Why your online community isn't growing...

Community Management and Growth: A Deep Dive with D Green

Key Concepts: Community building, community management, free vs. paid communities, networking, value creation, manual vs. automated engagement, building relationships, "Undeterred" mindset, School platform, traffic generation, customer service, feedback loops.

1. The "Undeterred" Philosophy and its Origins

• Definition: "Undeterred" means persevering despite setbacks.
• Origin Story: D Green's desire to propose to his girlfriend (now wife) in Paris despite facing numerous obstacles (lack of money, ring issues, passport problems, eviction notice). This experience highlighted the gap between the "I did it, you can do it too" narrative and the reality of most people giving up on their dreams.
• Transition from Clothing Line to Community: The initial "Undeterred" clothing line was meant to inspire ("I did it, you can do it too"). D Green realized he wanted to actively help others ("I did it, let me help you do it," or even better, "Let's do it together").
• Impact of Living Abroad: Living in multiple countries (Mexico, Columbia, UK, Turkey, Hungary, Spain, Portugal, Albania, Morocco, etc.) exposed D Green to entrepreneurs lacking the right environment and beliefs, reinforcing his desire to provide support and community.

2. Building Community Outside Social Media: The School Platform

• Critique of Facebook Groups: D Green finds Facebook groups unsatisfactory due to censorship, messaging restrictions, and poor support.
• Advantages of School:
  • No Censorship: Users have more freedom of expression.
  • No Ads: A cleaner, less distracting environment.
  • Unified Platform: All communities are accessible with a single login, reducing friction for members.
• Importance of Self-Auditing: D Green emphasizes that the "future" doesn't matter if it's not right for you. It's crucial to audit yourself and choose strategies that align with your personality and preferences. If you don't like people, starting a community is unlikely to work.
• Dominating School by Being Supportive: D Green aims to be a supportive presence on School, attracting people to his community through helpfulness rather than aggressive self-promotion.

3. Finding Your Unique Sweet Spot: From YouTuber to Community Builder

• Sam Ovens' Influence: D Green was inspired by Sam Ovens (founder of School) to stop doing everything and focus on one thing. Ovens argued that trying to do everything leads to mediocrity.
• Essentialism Graph: Ovens used the "Essentialism" graph (a circle with arrows pointing outwards vs. a circle with a single, focused arrow) to illustrate the power of focus.
• Honesty About Motivation: D Green stresses the importance of being honest about your motivations. Are you posting on social media to genuinely help your business, or for recognition and dopamine hits?
• Prioritizing Relationships: Ovens emphasized building relationships, getting feedback, and improving the core offering.
• The Overwhelm of Starting a Business: D Green points out that beginners often get bogged down in the technical aspects (camera angles, studio setup, etc.) before mastering the fundamentals of running a business (closing deals, delivering value).

4. Traffic Generation: Fishing Where the Fish Are

• Russell Brunson's "Traffic Secrets": D Green applies Brunson's concept of finding existing traffic sources rather than creating them from scratch.
• Leveraging the School Ecosystem: D Green focuses on the main School group (50,000+ members) because it's already populated with entrepreneurs, his target audience.
• Attracting Members Through Supportiveness: D Green emphasizes being helpful and supportive rather than trying to prove how smart he is. He compares this to dating: nobody wants to be with someone who's constantly trying to impress them.
• Shifting from "Leads" to "Friends": D Green reframes lead generation as making friends with potential clients. He uses the dating analogy: you can't expect to sleep with someone without building a relationship first.

5. Reciprocity, Mentorship, and Community: Overcoming Intimidation

• Addressing the "What Can I Offer?" Mindset: D Green argues that you don't need to add value to join a conversation or network. Simply having a conversation is enough.
• Focus on Conversation, Not Expertise: Instead of feeling pressured to share expert advice, ask questions, share experiences, and engage in fun, casual conversations.
• The Importance of Feeling Seen and Heard: D Green believes that people crave genuine human connection, especially in a world saturated with information and AI.
• Inner Work and Self-Worth: It's important to recognize your own value and what you have to say, even if it's just about video games or personal interests.
• Beyond "Value": Curiosity and Interest: D Green suggests that being curious and interesting can be more effective than constantly trying to deliver "value."
• Avoiding Brainwashing: D Green cautions against blindly following gurus and emphasizes the importance of critical thinking and finding your own path.

6. The Power of Manual Engagement: Human-Powered Community Building

• Obsession with Quality: D Green is obsessed with making his community good and actively seeks feedback from members.
• Personal Touch: Members appreciate D Green's genuine, down-to-earth personality and the fact that he personally reaches out to them.
• Rejecting Automation in Community Building: D Green argues that automating messages and interactions is impersonal and ineffective in building a genuine community.
• Hiring for People Skills, Not Knowledge: D Green suggests hiring someone with strong people skills to welcome new members, get on calls with them, and provide personalized support.
• Serving vs. Selling: D Green emphasizes the importance of serving and helping people, rather than just trying to extract money from them.
• Onboarding and Engagement Strategies:
  • Personal Approval: D Green personally approves all new members.
  • Personalized Welcome Messages: He sends individual welcome messages that are simple and conversational.
  • Pinned Post for Introductions: Instead of a daunting "start here" post, D Green pins a post asking members where they're from, encouraging immediate engagement.
  • Connecting Members: D Green actively connects members with each other based on their interests and goals.
  • One-on-One Calls: D Green tries to get on a one-on-one call with every member.
• Framework for One-on-One Calls:
  • Vision: What are you trying to do?
  • Challenges: What challenges are you facing?
  • Value: How do you see us being able to add value?
• Creating Quick Wins: D Green's "where are you from" post is an example of a quick win that helps members feel connected and engaged immediately.
• User Experience Obsession: D Green is obsessed with making the user experience as easy and enjoyable as possible.
• Seeking Feedback and Iterating: D Green constantly asks for feedback and is willing to adapt his approach based on what members want.
• Detachment from Ideas: D Green emphasizes that it's not about his ideas, but about serving the community. He's willing to abandon ideas that don't resonate with members.

7. Free vs. Paid Communities: Monetization Strategies

• Chris Curry's "Pay What You Want" Model: D Green was initially skeptical of Curry's approach of letting people pay what they thought the service was worth.
• Building Brand and Reputation: Curry argued that building a strong brand and reputation is more important than maximizing short-term profits.
• Serving vs. Extracting: D Green believes that a free community allows you to genuinely serve members without the pressure of selling.
• The "Lifestyle" School Group: D Green suggests that even a free School group connected to a YouTube channel can attract sponsors and brand deals.
• Latasha's Experience with Closing a Membership: Latasha closed her membership because it started to feel like a chore. She plans to start a free School group to reconnect with her audience in a more authentic way.
• Ryan Redu's TikTok Monetization: D Green points out that Ryan Redu monetizes his TikTok through brand deals, even though following him is free.
• The Importance of Community: D Green believes that if you bring people together and create a genuine community, the money will find you.
• Defining the Free vs. Paid Experience: D Green sees the free space as a hangout, while the paid space is a transformation.

8. Promoting Community Without Being Pushy

• The "By the Way" Approach: D Green suggests casually mentioning the community ("by the way") in your content.
• Treating Your Own Products Like Sponsorships: D Green advises treating your own products like sponsorships, promoting them without overthinking it.
• Giving Value in Both Free and Paid Spaces: D Green suggests giving value in both free and paid spaces, but offering more in-depth support and transformation in the paid space.
• Proximity to the Creator: Evelyn Vice found that people valued proximity to her more than specific outcomes.

9. Recent Lessons and Active Thinking

• Testing the "Pay What You Want" Model: D Green is currently testing the "pay what you want" model for his mastermind and clothing line.
• Investing in Existing Members: D Green is focusing on making the experience better for existing members rather than spending money on advertising to acquire new ones.
• Learning from "Oversubscribe": D Green is learning from the book "Oversubscribe" about the importance of creating a great experience for existing customers.
• Building a Reputation Over Time: D Green believes in building a reputation over time, like an artist building a fan base.
• Latasha's Call for Feedback: Latasha asks her viewers for feedback on what they would like to see in her community.

10. Final Thoughts and Call to Action

• Don't Just Nod Your Head: D Green urges listeners to take action on something they learned from the podcast.
• Messy Action is Better Than No Action: D Green encourages listeners to take even small steps towards their goals.
• Ask Questions and Engage: D Green encourages listeners to ask questions and engage with him and Latasha.
• Don't Be Afraid to Reach Out: D Green encourages listeners to reach out, even if they're afraid of sounding stupid.
• Be the Person Who Actually Asks: D Green encourages listeners to be the person who actually asks the question.
• The Power of Connection: D Green emphasizes the power of connection and the unexpected opportunities that can arise from building relationships.

Synthesis/Conclusion: This discussion emphasizes the importance of building genuine communities based on relationships, support, and shared values. It challenges conventional marketing tactics and encourages a more human-centered approach, prioritizing service and connection over aggressive sales tactics. The "Undeterred" philosophy serves as a guiding principle, encouraging perseverance, authenticity, and a willingness to help others achieve their dreams. The School platform is presented as a viable alternative to traditional social media for building and managing communities, offering greater control and a more focused environment. Ultimately, the key takeaway is that building a successful community requires a genuine desire to connect with and serve others, and a willingness to adapt and iterate based on their needs and feedback.