How to know if your community idea will actually work before you build the whole thing

Thinking about launching a membership community or paid community? Before you spend months building out your entire platform, content calendar, and onboarding sequence, you need to validate that people actually want what you're building. In this episode, I'm breaking down the pre-launch validation framework that will save you months of wasted effort and help you avoid launching a community nobody joins.

Most founders skip validation entirely and go straight from idea to full build—only to launch to crickets or watch members ghost after the first month. But there's a better way. Learn how to test community demand, read engagement signals correctly, and validate your community concept before investing hundreds of hours into building it.

In this episode, you'll learn:

1. Why Instagram polls and waitlists don't actually validate community demand
2. The validation framework I use with every community client before we open Circle
3. How to test your community idea with live workshops, challenges, or beta cohorts
4. The four signals that tell you if your community will actually work (registration rates, show-up rates, engagement consistency, and the ask for more)
5. Why a 40% show-up rate is the minimum threshold for moving forward
6. How to spot the difference between curiosity seekers and committed community members
7. The importance of peer-to-peer interaction vs. just content consumption
8. Why testing speeds you up instead of slowing you down
9. How to validate founder-offer fit (not just market demand)
10. Real examples of validation success and strategic pivots based on test results

Key Topics Covered: Community validation, pre-launch testing, membership validation, community engagement testing, challenge-based validation, beta cohort testing, community building strategy, Circle community platform, sustainable community growth, founder-offer fit, market demand testing, community retention signals

Whether you're planning your first membership community or thinking about adding a community component to your existing business, this episode will show you how to validate demand before you build—so you can launch with confidence instead of hoping people show up.

TIMESTAMPS:

00:00 The Empty Launch Trap

01:30 Why Communities Flop

02:57 What Validation Really Is

04:23 Behavior Over Interest

05:17 Step 1 Surface Patterns

07:01 Step 2 Run a Live Test

08:27 Pilot Story Co Creator Society

09:55 Read the Right Signals

13:15 Testing Saves Time and Money

14:16 Client Pivot Case Study

15:47 Founder Energy Fit

17:09 Framework Recap and Sendoff

RESOURCES:

Community At Heart Substack: https://communityatheart.substack.com

coCreator Society: https://cocreatorsociety.com

Should you start with a free community and convert people to paid later? Or charge from the beginning?

If you're asking this question, you're probably hoping free is the safer choice. The easier choice. The one that won't scare people away.

But here's what I need to tell you: starting with a free community and trying to convert it to paid later almost never works.

In this episode, I'm breaking down why free communities fail, why paid communities work better for everyone, and the one trial strategy that actually converts (spoiler: it's not a free trial).

Because here's the truth—when people don't pay for something, they don't value it. They don't show up. They don't engage. They don't have any skin in the game. And when it's time to convert them to paid? They ghost.

But when people pay from the start, everything changes. They commit. They show up. They engage. They get results. And you build something sustainable.

In this episode, you'll learn:

1. Why free communities never convert to paid (and the psychology behind it)
2. The "skin in the game" problem that kills free communities
3. How to build trust WITHOUT giving your community away for free
4. Why paid communities create better members, better engagement, and better results
5. The $1 trial strategy that doubled my community conversions (and why it works when free trials don't)

Want to see what a paid community looks like? Join the coCreator Society at cocreatorsociety.com

Watch the full breakdown of the $1 trial strategy: The $1 Trial Strategy That Doubled My Circle Community Conversions

You've been researching community platforms for weeks. One person swears by Circle. Another says Kajabi does it all. Someone else told you to just use a WhatsApp group because it's free.

And you're stuck wondering: which platform is actually right for my business?

Here's the truth nobody tells you—the platform you choose shapes everything. It shapes your member experience, your retention, how sustainable your community is to run, and whether people actually show up.

In this episode, we're breaking down the most popular community platforms: WhatsApp, Telegram, Slack, Discord, Patreon, Kajabi, Heartbeat, Skool, and Circle. I'll tell you what each one is actually good for, where they fall short, and how to know which one makes sense for your business.

And yes, I'm biased—I'm a Circle Certified Partner and I run my own community on Circle Plus. But I'm going to be honest about all of them, because choosing the wrong platform can cost you months of momentum and member trust.

In this episode, you'll learn:

1. Why WhatsApp and Slack aren't built for real communities (even though everyone uses them)
2. The problem with Kajabi's community features (and why course platforms don't do community well)
3. What makes Circle different from every other platform
4. How Circle is becoming a true all-in-one with email and website features
5. Why your platform choice is a strategic decision, not just a technical one

Ready to build your community the right way? Join the coCreator Society at cocreatorsociety.com or learn more about my Circle consulting at rachelbusinesscoach.com.

TIMESTAMPS

00:00 Introduction: The Community Platform Dilemma

00:30 The Importance of Choosing the Right Platform

01:34 Common Pitfalls in Platform Selection

02:36 Overview of Popular Community Platforms

05:27 WhatsApp and Telegram: Messaging Apps, Not Community Platforms

08:30 Slack and Discord: Built for Teams, Not Communities

10:59 Facebook Groups: Familiar but Flawed

13:08 Patreon: Great for Creators, Limited for Communities

14:23 Kajabi: All-in-One but Lacking in Community Features

16:16 Heartbeat: Beautiful but Still Growing

17:27 School: Gamification with Limitations

18:50 Circle: The Best Choice for Serious Community Builders

24:05 Conclusion: Strategic Platform Selection for Long-Term Success

Brittni Schroeder is a business coach and marketing strategist who's built her business on automation, sales funnels, and helping entrepreneurs scale without burning out. But what caught my attention wasn't her impressive background—working with clients featured in The Wall Street Journal and Good Morning America, running a magazine, founding a nonprofit—it was the fact that she's in her third year of hosting the Fusion Collective Business Summit with 30 speakers. And she's doing it differently than most people.

I met Brittni through the Flodesk partners Slack channel, and what struck me immediately was how thoughtfully she approaches collaboration. She's not chasing big names for the sake of visibility. She's not recycling the same tired topics everyone else is covering. She's curating experiences that actually serve her audience—even if that means saying no to speakers who don't align.

What sets Brittni apart is her willingness to be honest about what works and what doesn't. She talks openly about the chaos of her first summit, the frustration of speakers who ghost, and the evolution of going from 10 speakers to 30. But she also talks about the magic that happens when you mentor people coming up behind you, the power of paying it forward, and why your closest circle matters more than your follower count.

So if you've ever thought about hosting a summit but didn't know where to start, if you're tired of surface-level collaboration and want to build something real, or if you just love conversations about community and doing business with integrity, this one's for you.

👉 Grab your free spot at the Fusion Collective Business Summit (Feb 3-5): https://courses.brittnischroeder.com/a/2147832720/Gq2kzmCT

👉 Join coCreator Society: cocreatorsociety.com

🗒️ Show Notes: https://rachelbusinesscoach.com/behind-the-scenes-of-building-a-summit-that-actually-serves-your-audience/

I'm doing a podcast episode about why I'm using a challenge to launch my next intensive... while actively running that challenge.

Yeah, it's meta. But here's why I wanted to talk about it:

Challenges are one of the most misunderstood tools in online business. People either think they're gimmicky and salesy, or they think they're this huge, complicated thing that requires a massive audience and a million-dollar tech stack.

Neither of those things is true.

In this episode, I'm pulling back the curtain on why I chose to use a challenge to launch my next Society intensive, what makes a challenge actually work, and why this format might be one of the smartest moves you could make in your business this year.

In This Episode:

1. What a challenge actually is (and what it's not)
2. Why challenges work better than webinars, email sequences, or "just posting about it"
3. The five things that make a challenge actually effective (most people get at least three of these wrong)
4. How challenges filter the right people in—without being salesy or manipulative
5. Why I'm running this specific challenge for the second time (and what I learned the first time)
6. How to know if a challenge makes sense for your business

Action Steps:

1. Ask yourself: Is there one transformation I could guide people through in 5 days?
2. Think about what your audience keeps asking you—could that become a challenge?
3. Consider whether a challenge could help you validate an idea before building the full offer

Challenges aren't just for big launches or people with huge audiences. They're for anyone who wants to build trust, create real engagement, and give people an actual experience of what it's like to work with you.

👉 Join Challenge Creator Lab (FREE - starts Jan 26): https://cocreatorsociety.com/challenge-creator-lab

👉 Join coCreator Society: cocreatorsociety.com

You just spent three months building an offer. You mapped out every detail. You created all the materials. You wrote the perfect sales page.

And then you launched and... crickets.

Or worse—a couple people signed up out of obligation and never engaged.

Here's the thing: there were warning signs. Red flags that showed up before you invested all that time and energy.

In this episode, we're breaking down the five signs you're about to build something nobody wants—and what to do instead.

Because these aren't just random mistakes. They're patterns that show up every single time someone builds the wrong thing.

In This Episode:

1. Why "nobody's asking for it" is your biggest red flag (and how to actually listen)
2. The danger of building something just because someone else did
3. What "I can't explain who this is for" really means about your offer
4. Why building for positioning instead of transformation always backfires
5. How to test your idea before you waste months building the wrong thing

Action Steps:

1. Keep a running list of questions you're getting from your audience—look for patterns
2. Ask yourself: "Does my audience actually need this, or do I just want to build it?"
3. Get specific about who your offer is for (not "entrepreneurs"—actually specific)
4. Test before you build: run a challenge, workshop, or pilot first

Your offers should be built on validation, not guessing. And the best way to validate? Run a challenge.

👉 Join Challenge Creator Lab (FREE - starts Jan 26): https://openinapp.link/jhy0c

👉 Join coCreator Society: cocreatorsociety.com

They asked if they could "just buy one part" of your package. Or if you could have it done by next week. Or they compared your offer to something completely different.

And you answered. You clarified. You explained.

But you didn't stop to ask: why are they confused in the first place?

In this episode, we're breaking down the five client questions that should make you rethink your offer. Not tweak your sales page—actually reconsider what you're selling and who you're selling it to.

Because those questions aren't random. They're patterns showing you exactly where your offer isn't landing.

In This Episode:

1. Why "Can I just buy one part?" means they don't value your most important work
2. What "Can you do this by next week?" really tells you about client fit
3. How vague messaging makes people compare you to the wrong thing
4. The difference between selling transformation and telling people what they actually get
5. Why "Is this for me?" means your audience is too broad

Action Steps:

1. Review the last 5 questions potential clients asked—look for patterns
2. Get clear on why your offer is structured the way it is
3. Add a simple "Here's what's included" section to your sales page
4. Define exactly who your offer is for (and who it's not)

Your offers should be clear, not confusing. And the questions will tell you exactly where to start.

👉 Join coCreator Society: cocreatorsociety.com

👉 Free 5-Day Challenge Creator Lab (starts Jan 26): https://openinapp.link/jhy0c

You’ve worked hard.

You’ve invested.

You’ve tried to do all the “right” things.

And yet… your business still feels heavier than it should.

If you’re heading into a new year tired, stuck, or quietly wondering if this is just how entrepreneurship feels—you’re not alone. And more importantly, you’re not broken.

In this episode, we’re having an honest conversation about something most creative entrepreneurs don’t talk about enough: the cost of building alone. From decision fatigue to burnout to constantly second-guessing yourself, the solo grind is exhausting—and it’s not actually the badge of honor we’ve been told it is.

We’re talking about what changes when you stop trying to do everything yourself and start building with other people. Not in a “new year, new you” way—but in a fundamental shift that makes business feel more sustainable, supported, and even enjoyable again.

Because building differently isn’t about working harder.

It’s about working smarter—and not in isolation.

In This Episode:

1. Why working harder isn’t fixing what feels hard
2. The real reason so many creative entrepreneurs feel stuck and burned out
3. What actually happens when you stop building your business alone
4. How collaboration accelerates growth without adding more hours
5. Why community isn’t a “nice to have”—it’s a strategy
6. What 2026 could look like if you stopped doing everything yourself

Key Quotes:

Action Steps:

1. Notice where you’re stuck spinning alone instead of asking for help
2. Identify one area of your business where collaboration would change everything
3. Start showing up in spaces where people understand what you’re building
4. Shift from competition to connection—and watch what opens up

If you’re tired of building in isolation and craving real support, referrals, and collaboration, coCreator Society is where you belong.

It’s a space for creative entrepreneurs to stop doing business alone—and start building with people who actually get it. Inside, we normalize asking for help, sharing opportunities, collaborating on bigger projects, and building businesses that support real life—not just survival mode.

👉 Learn more and join us at cocreatorsociety.com

You don’t need to work harder this year.

You just don’t need to do it alone.

And what if this was the year you built differently?