by Shana Clarke
On Tuesday, January 23rd, the Soloist Chicago chapter – the first chapter outside of New York City – held its inaugural meeting. A strong camaraderie was felt immediately; attendees discussed their businesses, their future goals, and what drove them on their path to being Soloists. Chapter development was a key bullet point on the agenda and the team strategized how to grow the chapter and identify leadership opportunities. Stephen Scott, founder and CEO of Travel Hub 365, gave a presentation about startup marketing ideas and growing a brand through the lens of his own experience.
The Chicago founding members met with Jack Cashion from SC headquarters prior to their first chapter meeting
Building up to the launch, Stephen worked closely with Jack Cashion from the Soloist Collective Headquarters, “to ensure I had what I needed and that I was prepped and ready to go. That was incredibly important, to have his leadership, to get me to the point of understanding, how do I communicate that message out,” to new and potential members.
Stephen Scott, founding President of the Soloist Collective Chicago
Stephen, who is submitting his request to serve as president, sees limitless opportunities for Soloists in the Chicago area. “My goal is to create a community in Chicago for the Soloist group that is as ‘Chicago’ as it can possibly be. I think we have an incredible number of companies and educational universities here that can give us depth and volume,” he said. “Chicago can provide so much for each one of our community members; I think if we can build something that is diverse and a good-sized population, we can do great things for people.”
The launch team discusses the goals for their group
Stephen feels his experiences mirror many other Soloists: leaving a big company to start something new and grappling with all the wins, not to mention stresses, that come along for the journey. “I think Soloist is going to be that opportunity for me to learn from others that are either at the same step in the process as I, before it, or even past it; hopefully I can either learn or give back.”
On behalf of all Soloists, welcome Chicago Chapter!
Considering starting a chapter? Contact Jack for more information.