40. Can We Not People-Please Our Way Through a Growing Business? | Conference Growth with Megan Shapiro

Growing community, conference, or business without losing your original vision — and your sanity — can be a picasso painting that easily gets distorted.Host Samantha C. Prestidge chats with Megan Shapiro, construction attorney and founder of the Converge Construction Summit, about strategic community growth, what sustainable business building actually looks like, and how to stop people-pleasing your way into something you didn't mean to create.Megan grew Converge from 13 people in Savannah to 55 in Chicago — and her most important work wasn't any of that growth. It was the months she spent figuring out why her best-reviewed event left her completely drained.In this episode:How to grow a community or event without losing what made it workWhy strategic growth beats fast growth — and how to tell the differenceWhat people-pleasing in business actually costs you, even when things look successfulHow to hear what your audience wants and identify what they actually needWhy sustainable business growth requires knowing your vision before you scale itWhat months of business coaching, therapy, and a mastermind finally unlocked that a successful event couldn't