COMMUNITY CODE OF CONDUCT

The DC was founded in 2011 with a stinging pain point: we were tired of growing our businesses alone. We wanted to connect with other entrepreneurs who understood what we were doing.

Since then, DCers have met and shared stories in over 100 cities worldwide and have achieved incredible success together.

To foster connections, a great deal of work goes on behind the scenes, including full-time staff and passionate members who donate their time. Our members are held to the same standards that ensure the community remains a supportive place for your entrepreneurial success. What follows are the principles that guide and inspire our community.

Give more to your fellow entrepreneurs than you ask from them (the DC imperative!)

The most generous end up getting the most in return. The more you contribute to the community and help others, the more members will want to help you when you ask a question or need help solving a challenge).

Practice discretion.

Keep the DC private. What happens in the DC stays in the DC. All profiles contain real photos, names, and businesses. We respect and encourage our members to share.

Prioritize shared experience over opinions.

Our membership represents remarkable doers, builders, and entrepreneurs. We want to hear about your lived experiences and lessons learned. The most valuable DC discussions happen when we share what we have done and learned.

Operate with exceptional manners and professionalism.

Particularly when engaging in business deals with fellow members. Use explicit written agreements and contracts where necessary, and extend outstanding service to your fellow DCers. Be honest and upfront in your dealings, mainly when challenges arise.

Give your fellow DCers the benefit of the doubt or a ‘beneficial reading’.

In many communities, people make a sport out of picking apart the comments of others. That is not accepted here. In our community, we seek to find the best in what others are contributing.

Be respectful and courteous with all your interactions.

Derogatory, insulting, racist, sexist language, and harassment - sexual or otherwise, is not tolerated.

Zero Tolerance Behavior

In addition to our Code of Conduct, there are behaviors and actions that we have zero tolerance for inside the DC community.

We keep an extensive and evolving list of zero-tolerance behaviors, which cover most of the things you’d expect in the community, including but not limited to pitching, self-promotion, bad-faith arguments, any type of harassment, and more. We remove members without warning when we find out about infractions. Most members understand how to exist in a community that depends on giving without expectation of return. Our policies are designed to help our members and staff identify problem personalities which are rare (and thus, on occasion difficult to identify).

Forum Moderation

The DC forum is moderated daily.

Our team follows up on all reported posts and comments. Only forum moderators know about reported content.