Transform your mission into a movement The Analog Advantage: Why Human Connection Wins in an AI World Hi Reader, If there's one word I didn't expect to carry home from an online creator conference, it might be this: analog. Analog (adj.): not digital or computerized. Think vinyl over streaming. Board games over Xbox. Farmers markets over automated Amazon deliveries. A little slower, a little more tactile, and charmingly human. My messy analog draft of this newsletter from my seat in 14F. Oh,...
14 days ago • 5 min read
Transform your mission into a movement You're Not Behind—You're in the Blade Years Hi Reader, There's a moment in every meaningful project where the pace slows, the outcomes blur, and the growth curve feels painfully flat. You're showing up, doing the work, adjusting the sails—and still wondering: Is this even working? That stretch has a name: The Blade Years. My friend Bobby Martin studied 172 startups for his book The Hockey Stick Principles and found that nearly all successful companies...
21 days ago • 5 min read
Transform your mission into a movement The Counterintuitive Truth About Free Communities Hi Reader, Sometimes stepping back is the most strategic move we can make. If you've been a subscriber to Community Matters for a while, you may have noticed that for the first time since starting, I didn't write to you in May. Normally I wouldn't mention that—but I think the reason matters. It was an unplanned, but valued timeout. In his book Click: How to Make What People Want, Jake Knapp writes that a...
28 days ago • 5 min read
Transform your mission into a movement Turning Quiet Members into Engaged Contributors Hi Reader, If you're building a community, chances are you've wrestled with two big fears: Will enough people join to make it sustainable?And once they do—how do I keep it alive? In almost every conversation with community founders, one theme comes up again and again: What do we do about the quiet members? The ones who joined with enthusiasm but have drifted quietly into the background.The ones who aren't...
2 months ago • 4 min read
Transform your mission into a movement Getting Out of Your Own Way (Even Just a Little) Hi Reader, You know that feeling when you’re almost ready to launch something — a new offer, welcome series, community refresh — and suddenly, the doubts flood in? “It’s not quite ready yet.” “Maybe after I tweak the onboarding again…” “What if no one comes?” Or that moment when a longtime member quietly leaves — and you find yourself wondering if it means you did something wrong. If you're nodding right...
2 months ago • 4 min read
Transform your mission into a movement Understanding your community through the Reach/Revenue Matrix™ Hi Reader, It happens more often than I can ignore. A community builder reaches out after creating something truly thoughtful — a membership, a coaching program, a gathering space for growth and connection. They've done the work. They've shown up consistently. They've created something real and valuable. And it's not growing. Not the way they hoped. They're exhausted. Quietly wondering: Is...
3 months ago • 6 min read
Transform your mission into a movement Why most community advice misses the mark Hi Reader, Quick reminder that tomorrow I'm revealing the strategic framework that separates successful communities from those that fade away. ➡️ If you haven’t registered for Community 2.0, there’s still time. Why this workshop matters:While most community "experts" focus on content calendars and engagement tricks, I take a different approach. I'll share the crucial business decisions that determine whether your...
3 months ago • 1 min read
Transform your mission into a movement Sometimes the rest IS the work Hi Reader, Behind every burst of growth is a season of rest that made it possible. The tulips blooming in my garden spent months underground. The trees now opening their new leaves needed their winter pause. Rest isn't the opposite of growth—it's what makes growth possible. In a world that feels increasingly chaotic, where headlines echo uncertainty and urgency, talking about rest can feel... indulgent. Shouldn't we be...
3 months ago • 5 min read
Transform your mission into a movement Creating a Community Members Never Want to Leave Hi Reader, Have you ever felt that rush of excitement when someone new joins your community, only to wonder a few months later: "Where did they go?" We pour so much energy into the early steps—marketing campaigns, onboarding emails, warm welcomes—because we know first impressions matter. And they do. A thoughtful onboarding experience transforms an outsider into an insider. (We talked about that in detail...
3 months ago • 7 min read
