Hey, Happy New Year! Today's my birthday, and instead of cake, I'm launching a 6-week cohort for Skool community owners who haven't made a dollar yet. I've been hearing this a lot from people in my community: "Des, I need to make money." They've been following along, learning the methods, but haven't earned anything yet from their Skool community. I get it. I was there too. So I built The First $29 Sprint - starting January 12th. Here's the honest version: It's 6 weeks. The goal is to help you make your first $29 from your Skool community. Not $29K. Just $29. Because once you prove the system works at $29, you can replicate it. No guarantees. I'm being straight with you. But if you complete the 5 requirements and don't make $29, you get fully refunded (both months - $58 total). What we'll cover: - How to position your expertise (not the generic "find your niche" stuff) - Discovery calls with potential customers (real conversations, not scripts) - Creating micro-offers people will actually pay for - Soft launching in your own community - Building engagement in Skoolers that drives traffic back to you 6 weekly calls. Mondays at 8 PM GMT. Daily support in Skool Monetization Lab. Templates and frameworks included. Investment: 2 x $29 = $58 total Doors close January 11. Limited to 100 spots. Quick backstory on me: I'm Des. 53. Former marketing executive. Went full-time building Skool communities in November 2025. I run The Content Revenue Lab (300+ members) and earn from 2 communities. Teaching you the exact methods I used. If you want to join: 1. Join The Content Revenue Lab (free): https://tinyurl.com/TheContentRevenueLab 2. Upgrade to premium here: https://www.skool.com/content-revenue-lab-4761/plans 3. You'll get an immediate welcome message with instructions 4. You'll be added to Skool Monetization Lab where calls happen

The December 30 drawing was a great success (prizes are enroute to winners) and the next one is coming up quickly. Come on in and cast your vote https://www.skool.com/ricochet-4274/about The items up for grabs in this drawing are: 1. MCM Pottery, Gravy Boat. Russel Wright pottery is a line of colorful, mid-century modern dinnerware made by Steubenville Pottery (1939-1959); known for its streamlined shapes, vibrant hues (this one is Seafoam), and affordability, it became America's best-selling ceramic service, embodying the "Good Design" movement. 2. Lionel Train engine. This one has a funny story. I went to a hoarder home about 2 hours from my home. There was a little garage type building off to the side (actually, there were 3 such buildings on the property). After digging around at ground level, I looked up and saw a box in the rafters. I stacked furniture and boxes up high enough that I could climb to reach it. It was a box of old toys. This was in that box. 3. Booms away! vintage toy in original package. Made in Hong Kong 4. "Hypatia" BOOK by Charles Kingsley is a historical novel set in ancient Alexandria, centered on the life of Hypatia, a renowned philosopher and mathematician who champions the ancient Greek gods amidst rising tensions with Christianity. The narrative follows Philammon, a young monk who embarks on a journey from his secluded monastic life to the vibrant city of Alexandria, drawn by the allure of Hypatia’s teachings. As he navigates the complexities of love, faith, and cultural conflict, Philammon finds himself caught between his Christian upbringing and the philosophical allure of Hypatia. The book was authored in 1853 and although this one has no copyright date in it, I'm estimating this one is from the very early 1900s. 5. This paperback is just fun. First Edition, June 1997. Star Wars Diplomatic Corps Entrance Exam. No writing in the book

In my region, we're still 4.5 hours away from hitting midnight....but Happy New Year to everyone!!! I think the year 2025 was a confusing time for me to say the least. With the platform of Skool on the rise, I truly believe that we're going to see a significant amount of wins bound to happen for all of us Skoolers in the coming year! What was one thing that you will forever remember in the year 2025? Doesn't have to be tied to Skool! What will be one thing that you'll look forward to accomplishing in the year 2026? Once again, Happy New Year and stay safe everyone!!

Well I got there eventually, so I thought I'd blow my own trumpet, and celebrate a small win 🎺 Thanks @Shannon Boyer for your awesome community 🙏

11 days ago, I had zero members on Skool. Today, we're approaching Top 100 in the Money category. I didn't have a massive following. I am yet to share on any of my socials, and I haven't had a team promoting for me. Here's what I've done: — Posted ~3-5 times per day on avg. — Lead with value and be personable — Welcomed every single new member — Rewarded the early members publicly — Announced something exciting almost daily The result? 450+ members. 7,000+ engagements. And momentum I can feel. The biggest lesson? People don't just want content. They want to feel like they're part of something being built. Start messy. Build in public, and the audience will come. A question I have for the group though -- at what point did you make your community paid? I'm trying to figure out the right timing. Do I flip the switch at 1,000 members? 2,000? Or is it less about the number and more about something else? For those of you who've done this before; what worked? What would you do differently? Drop your thoughts below. I'd love to learn from the group. 👇