Hi there {{first_name | EduCreator}},

One of the most valuable skills I took away from my decade in the DC Public School system was how to build and engage a community. Starting in the classroom my first few years meant that community consisted of about 15 9th graders with special needs and their teams.

Later, as a leader, community meant a school of over 500 students and over 50 staff members, not to mention families and community partners.

When I first started building community online in 2021, I bought into the idea that I needed to host them on a platform like Mighty Networks or Discord. The problem I kept finding was keeping the community engaged after the initial 3 month honeymoon period.

I tried again last year and ran into the same issue. I’ve finally decided once and for all that I’m done with community platforms. All I need is my newsletter and a place to bring people together.

When the calendar is full, fast, clear comms matter. Wispr Flow lets founders dictate high-quality investor notes, hiring messages, and daily rundowns and get paste-ready writing instantly. It keeps your voice and the nuance you rely on for strategic messages while removing filler and cleaning punctuation. Save repeated snippets to scale consistent leadership communications. Works across Mac, Windows, and iPhone. Try Wispr Flow for founders.

Try Wispr Flow

Is your affiliate program struggling with manual workflows, poor attribution, and no clear view of incremental revenue?

Levanta connects you with 50,000+ creators, tracks performance down to each individual sale, and automates payouts at scale.

Book a Levanta demo and get a $100 Uber Eats or DoorDash gift card on the house.

Book a Demo

_{Offer subject to eligibility requirements and terms. Gift card provided after demo.}

Most founders do not struggle with building community because they are lazy, inconsistent, or unwilling to show up.

They struggle because, like me, they start with the wrong assumption.

Somewhere along the way, we were told that real community requires another platform.
Channels. Feeds. Threads. Constant activity.

Alex Harmozi only amplified this idea with his acquisition of Skool.

So founders buy software, invite people in, and hope engagement magically happens. It rarely does. And what looks like progress at the beginning quickly turns into pressure at best, anxiety at worst. I know this feeling all too well.

I have seen this pattern repeat with founders at every stage.

They launch a community platform with excitement and good intentions.
The first few weeks feel energizing.
People introduce themselves.
Messages come in.

Then the energy fades.

The founder starts posting to fill the silence.
Engagement becomes something to manage.
The platform becomes another responsibility instead of a business asset.

Eventually, frustration and anxiety just trying to keep up sets in.

You start wondering why you are working so hard just to keep people engaged.

The problem is not your commitment.

The problem is the design of most community platforms.

They are built around constant presence.
They reward volume instead of clarity.
They assume people want another place to check daily.

Most people do not. I think we can all agree that we are “platformed-out.”

Your community wants direction, relevance, and something worth returning to.

While many businesses are solving problems at lightspeed, their payroll systems seem to stay stuck in the past. Deel's free Payroll Toolkit shows you what's actually changing in payroll this year, which problems hit first, and how to fix them before they cost you. Because new compliance rules, AI automation, and multi-country remote teams are all colliding at once.

Check out the free Deel Payroll Toolkit today and get a step-by-step roadmap to modernize operations, reduce manual work, and build a payroll strategy that scales with confidence.

Download the Toolkit for free today

Strong communities are not built on platforms, but on rhythm and trust.

A newsletter creates both naturally.

It arrives with intention instead of noise.
It respects attention instead of demanding it.
It builds familiarity over time.

Trust grows quietly when people hear from you consistently and clearly.

That trust is what creates community, not software.

Here is the shift that changes how founders build.

Community is not something you launch.
It is something that forms.

It forms when people recognize themselves in your ideas.
It forms when progress feels shared.
It forms when learning has continuity.

A newsletter does this without asking your audience to change their habits.

No logins.
No notifications.
No friction.

Instead of building a platform, you build momentum.

First, your newsletter becomes the foundation.
It defines what you stand for and who it is for.

Then, you introduce occasional live moments.
Workshops. Conversations. Open sessions.

These moments create depth instead of noise.

Next, those conversations turn into content.

Questions become insights.
Insights become clarity.
Clarity becomes the next issue.

That content feeds the newsletter again.

Over time, something important happens: people feel connected without being managed.

If your newsletter supports your business, leverage matters more than activity.

You do not need more tools to manage.
You need a system that compounds.

When community grows out of a newsletter, monetization feels earned.

People understand the value.
They trust the direction.
They are ready for the next step.

Nothing feels forced because nothing was rushed.

I kept seeing founders spend money on platforms they did not need yet or not starting their community because they thought they needed more tech.

They felt overwhelmed.
Their audience stayed quiet.
Their growth stalled.

So I documented the system I use to build community without burning out and without adding complexity.

The guide breaks down:

I am offering the full Community Flywheel guide for free.

All I ask is that you complete a short survey.

The survey helps me understand:

In return, you get a clear system that can save you time, money, and energy.

Click the button to complete a quick 4 question multiple choice survey and then check your email for the step-by-step guide:

Community is not about where people gather.

It is about why they return.

Start with clarity.
Build momentum.
Let community follow.

That’s all for now,

Christel

Want to support my work? You can buy me a flower here 🌸

Ready to start your newsletter? Click here to sign up for a free trial and reply to any of my emails to let me know so I can help you set up. Already have an account? Use my coupon code CHRISTEL for a 20% off discount on the upgrade price (for 3 months).

I would love to help you turn your brand into a profitable newsletter business that serves your community with high value content. If you’d like to learn more about my offers, please book a quick chat with me here.