Thanks @Chris Suckling, @Isaac Tut, @Avinash Khatri, @Barbara Hobart, @Jim Jones and @Sweetz W for joining my hosting of the Water Cooler hour today! It was so cool to connect with you, hear your stories, and see what everyone is building. Looking forward to more conversations with you!

Our own @Des Dreckett is hosting a Special Edition Masterclass here in a few hours, and you won't want to miss it! Find out what it's all about here: Most Skool community owners are posting consistently, showing up daily, and still wondering why growth feels slow. The missing piece is usually events. Live events do something regular posts can't. They let people experience you in real time. That builds trust faster than any amount of content, and trust is what converts a passive member into a paying one. In this session we'll cover why holding your own events inside your community accelerates conversion, how to get booked as a guest in other Skool communities and use those sessions to drive qualified new members back to your own, and what a simple monthly events rhythm looks like when you're running a community alongside everything else in your life. You don't need a big following. You don't need a polished setup. You need a clear outcome for your session and the willingness to show up live. This is for Skool community owners at any stage who want a practical growth lever they can start using this month.

It's time to celebrate each other! In the COMMENTS BELOW, please share a Skool community you think is doing really great things. It can be one you've participated in yourself or one that you've heard from others is amazing. Please do the following: 1. Tell us the name of the community and link to it (affiliates allowed). 2. Tag the person who owns the community. If they are not in the CLASSIFIEDS, then please send them a DM and let them know that you mentioned them here. I promise you will make their day! 3. Describe why the group is so wonderful and how it has helped you. Please DO NOT just copy and paste the About page! 4. Comment on each others comments and scroll through the referrals to see if there's an amazing group you are missing out on! Thanks so much for supporting each other and this community! Please note that any #FriendFriday mentions that are created as new posts will be deleted. Thanks! Please DO NOT promote yourself. 🤨. The entire community is for promoting yourself. This post is for celebrating someone else. 😊

The closing gift that gets you the most referrals has nothhing to do with closing day. Look at real estate agents as an example. Most agents give the same closing gift: A wine basket. A candle set. A gift card in a card with their headshot on it. And most clients forget it before the boxes are unpacked. But the agents getting the most referrals? They're thinking about moving week — not closing day. They're not giving a closing gift. They're giving a 𝗙𝗶𝗿𝘀𝘁 𝗡𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝗞𝗶𝘁 — a curated set of branded items their client will actually use during their most stressful week of moving in, and beyond. A measuring tape for every room they're about to figure out, plus the hooks and anchors to hang everything. A quality multi-tool that will live in their toolbox for years. A bamboo cutting board, a good bottle of olive oil, dish towels they'll actually use, a wooden spoon and spatula set for the kitchen they're about to cook in for the first time. A great canister of coffee for their first morning. A cozy throw that ends up on the couch permanently. And a reservation at the best neighborhood restaurant they don't know yet — because nobody wants cereal on move-in night. Every item chosen. Every item branded with their logo. Every item a quiet signal that you pay attention. That's the difference between a gift that gets thanked once and one that gets you the next client. Before you order anything, run it through this checklist first → THE JUNK DRAWER CHECKLIST so you will be remembered. Want to think through what this looks like for your brand? Come join my free community Create Kickass Merch and get it made, too!

If you're a business owner or entrepreneur getting people in the door but struggling to keep them connected or coming back, start here. Retention is not just about the first sale. It is about what happens after. Branded merch -- when done right can support customer retention when it gives people a useful reason to remember, return, re-engage, renew, or stay connected. - A client gift can mark a milestone. - A member product can make belonging feel more real. - A welcome product can help someone use what they just bought. - A referral gift can keep the relationship active. Why? Because a branded product supports the customer experience when it fits the moment after the transaction. Most businesses invest heavily in getting clients in the door. Almost none of them invest in what keeps them there. So before choosing a product, ask: What moment in your customer relationship is currently getting no attention after the sale closes? That is your retention opportunity. And that is where branded merch, client gifts, member products, and tangible brand products can do real work. Want help thinking this through before you spend money? Join my free community on how to Create Kickass Merch and Get Your Merch Made.