. That could mean being self-employed, owning a business, working on commission, or working for a company while being responsible for developing your own clients or business.

Most importantly, members should want to participate, build genuine relationships, support one another, and contribute to the larger mission of Local & Left—not simply collect leads.

What Membership Might Look Like

Yes, remove the dash. I’d use this version:

I'm initially envisioning one gathering per month for founding members, but that's something the founding group can decide together.

Some gatherings might focus on networking, learning about each other's businesses, or professional development. Others might be happy hours, dinners, local events, guest speakers, volunteer projects, or just something fun.

I don't want Local & Left to become another obligatory meeting on everyone's calendar. We should actually enjoy spending time together.

There won't be forced referrals or referral quotas. The goal is to know and trust one another well enough that when an opportunity comes up, referrals happen naturally because we genuinely want to make them.

In addition to the monthly member gatherings, I'm considering quarterly Local & Left community meetups that would be open beyond the core membership. These would give other like-minded local professionals a chance to connect with the broader Local & Left community while also helping us spotlight and support locally owned businesses by intentionally choosing local venues, vendors, and partners whenever possible.

This is also my first time building something like this. I have a vision and a starting framework, but I don't have every detail figured out, and that's intentional. The founding members will help shape Local & Left together.

We'll figure out what works, change what doesn't, and build the kind of group we actually want to be part of.

Not ready to join, or is your referral category already represented? You can still join the Local & Left community list to hear about upcoming open events, featured local businesses, and other ways to get involved.

Stay in the Loop

Amplifying Local Businesses

One part of Local & Left that I'm especially excited about is creating a public-facing social presence, starting with Instagram.

I don't want it to simply be an account that advertises our members. I'd love for Local & Left to become a resource for people who want to intentionally support local businesses and professionals that share their values.

We could use the platform in a few different ways:

MEMBER SPOTLIGHTS — Regularly introduce our members, tell their stories, explain what they do and who they help, and give people a chance to get to know the person behind the business.

LOCAL & LEFT LOVES — Highlight local businesses we love and want other people to know about, whether or not they're members of the referral group. Restaurants, coffee shops, retailers, artists, makers, service businesses, fitness studios, and more.

COMMUNITY SPOTLIGHTS — Share local nonprofits, fundraisers, volunteer opportunities, community events, and organizations doing meaningful work.

Over time, I'd love for someone to wonder, “Is there a local business I can support that aligns with my values?” and think to check Local & Left.

Giving Back

Giving back isn't something I want to tack onto Local & Left later because it sounds good on a mission statement. I'd like it to be part of who we are from the beginning.

As the group grows, we can choose local organizations, nonprofits, and causes we'd like to support together. That might mean volunteering, organizing a donation drive, fundraising, sponsoring a community initiative, lending our professional skills, or simply using our collective platforms to bring attention to something that deserves it.

I don't have a predetermined list of causes or a required number of service projects in mind. I want the founding members to help decide where we can make the most meaningful impact.

The bigger idea is that if Local & Left helps our businesses and individual networks grow, we should also look for ways to use some of that collective reach to strengthen the community around us.

Referrals & Professional Responsibility

Local & Left is intended to create relationships and opportunities—not referral obligations.

Members are never required to refer a client, customer, friend, or family member to another member simply because that person holds a Local & Left referral category. Referrals should always be made because the professional is an appropriate fit for that individual's needs.

Being part of Local & Left also doesn't dictate how a member presents or markets their business to the broader community. Members can choose how they would like to be represented, promoted, and referred through Local & Left, particularly when it comes to outward-facing social media and public communications. Local & Left is about creating an intentional network for support and referrals—not limiting who our members serve.

Each member is individually responsible for following the laws, regulations, licensing requirements, employer policies, ethical requirements, and professional standards that apply to their own business or profession.

Consumers should always retain their freedom of choice. Participation in Local & Left should never limit someone's options or create an expectation that business must be directed to another member.

There is no expectation of referral fees, kickbacks, reciprocal transactions, or other compensation in exchange for referrals through Local & Left.

As we build the group, these guidelines may continue to evolve based on appropriate professional and compliance guidance.

Building It Together

This is the first time I'm building something like Local & Left, and I'm not coming into it pretending to have every detail figured out.

I have a vision and a starting framework, but I want the founding members to have a real voice in shaping what this becomes.

Together, we'll figure out things like how often we meet, what our gatherings look like, how referral categories work, how membership evolves, how we promote one another, what community initiatives we support, and what traditions we create along the way.

We'll start with some structure, learn what works, change what doesn't, and build the kind of group we actually want to be part of.

This isn't about joining something that's already finished. It's an invitation to help create it.

Interested in Being a Founding Member?

If you've made it this far and you're thinking “Yep, these are my people,” I'd love to learn more about you.

We're planning to start with approximately 10–15 founding members, generally with one person representing each referral category.

I've created a short Founding Member Interest Form to learn a little about you, your business, what an ideal referral looks like for you, what drew you to Local & Left, and what you'd like to contribute to the group.

Completing the form doesn't automatically guarantee a founding-member or category seat. We're intentionally starting small so we can create a complementary group of people and professions who genuinely connect with the mission and can help build something valuable together.

Once I've had a chance to see who's interested and what our potential founding group looks like, I'll reach out with next steps.

I'm excited to see where we take this.

I'm interested!

LOCAL & LEFT

Refer • Connect • Amplify • Give Back

Support intentionally. Grow together. Do some good.

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