Stop waiting. Start now, where you are, with what you’ve got.
by Andrew Samtoy
I keep getting messages from people who say they are starting a Cash Mob, but that they are waiting for something to happen that will prove that they have traction – they want 100 followers on Twitter, or 100 Likes on Facebook, and then they’ll think about organizing a mob.
It’s been said before that you can’t wait for conditions to be favorable if you want to change. It is usually said about an abstract and uncertain thing like changing the world, or having a kid. Well, maybe having a kid isn’t abstract, but you get what I’m saying – it’s usually not really clear what the speaker is talking about, but they say something like, “if you’re going to change the world, start it today!” Then they don’t tell you how to start.
Cash Mobs aren’t abstract. If you’re going to use a Cash Mob to help local businesses and also build the face-to-face community that we, as humans, need and crave, do it today. Don’t put it off until you have some arbitrary amount of support. Followers on Twitter and likes on Facebook won’t actually correspond to people who show up at Cash Mobs anyway, and you’ll advance farther, faster if you actually start organizing and get the word out in your community that you’re going to help improve it, come hell or high water.
Stop waiting. Start now, where you are, with what you’ve got.
A friend of mine equated this video to the cash mob moment. You are the lone crazy dancer guy, Andrew. lol
Absolutely! I read about what y’all had done in Cleveland in late January. Posted a link on my FB wall that night, talked with another person in my community the next day and we knew it had to happen. We got together the following week and in 3 weeks time had our first mob with over 125 participants. We can’t wait to see where this adventure leads us next.
Sally Baker Williams
Cash Mob Fayetteville, AR
This was so good to hear! We are a rather small group in PA, but have done 2 cash mobs so far, even with our small numbers. It is my theory also that we can’t wait until we feel we’ve got a massive group, we will only get a massive group when they see what we’re doing and catch the fire! By the way, the business owners we mobbed were grateful for the support and were excited about the concept. Its got to start somewhere so we have to be brave enough to stick our necks out and try. What I do is explain to the business owner prior to the date that we are a small group but we want to offer support and inevitably they are thrilled. And even our small group has also allowed for new patrons to continue at their establishments as well as networking among our members. All in all a positive.
Reblogged this on Let's Be Clear and commented:
Great Insights for starting a Cash Mob! Be on the lookout for the 1st Dekalb/Gwinnett Cash Mob, coming soon!
I agree. I planned and held our first cash mob within a week of creating the Facebook page and Twitter. We had small numbers but we are growing, and the reason we are growing is because we keep having events. If you aren’t doing anything there is no reason for people to like your cause.
I have been organizing cash mobs here in Manistee, Michigan for about 2 months now, 6 mobs in total and they have been going really good. Anywhere between 50-100 participants at each of them. Not bad for a small town. Any ideas for getting more people to join in? The local newspaper has been doing 2 free ads per mob for me and http://www.manistee.com and http://www.visitmanisteecounty.com have both been posting them on their events page for me. I send out about 200 emails and post to facebook as well. Any other suggestions?
Hey Paula! Can you email me? amanda.shunta@gmail.com. I’m in Muskegon, MI and we have done 4 so far! I’d love to talk with you. Thanks!
[...] community. Don’t put it off or wait for some time or set of circumstances in the future; start it today. Finally, check us out on Twitter – it has proven to be an incredibly useful tool for [...]
Cash Mob Yuma is being presented by the Arizona Western College Small Business Development Center! Find out more on awcsbdc.wordpress.com or facebook groups page “Cash Mob Yuma”. Please add us to your list! Amazing idea!
Reblogged this on Cash Mob Bendigo and commented:
Can’t agree with this more after our first mob – we have 9 facebook likes and only set up ‘shop’ a week ago. We had 9 mobbers, representing 11 (2 couldn’t attend and asked for purchases to be made in their absence), I don’t think we could grow our cash mob without ‘putting our money where our mouth is’ and just STARTING!