I was spending between five and ten hours a week on Slack... 40 hours a month I am in here. That is client work. As a woman, as a working mom, all the things, it just became super clear. But as a marketer and as a person that sells things on the Internet, I also understand the psychological thing that happens when you take something free away from someone. - Jess Campbell 

Confessions of a Community Builder: Putting a Price on Connection

Imagine pouring countless hours of unpaid labor into cultivating a vibrant online community, only to face the daunting decision of monetizing it. That's the raw reality Jess confronted with her nonprofit consultants' group, Build Better Together. In this unfiltered convo, Jess pulls you into the emotional whirlwind of pivoting a once-free offering, sharing the psychological toll and resilience required.

From agonizing over potentially alienating loyal members to weathering scathing criticisms questioning her integrity, Jess holds nothing back. Yet her vulnerability gives way to triumph as the vast majority rallied behind the change, empowering her vision. Discover how this pivotal shift transformed the community's dynamics, fostering deeper engagement, generous knowledge-sharing, and an environment of mutual respect.

But behind the tactics lies a profound lesson in nurturing communities aligned with your values. Witness Jess's journey from trepidation to fulfillment as she cultivated this cherished digital space. Her tenacity exemplifies the mindset shift required to monetize your offerings without compromising authenticity.

Key Highlights:

• Understand Jess's decision-making process and the factors that influenced her transition to a paid model.

• Learn how she managed member expectations and addressed dissenting voices during the monetization process.

• Gain insights into fostering a supportive, collaborative environment that encourages knowledge-sharing and networking.

• Explore the systems, processes, and roles Jess implemented to facilitate community growth while maintaining quality.

• Hear her candid reflections on the lessons learned and the impact the transition has had on her business one year later.

If you've ever wrestled with the complexities of building a paid community or simply crave an honest look at an entrepreneur's trials and triumphs, immerse yourself in this empowering narrative. You'll emerge with a deeper appreciation for the grit required and inspiration to boldly pursue your own passion projects.

00:02:27 Creation of a Paid Community

Jess discusses the origins of her paid community, born out of a need for a supportive online space for nonprofit consultants during the pandemic, leading to the decision to monetize the community for sustainability.

00:05:13 Monetizing the Community

Jess reflects on the decision to monetize the community after realizing the substantial time investment required for its maintenance, sharing insights into pricing strategies and the transition to a paid model.

00:07:58 Transition to a Paid Model

Jess elaborates on the thought process behind transitioning to a paid model, including pricing decisions and the importance of compensating labor, culminating in the community's current pricing structure.

00:10:49 Navigating Unhappiness During Business Transition

The host discusses managing the transition to a new business model and dealing with unhappy individuals while appreciating the supportive majority.

00:12:09 Challenges of Negative Feedback

The host reflects on the impact of negative feedback and the psychological aspect of focusing on a few dissenting voices despite widespread support.

00:15:37 Feelings of Shock and Displeasure

The host shares feelings of shock and disappointment from vocal dissenters, highlighting the unrecognized efforts and contributions made to the community.

00:16:32 Setting Boundaries and Making Tough Decisions

Discussions on setting boundaries, making tough decisions in business, and the importance of prioritizing the community's well-being over individual preferences.

00:17:22 Success Post-Monetization

Reflecting on the positive outcomes and benefits a year after transitioning to a monetized model, highlighting the community's growth and engagement.

00:19:02 Evolution of the Monthly Meetup

The group's monthly meetup evolved into a well-structured session with a new name, community manager, and paid outside speakers discussing relevant topics like Burnout and finding clients on LinkedIn.

00:22:43 Plans for the One Year Anniversary

Discussion on upcoming plans for the one year anniversary, including the development of a formal directory, catering to both active participants and those who prefer to observe quietly in the community.

00:23:29 Monetization and Future Launch

Details on the community's monetization strategy, referral-based entry, and upcoming launch plans with affiliates, promos, and bonuses to celebrate the one-year anniversary.

00:27:16 Community Engagement and Support

Emphasis on the supportive and generous community atmosphere, featuring channels for venting, celebrating wins, and providing valuable assistance to members facing challenges in their businesses.

00:28:12 Positive Community Vibe and Growth

Highlighting the unique and fun atmosphere of the community, inviting new members to join, and reflecting on the growth and success of the paid membership model with a focus on maintaining a positive community vibe.

00:30:22 Reflecting on Past Challenges

Acknowledging the difficulty of discussing past challenges and the importance of reflecting on them after gaining distance and perspective.

00:31:13 Advice on Monetization Strategies

Strong advice against starting with free offerings and later monetizing them, highlighting the challenges and impact on self-worth.

00:31:47 Thanking Listeners and Call to Action

Expressing gratitude to listeners, encouraging support through sharing, reviews, and subscriptions for future content.

Find Us Online:  https://www.confessionswithjessandcindy.com

Connect with Cindy:

Cindy Wagman Coaching https://cindywagman.com

Fractional Fundraising Network https://www.fractionalfundraising.co/

LinkedIn:  https://ca.linkedin.com/in/cindywagman

Connect with Jess: 

Out In the Boons: https://www.outintheboons.me

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jess-campbell-outintheboons/ 

Transcript:

[00:00:00 - 00:00:03]
Welcome to the Confessions podcast. I'm Cindy Wagman.

[00:00:03 - 00:00:11]
And I'm Jess Campbell. We're two former in house nonprofit pros turn coaches and consultants to purpose driven organizations.

[00:00:11 - 00:00:20]
After years of building up our separate six figure businesses from scratch, we've thrown a lot of spaghetti at the wall and have lived to see what sticks.

[00:00:20 - 00:00:30]
We're on a mission to help other nonprofit coaches and consultants looking to start or scale their own businesses past the six figure mark by pulling back the curtain.

[00:00:30 - 00:00:51]
Whether you're still working inside a nonprofit and thinking of one day going out on your own or you've been running your consulting business for years, you understand that working with nonprofits is just different. We're giving you access to the business leaders who serve nonprofits as their clients. You know, the people who truly get it.

[00:00:51 - 00:01:10]
No more gatekeeping, no more secrets. This podcast is going to give you an inside look at what running a successful nonprofit coaching and consulting business looks like. Basically, we're asking people how much money they make, how they get paid, and what has and hasn't worked in their businesses.

[00:01:11 - 00:01:27]
Listen in as these leaders share their insights, their numbers, and the good, the bad, and the ugly. When it comes to building a nonprofit coaching or consulting business, we're going to empower you to make the power moves that give you the income and freedom you set out to create from day one.

[00:01:28 - 00:01:30]
You ready? Let's go.

[00:01:31 - 00:01:32]
Hey, jaz.

[00:01:32 - 00:01:33]
Hi.

[00:01:33 - 00:01:37]
Hi. Are you ready for the hot seat today?

[00:01:40 - 00:01:40]
No.

[00:01:40 - 00:02:27]
No. Oh, my goodness. Too bad. Today for this episode, we. It's been almost a year since wild, wild since, first of all, since you turned your slack community into a paid community. But also at this, approximately this time last year, we were actually in person together at our mastermind walking you through that transition and all that came with it. So, as you gear up for your first anniversary of your paid community, we want to take a look back, a little retrospective, if you will.

[00:02:27 - 00:02:29]
I know, one year later.

[00:02:31 - 00:02:44]
So, for listeners who don't know what this community is, let's start with that. What is it now? It has a name, but it didn't at the time. Yeah. How did this all start?

[00:02:44 - 00:05:12]
Yeah. Oh, my gosh. So it's been almost three years since this started. And if you know me doing one on one video calls is really difficult for my energy and what was happening through, I think, the result of me hosting so many online summits and reaching out to 40 to 50 nonprofit consultants to be a part of this endeavor. Each and every time I ran it, I was networking with vast number of business owners who I think were looking into my business and saying, how is she doing that? I want to. How's that going? Or I want to know more about her business. So I started just getting a ton of requests to chat, have a coffee, chat one on one. And what was happening is a lot of people were asking me the same questions about my business over and over again. And just the way my brain thinks, I was thinking, if this person has this question, you know, ten other people might have this question, why don't we house a place where people can ask their questions? And, you know, this was also, like, pandemic era, where everyone was feeling very at home and alone. And, you know, running a small business, a solo entrepreneurship endeavor, is challenging no matter which way you slice it. But under those conditions, it was especially tricky. And so as a community builder, it was just a natural step for me to just throw up a community online. And literally, that's what I did. I made a slack channel. I started inviting people. People started inviting people. And this community was born, and people were really loving it. And now there's other communities that exist. But at the time, it was kind of one of a kind or unique to what it was. And it's just become the most. I mean, I say all the time, it's my favorite place on the Internet because it's just the most supportive, the most, you know, inspiring, motivating online community. And I'm. I'm so grateful for everyone that's been a part of it.

[00:05:13 - 00:05:36]
Now, you built that. It is great, and it was free, and it was a lot of work, and it became time to say, okay, how can this also, I don't say serve you, but how can it be sustainable for you?

[00:05:36 - 00:05:37]
Absolutely.

[00:05:37 - 00:05:42]
And for the people in the community. So you decided to monetize it.

[00:05:43 - 00:07:58]
Yeah. I mean, if you know me, if you've been listening to this podcast, tracking things is not my natural form of being. What? But one day I was playing around on my phone where it essentially shows you where you're spending your hours. And I did some quick math and calculated that I was spending between five and 10 hours a week on slack. And I don't, at the time, did not use slack, any of my client work. So it was this. This was it. And I did some other math. Okay. Five to 10 hours a week times four weeks. Holy smokes. It's a lot of time I'm in there. And I know from community building that you really have to model the behavior you want. And so for 25 months, every time someone posted a question. Anytime someone introduced themselves, I was the first to respond. I was right there, and it took time, but eventually I looked up one day and I wasn't the first person responding. Other people were answering questions, or I would be in there, like, tagging people to answer questions. And I don't have to do that as much, but it took 25 months of me modeling that behavior. And so I just, you know, once you kind of, I think, pull up a little bit, and you're like, 40 hours a month I am in here. That is. That's client work. Like, that's a lot money. Yeah, work. I just looked forward and I said, I just cannot justify doing this for free. I mean, you and I, Cindy, talk about just the absolute not doing unpaid labor. Like, we talked about it, and I was like, as a woman, as a working mom, like, all the things, it just became super clear. But as a marketer and as a person that sells things on the Internet, I also understand the psychological thing that happens when you take something free away from someone. And so I was all in my head and in my feelings and in my body around this transition. I hemmed and I had for months around doing it.

[00:07:58 - 00:08:13]
Yeah, now you still did it. So as you were hemming, in hind, what were you thinking about? How did that inform the transition? Your pricing, the strategy, all of that? What was going through your head and what was the outcome?

[00:08:13 - 00:08:26]
Yeah. So at the time of deciding this needs to be a paid community, there was nearing 600 people in the community. I think it was around 550.

[00:08:26 - 00:08:26]
Wow.

[00:08:26 - 00:09:58]
So it had grown, grown, you know, a lot. And I wasn't monetizing this to, like, pay my bills. I was monetizing this just to compensate my labor at some level. And so I did the really strategic thing, wink, wink of choosing $23 because the year was 2023 as a founding member, price, like, I didn't price mouth that. I didn't get any advice from anyone. I just, like, picked a number, and I wanted it to be like a no brainer number, because, again, this wasn't about me earning a certain number to, like, replace what I would get making doing client work or something like that. It was just like, I wanted people to have some monsters, Terry kind of skin in the game, and I wanted to get some compensation. So that's the ripper that I came to that number. I will say that now the price is $97 a month and $9.97 or something like that. Yeah, $9.97 a year. I think you get a little discount if you pay the annual price. So it is much, much more. But I really wanted to incentivize the people who are already in the community, who already understood and accepted, experienced what it was like in there to get the very, very, very best deal that was ever going to be available.

[00:09:58 - 00:10:02]
Yeah. Okay. I have so many questions.

[00:10:02 - 00:10:03]
You were there.

[00:10:03 - 00:10:49]
I was there. I do remember. So a lot of people were completely understanding and, you know, made the transition. Some people, we're not happy, and I think it's important we talk about that because I know you agonized over this, knowing that people would be unhappy and then dealing with unhappy people. So tell us a little bit more about that transition and, like, how you managed your own energy knowing that people, we're not happy with you, and it's hard because we're people pleasers and we want everyone to be.

[00:10:49 - 00:10:49]
Absolutely.

[00:10:50 - 00:10:50]
Yeah.

[00:10:50 - 00:12:08]
Before I get into that, I just want to shout out, like, the vast majority of supportive, understanding, cheerleading people that from the second I announced this change, we're like, absolutely. I can't believe you've waited this long. Sign me up first. I'm first in line. All of that support and encouragement, like, I could cry. Like, was so helpful because I was really nervous, scared, not guilty, but, like, I had a lot of feelings around this transition. And I just know from, like, marketing and behavioral science that it feels twice as painful to take something free away from someone than it does to charge them more. And, you know, I didn't. This community was built from a place of support and. And encouragement and cheering people on and very happy and, like, uplifting vibes, and I wanted to maintain that. And so that's all to say, I'm very grateful for everyone who's been, like, a day one supporter, ride or diet. I never.

[00:12:09 - 00:12:10]
The majority.

[00:12:10 - 00:12:11]
The vast majority, yes.

[00:12:12 - 00:12:24]
But even with that majority, that's like, of course, Jess, we also know, based on psychology and neuroscience, that that's not what we pay attention to.

[00:12:24 - 00:13:01]
I know. Isn't that the truth? Oh, my gosh, it is so. The truth that, like, those handful of people will stick out, like, so much louder than all the encouragement in the world. And so I don't remember the exact number, but I had five or six people very vocally, very vocally express their displeasure with my business decision. And I have to say I was shocked, which is maybe contradictory to what I'm explaining, because, like, I knew that I would get some.

[00:13:01 - 00:13:04]
You were preparing for it. You knew it was something.

[00:13:05 - 00:13:45]
But, like, the depth at which people questioned my integrity and my motivation, my thoughtfulness around the whole process, because I didn't just, like, I intentionally announced the decision, waited time, had the opportunity to opt in at the founding member price of $23 a month for, like, a month. Like, I really made this. Like, I stretched it out way more than I've ever done for any other product. Yeah, I was. I was shocked at, like, what people were basically arguing with me about.

[00:13:45 - 00:13:45]
Yeah.

[00:13:45 - 00:14:08]
And in the beginning, I felt very compelled to respond and to absorb people's feelings and displeasures. And then, you know, by, like, number three or four, I kind of got to a place where I said, you know, I appreciate your opinion, period. But, like.

[00:14:08 - 00:14:12]
And. Period. End of. End of sentence. Yeah, yeah.

[00:14:12 - 00:14:18]
What people, I think took for granted is the 25 months of unpaid labor that I.

[00:14:18 - 00:14:21]
You. They took you for granted.

[00:14:21 - 00:15:16]
And I think there were some feelings because there was a group effort to bring people to the group. Right. Like, it was an open invitation. There was an open link so everyone could bring in folks. But what I think people forget is that a lot of my business is built on networking with nonprofit consultants. I mean, I literally have, like, community, an online community of thousands, and I can track on the back end who came in through what link. And so I think some people felt maybe entitled. I don't know if that's even the right word. But, like, I've brought so many people to this group. Like, you haven't built it on your own. And I'm like, well, you've brought seven people out of 550. I appreciate you bringing those people, but, like, I can look. And 73% of the people that are in this group are in here because I've invited.

[00:15:16 - 00:15:17]
Yeah.

[00:15:17 - 00:15:37]
And that is other labor. So, yeah, I was. I was. I was really shocked because it was. They were all women. They were all female business owners, all of them white women. And, yeah, I just had a lot of. I was just shocked. I don't even have a word that.

[00:15:37 - 00:16:01]
Yeah, you were shocked. You had a lot of feelings. And I think, like, as we talked about it, and because you relied on, like, our mastermind and to kind of get through some of that, because it's still. Even though I think it's still very emotional. Right. And we can say, like, okay, well, I'm just gonna, you know, let it slide. It's not that easy to let it slide.

[00:16:01 - 00:16:04]
I wish it was. Do I wish it was?

[00:16:04 - 00:16:31]
And I think that part of the challenge is you just can't please everyone. And, yeah, I. What I really respect about what you did is you said, like, I'm not. I can't contribute to finding, like, all these competing, you know, alternatives. This is the way it is moving forward. So thank you for being part of this. And if it's not right for you, fine.

[00:16:31 - 00:16:31]
Yeah.

[00:16:32 - 00:17:03]
Because otherwise, like, I feel like sometimes people, even if they gave you, like, specific. Cause some people said, like, well, have you thought about this or could you try this? But then if ten people are saying that and they're telling you all ten different things that you can consider or should do, now, all of a sudden, like, things spiral. And so you just put up boundaries. Yeah, that's hard, but you put up boundaries, and you said, the decision is made. This is how we're moving forward.

[00:17:05 - 00:17:22]
Yeah. And deep breath. It was so hard. I mean, for the folks, like, who were with me a year ago, like, you know, how hard it was. And I will also say, like, a year out, it was the best decision we could have made for that community.

[00:17:22 - 00:17:24]
Tell us about that.

[00:17:24 - 00:18:47]
Yeah, yeah. I mean, number one, I just have to shout out, so Cindy's right. A year ago when, like, the last day was happening, and it was like, okay, if people don't kind of opt in, I'm going to have to physically remove people from this group, which I was struggling with. I remember we were in my hotel room in Canada, and I couldn't even look. I think broker G. Babbage. I was like, you do it. And she. Yeah, she's like, delete, delete, delete, deactivate, deactivate. And honestly, like, this is also just such a reminder that if you don't have your people that you can, like, lean on and who be there for you and will, like, do that level of support for you, like, please do whatever you need to do to find those people. I was so grateful for that. But, yeah. So a year later, so I think out of the roughly, like, 550 people that were in the group, I think it was, like, around 115, 117 people who opted in, around, like 40 or 50% opted in at the annual price point. So they paid $223, and then everyone else did the monthly plan. And it was great. Once I got through that, it was. It was and has been, like, nothing short of amazing. Yeah.

[00:18:47 - 00:19:02]
What changes did you make in the community now that it has been monetized? And what have you noticed in terms of engagement or, like, what people are using or taking advantage of?

[00:19:02 - 00:20:54]
Oh, yeah. Okay. I really thought about this to write this moment. So even before the group was monetized, we always had a monthly meetup, which was basically like an hour call where we do appear. Mastermind where people can ask their business questions and get answers from people going through it. So those have continued. Um, some changes that have been made is the name. So it was literally called like, the slack community for nonprofit consultants or just something very basic. We sourced and voted and build better together was born. That's what it's called. She has a new outfit, a fancy logo. So that's great. I also hired a community manager. So again, ten to 15 hours of work is a big chunk of my work week. And while the group is super supportive and responsive, I hired Shay to come in and act as community managers. So Shay, shout out, Shay is phenomenal. And she supports me in replying to comments or tagging people. She's also the person that when we have a monthly meetup or co working session, or kind of a guest presenter, whatever, she will send reminders, share the links, that kind of thing. She has been so helpful in helping me manage the community. We do have outside speakers come in that I pay. We actually have two coming up soon. One is to talk on Burnout, another is to talk on finding clients on LinkedIn. So I tend to source, like, what are people wondering about right now? Or vote? Would you want this session or would you want that session? And then I go out and find people to talk on those subjects and.

[00:20:54 - 00:20:59]
That you're paying speakers too, just to underscore. I know it's obvious.

[00:21:00 - 00:22:42]
It's like, don't even. I just. My mind is actually like that emoji with the brain coming out when I hear that people do that for free. And. And then there's things that, like, have started and stopped that I am now on a mission to complete, like, within the next quarter. One of those things is the directory. So there's a lot of reflections, referral passing that happens in the group, which I. It's probably my second favorite channel in the slack community, outside of the winds, where people are like, hey, I have a client. They're looking for a grant writer, they're looking for a graphic designer. They're looking for a coach or a fundraising plan, whatever. And people will either announce themselves or they'll tag other people who do that work. But I think having more of a formal directory where people could go and kind of see, because it's not just project based work people are asking referrals for. It's podcast guests, it's speakers at events. It's, you know, board retreats. It's all sorts of stuff. And I just think having a formalized directory would be helpful for people to sort through. The other thing is I think a directory would be helpful because some people are very comfortable being outwardly vocal in the slack community and then other people are kind of like lurking, which is fine. Like you don't have to be a public commenter, responder, whatever. But I know there's people in there that are just looking and I think a directory would be helpful for folks like them who are maybe a little less visible. Cool.

[00:22:43 - 00:22:50]
As you come up to the one year anniversary, what? What's next?

[00:22:50 - 00:22:50]
What?

[00:22:50 - 00:22:55]
Okay. What are you doing to both celebrate but also promote.

[00:22:55 - 00:22:55]
Right?

[00:22:55 - 00:23:01]
Like this is still part of your business. So what's coming up in terms of growth for the community?

[00:23:02 - 00:23:28]
So I haven't done a ton. I'm not gonna lie. I think I was a little burned from the last thing, last lunch and I have kind of like just let it be still. For example, like if you hear about this right now and you try and google how to get into this community, good luck. I have made it very difficult for you. Like something I'm proud of.

[00:23:29 - 00:23:38]
I have it on my like mo, like Linktree but it's not Linktree, but like you can sign up for the community on my go to cindywagman.com mobile.

[00:23:38 - 00:23:43]
And it's there that will actually be a faster path than anything else.

[00:23:43 - 00:23:45]
Try to find it through Jess website.

[00:23:45 - 00:27:16]
I've done nothing. So right now the way people mostly come to the community is through referrals or an affiliate link a la Cindy's. And what I offer is a 50% upfront fee followed by 10% recurring. And what I love is some people are literally like more than covering their cost of membership through the referrals, which I just think is so super cool. That's all to say. I am going to do a launch. I am officially in a place where I can do a launch. It will be in July, which is the anniversary of the one year. And yeah, I'll be just launched with affiliates and promo and bonuses and the whole kit in caboodle, which I'm actually like at a place where I'm looking forward to. Yeah, some things that have changed I think since monetizing the group is when it was at that kind of 550 person, it did start to get a little wild. And I don't want to say spammy, but I was having to do a lot more monitoring of, of self promotion. Self promotion or even just things like people would ask questions and I'm like, you're, let's move that to this channel or whatever. I almost don't have to do that right now at all. Like, people are very respectful of everything. Yeah. And I really appreciate that. I don't know if that's because people are paying or not or if that's just a function of it being a smaller group, but it is what it is, and people are so generous with responding, both in terms of time and answer. So, like, multiple times, people have had an urgent question, like, usually around maybe tech or something. They're, like, in the throes of convertkit or mailchimp or thrive card or something, and they're just like. And someone will literally, like, I think of Caitlin, who will record a loom video, or Rachel will record a loom video for folks so they can just, like, know the answer, or someone's going through it with, you know, a lost payment or a client who fell through the cracks or an invoice that hasn't been paid or just something. And people are there to, like, reply and answer, and I just love that so much. Yeah. We also have a channel called real talk, where people can just vent and talk about, you know, being a working mom, or I the other day was like, oh, don't you hate it when you think you're 95% there to closing a deal and whoopsie, you know, you count your. Your chickens or whatever the saying is, like, you know, just a place to vent. I say this, and I've said it already, my favorite place is the Winds channel. I love, love, love celebrating people, accomplishing whatever that might be. Some people, their win is, like, they got to attend their kids, you know, middle of the day music concert, or other people's wins is they've secured a six figure contract, or other people launched and did what they wanted to do. Like, I just love it in there so, so, so much. It's just, I just think it's been a really nice place for people to gather.

[00:27:16 - 00:28:11]
Yeah, agreed. You've created something really special. I'm so glad we've, like, actually taken the time to talk about it and for people to learn about, like, your experience of monetizing something that was previously free, because I think that that is a whole other, like, lesson in running a business. But obviously, if you're listening to the podcast and you're not a member, you want to be, because it really is, like, I am part of a number of consultant communities, obviously, like, from a business perspective, and if you like Jess's vibe, which I do, I feel like that really seeps through into the community and the feeling of everyone there and their generosity and fun.

[00:28:12 - 00:28:12]
Right.

[00:28:12 - 00:28:37]
Like, it's also fun. And people are. We don't take ourselves too seriously, so. But also we talk about all the things and it's, you know, very transparent. People are share so much information. So it's also one of my favorite places on the Internet, and hopefully we'll get some more or, like, just come check it out if you want to be there.

[00:28:37 - 00:29:32]
Like, the invite is open always. And I was just going to say, like, we could have a whole different conversation just about growing memberships in general. I have a different membership that, you know, I think people would be surprised to learn, actually, how difficult they are to grow, which is maybe a different part of the conversation, but again, because the motivation and the intention when this changed from a free community to a paid one wasn't so much like a bottom line number situation. I'm, like, really, really, really comfortable and okay with it growing at the pace it's grown. And. And I think because I enjoy being in there so much, it, like, is reflected in, like you said, the vibe of the community, whereas I worry if I hadn't monetized it, if I would have, like, turned resentful.

[00:29:32 - 00:29:33]
Oh, yeah.

[00:29:33 - 00:29:52]
Like, let it die or something. Or. Or burned out, you know? Like, is it really worth burning out because I was dedicating so much unpaid labor to this. Like, I think that the result on the other side, even though it made some people unhappy, is, like, so worth it. Yeah.

[00:29:52 - 00:30:21]
Yeah, definitely. Thank you for sharing that. I know it's taking you, like, a year to full year to talk about. It was hard. It was so hard. And I just want to, like, acknowledge that, and I know there's no regrets, but holy hell, it was. It was a journey. So thank you for opening that back up and sharing it.

[00:30:21 - 00:30:22]
I know.

[00:30:22 - 00:30:22]
Yeah.

[00:30:22 - 00:30:30]
It is, like, a good testament of how maybe you should talk about things, like, once you're through them, not when you're in the middle of them.

[00:30:30 - 00:30:30]
Yeah.

[00:30:30 - 00:30:34]
Oh, my gosh. Yeah. Talked about it right after.

[00:30:35 - 00:30:39]
Oh, it would have been spicy, but it will.

[00:30:39 - 00:30:48]
Yeah, I think it just. It would have. I just have so much, like, more reflection and I have distance. Yeah.

[00:30:48 - 00:30:48]
Yeah.

[00:30:48 - 00:31:11]
And it was a really good lesson. Like, will I ever, ever have a free thing that I turned to paid? Probably not, because. I don't know. Like, that was really hard to go through. And I would offer that advice to anyone here. Like, if you're like, oh, I'm going to start a community. I'm going to monetize it later, don't do it.

[00:31:11 - 00:31:13]
Don't monetize it from the start.

[00:31:13 - 00:31:33]
Don't do it. Or, like, I'm going to offer this free thing and then make it paid later. Or I'm going to. I hear this one a lot. Like, I'm going to do like ten free hours of work and then I'm going to try, like, don't do that. Just don't do it. Yeah, it's actually harder than you think.

[00:31:33 - 00:31:47]
Way harder. And it sets up the wrong expectation for people and devalues your own worth. So don't do it. Learn from Jess thank you again, and yeah, we'll see you next time.

[00:31:47 - 00:31:49]
See you next time.

[00:31:51 - 00:32:02]
Thank you again for listening to the confessions podcast for nonprofit coaches and consultants. If you enjoyed today's episode, which I sure hope you did, you can show your support in one of three ways.

[00:32:02 - 00:32:10]
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[00:32:35 - 00:32:36]
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