The Community Effect: Lessons from Leaders Who Build Connection

Building a Thriving Community in 2025—Without Losing Your Mind

Introduction

Let’s be real—building a community sounds cute until you’re knee-deep in engagement strategies, AI tools and figuring out why Carol from accounting left your Slack group (again). But here’s the thing: Community isn’t just a buzzword—it’s the new economy. And if you’re not investing in it, you might as well be marketing with smoke signals.

In a recent Virtual Summiteers Peer Group Panel Discussion, we had the brilliant minds of Jimmy Newson and Zakia Ringgold break down what it takes to build a successful, thriving and—most importantly—engaging community. Spoiler: It’s not just about getting people in the door; it’s about keeping them there. And no, bribing them with Starbucks gift cards doesn’t count.

Oh and before we get into we do this LIVE, EVERY FRIDAY at 10 AM ET! If you want the inside scoop, expert advice and a community that actually cares, apply to join us live or catch the full replays with our On-Demand Membership for The Virtual Summiteers Peer Group.? ? ? You know, we can’t tell you everything on YouTube!

TL;DR (Because Attention Spans Are Nonexistent, Unless You’re Interested?)

• Community = The New Economy. It’s crucial, but also a full-time job.
• Value > Vanity Metrics. Stop obsessing over numbers and focus on engagement.
• AI is cool, but it won’t hug your members. (Or send them funny cat memes.)
• Adapt or die. Member needs change. Tech evolves. So should you.

Why Build a Community? Because Talking to Yourself Isn’t a Business Strategy

Jimmy Newson and Zakia Ringgold have built their communities with a clear purpose:

• Jimmy’s mission? Save 1 million small businesses by 2050. No pressure.
• Check out Jimmy’s membership while the Life Time Deal is still avaliable!
• Zakia? Providing a safe space for handmade product makers and small biz owners navigating tech (aka helping them not break their websites).
• Join the next Tech Connection: Free Monthly Community Call With Zakia, 02.20.2025 @7pm ET.

Their biggest takeaway? Own your platform and build deep relationships. Because relying solely on social media is like renting a house from a landlord who can evict you whenever they feel like it.

The Evolution of Community: From Content Overload to Meaningful Connections

Raise your hand if you’ve ever joined a Facebook group and immediately muted notifications. Exactly.

Communities have shifted from being content-heavy to connection-focused. People don’t want more content—they want valuable, actionable insights in bite-sized pieces. (And maybe a GIF or two.)

Challenges include:

• Shorter attention spans (Thanks, TikTok.)
• Balancing personalization and scalability
• Adapting to AI and new tech without losing the human touch

Winning Strategies: The ‘Please Don’t Let My Community Die’ Playbook

Here’s what actually works (because winging it isn’t a strategy):

• Have a clear framework (Jimmy swears by his Cascade framework.)
• Solve real problems. If your community isn’t useful, it’s useless.
• Encourage member-to-member interaction. You’re not the only one with good ideas.
• Be transparent. Share challenges, lessons and maybe even that embarrassing first attempt at a launch.
• Evolve. Your community should grow with your members. If it feels stale, fix it.

Wouldn’t it be great if you had an actual strategy instead of hoping for engagement miracles?

Tech & Tools: AI Can’t Replace You (Yet)

There’s no shortage of platforms claiming they’ll solve all your community problems. Jimmy and Zakia discussed a few:

• Circle, Heartbeat and Go Brunch—Great tools if used correctly.
• AI’s role? Personalization at scale, but don’t automate everything (unless you want a community that feels like talking to a robot).
• Simplicity wins. More features don’t always mean better experiences.

Want help choosing the right platform before you throw money at the wrong one?

What’s Next? (Besides You Taking Action)

• Jimmy’s diving into Go Brunch to see if it’s worth integrating.
• Zakia’s restructuring engagement (because one-size-fits-all never works).

Are you really gonna keep figuring this out alone? Or will you finally join a group that gets it?

Conclusion: Build It Right or Watch It Crumble

Community isn’t just about gathering people, it’s about giving them a reason to stay. If you’re not creating value, providing engagement opportunities and adapting, your community will be a ghost town faster than you can say “algorithm change.”

So, if you’re ready to build a thriving, engaged community (and have a little fun along the way), apply to join us for our Live Friday Sessions at 10 AM ET. And if you can’t make it live? No excuses—our On-Demand Membership has you covered.

Join the discussion. Build something amazing. Avoid community burnout. See you inside!