(ARE YOU USING IT OR JUST COLLECTING IT?) OKAY BUT HERE’S A THING… And once you see it you genuinely can’t unsee it, (becoz I could not) duh, hello, because when someone joins your community there is this tiny magic window before they’ve posted, before they’ve commented, before they’ve even worked out where the metaphorical BOG is, and in THAT moment you are literally handed— LOO ROLL 🧻 - teehee I could not help myself, I mean - DRUMROLLLLLL… DATA GOLD ON A PLATTER WITH SPRINKLES Unfortunately not dogs because we only get them once we’re on the inside (well in The Backroom, we bring dogs), but still, GOLD, actual insight, just sitting there waiting to be used. AND THIS IS WHERE HEAPS-A-PEEPS DROP THE BALL They do absolutely gaff all all with it. They ask onboarding questions because they think they should, because someone once said “you need onboarding questions”, not because they’re actually planning to USE the answers, and that, epic humans, is where the magic gets left on the table like a perfectly good hummus + cucumber sandwich no one eats. Tragic behaviour, pfffftttt SO HERE’S WHAT I ACTUALLY DO In The Backroom and MYM, I ask three questions when someone joins. Not meh-ish, bore-a-saurus ones, but playful, human, identity-revealing ones, because hello, humans. And OMG the insights that come from this are MWAH. WHAT THIS TELLS ME (BEFORE ANYONE EVEN POSTS) Because before someone even says hi, before they ever post, before they even think about engaging, they’ve already told me how confident they feel, how visible or hidden they are right now, how they found me (aka what’s ACTUALLY working), what stage of business they’re in, and what kind of support they genuinely need. That’s not small stuff. That’s GROWTH STUFF INTEL most people only clock months later, if they’re paying attention. THIS IS THE BIT SUM PEOPLE FORGET And this is the bit that so many people forget, like completely miss-o-mundo, because it’s not just about collecting the answers and nodding along going “oh interesting”, it’s about actually LISTENING and then responding like a human.

If you've had the opportunity to disconnect over the holidays, you might be looking for a low-key way to re-engage. For 5 hours today, the Classifieds will be hosting a drop-in for premium members. Check the calendar for the times in your time zone. 🙋 What does "drop-in" mean? It means that you might drop in and no one is there or it might mean that ten people are there. 🙋 How can I make sure people are there when I drop-in? Tag someone in the comments here either today or at the time of the drop-in and invite them to join you. Or, post a selfie of the group in the hangout and invite others to join you. It's really what you make of it... 🙋 Why would I want to participate in a drop-in? It's an opportunity to connect casually with other Skoolers with no recording, no agenda, no expectations. You never know who you'll meet and what kind of connections you might make! 🙋 Does it work? Yes! We've done it twice before in this group after a suggestion from @Dee Greene who does it regularly in his own group. If you are someone who just likes to connect with people over a cup of coffee or is open to the possibilities of what authentic conversation can bring, then this is for you. 🙋 Will Shannon be there? There's always the possibility, but I don't commit to a specific time as I want these drop-ins to be more group led and casual (I can be a bit of a buzz kill! 😂). Questions, concerns? Drop them in the comments below. Have you attended in the past? Drop a comment and let others know what the experience was like. Want to connect with someone specific? Tag them in the comments below and invite them to meet up with you at a specific time! Have fun! Want to become a premium member for only $3/month? Check out the possibilities here!

So it’s that weird mid-day, after-Christmasing limbo. I’m doing a lot of not muchness. Sat here. Quiet day, recharge,I had my 3rd Xmas dinner for breakfast, yes addicted to veggies, so any excuse…. But my brain is doing its usual tick tick tick thing, thinking, reflecting, connecting dots whether I ask it to or not. (DUH. Hello. Obvs it is.) And if I had to sum up the last 12 months in one phrase, it would be this…. MESSY GROWTH. Not neat and tidy growth. Not Instagram-wow that's pretty caption growth. Not “tie a cute af bow on it and call it perfect” growth. Messy. Human. Sometimes a-lotta uncomfortable. Sometimes badass and brilliant. Sometimes I’m like WOOP, sometimes I’m like… what the actual tofu is happening here. Anyways this is what I actually mean by messy growth… (if y’all are tilting your head like go on Mimi, spill the juice) ME, AS A HUMAN ( THIS TOTES COMES FIRST) I’ve grown in self-belief. BIG TIME. I’ve grown in determination. In boundaries. In resilience. And that didn’t come from things being easy nope it came from showing up when it would have been easier to duck the ef out, numb out, or tell myself a story about why tomorrow would be better. I had my fair share of wobbles. Anxiety pfffttt. Grief. Emotional stuff bubbling up that I couldn’t bypass even if I wanted to. But I stayed in it. I didn’t pretend it wasn’t there, and I didn’t let it take the wheel either. (Some days it tried. HARD.) (and if you are in The Backroom, we say it ALOT - Weebles wobble but they don’t fall down) THE BUSINESS BIT (THE UNGLAMOROUS TRUTH, MY GIDDY AUNT) This has been my bestest year since I shifted niches just over two years ago. And I know not everyone’s had a great year. I’ve had some poop moments myself in the past. So please know this is just my perspective, not a rule, not a lecture, not a “do-this-or-else” vibe, hey we are humans after alll… BUT I worked really bloody hard, and I mean hard hard…

(N’ those Unexpected patterns I didn’t see coming) Over the past week, I offered a handful of Christmas community audits to the epic members in THE BACKROOM. I went in thinking I’d mostly be supporting other community owners, helping them spot gaps, tweaks, missed opportunities. What I didn’t expect was how much it would teach me too.(this bit surprised me more than I thought it would, if I’m honest) Seeing different communities from the inside, back to back, gave me an outside perspective I didn’t have before. When you’re inside your own space every day, you often stop seeing certain things. You assume things are obvious, and forget what it feels like to arrive like a newbie, slightly awkward-ish, not wanting to get it wrong. (that slightly hover-y feeling… we’ve all been that person, right?) [did-you see my POSTAPHOBIA post?] We cannot make assumptions, all the answers are often there for us, through the comments, the data, the analytics etc… (and yet we STILL assume… iykyk) Basically none of what I’m sharing here is right or wrong. This defo ain’t judgement. It’s just PATTERNS I noticed repeating and looping, and a few things that made me have those little LIGHTBULB moments where I stopped and went… huh… ok then… and rethink how I build and lead community too.(also yes, I saw myself in some of these, not exempt here) ➖➖➖➖➖ THE BIGGEST SURPRISE GOING IN… I kinda expected to see lots of content problems. Weak posts. Not enough value, conversations etc etc. Messy structure all that jazz.(you know, the usual suspects) But what I actually saw, over and over again, was this: almost nobody has a content problem. What most people have is a MOVEMENT problem…. Beautiful spaces. Gorg solid branding. Thoughtful heart-led badass leaders. But many members sitting quietly, watching, unsure what to do next. (lurking, saving posts, thinking “I’ll come back later”… and later never comes pfffttt) ➖➖➖➖➖ PEOPLE DON’T ENGAGE BECAUSE THEY DON’T KNOW WHAT TO DO NEXT (often)

Exactly a week ago, I was more than a little freaking out because our sweet little group managed to win the Skool Games. This was a DREAM come true!!!! One of the ways it happened was from being able to share our community. In fact, posts in here were a huge help in the mix!!! Separate from having a lovely group + offer, the three things that helped the most (by far) were: 1. Shares in this group 2. Shares in another group that also allows advertising 3. Members sharing privately + in spaces like this that allow advertising THANK YOU @Shannon Boyer! THANK YOU to friends who shared and joined and have made the group one that brings me joy every single day! If you're not in there just yet, you're warmly invited to join in the fun, especially if you're a Skool Group Owner who wants to improve the experience and increase connection inside your group. CONNECT & COLLAB here! P.S. FIVE MORE DAYS until the end of the year, I'm still hoping to see this group land at 1,000 members by then. It would be a very fitting way to end 2025!!