If you spend much time talking with @Sybil Hall, one thing becomes pretty obvious. She likes to try things. Communities. Books. Journals. Offers. AI. Different business models. Different ways of reaching people. She describes herself as an innovator. And during our Behind the Build conversation, she said plenty about the value of starting, experimenting, researching, watching what happens, and being willing to pivot. But then she said something that made me sit up a little straighter. She turned that advice back on herself. At some point, she realized she also needed to: Stay in her lane and make this one better. Oof. 😂 There’s a difference between changing direction because the evidence is telling you something and changing direction. After all, the next idea looks more exciting. And sometimes, if we’re honest, those two can feel remarkably similar. 😂 That became one of my favorite questions from Sybil’s build: Am I considering this next move because I’ve learned enough from what I’m building now...or because something new feels more exciting? That wasn’t the only place Sybil made me think. We talked about why she isn’t chasing 1,000 members. Why free makes sense for one of her communities and paid makes sense for another. What happens when you’re building publicly and it feels like nobody is paying attention? Why so many of her customers have come through relationships she’s built inside Skool. And why disappointing results don’t necessarily mean you made a bad decision. Sometimes they’re simply information for the next one. There’s a LOT in this Behind the Build. Which is exactly why I don’t want you leaving it with a list of 14 new things to do. 😂 Inside the full case study, we’re trying something a little different. As you move through Sybil’s build, I’ll invite you to think about your build, too: 🔨 Is there something worth testing? 💭 Something worth thinking about? 🛑 Or something interesting that you can deliberately leave alone?

What’s on your workbench today? Maybe you’re building something new. Maybe you’re stuck on one little piece. Maybe you’ve got three ideas fighting for your attention and need someone to help you sort through them. 😂 Or maybe you just need another set of eyes on something before you make your next move. Bring it in. It doesn’t have to be polished. You don’t even have to know exactly what you’re asking yet. Todd and I are here. And so is a room full of builders who may see something you haven’t. What are you working through today? And if you’d rather not put it in the room, DM either of us. That door is always open, too. 💙

I'm curious about how everyone has decided on the % that they offer through their affiliate links and whether they have tried and tested what their 'sweet spot' is? I currently have my group with 0% for affiliate links but wondering if I should offer a percentage? If it was a community where it was my 'normal' business I wouldn't think twice about an affiliate commission amount, but because all our profits go to our regeneration project part of me is feeling a lot of resistance to doing this. I am aware that more members means more income, even if part is going back to them, but still, it's unlike my normal (very charitable) self that I am feeling a lot of resistance here. Hence why I'm exploring it. I personally don't ever think about getting anything from sharing peoples communities, I just do it if I think they'll be a good fit. But I have just been reading about how much people are actually making through affiliate commissions and it's obviously a big thing for a lot of people. So, your thoughts and experiences would be gratefully received in this space.

@Virgel Nel surprised us by creating a magazine cover for Skoolology. So, of course, I had to return the favor. 😂 But while I was creating his, something interesting happened. I realized a magazine cover is actually a pretty good branding test. You don't have much room to explain yourself. You have to communicate quickly: 💙 Who is this for? 💙 What do they care about? 💙 What do you want to be known for? 💙 What should this community feel like? And here's the part that really got me thinking. Virgel had to decide what stood out about Skoolology. I had to decide what stood out about Singular Vision. That's different from writing your own About page. Your brand isn't only what you say about yourself. It's also what people have come to associate with you. So here's a little experiment if you want to play with us. Upload a photo of yourself, your community name, and your community description to ChatGPT and give it this prompt: Create a magazine cover for my community using the photo and information I've provided. Treat the cover as a branding exercise. Capture who the community is for, what they care about, the change they want, and the personality of the community. Make it look like a real lifestyle or business magazine, with a strong masthead, feature headlines, smaller cover lines, and visual details that reinforce the brand. Don't just repeat my description. Interpret what this community should feel like to the right person. Then don't just look at whether you like the design. Look at what it reflects back to you. 💚 Does this feel like us? 💚 What did it pick up that we're communicating clearly? 💚 What did it get wrong or overemphasize? 💚 What's missing that you thought was obvious? And maybe the biggest question: 💚💙 If someone else created your magazine cover based on what you're putting into the world right now, would it match what you want to be known for? If you try it, bring your cover back here. But also tell us what you noticed. 🐼

@Sybil Hall @Todd Thornton and I just wrapped our conversation, and we went all over the community-building map. 😂 Free vs. paid. How you show up as the community owner. What you do when building gets HARD. Affiliate links and whether they actually make sense for your community. And quite a bit more that I wasn’t expecting us to get into. What I loved most, though, was how much of Sybil’s experience applies whether you’re just opening the doors or you’ve been building for a while. There’s a little something in this one for everybody. ❤️ I’m going back through the conversation now because there are definitely a few pieces I want to pull out and make sure we don’t lose. Sybil’s Behind the Build is coming soon. 🎙️ And Sybil...thank you again for letting us into the REAL build. ❤️