Réginald Bien-Aimé: Entrepreneur, Community Builder, Consultant
Réginald (Reggie) Bien-Aimé wears a lot of hats. He’s an entrepreneur, community builder, consultant, innovation catalyst, and former Fuckup Nights Switzerland Founder and Host. He’s a sought after speaker and moderator, bringing a uniquely awesome energy to events ranging from intimate meetups to massive conferences.
His passion is to help and connect with anyone who shares an open and collaborative vision of innovation, the business world and life.
Reggie chats with Marsha about how his event season flipped upside down and how he’s pivoting and maintaining community through it all.
“Some people have an audience, but not a community. Some people have contacts, but not a community. A community is brought together by a common set of values and interaction between each other.”
- Réginald Bien-Aimé
Listen to the episode:
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(Tune in at the 1:30 mark for Reggie)
Connect with Reggie:
A huge thank you to Origins Media Haus for producing this podcast. You can find them at:
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Connect with Marsha:
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Transcript:
Marsha Druker 1:30
Hey, Reggie, thank you so much for joining me on the create community podcast. So to kick things off, can you please introduce yourself to our audience. Tell us a bit about yourself, what you're up to, and where you are in the world.
Reginald Bien-Aimé 1:43
So I'm Reggie, Reginald, for my government name. I'm based in Geneva Switzerland, and I'm essentially a community builder and a consultant.
Marsha Druker 1:51
You're somebody that I really look up to as a community builder. You started with Fuckup Nights before me and it's really inspiring to see how you've grown out across Switzerland and just the amount of things that you've able to balance and how involved you are in the in the event space. Tell me a little bit more about how this whole COVID-19 situation has impacted you, some of your plans for the coming months, and how you've been able to pivot through these times.
Reginald Bien-Aimé 2:19
So firstly, thank you for your comment. I think I get these comments a lot, because I never really kind of saw how much workload that took or at least how much I took on my shoulders, and before to COVID, for the last three years I did about roughly, it's like somewhere between 45 and 55 events per year at any capacity, whether it be private or public, pro-bono or not.
But I had all these different events to the point where I stopped going to other people's events because I was like going sometimes almost was an event itself because you'd end up doing something in some shape or form. So this year is exactly the same and then the highest periods normally are actually March to about May and then for me about September to like mid December.
So these are the periods where everyone's kind of like stacking events. And for example, pre COVID, like for most of the month of March, I had, like, for example, events related to startup competitions. We were launching in Zurich, future of work, which actually became a very, very trendy and up to date, subject or future of work conference.
We got to a point where we're like, you know, notably tackles everything that confinement pushed us to do between, you know, working from home and all those things. And so I had to host that conference was like 200 people. I was supposed to host also the biggest tech conference in Switzerland. So it was in halfway, like basically across the country.
So it was going to be this big, massive affair. 3000 people were expected the main stage that they were going to give me the main stage that was going to co host with my future business partner. We were actually launching we decided last like in March to launch a business in event design. So events was like the big topic of that month how to host an event private Fuckup Nights at the time for Deloitte, which was going to be my last one because I quit Fuckup Nights so yeah that month there was so much.
In Switzerland measures started late February. So every week they were making it harder and harder and I was you know, we thought to find what's gonna come with like a rumour we were like, no we'll power to even though Italy was right next to us and kind of like crumbling before our eyes.
And as they were canceling one event after the next I guess something happened to me where the first like I think, like confinement started here officially I think on the 16th and I think the first two weeks of it, I was literally just I shut down as in in a good and a bad way. Good way being took the break, because you have to assume most people do events in their city. I was at the point where I for the last few years been doing events across the country in virtually every region, but the Italian one, because either because of the demands of where the the clients were.
So I kind of rejoiced of not having to make all that traveling and all the concessions that comes with. And on the other side, like I have a very small personal business aside from being invested in many others. And I was like, okay, but then how is that going to affect me financially?
Was I going to be eligible for the measures that we're going to be taking in place when really at first I wasn't as a business owner, as if I was an independent, yes. If I was an employee, yes. But as a business owner, for example, you don't get unemployment in Switzerland. So there's many things that made it there were uncertain times so first two weeks kind of sucked. And then it kind of like you kind of rise from the ashes.
And also, I was a bit sick. That's like a well kept not secret, but I was a bit sick, very curious about what it was… The moment that ended, I got the answers from the unemployment office that I was eligible for the measures. And my intern also that I was recruiting an intern just pre COVID that I decided to keep regardless. So that worked out.
Clients started coming out of the woodwork wanting to work a little bit because I kept some consulting gigs. Because basically, when you build communities, and you do content, or your expertise is that you can work with anyone, any type of businesses want your insights or help them strategize. So I kept some clients, they were coming out. So it's been like a roller coaster.
Marsha Druker 6:32
I feel like I've had a very similar experience. The first two weeks in Canada, it was later for us that really kicks in sort of, like middle of March when it was declared a global pandemic. That's when things got really real here before I would say, like, that week of like March 10, or, yeah, like around that week. It was still very much like some people weren't really taking it as seriously that we just like we didn't see it really affecting us and then it just got very real in that week, things started happening very drastically.
It was the same thing for me. I had a very tough time, the first two weeks, and I think it was a culmination of really similar I was doing a ton of events also doing a lot of traveling and just kind of going nonstop. And it was in a way it was like this, like forced break. That kind of helped me but it was such a drastic and crazy change. And then after it, same thing, like I feel like I kind of got more into the groove of things and things have gotten better. And I've been really pleasantly surprised that at how well our partners came through and just being able to pivot in different ways.
Tell me on the personal side of community, how have you been able to kind of stay connected through this time? What has it been like, specifically in Switzerland? How are you staying connected?
Reginald Bien-Aimé 7:43
It's been kind of strange because like, obviously, as soon as it hits, I navigate many communities, right? But then even professionally from, you know, the food entrepreneur community to tech community to, you know, just normal traditional entrepreneurs and craftsman community.
And so a lot of them were kind of expected me for example to come in for throttle with make events and then get you know. I had this women entrepreneur network here that we've been supporting since beginning and they really kind of like took the wave and started going full digital with all their events formats that usually were offline.
I'm also very close to the stand up comedian community with them in full depression because we're like, wait, we can't do a job. They hated Facebook Live or so or Instagram Live, because there's no interaction with you with the public.
So from the professional side, I started with that I took the opportunity to actually kind of stay away from the spotlight. I'm one of the kind of guy who when there's a crisis, I'm gonna stand in wait as you know, you do triage at first with are close ones, the ones are isolated, like some friends are confined alone. I'm at my parents are a bit different.
So I checked in on some friends at first but professionally, I would also check in on people who, based on the measures that were happening or their jobs like, just checking in. But I was staying away from spotlight of participating too fast on experiences that I think are not ready. We're not ready to go full on digital in terms of events when there's a pandemic, or when there's any crisis. It's not natural for us to do these events. I was wanting to check the tools. I looked up some things, but I didn't want to invest too much.
And then I made the transition towards the personal side because same thing personally, everyone started jumping on all the virtual tools, right House Party, WhatsApp, everything like telegram. Everyone was all over the apps and organizing these they call it “zoom aperos” or whatever WhatsApp parties. You're like, wait, and I saw some cool things, but I was like, wait, if you're not naturally someone to use those things, makes no sense. So I really waited it out. Plus, I wasn't in my best living my best life at that moment.
So I was speaking to some people with who I had actual deep, not necessarily connection but conversation with my goal was more to keep like my brain active. And like express what I felt with people like they could understand it. And then what happened is that over time over maybe after three weeks, I was like, Okay, I want to get back in the game, at least see, make some tests in terms of community management or in terms of events, see what could be done.
And I created this very small, very simple, let's say, format for Zoom, which is kind of close to your podcast in a way, but it's like more made for so people come like invite friends. And I asked them essentially three questions related to confinement. So the literal translation in English would be if you take confidential and confinement, it would be come from "confinemetial", basically, that would be the water, but what it really made was about kind of getting the pulse of the participants.
And what I really wanted to test was interactiveness. To see if it's possible, not just with one person, it's really easy in in a setting of less than five people is super easy as a moderator. Zoom is like, for example, a great tool. They do understand what a moderator does or animator them does. But then when you get past five people, and even to 10, there's this noise as when your job is to host something, it doesn't show because we're supposed to connect with people.
You know, like when this disorder in a crowd is the one you created, because you want them to exchange between each other, then there's a one that just happens because people are in disciplined. So that would just be crazy online, right? So then creating that format, doing it once a week, and connecting a bit more with people. I had all kinds of people and talk to you in a long time, over the phone, we organize calls.
It's been I think socially, it's some people kind of came out of their shells of trying to not overdo things knowing that we didn't know how long the situation will last. So I figured if we're there for two months or six weeks or whatever, like you have to kind of like Netflix. You got to pace it. If you start too strong, then what do you do afterwards?
Marsha Druker 11:54
Yeah, it's funny. I feel like I had a very similar experience very similar approach. Just like you those first two weeks, I needed to just take care of myself, I guess in a way, it's like how can you give to your community when you're not in the right frame of mind? So I did the same thing, I really took a step back. A lot of people did move very quickly to go virtual, whether it's from a professional standpoint, like taking their events virtual right away.
And then from the personal side as well kind of like jumping on those huge like zoom calls with everyone or house party. And I shied away from it too for the first probably like two or three weeks. And same thing I like I found that a lot more more helpful to myself to just connect with people one on one and like just like really good friends, people that I feel really comfortable with, where that was sort of that was a way that I stayed connected.
And then over time, I kind of dipped more into into some of those bigger things and started experimenting with how to how to bring Fuckup Nights online for Toronto in a way that was going to feel kind of natural to our city. So it's definitely been gradual and it's I feel like has been really helpful to me. And I was like, yeah, somebody who's like very ambitious and just like always doing a lot of things, it's kind of it was almost like a forced break, like slow down.
This is not a race. It's not a productivity contest.
Reginald Bien-Aimé 13:12
It's hard. When you're mentioning ambition when you have this whole plan set out. And then certain things that you had mapped out in your mind, they're not gonna work the same. And even if you adapt them, they're not gonna work the same.
Marsha Druker 13:28
What's something that you're grateful for, during this crazy time?
Reginald Bien-Aimé 13:32
First is health. Like, it seems basic, but, you know, like COVID took some people we knew in our family, notably my grandfather, but also like other people losing close ones. So all of a sudden your health, you start to realize you don't have your health, [nothing else] doesn't matter. Secondly, I'd say, community you know, it's kind of like wink to the topic of your podcast, but I'm saying, like, you could really test the value of your network during that period, in terms of who looks out for you. Who you know who's willing to adapt to your situation? I'm talking professionally or personally who's you know, who's calling you? Just to check up on you?
Marsha Druker 14:10
And then my last question for you and I asked this of every guest on the podcast, what does community mean to you?
Reginald Bien-Aimé 14:16
Obviously, there's this notion of group like this group or band of people let's say, but that are kind of like centered around a common cause, or at least that are that are brought together by a common set of values. Because some people have an audience, but not a community. Some people have contacts, but not a community. And whether it's a business or whatever, it's just I think, that notion of having this common, not necessarily vision, it depends because it involves depending on the maturity of it, but that logic that there is a kind of a thread like transversal values and, and visions of things or cause that they're defending or talking about or whatever, and how they are willing to act upon when called upon and interact between each other that sense of community. I would say it's more than the reason why they're together.
Marsha Druker 15:05
I think community has become such a buzzword. I think a lot of people are kind of referring to their audience as a community. I've heard people refer to their email list as a community. So I love that definition. Reggie, thank you so much for joining me.
Reggie showed that physical distancing does not have to mean social isolation! Stay safe. Wash your hands. Don’t hoard toilet paper. And keep creating your community.
Check out interviews with other guests at createcommunitypod.com/quarantine
