Gary Henderson - The Clubhouse Creator: Build Your Audience, Deepen Relationships, and Accelerate Success in the Creator Economy

Gary empowers readers to design a life of creative and financial abundance. His step-by-step guide to building a community that will show up and support you is a powerful tool for manifesting your true potential.

Gabrielle Bernstein, #1 New York Times best-selling author of The Universe Has Your Back

Copyright 2021 by Gary Henderson

Published in the United States by: Hay House, Inc.: www.hayhouse.com Published in Australia by: Hay House Australia Pty. Ltd.: www.hayhouse.com.au Published in the United Kingdom by: Hay House UK, Ltd.: www.hayhouse.co.uk Published in India by: Hay House Publishers India: www.hayhouse.co.in

Cover design: Bradford Foltz Interior design: Nick C. Welch

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced by any mechanical, photographic, or electronic process, or in the form of a phonographic recording; nor may it be stored in a retrieval system, transmitted, or otherwise copied for public or private useother than for fair use as brief quotations embodied in articles and reviewswithout prior written permission of the publisher.

The author of this book does not dispense business advice, only offers information of a general nature to help you in your quest for business success. This book is not designed to be a definitive guide or to take the place of advice from a qualified professional, and there is no guarantee that the methods suggested in this book will be successful, owing to the risk that is involved in business of almost any kind. Thus, neither the publisher nor the author assume liability for any losses that may be sustained by the use of the methods described in this book, and any such liability is hereby expressly disclaimed. In the event you use any of the information in this book for yourself, the author and the publisher assume no responsibility for your actions.

Cataloging-in-Publication Data is on file at the Library of Congress

Hardcover ISBN: 978-1-4019-6832-8

E-book ISBN: 978-1-4019-6679-9

Audiobook ISBN: 978-1-4019-6680-5

To the entire Clubhouse community and all its creators: You always show up with an endless amount of generosity, and gave me an amazing opportunity to share my ideas and passions with you. I love the incredible journey were onlets keep creating together!

For my beautiful and talented wife, Peyton Henderson: I cant imagine my life and work without you by my side.

My mom, Tammy Henderson, and stepdad, Allan McMillion: Youve helped me grow into the best version of myself as a son, husband, and father. You have kept me rooted in the right values.

For the two people who keep me playful and humble, my children, Kinsley and Brayden Henderson: You are everything to me, and I cant wait to see where your dreams take you. Im here for you every step of the way.

And to Melinda Cross, my collaborative writing partner who was able to shape my ideas and countless hours of Clubhouse conversations and personal interviews into The Clubhouse Creator: Thank you for all the creativity you put into making my first book possible.

In 2015, I had what was undoubtedly both my worst and best year. I was getting divorced and depressed about not having my kids 100 percent of the time. There were all the typical financial stresses of a divorce that everyone goes through, and it was taking a toll on my personal health. I gained 50 pounds, which, even on a big guy like me, is not good. I had been living in South Carolina since I was 17, when I had moved there with my single mom after growing up in West Virginia, and I was beginning to feel uninspired by the community there.

My digital marketing business, however, was growing, and I had gained a reputation as the go-to guy for all kinds of high-profile launches, from products to services to books. I was serving a greater number of influencers and making more money than ever before. By all definitions, I was a success. But something still felt missing. I didnt feel I was totally living in a physical or mental space that I wanted to be in. But wait, I told myself, you chose a radically different path than most of your family and friends so that youd have the freedom to make choices. Yet I wasnt choosing what I knew was best for me: moving to a place where I could wake up every morning and feel positive and inspired by the environment and a community of peers. If I truly believed that my hard work and earning money were all for having the freedom of choice, I had to walk the talk. I moved to Puerto Rico where I felt I could live a healthier lifestyle while still doing what I loved.

Each of us has our own unique definition of success. For many people, its getting a college degree and maybe an MBA or JD, then climbing the rungs of the corporate ladder and hoping for a promotion every two or three years. Work 50 weeks a year, and if youre lucky, your company will give you a four-week sabbatical every five or ten years. Nothing is wrong with that definition of success, as long as it works for you.

This is not my definition of success. It never has been. Ive always had a different vision for myself. I wanted creative challenges in my work, endless freedom in how I structure my days, and plenty of time for a personal life with my kids and wife. Sometimes these expectations made me feel like somewhat of an outlier. The path wasnt always clear on how I could achieve this vision for myself. You may not see it for yourself right now either.

I like to think of success as giving you the freedom to do what you want, when you want, and where you want. If this definition of success appeals to you, then this book is for you. The Creator Economy is for you. And Clubhouse is a platform that can accelerate your vision of success into becoming a reality.

Heres the truth: You can make money doing nearly anything in todays Creator Economy. And you can create your own revenue streams from multiple sources without being judged against a prescribed definition of success.

How do I know this? I see proof of creator success every day in my own work as a digital strategist and consultant. Ive helped prominent influencers like Ray Higdon, Gabby Bernstein, Lewis Howes, Jeff Walker, Shanda Sumpter, Michael Hyatt, Dr. Axe, and dozens of others expand their audiences on multiple platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. I also have worked with hundreds of people whose names you dont know and helped them find their audience and earn more money than they ever thought possible. Over the last seven years, Ive generated over $250 million in revenue for my clients. What I didnt realize until Clubhouse came along is that I could be a creator, too. Even without being a superinfluencer like some of my clients are.

If the idea of being a creator in the Creator Economy seems a bit far-fetched to you, know that it did to me at first, too. In spring 2020, when Clubhouse was still in its incubator stage, I barely thought about what a creator was as it applied to me or my business. At that time, I thought creators were musicians or artists. Then in December 2020, I was invited onto a Clubhouse stage by my good friend Joshua B. Lee. It was a show about how to run a $1 million business. I answered some of the questions about building an audience through digital marketing. People liked my answers. I saw that I was adding value to their businesses and that they wanted to learn more from me.

Before long, I was moderating and speaking in Clubhouse rooms of all sizes and interests. I quickly saw the exponential opportunities the platform offered to grow a community and audience across physical and geographical boundaries. Once people began to know me and trust me, I was asked to offer more in-depth programsand they were willing to pay for my knowledge. I created virtual workshops and Masterminds, and made more money in less time than with my traditional coaching clients. This is when my mindset completely changed; I was a creator myself. I was serving not just one client at a time, but hundreds (and, eventually, thousands). By radically changing my mindset about who I was and my value in the world, I accelerated my personal brand and income growth. And all this success was started by using one of the most basic forms of communication we have: the human voice.