#076 The uncharted waters of online communities have claimed many a landlubber. But, with the right step-by-step plan, we can weather any storm. In this episode, Warren Carlyle shares the 7 C's of building a fanatical community. He is a strategist who has helped thousands of individuals build highly engaged followings. Warren is also the man behind OctoNation, a massive community that inspires wonder of the ocean by educating the world about octopuses! So how do you find your sea legs and start growing a community around your passion, even if you're not an expert? Warren shares his treasure map with us today. He and host Jillian discuss everything from finding a perfect audience to community monetization. This chat covers content creation, time management, team building, and much more. So join us to stop treading water and start creating and managing a profitable membership today! Show notes and more at SmartPassiveIncome.com/cx076.

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#075 How many new members do you need each month to build a thriving community business? The number is smaller than you think. But are you focused on the right metrics to take full advantage of a slow growth strategy? In this episode, Lisa Barroca of Cultivate joins us to share her best-performing tactics for sustainable membership scaling. Lisa is all about looking past vanity numbers and zeroing in on the practices that make a difference. So what are the pros and cons of slow growth? How do you determine your community health status and take action in the right direction? What does your member lifecycle look like, and how do you optimize it for maximum impact? We tackle all this today with Lisa. She and our host Jillian also discuss choosing the best community platform, building a user experience in the shadow of Facebook, and the vital importance of onboarding and introduction spaces! Show notes and more at SmartPassiveIncome.com/cx075.

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#074 We'd all like to create bustling communities that seduce members into multiple daily logins. But isn't that just taking a page out of the social media addiction book? In this episode, we take a step back and reconsider the essentials of running a thriving digital space. Joining our endeavor is Noele Flowers, an expert strategic community consultant. So how do you optimize a community for the metrics that impact your bottom line? With no get-rich-quick schemes to abuse, how do you identify and focus on the programs that will transform your business? This is what we tackle in today's conversation with Noele. We also explore community consulting as a career option and learn how she leverages her influential newsletter to serve her audience. Don't even think about missing this chat because Noele's next-level knowledge is vital for anyone looking to earn a living in community! Show notes and more at SmartPassiveIncome.com/cx074.

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#073 Ever had a joke fall flat online? Robbed of many of the senses we rely on for communication, saying what we mean through text alone is tricky. But how do we cultivate trust as community leaders? How do we create a digital environment where assuming best intent is our member's default reaction? With Ingrid Christensen joining us in this episode, we discuss the powerful tools community managers can leverage to prevent many a misguided internet argument. Ingrid is an entrepreneur, a business leader, and the author of The Language of Trust. She is also the President and Founder of INGCO International, a company that provides translation services in over 200 languages. So how do we take on the responsibility of building trust and start using community-focused techniques to craft better experiences for our members? Listen in to get Ingrid's expert insights! Show notes and more at SmartPassiveIncome.com/cx073.

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#072 At SPI, we are betting big on community-powered courses with our new All-Access Pass. But there's someone on our team for whom the sheer thought of community management on top of course creation is the stuff of nightmares. In this episode, we tackle her concerns head-on! In her role as Senior Solutions Manager, Mindy Peters is the glue that holds our operation together. She also runs MindySolves.com, where her first online course launch has brought her community hesitancy into sharp focus. Mindy has witnessed the power of group learning first-hand at SPI. She wants to provide her students with the same level of support, but is that too much work for a solopreneur to take on? Is there a way to run a course community without waving goodbye to her free time? Listen in on this fun conversation between Mindy and our host Jillian to discover the tactics that can change the game for overwhelmed entrepreneurs! Show notes and more at SmartPassiveIncome.com/cx072.

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#071 Should finishing schools for digital etiquette be a thing? Your answer might be a resounding yes if you've been running communities for any length of time. But, for now, what are the best strategies to manage your member's worst impulses and curb bad behavior online? In this episode, we talk shop with SPI Director of Operations and HR sensation Sara Jane Hess. We cover everything from managing community volunteers and contractors to writing terms of service that can protect you in court. So when is the right time to bring in contractors or new employees, and how much should you pay them? Where can you find professional legal support for community managers? How do you set expectations and enforce membership guidelines effectively? These are just a few of the questions we tackle today. This conversation is jam-packed with actionable tips, so listen in and enjoy! Show notes and more at SmartPassiveIncome.com/cx071.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

#070 Churn is one of the biggest issues we hear about from other community builders. Many of us have even come to accept it as part of the cost of doing business. But what are the simple tools and strategies that can increase engagement and retention in powerful ways? This is part of what we explore today in this interview with Casey Hill. He is the Head of Growth at Bonjoro, where they help brands create personalized videos for their leads and customers to help them stand out, build trust, and make more sales. So how do you leverage quick, personal videos within your community? How do you avoid "churn cliffs" and create a welcoming experience? When are the specific times when reaching out to individual members makes all the difference? Listen in to find out because this a game-changing chat! Show notes and more at SmartPassiveIncome.com/cx070.

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We're taking a break from recording for the end of the year (week two of two), so here's another one of Jillian's favorites from 2022! Enjoy, and Happy Holidays!

#063 What is the best way to guide online discourse toward compassion and inclusivity? Research shows that it does not matter what you say or how you say it. When discussions go awry, what matters is that you say something. Today’s guest, Dr. Evelyn R. Carter, runs cutting-edge studies on detecting and discussing racial bias. She is a social psychologist and president of Paradigm, a platform for building diverse, equitable, and inclusive organizations. In this episode, Dr. Carter shares the steps for planting the seeds of empathy in others and the gold standard approach for changing undesirable behavior within a community. She and Jillian, our host, chat about using research to inform and shape company policy, how stereotype threat theory affects us, self-regulating your bias, and leading with firm kindness. This is a fun and enlightening conversation that reveals the science-backed tools we can use at work and in our personal lives to reshape the culture around us. Show notes and more at SmartPassiveIncome.com/cx063.

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We're taking a break from recording for the end of the year, so here's one of Jillian's favorites from 2022! Enjoy, and Happy Holidays!

#043 Connecting people is valuable. So why are community builders burning out and not making enough money to get by? Today’s guest, Tatiana Figueiredo, teaches people how to scale communities into profitable, sustainable businesses while avoiding burnout and sleazy sales tactics. This conversation was a blast and we covered a lot of ground. You’ll learn about the three levels of connection you need in a community and how to balance them out. We put our psychoanalyst hats on and talk about childhood experiences and how they might lead to an interest in bringing people together. We also dissect the freemium model for communities and why, most of the time, it fails. Show notes and more at SmartPassiveIncome.com/cx043.

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#069 What would it take for you to double your revenue next year? When asked this question, many of us default to the standard hustle culture fare. But is "grinding" really the most effective way to grow a community business? In this episode, we explore the alternatives with Terry Rice. He is a business development consultant, an Entrepreneur magazine staff writer, and host of the Launch Your Business podcast. On the show today, Terry shares his tactics for earning more and saving time while running a thriving community. We talk about transitioning from traditional jobs to freelancing, consulting, and all the way to creating a business. Terry and co-hosts Jillian and Matt go all out with strategies for pricing, networking, and building expertise. We also look at the evolution of online communities and uncover the best ways to meet the increasing demand for high-quality and meaningful online connections. Show notes and more at SmartPassiveIncome.com/cx069.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.