“What is Clubhouse?”

That’s a really good question and I can almost guarantee that most of those reading this article are wondering what ‘Clubhouse’ has to do with business. In the following article, I will explore this current phenomenon and whether it does, in fact, have anything to do with business.

Clubhouse is an invite-only social media app ,first rolled out in America. It is an audio exclusive app that has been compared to a live podcast. Users join clubs and rooms where the content is digest through spoken word and user bios. It is also currently only available on the iPhone. As a result of Clubhouse’s perceived value, some people are purchasing iPhones to gain access to, and experience the app.

It came to Ireland late last year and there was a competitive fight for invites. Americans were selling Clubhouse invites for upwards of $20, and as someone from the UK or Ireland, you had two options. The first option was to just wait patiently for more people to join the app here, beginning the process of organic invites, and simultaneously miss out on the conversations that were being discussed extensively on Twitter and described as ‘life-changing’. The second option was to purchase an invite and be one of the first Irish people on the app, getting to the knowledge hub as soon as possible. I politely decline to answer what camp I fell into. 

By my estimation, it was early-mid January when Clubhouse gifted several invites to those who were already on the app. Before long, the incentive to purchase invites decreased as more and more Irish people gained access to the app. The dynamic of Clubhouse has also very much shifted from social to business in terms of the conversations being started in Ireland.

Now the next thing to address is what Clubhouse has to do with business. Primarily influenced by the American experience, there are a lot of Clubhouse rooms based on business-centric topics. These range from business tycoons advising on how to build million-dollar businesses to media experts telling you how to harness the power of social media to maximise the profits of small business. Users are allowed to join the “stage” and ask questions to those who started. This has been one of the most attractive features of Clubhouse. Just last week, Elon Musk – the owner of Tesla – engaged in a room in Clubhouse, which as you can imagine gathered quite the audience.

People who have engaged actively with a business or through a career-focused lens have boasted that it has truly changed their overall perspective. Those hosting rooms have since discussed being approached for paid speaking engagements, people have been offered investments in their ideas and much more. The way that people view their business strategy has changed and I have been offered paid freelancing opportunities from the platform.

However, it is important to note that one builds their own Clubhouse experience. It depends on how you choose to use this app, whether it is the aspect of a social club that appeals to you or its potential as platform for personal and professional development. You can cater your experience depending on who you choose to follow ranging from career coaches, business experts, leaders in different industries to influencers, friends etc.

Thank you for reading Demi’s Basic Business Questions. If you have any Basic Business Questions that you’d like me to address – email me at dadenira@tcd.ie

Yours in Learning,

Demilade