Community is not about the size. Community is about value.
I set up a group so founders could ask other founders the practical ecommerce questions I could not answer myself. That turned out to be one of the better decisions I have made, and not because it grew quickly.
Why small and specific wins
We are 177 members. No sales pitches, real advice from people actually running stores, and demos of new things built by founders rather than by vendors. We have never pushed it hard. We mention it to ecommerce founders during conversations, particularly in the UK, and that is the whole growth strategy.
A smaller room where everyone has genuinely done the thing is worth more than a large one full of people selling to each other. That is the same problem I described when working out whether an ecommerce event is worth your time: check who is actually in the room.
Value before reach
This is the principle behind community over content. Reach is easy to buy and easy to lose. A group of people who help each other compounds quietly and cannot be copied.
It is also why I am comfortable admitting the group exists to answer questions I cannot. Nobody knows everything, and you do not need to be the smartest person in the room, you need the right people around you.
Who it is for
If you are running an ecommerce business, especially trying to get from £10M to £25M, it is a good place to be. If you are smaller, it is a good place to learn and connect with bigger operators. We love agencies, but this one is for founders.
The same instinct sits behind why human connection beats AI marketing and why I go and visit businesses in person rather than relying on calls.
If you want to talk about growing your store, or about getting into the room, book a call.