Hickory Algorithm Newsletter
Plan with your group
…about next year
by: Chris Goldby ∣ Hickory Algorithm
When I started our Members Only group, I’ll be honest, I had a hard time explaining what I was even trying to build.
“Is it a leads group?”
“Is it like BNI?”
“Is it some kind of Ted Talk thing?”
“What exactly is it?”
Fair questions. And at the time, I didn’t have clean answers. I still don’t, at least not in the traditional “this puts money in your pocket ” framework people seem to expect.
Crazy talk, right?
What I did know was this:
I’ll know it when I see it.
I wanted it to be seat exclusive, and I wanted it to have an entry fee.
Both ideas that, according to several people (…a lot of people), “would never work.”
“Who’s going to pay for something without a clear roadmap?”
“People won’t invest in a group without a defined payoff.”
I’ve spent the last two years of my life pitching 30-second elevator pitches, 60-second about the next cool thing we do, 10-minute presentations, even a screenplay in rooms across Hickory, Charlotte, Mooresville, and Concord. I’ve walked into many networking and leads groups And all I kept thinking was:
I want something different. Something more. Something built on growth.
What if we formed a seat-exclusive group of individuals, from different industries, in a small concentrated area…
and instead of forcing “referrals,”
instead of chasing quotas,
instead of ranking who gave what to whom…
we simply prioritized growth?
Real growth.
Personal growth.
Business growth.
Community growth.
Not a pyramid. Not a machine.
A room full of owners — not renters.
People that didn’t think…
“I’ll give a few weeks but…” - Renters Mindset
“Maybe it’s not forever, but, I want it to be and treat it as such.” - Owners Mindset
Every Tuesday morning, we gather at the same spot in Downtown Hickory for breakfast. It’s not mandatory. There’s no penalty if you can’t make it. No point system affected. We’re all small business owners. Weekly commitments can stretch a schedule pretty thin.
But here’s the thing: I can’t remember the last time I didn’t see each member at least once a week, somewhere around town.
Today, for example, my wife and I grabbed lunch at Center Street Eats. Another member happened to be there too. No hesitation: we pulled up a chair and ate together. Barely talked about work or business. (!!!)
Earlier this week, what started as a one-on-one birthday lunch turned into five of us sitting together around a lunch table at Backstreets.
None of this was planned.
None of it was forced.
All of it is because when you prioritize human connection, when everyone at the table has an owner’s mindset, something new begins to form.
Why am I talking about all this? Because for the first time, I feel like Members Only is about to bear its first real fruit.
We’re planning a session, not open to the public, not a pitch meeting, not a sales call but a meeting exclusively for our group, where we map out our goals for next year.
I’ve done yearly planning in retail. I know what that looks like: scheduling, inventory cycles, vacation weeks, promotions, sales events. And yeah, those planning sessions were fun.
But this one?
This one feels different.
Has a bit more weight to it.
An untapped potential.
Because what does a realtor, a retailer, a marketing agency, a contractor, and every other seat in our group look like when you place their calendars side by side?
What moments matter most in their year?
What seasons are slow?
What seasons surge?
Where do opportunities overlap?
And the best question of all:
What cross-promotions can happen when everyone in the room is rooting for each other and how can we help each other?
This is the stuff I dreamed about when I started Members Only - not referrals, not quotas, not spreadsheets but synergy.
Creativity. Momentum. Growth. Support.
And just like when I first launched this group with nothing but a vision and a gut feeling, I don’t know exactly what 2026 planning in room full of individuals with an owners mindset will bring with the Members Only Group.
But I do know this:
I’ll know it when I see it.
#fortheloveofthegame
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This owner vs renter framework really resonates. The shift from transactional networking to building somethng with staying power changes everything. What stands out is how you're letting the structure emerge from real connection rather than forcing a model that worked somewhere else. That calander mapping idea for 2026 sounds like it could unlock some genuiely creative cross-promotion opportunities most groups never see.