Entrepreneurs Sam Parr and Joe Speiser have started a new private community intended for startup CEOs and founders.
Key Details
- Parr and Speiser’s community, Hampton, officially launched earlier this week, but the program has already been running for 10 months.
- Since its soft launch, Hampton has attracted around 300 members from 35 U.S. states and five countries.
- Hampton is a networking group for founders and CEOs to connect with and support one another in their industries.
- If accepted as part of the community, a Hampton member is placed in an eight-person group with fellow members in similar-sized businesses.
- Though the smaller core group is a member’s primary point of contact, he also has access to the broader Hampton community.
Why it’s news
Starting a business and keeping it running can be a difficult task. Parr and Speiser built Hampton as a community where like-minded people can work together to help one another achieve common goals. Parr describes Hampton as “A private space to speak about your struggles and wins with other founders with similar sized and types of businesses.”
Parr explains that the idea for Hampton was born from his experience with Speiser. When Parr founded the news site The Hustle, he says he often ran into issues he did not know how to resolve. Parr partially attributes his success to a monthly business meeting he held with Speiser and other business leaders.
Open communication with peers in similar situations helped Parr and his network develop solutions. He intends for Hampton to serve the same purpose for other startup leaders.
There are some qualifications before a member is accepted into the Hampton community. A member must have $1 million in revenue or $3 million in funding. He may have also previously sold a startup. The member must also have an ambitious attitude and high-growth mindset. The startup must also be a digital-first company in North America.
Even if an applicant meets these qualifications, there is further vetting to determine if the potential member is a good fit for the community. For now, Hampton will be limited to 400 members.
For those who can get accepted, there are many benefits to membership:
- Monthly Core Groups that meet nine to 10 times a year for two-and-a-half hours to provide members with advice on relevant topics.
- A Digital Community through a Hampton-wide Slack channel that gives members access to top executives who can provide support and advice.
- An In-Person Community that features annual treats, local outings, and monthly member dinners—all organized and paid for by Hamtpon.
- Educational opportunities featuring guest speakers and unique workshops on relevant topics.
- Exclusive Perks such as discounts on certain software, tools, and apps.
Notable quote
“I didn’t know a thing when I started my first startup. I was winging it, but I couldn’t let my employees, customers, or anyone else know. So, I formed a group with a few other entrepreneurs, and it changed my life. We succeeded, failed, and learned together. We started Hampton to make it easy for other entrepreneurs to have a life-changing group like this. Because opening up, getting feedback from a brain trust, and seeing how others solve problems not only helps us all make better business decisions but makes the process a little less isolating,” Parr says.
