and messy AF but i'm still doing it and that's the reality of a business === i launched it yesterday. the messy part, full transparency: - i added 4 questions to the form after the first people had already submitted. oops. - the badge didn't exist when i announced it. i built it after. and the scary part: - i said 100 communities. we're at 6. and while there is lots of time... - if it flops, it flops very publicly. - so, it is very embarassing. and the internal voice keeps saying "who do you think you are to do this?" === and then this happened. i got 3 submissions last night. plus 2 more ppl in the process (asking questions, technical difficulties). and then today... @Alexa Leitner submitted her numbers AND ACTUALLY put the BADGE (newly created) on her profile photo. the very first one ☘️ well, after mine (did you see it?) if you complete the form , you'll get the same badge!!!! Alexa, my friend, you don't know what this means to me - thank you. thank you. thank you . you did it - you trusted me. you trusted the movement. === that's the thing. your launch, your community, your classroom - it is gonna bet messy af and scary af. but, you've got to do it. or you will never know. the result. === are you joining the movement? already submitted? the clover is yours - i will share it in the DMs. a ring for your profile photo, an image for your about page. not yet? let's go! let's help each other to go from nowhere to $3k! ⬇️ what's the scary AF thing you're doing messy today? ps just to make sure, if you complete the form, you will get the same badge for your profile. so, we will recognize each other!!!

Thank you so much, @Lidia Axe 🧡, for the $25 Amazon gift card from the Community Clinic drawing! I've finally turned it into homework: 📘 Superfans – Pat Flynn 📗 Build Your Community – Richard Millington One is about turning followers into real fans. The other is about keeping a community buzzing once people are in. That feels like exactly the right combo for where ling.academy is right now. Fair warning: my track record of finishing books is… let's call it "ambitious." So if you see me around here in two weeks, ask me what chapter I'm on. Public accountability, community-style. 😄 Anyone read these? Spoilers welcome.

two weeks ago i proposed a visibility report to Skool. real numbers. total transparency. i even showed them an example. their answer: "we are not doing it. not a priority right now. but you can go ahead and launch your own report if you'd like :)" i'd like. so i am. doing it now. === meet the Road to Clover Report ☘️ the leaderboard shows the top 100. number 100 sits at around $52k MRR... long way to go. this report will show the rest of us. where we are, what we invest, what we struggle with. below $3k MRR, no clover yet. it's a pilot. Q4 2026 is the test run. let's see how it goes. my target is 100 communities. anything beyond that will be a huge win. if it works, it becomes a quarterly thing. if it doesn't, i'll tell you. === why i'm doing it: - i'm tired of "3 communities that crushed it this week". - i want to collect real numbers from real people - and i want to share them with you === what do you need to do: - open your Skool dashboard - fill in the form, about 15 minutes - that's it === what you get back: - the report by email, around 25–27 December, before it goes public here on 1 January '27 - your Where You Stand card + 2-3 recommendations from me, by 31 January - the Road to Clover badge ☘️ your numbers are never published. only totals. i treat confidentiality seriously. === 🚨 this is for you if you're below $3k MRR. free, paid, one week old or two years in. every category, old or new. 💥 if you run a community, podcast or program for Skool owners, become a partner and share it with your people. ➡️ click here for all details + the links submitted? drop a 🍀 in the comments

Sam mentioned new categories some time in spring. and.... drumroll, they are here. here are new categories - a lot of them (see the first screenshot). which is good. i am sure they will talk about it in today's Skool News. actions for today: - check your category (go to Settings/ Discovery and then down at the bottom "How discovery works" twister - open it and find out your new category) - check you new ranking on top - mine improved from 887 to -> 111. which is great!! - check out all the categories (on the screenshot below) and if you believe it's wrong, contact support ⬇️ let us know: what's your new category ? is it correct/better/worse than before? NB! if you have GB off, this is not relevant for ya, because you are not showing in search and discovery.

we are covering two weeks this time. i am wondering if Skool News should be renamed into Growth Boost News?! 🤔 also, i am getting resentful with every issue, it's either me or them. you see it in the RANT and the UGLY part down at the bottom. but the verdict is yours ⬇️ === the GB NEWS - Growth tab in the settings - was announced before, now fully function. WARNING: you might be level 2 or 3, but if your community is FREE or FREEMIUM, you DO NOT get any ads from Skool (interesting that Sam coughed before he could even say that) - you can upload 6 of your own ads if you are level 2, 3 or 4. level 4 - you can even upload own videos - Skool will split test their ads and your ads, and see what works better if you see your ads AND: - if you don't like it, you can ask to change it or you can totally turn them off (if you hate AI ads). - if you are a creative type (ha-ha, that's what they said), you can upload your own ads if you are level 3 and 4. also... - they promised to provide the Outlier Ads Library, so that you could get inspiration from what works === Other NEWS about the platform: - live calls functionality has been upgraded for stability, functionality, etc. less bugs, more convenience they are saying Zoom-quality. coming up 1-2 weeks. now in testing stage. - payment methods - still on the way.... (keep waiting) - seems like TikTok live are working for some ppl. so, if it is your cup of tea, worth trying out to bring traffic. here is the video interview with Samuel G on TikTok live success === Up Next (who knows when): - global search (yey) - global calendar (yey) - currencies, global payments - native app === let's get to my favorite part - THE UGLY TRUTH: - right now, if you have a free or freemium group and you have GB on, Skool is STEALING YOUR money from you. full stop. yey! (not yey) - they are allowing you to upload your ads, but not the copy. and also no stats... whatsoever.