Why I Joined the Rebellion with Yurii Lazaruk

Could you please share a bit about your background and your favorite thing about working in the community?

I started my community journey 8 years ago while haven't even known what "community" meant, but I always felt that by sharing experiences, we are getting much stronger together. My children are the most significant communities in Ukraine for sales, marketing, SEO, and paid advertisement experts - SalesHero, SEO Club UA, CPC Real Talk, and Marketing Club UA. A year ago, I joined the fantastic CMX community and Community Club. There I learned from the best world professionals (and keep learning) and understood that I could bring value to the community professionals worldwide on equal terms. My favorite thing in the community world is people connections. Even though we live in different places, we are still human, and community is about making humane lives better. Hence, as a community builder and consultant, I love helping people worldwide to get knowledge, build partnerships, find friends, and live happy and meaningful life!

What inspired you to speak at the Community Rebellion Conference?

Wow! Of course, apart from getting an invitation to be a speaker 😅, it's the first conference for community experts in Europe, and it's a great opportunity to share my experience with the hope that it helps others to thrive as professionals and improve their community members' lives!

What do you enjoy most about attending conferences or events in person?

I enjoy the most that we are all together in one place, synchronized, present, and we can see more than just heads and shoulders, touch and even smell each other 😁

Could you give us a sneak peek into your talk about "How to Disrupt the Community World by Having Fun" and why this topic is important to you?

Community is a long journey, and there is no overnight success. So I, as a result-oriented person, struggled a lot at the beginning because of not having immediate results. And I decided to start doing something that helps me connect with other community experts to learn from them, exchange our experiences, wins, challenges, fears, and understand if I am doing things right or should pivot. Also, I love helping others - if I know something that might be helpful, I'll share it with you instead of keeping it as my precious sacred knowledge. And I am very much curious about people. I believe you can learn a ton just by having a good conversation with others, listening to them, asking questions, and being yourself. And, of course, while having fun! That's how Between Two Watercoolers meetings and Community Life Show arose and became well-known in the community world. Also, people started saying nice things about me and what I am doing, which motivated me even more. Looking back on how I started and where I am now, I'd love to share what has driven me, my mistakes, and what I learned during my international community journey to empower you to start or continue your journey!

Are there any resources or tools you recommend to community managers who want to incorporate more fun into their work?

It's not a tool or resource but a mindset. I am trying to find good things anywhere and learn from everyone, so I have never wasted time or useless conversations. I am always present, and, as Shannon Emery's grandmother told her:

Always look for the sweet 🤗

What are you looking forward to the most at the Community Rebellion Conference?

Meet all the amazing community people I connected with online in person, and meet new folks! 🤩