Not Just a Fad: Faith and Inside Information

November 22, 2024 by Julie Elliott, President

"Will this just be a fad?"

Those were the words that weighed heavily on my mind when I walked away from a fantastic job at the cooperative to start Inside Information in 1995.

Others were skeptical too. A colleague within the co-op community was shocked to hear we were still in business after a year:

“I thought she’d have starved by now,”

he told a mutual friend.

At the time of Inside’s launch, I had this suspicion that cooperatives would always have a need to collect and act on information about their members. Nearly 30 years later, I’m happy to report this theory has proven true. I’m more excited than ever to see our clients catalyze the use of data to better serve members and to support their strategic goals.

Here are a few featured projects from this year:

• Targeted communication and promotion to business members
• Fiber non-subscriber surveys
• Email series including fiber journey communication and new member onboarding
• Quarterly contractor newsletter featuring cooperative programs and information
• Strategic plans to grow the list of identified promoters within the co-op database by proactively collecting Net Promoter Scores through ongoing surveys
• Automation advancements to share information across platforms which enables us to streamline processes and enhance analytic capabilities

Our business runs on Entrepreneurial Operating System (EOS), and within our organization, I am the visionary, which is code for I dream up ideas but need help with execution. My vision for Inside Info only works when people embrace our methods and goals. Without our clients partnering with us and entrusting us with their projects and without our team building and executing on every level, I definitely would be starving!

So as 2024 winds down, I want to say thank you to both our clients and employees for your partnership and commitment.

This people focus means our business is much more than checklists and advancements – it’s about relationships. When a retiring client calls to make sure I have his contact information to stay in touch and ends the conversation with,

“I love you guys,”

I know this is not a fad.

Something else that is also not a fad, and which has grown during the past 30 years is my faith. I created a four-week devotional to share with my friends and family this season and am sharing it here too in case this might encourage you.

My holiday gift to you: Come Lord Jesus 4 week devotional by Julie Elliott