10 Things We Love About The Playhouse

1. It makes solopreneurship feel less solo

• “I was trying to find a place that was chill, where I could just be like, 'Hey, I have coworkers,' so that I don't feel alone.”
• “It's like having work friends, or a chosen work family.”
• “It makes me feel less alone... I'm part of a community who are all doing the same sorts of things.”

2. You can show up as yourself

• “Here people come as they are and don't take themselves too seriously. But that doesn't mean they don't have serious businesses.”
• “At the last networking event I attended I felt like I had a fake smile on my face for an hour, whereas here my smile is real.”
• "I don't feel the pressure to demonstrate that I'm a 'leader' or a 'visionary' or 'bringing 110%' or whatever every damn day.”
• “This group doesn't feel like a performance! Or like I have to mask super hard.”
• “You don't need a made-up, important-sounding title; you don't have to try to prove your worth.”

3. Feeling legit as a solo business owner

• “Feeling like my business is seen as less important or legit has left a bad taste in my mouth... There's none of that in The Playhouse!”
• “I'm really trying to stay as small as I sustainably can.”
• “I'm not trying to grow or scale. I'm just trying to maintain my lifestyle through a business I enjoy.”

4. Real people, real friendship

• “I feel like you can make real friends here.”
• “The Playhouse is the closest vibe to an in-person experience. It doesn't feel too overwhelming or crowded or impersonal as many online groups do.”
• “A trusted resource full of real, delightful people.”
• “Everybody here that I've met has been cool.”

5. Connection without the pitch

• “People actually want to connect, which is really nice."
• “I need to build a deeper connection to somebody before I'm gonna start recommending them, because that's my reputation, too.”
• “Knowing someone means that you see them as a person, not just as a tool or a sales opportunity."

6. Safe to be vulnerable and ask for help

• “No one expects anyone else to be crushing it all of the time.”
• “This is a space where if I indicate I'm lost on something, I won’t be thought less of.”
• “Real vulnerability and curiosity are so much easier in a group like this.”

7. Collaboration over competition

• “Members understand there is enough work for everyone, and everyone is unique enough that we can truly support one another.”
• “I really love knowing the regulars, what they excel at, who I can connect them with if I hear a need.”
• “The old 'a rising boat raises all ships' saying really applies here.”

8. Fun, variety, and flexibility

• “Creative entrepreneurs who connect and get shit done while still having FUN.”
• “Such a rich mix of event options.”
• “You can join in the conversations, attend an event, cowork, . . . so many ways to feel like you belong.”

9. Feels different from ROI-driven communities, but still delivers

• “I've had three Playhouse members as guests on my podcast, and guested on a few of theirs.”
• “The Playhouse has directly brought me at least 3, maybe as many as 10 new members.”
• “I regularly refer people I've met inside.”

10. Deanna give a sh*t, and you won’t be lost in the crowd

• "What made me finally join the Playhouse was you actually reached out to me."
• "You showed me that I’m not just gonna be another face in a group."
• “You can tell Deanna genuinely cares about her people.”

I honestly give so much of a sh*t that I suck at talking about "outcomes" not features because I'm always worried it might not be true for someone and they'll think I duped them.

So my brain just thinks in terms of "these are the tangible things you get that are in my control." And it's hard for me to see past that.

So I talked with the humans inside The Playhouse and used that transcript, words from emails, feedback forms, DMs, and coworking conversations to come up with this list.

Compiling it made my heart so happy and I do think it's all true.

This space is different. It feels different from the other spaces I've been in and I love hanging out in here.

It's my favorite place to be on the internet. 🏠💖

🦖 Choose Your Own Adventure

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🏠 The Playhouse 24/7 Community

For folks looking for true belonging with rad humans who happen to also happen to run businesses. (But that's definitely not the most interesting thing about them.)

We're vegans, hippies, old punks who now drive minivans (me 🙋‍♀️)
We travel the world, have pets and kids we love, make art, collect gems, create zines, play D&D... I mean the list goes on and on.

We're humans who also happen to have businesses.
And we have fun doing the work to keep those businesses runnin'.

• Coworking: A 24/7 virtual coworking room so solopreneurship doesn't feel so solo and lots of coworking on the calendar so you can plan ahead.
• Thursday Meetups: We meet between 12-3pm ET on Thursdays for different things like Speed Networking, Masterminds, Happy Hours, and other fun meetups
• Monthly Matchups: You'll get a message each month from me personally matching you up with another member so you can connect for a coffee chat, over Voxer, or email... basically in whatever way works for your brain, schedule, or bandwidth that month
• Heartbeat Community: Connect 24/7 for chitty chats, asking questions, getting feedback, finding collabs and connecting in real-time.
  

And Hi! 👋 I'm Deanna (you can also call me dd)
(Ms. Seymour if you're nasty)

I'm a lifelong creative that believes collaboration and strong community makes life worth living. That sounds dramatic, but when you find your people and you do cool shit, it's awesome. That's all I'm saying. 😬

I went door-to-door selling painted pinecones to my neighbors in first grade. And they bought them! Talk about a supportive community making life better.

My point is, I’ve been on a wild ride of creativity and entrepreneurship since 1987.

• Teaching art classes + workshops for 13+ years
• Running an Etsy shop + schlepping my ass to craft shows in Brooklyn, Baltimore, Richmond, Charlotte, and DC
• Curating local art shows + fundraisers for causes I care about
• Hosting punk rock aerobics in a vacant building downtown
• Writing for Richmond Moms Blog about how hard parenting can be

Now, I run The Playhouse with over 100 amazing HUMANS inside.
And I genuinely love logging in and hanging out with them on the regs.

We're a mix of anti-hustle, feminist, creative, introverted, highly sensitive, neurodivergent freaks and geeks who run businesses that put people over profits and want to do good in the world.

💖 You're more than your bank account here

There's a lot of messages out there about growing your business fast and big and it can all start to make you feel like you're really behind.

But as the great Marcel the Shell once said,

"Sometimes you just have to disregard those rules and think, well, actually the rule is that I want to be having a good life and stay alive, and not just survive, but have a good life."

So, we're building profitable businesses here, and havin' good lives. ✌️