Some of you have DMed me to ask whether Brand Studio only works for service-based communities. It does not! If you sell a physical product, you can use the exact same steps, you just fill in Your Message a little differently. Here's an example if I were to open up a community for my own product line, Petal & Stem Aromatherapy, and this is what I would write or paste into the third step after choosing my brand colors: 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗺𝘂𝗻𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗻𝗮𝗺𝗲: Petal & Stem Aromatherapy 𝗧𝗮𝗿𝗴𝗲𝘁 𝗮𝘂𝗱𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲: Women over 50 ready to feel calm, strong, and fully themselves 𝗧𝗼𝗽𝗶𝗰 / 𝗻𝗶𝗰𝗵𝗲: Science-based Aromatic Skincare 𝗠𝗮𝗶𝗻 𝗼𝘂𝘁𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗲: Real science. Real ritual. Real you. 𝗣𝗿𝗶𝗰𝗲: FREE (or your actual price point) 𝗖𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝘁𝗼 𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻: Join for free (or Shop the line) One thing I learned the hard way, whatever you type into Main Outcome shows up right on the banner as the actual headline. So keep it short, one clear feeling, not a whole paragraph of benefits stacked together. Think YouTube thumbnail, not product label. Below are some examples in different art styles: Watercolor, Paper Cut, Regular. Feel free to use some more examples over in Brand Studio and adjust them to your needs. Communities, Skool, or elsewhere can complement physical products really well! 𝗔 𝗳𝗲𝘄 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗽𝗼𝗶𝗻𝘁𝘀, 𝗶𝗳 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘀𝗲𝗹𝗹 𝘀𝗼𝗺𝗲𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗼𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝗻 𝘀𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗰𝗮𝗿𝗲: -> If you're in fragrance or perfume, try "A scent that finally smells like you." with a community around scent layering and ritual. -> If you sell candles or home fragrance, try "Light this, and come home to yourself." with a community around seasonal rituals and cozy nights in. -> If you're in jewelry or accessories, try "Wear the woman you're becoming." with a community around styling and building a signature look. -> If you sell tea, coffee, or small-batch drinks, try "A ritual that's finally just for you." with a community around brewing and tasting. -> If you're in apparel or slow fashion, try "Clothes that finally fit the woman you are now." with a community around capsule wardrobes and real-body styling.

I was chatting with my assistant about how caregiving and being a community leader can have some of the same situations that need special handling. We went back and forth a bit and I got a document I like and thought about posting that information. Then I decided I wanted something fun and maybe people would read it. So I put it in AI Grimm Image Generator and selected Nano Banana Pro. Attached is what I go. I think it turned out pretty good. This is just one of 5 image generators to choose from, along your choice of Aspect Ratio, Quality and Style to choose from. What do you think?

Shout out to @Kimberly Armatys reaching 100 members today! Amazing! Congratulations! When you come up for air, Kim, it would be lovely to hear how you got to 100 memebrs on skook so quickly! Check out Kim's community over here: https://www.skool.com/my-amazing-life-circle-8452/about

Sunday thoughts.....There is a trend right now in the online business space in which people are positioning community-first models as an alternative to funnels. "No funnel needed." "I make money without a funnel." "Stop building funnels, build ecosystems instead." And I get why it is appealing. A lot of us are burned out on the traditional launch-heavy, urgency-driven, pressure-cooker version of online marketing. It does not feel good to be in one, nor to run one. What I actually see when I look at these "no funnel" models. 1) Free community that builds trust. 2) Trust that converts to paid membership. 3) Summits and challenges that bring in new people. 4) Low ticket offers that lead to higher ticket programs. 5) Affiliate partnerships layered on top. 𝗧𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗶𝘀 𝗮 𝗳𝘂𝗻𝗻𝗲𝗹. 𝗜𝘁 𝗶𝘀 𝗮 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝗴𝗼𝗼𝗱 𝗼𝗻𝗲. 𝗕𝘂𝘁 𝗶𝘁 𝗶𝘀 𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗮 𝗳𝘂𝗻𝗻𝗲𝗹. The end goal is revenue. The architecture moves people from free to paid through a series of trust-building steps. The fact that the relationship feels real along the way does not change the underlying structure. What I think is actually different, and this part I do believe, is the intention behind it. -> In a traditional funnel the relationship is the tool and the transaction is the goal. 𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘀𝘂𝘀 ->In a community model the relationship is genuinely the goal and the transaction happens because trust is deep enough. 𝗧𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗶𝘀 𝗮 𝗺𝗲𝗮𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴𝗳𝘂𝗹 𝗱𝗶𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲. 𝗕𝘂𝘁 𝗶𝘁 𝗶𝘀 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗮𝗯𝘀𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗮 𝗳𝘂𝗻𝗻𝗲𝗹. I think we do ourselves and our audiences a disservice when we market against funnels while quietly running one. The honest version is: I still have a funnel. I just built it around real relationships instead of manufactured urgency. That is actually a more interesting story. And it is true! What do you think? Are community ecosystems genuinely different from funnels, or are they just funnels that finally feel good to be inside? :-) xx Katrin

I'm always curious about where people are on this journey called "building and growing a business." Let me know, if you like, where you feel stuck. No wrong answers here. Every stage is valid, and every stage is welcome.