Join the [Strategy Community] - #48
Making the complex, knowable and useful. Monthly Value!
I am a digital netizen, raised in the 80s and born at the perfect time to grow with the internet in the 90s. I started my internet journey on metacrawlers, BBS, telnet, and ICQ. I typed A/S/L to random strangers more times than Iβd like to admit on AIM. I posted college drama on the early blogging platform Xanga and built my own digital avatar and first digital βhomeβ on Cyworld. Then came Friendster, Myspace, Facebook and mobile social. Iβve used Patreon, Medium, Substack, Wordpress, Slack, Discord, and more. X, YouTube, TikTok, Instagram, Pinterest, LinkedIn. All locked in. Iβm syndicated to over 20 podcast platformsβ¦
Where is my online βhome?β - With data and content all over the interwebs, is it possible to have a central home?
Where are my βpeople?β - The fractured nature of many walled-gardens makes it impossible to centralize them all.
How can I βprovide value or helpβ those I meet? - Everyone is using different platforms.
Is my desire to help greater than the friction created by 30+ non-integrate-able content platforms? - YES.
A solution has been found.
TL;DR - I created a Discord. Join us for free and let your homies know.
On My Love for Experiments
For those who have followed for a while, you know I love experiments. From 90-day experiments, to ones that take a year+. Iβm willing to learn. I love learning.
All of my social experiments have created islands of engagement on those platforms. Iβd like to do a new one. I want to bring people from all walks of life together. People who love languages, art, software, product development, investing, startups, leadership, marketing, and more. There are certainly even more categories of people than that, but the opportunity is unique!
What can emerge from smashing atoms?
I have some very intelligent people within my network. Iβd love to get them together.
How can I facilitate or provide this?
How can I create a safe place for emergence?
What value could be created?
Could lives be impacted and changed?
Can great products and services emerge?
How can I help many while also encouraging growth and personal success?
On Creating Communities Around the World
Since 2004, I have created digital communities around the world. By the numbers:
X - 83K, 12K, 2K, 2K - an epic fail in terms of reach (and shadowbanning) but deep in terms of Paid Subscribers (1900+) for personal help. I DM more in Twitter than Iβd like.
YouTube - 435K (cars), 62K (bitcoin mining), 30K (experiments), 23K (personal), 2K (racing), 2K (personal) - I bet you didnβt know I had so many channels with different content on it! :) - Zero monetization.
Podcasting - 20+ platforms syndicated. Iβm a Top 1% podcast at 40K+ listens/mo.
Instagram - 16K, 2.5K, 2.5K - I kinda quit doing this. I only use one account to support an investment Iβm in.
TikTok - 120K, 12K, 8K, 1K - TikTok has been an interesting experiment. While no monetization, we are the #1 karting channel on there. :)
Newsletter - 73K, 92K, 14K - I serve multiple user personas. More on this later.
LinkedIn - 8K - But LinkedIn will be dead in the next years. RIP.
I can include others like Pinterest, Facebook (tactical for startups), and Telegram/WhatsApp/Discord/Slack⦠but those metrics are different.
Numbers arenβt exact, but Iβm doing (across all platforms):
~15-20M+ views per month
~120-180M+ impressions per month
Where can we put all of these people? Fractured social!
On Creating Content on Various Topics
I create content around multiple areas of competence. While this may seem unruly, I enjoy talking about what Iβm learning and how Iβm using what Iβm learning:
Bitcoin and Bitcoin mining
Web3 tech, decentralized finance, and AI
Startups and venture capital
Agile, Scrum, and product development
Personal experiments, family, and racing
This is why I have so many different channels on content platforms. 25 years ago I began putting my content online with videos. I wonβt stop now.
How can I serve such disparate and fundamentally different marketplaces? Fractured value focus!
I Serve 3 Distinct User Personas
Itβs taken me the entirety of 2024 to finally figure out the solution to my 3 primary User Personas that I serve:
Corporate and business coaching, consulting, and certified Scrum training. - Transactional & lite relational***
Entrepreneurs, operators, and business builders. - Time-boxed transactional & tactical relational
Investors (VC, PE, Family Office, HNW) and startup investing. - Long-cycle time & strategic relational
While all 3 of these User Personas can bleed into higher/lower ranges of relationships, youβll notice that the User Personas very distinct. There isnβt much industry glue that would keep (all 3) of these Personas in (one) community. My struggle has always been how to serve all 3 well (and) combine them all. I aim to try!
***Also note that this is why most agile/scrum/project management/kanban/lean/etc industry specific communities donβt thrive: They are transactional in nature. This can only be overcome if there is relational-value and personal-growth value included!
Where can I serve all three of these User Personas? Fractured personal alignment?
The Solution
Vision - To be accessible to people and serve better.
Mission - A central place to help people launch - Learn. Grow. Prosper.
Options - Home grown, substack, X, LMS, ghost, php, slack, discord, wordpress, paid or open source⦠none perfect. All come with compromises and capabilities.
Features - Voice and Video, Tiers and Permissions, Async Communication, Ability to drop in content, Community can grow on it's own, Ideas can emerge, Help can be given by the community, Webinars and live events, Personalized help, and Money can be made.
The compromises were real, and there is one distinct solution that has just enough to make it work and Iβd love to see you there: Discord.
Join my Discord Community here.
The Future State
I need help building this future state. The User Personas that will benefit the most from my Community Discord are the following:
If youβre working at a company or business that needs improvement.
If youβre interested in Agile, Scrum, or any other product frameworks.
If youβre an aspiring entrepreneur or have a product idea.
In management, product development, marketing, sales, or IT.
If youβre a management consultant, coach, facilitator, or trainer.
If youβre an investor or want to network with other Family Offices, investors, and VCs. - Working on how to make this available since *Accredited Investor constraintsβ¦
If youβre looking for a professional community of self-learners.
I NEED HELP
Currently I have several things that need to be modified and transferred over:
I just finished my 13th Personal Product Camp Cohort (PPCC) since 2017! - A 6-week workshop on personal branding. Iβll be revamping this workshop, and relaunch either later this year or start of 2025. Please hit the emoji icon in the Discord Thread #ppcc-14 to show me youβre interested. - Not sure if I should continue to make this a 1-off paid workshop or build into Mastermind (below)β¦
2-Day Build a Product Bootcamp - I have run this 6 times since 2021 with private clients. Iβm currently re-building this workshop to include Certified Scrum Product Owner (CSPO) certification! - This will be a major benefit to any product manager, product developer, leader, or manager of products to learn how to build any product from the ground up. Please hit the emoji icon in the Discord Thread #cspo-bootcamp to show me youβre interested. *CSM or prior agile/scrum experience greatly advised before taking. - Letβs make this public access!
Mastermind Group - I have 1900+ people in my OG Mastermind group started on Twitter years ago for business builders and investors. This is primarily monthly topical webinars and the BTS (behind-the-scenes) of how I build startups and invest in startups. The amount of advice/help/coaching Iβve given there is incalculable. Itβs time to make all of it accessible to a greater audience. Iβm not 100% sure of how to transfer (all) of this over to Discord since itβs a [subscription group], but it must be done. Iβll lose revenue for sure during transfer, but X has just become unusable. Please join me in Discord Thread #mastermind-group to help me figure out how to make this next evolution of monthly webinars and value. Iβm open to all ideas.
Monthly Webinars - I want to do monthly (free) webinars with speakers. Iβve been doing paid for over 3 years with the Mastermind group. Find the #webinars-summit Discord Thread if you want to be a speaker or know of a good speaker. Would be great to have experts come in and share! - I need help here!
Yearly Digital Summit - Iβm really keen on having an online digital summit/conference with great speakers. If you know of anyone who enjoys building these types of experiences, send them my way. I need help!
Opinions - Full transparency: I have about 30 people who pay me monthly ($5/mo) for my opinions on very contentious topics. The monthly fee serves as a perfect balance for this (very niche) audience: Iβm ignorant on politics and social, but Iβll be willing to share my thoughts (usually very data-centric) to a small audience that (really) cares. I enjoy it enough I may leave it where it is, hidden and out-of-sight. My ignorance isnβt worth sharing to the world unless youβre willing to pay to hear it. You tell me differently. ;)
We All Need Community
In a world that is becoming even more lonely, itβs imperative we connect ourselves to real people. People who are DOing. People who are SEEKing. People who are GROWing.
(I) may not be able to help you with your specific problem or issue, but I can promise you that someone (in) my community can.
Join me and help me build a community where you KNOW youβll receive valueβ¦ and maybe meet that missing piece to your puzzle along the way.
All the best,
ps
#Mastermind OGs - If you are part of my current Mastermind group and want the discounted link to transfer over, click here for 80% off (limited time). All proceeds go to supporting our first digital conference (as we talked about)! Thanks for your support! Letβs build something awesome!~ [Substack pledges can use too :)]