Build Community
12 weeks · 4 milestones
Milestone map
Milestone map
3 milestones
A community without a clear value proposition cannot retain people who have no obligation to return. Before recruiting anyone, you must answer: what specific problem does this community solve that this person cannot solve alone? The first milestone is a launched space (online forum, Discord, Slack, in-person recurring meetup, or hybrid) with 10 active members — 'active' defined as participating in at least one conversation or event in the first 3 weeks after joining. Sign-ups alone do not satisfy the active-member standard.
Proof required
Submit: (1) a link to the community space (Discord, Slack, Circle, Meetup, or equivalent) — or for in-person communities, photos and event records; (2) a screenshot of the member list showing at least 10 members; (3) a screenshot showing at least 10 separate member contributions (messages, posts, event check-ins, or comments) from at least 5 different people in the first 3 weeks. Include a 1–2 sentence statement of what problem this community solves for its members.
What gets checked
- At least 10 distinct members with activity records — not counting the founder's own posts toward the 10-member activity count
- Activity from at least 5 different members — a community where 1–2 people post and 8 others are silent has not achieved active participation
- The community has a stated purpose that is specific enough to explain why this person would choose to join — 'a community for people interested in technology' is not specific; 'a community for first-time founders navigating their first hire' is
Resources
Enroll free to unlock learning resources →Mastery
Rosie Sherry — Community Building Newsletter
Go further: practitioner guidance on seeding a community without institutional authority.
Unlocks after completing Foundation + Depth