YOU’RE LITERALLY BEING HANDED DATA GOLD ⭐️ ( how epic is that )

🔥

(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 someone’s taken the time to answer those questions, I take the time to meet them there. That might be a friendly DM celebrating a little win they mentioned, or a “hey, I saw you said you’re wobbling a bit right now, just wanted to say you’re not alone in here”. If they tick “Other” on how they found the space, I’ll often ask where they came from because hello, that’s already a conversation. People say “I don’t know what to say” and I’m like… you do though, they’ve literally told you. The questions ARE the conversation starter. You’re not meeting a stranger, you’re responding to someone who’s already spoken.

AND IT WORKS AT A BIGGER LEVEL TOO

because if a big chunk of people are saying the same thing, like they’re inconsistent AF or craving more visibility or stuck in a specific wobble, then what am I gonna do? I’m gonna support them with that if that’s my jam. Content, prompts, conversations, tone.

ASK → LISTEN → RESPOND → REPEAT

That’s the whole thing.

QUESTION ONE – THIS ONE IS INTENTIONAL AF

Now let’s talk about the first question, because this one is intentional AF.

1 – “If The Backroom threw a party, where would we find you?”

It looks fun, it is fun, but it’s also doing a LOT of work behind the scenes. The data tells me around 35% are straight on the dance floor, visibility AF and ready to be seen, about 40% are at the bar, chatty and connective, and roughly 25% are in the corner with snacks, lurking, observing, warming up. And yes, this is ALL totally fine.

WHAT THAT TELLS ME (AND WHY IT ALSO MATTERS)

Most people are not “me me me ” posters on day one. Most people are feeling it out, sussing the vibe, checking if it’s safe. So why on earth would I build a community that only rewards loudness or assumes silence means disinterest? Innit.

QUESTION TWO – HELLO GROWTH CLUES

Then there’s question two.

2 – “How did you stumble into The Backroom?”

HELLO growth clues from my data

A huge chunk comes from word of mouth, aka humans WOOP’ing to other humans. Facebook does its thing because Frank will always Frank. Skool discovery exists, but isn’t the main driver for me (yet, watch this space). And “Other” shows up a LOT, which tells me maybe, convos in other Skool spaces, connections, Shoutouts, DMs, quiet shares and side conversations are doing far more work than any shiny funnel ever could (detective Mimi is on this one)

SO LET’S BE CLEAR ABOUT THE GROWTH I NOTICED (in my space)

So no, growth here isn’t funnel-y or shouty or LOOK AT ME vibes. It’s relational. It’s human. It’s connection-led. And honestly, thank CRUMPET for that.

QUESTION THREE – THE BIG ONE

And then we get to the BIG one.

3 – “Where are you at right now in your business?” (Yes I have this as checkbox, so its a tad broader)

This one shapes A LOT. Around 40% are growing but inconsistent AF. About 20–25% are established and scaling but still messy and human. Around 20% are making sales but hungry for more visibility. And a smaller slice are just starting and winging it with hmmm possibly Google and vibes.

WHAT THIS TELLS ME ABOUT THE SPACE

Well The Backroom is not a “how do I start” space. It’s a TRANSITION SPACE. For people who KNOW they’re onto something but don’t want to build it alone in silence pretending they’ve got it all together.

And when you know that, you stop guessing what content to create. You stop forcing engagement. You lead differently.

HERE’S THE WATERMELON-JUICY BIT 🍉

Those questions aren’t just data collection. They’re MICRO-COMMITMENTS. Someone pauses, thinks, answers, and invests a tiny bit of energy before ever posting. And that matters more than people realise. #gratefulaf

THIS IS WHERE CONNECTION ACTUALLY STARTS (❤️)

Because when I see their name pop up later, they’re not a stranger. I already know them a bit. I already know where they might wobble, hide or shine. Connection has already started before a single post goes live.

SO LET ME ASK YOU THIS…

Are you asking onboarding questions just for the sake of asking questions, or are you actually USING them? Because if you’re not shaping content from the patterns, starting conversations from what you see, welcoming people through what they’ve told you, and understanding where people are at BEFORE you expect engagement, then you’re missing the easiest, most EXCITED AF insight you’ll ever get.

THE REAL DIFFERENCE

And honestly, that’s the difference between running a community and READING THE ROOM like the epic human you are.

WOOP 🤘

THE PS PART

This post isn’t about these questions. It’s about asking questions that actually match your space and then paying attention to what people are telling you.

The questions I ask have shifted over time as The Backroom has evolved, because the room evolves.The point is this: if you’re collecting answers but not shaping anything from them, you’re sitting on DATA GOLD and doing naff all with it.

And yeah… if you love this open energy and vibe come join us inside The Backroom.

Just awesome humans, good questions, open chats, honest convos. When we WOOP together we WIN together.

If you fancy that kind of space (plus dogs), come join us. WOOP or WOOF totes your shout 🐶

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