How To Build A Tribe Of 11,000 Fans In One Year

5 Ways To Grow Your Community Fast! THIS is how you book clients, make sales, increase your profits and get everyone talking about you – by building a fast-growing and devoted community of followers.

This is how I grew a passionate following in the space of just 12 months, working only four hours per day. If you know you need to grow your following in order to increase your sales, visibility, and confidence- this is how!

* * * * *

She dreamed of tutus and the lights.

Elegance, breeze, focus, dedication; each muscle trained in readiness

On to the stage; she knew she was born for this; her heartbeat told her so. She led the dancers behind her into a burst of movement and light fused with the sweetness and grace of childhood.

It was not the fame, adoration or beauty she adored. It was leading the others. Her heart was full, leading them into the spotlight.

When you’re called to lead, you’re called to share. To stand up, stand out, and share with them what you know so they get to stand in their very own light and greatness.

You’re called to equip other leaders.

This is what some people – particularly in the online / marketing / coaching space forget- and why building a community full of people who will literally walk over hot coals a la Tony Robbins sometimes seems so difficult or slow.

You forget that this is about them. 

We become so consumed in ourselves, in our greatness, in our enlightenment and coachability and our quest for money / fame / service- so caught up in the business of DOING- we forget who we are called to be. 

If you provide a service-based business, online marketing, are a coach, mentor, teacher in any capacity – whether through a single digital product or workshops or whatever that looks like for you-

You have chosen to be a leader.

You are chosen and called for leadership.

And the only way to find your wildly passionate and devoted tribe is to understand this isn’t about you.

It’s about them.

It’s not about how great your work is, how revolutionary you are, how much you’ve earned;

It’s about how much of those PROCESSES you can SHARE with others; to be able to empower them into stepping into their OWN greatness.

I recently read how all great teachers must desire students and clients whose achievements outshine their own; because who does that ultimately reflect upon?

When you lead others into greatness, it is inevitable people will knock at the door of the source of that greatness, wanting some of that magic.

But still we refuse to step fully into supporting the triumphs of others-

when did you last share a clients achievements or win? When did you last say a public thank you to YOUR teachers, mentors, coach?

Jealously and scarcity mindsets prevent us from doing so to the full. That belief we have to keep on DOING in order to stand out and make it, instead of BEING the leader!

True leaders uphold and celebrate others; those who they lead, and those who they follow.

My business was mentioned over on Creative Live by April Bowles of Blacksburg Belle, which immediately got me hundreds of views, subscribers, and direct signups to my programs; because I am an avid follower and supporter of April.

She is a brilliant example of a great leader- she shares the work of her loyal and true supporters without acting through fear she ‘might lose clients’, which could very well be a reality as we are in similar spaces and teach similar principles.

But true leaders are so confident in their abundance mindset AND in their own unique skills and voice, they know nobody else COULD ever be a ‘threat’.  Those who are meant to find you and work with you, will.

When people see you sharing and upholding the work of others you start to stand out as a leader who is supportive, gracious, brilliant and unforgettable. I will never forget April’s support at a time when my business was an embryo; and those who found me won’t forget how they did so.

And now my following has grown, it’s inevitable some of you reading this will go and check her out.

Do you see how this works??

The universe is reciprocal.

True leaders remember what they are here for – and who they are here for.

2. I invested a LOT into facebook ads. 

In my first year of my then-new business, I spent $1500 per month on my facebook ads manager alone.

At the time, when my Shining Lights program had just 67 members paying $27 per month, this was a heart-stopping amount each month.

But the thing is, this guy was so good I knew I couldn’t lose him! (He also ran campaigns for Amy Porterfield AND Todd Hermann and for some unfathomable reason – I think he probably felt sorry for me in all honesty!- he decided to take ME on as a client too) I had COMPLETE trust in his ability to get me in front of the people who needed to see me.

At the start, I wasn’t really sure how I would find the money to pay for him.

Except every month, because of his spot-on strategy and advice, I did find the money.

And my community grew and grew and grew.

It wasn’t easy. I had to do things I would normally run a mile from and he really stretched and challenged me; I ran webinars, created new programs, changed my pricing, and also did a whole load of things he advised me not to do! (Hmm. You live and learn and maybe I’ll share those in another post).

But the result of this was that my list grew FAST. I’ll also go more into my ads strategies in another post, but the bottom line is if you want to get noticed by the people who need to see you?

You’ve got to find a way to get in front of them fast, and if there is an associated cost you need to be prepared to invest. 

You won’t get to find your tribe if nobody knows who you are, plain and simple.

You can wait for your content to go viral, you can create a ton of content, you can have a killer publicity strategy- there are lots of opportunities for exposure-

But this got me in front of my clients FAST, with the help of another true leader.

If you don’t want to wait, and have the guts to stomach a big investment with the trade off being you still get to keep your time (doing my own facebook ads would have sucked the life out of me AND my business) then ads could work for you too.

3. Scrap your target client profile

When I first started out I consumed the info I was given on creating your target client profile. In fact, I even created trainings of my own on it and felt I had a brilliant insight into how to identify and attract your target client. The strategy I used WORKED- but only to a point.

It’s a brilliant place to start if you are relatively new in business or just starting to blog / write, but if you want to step up as a leader?

Throw the target client profile in the bin.

Write for yourself and your tribe.

You’re called to collaborate with and lead a whole LOAD of people who need to hear your message, not just one; and the quickest way to grow your tribe is to give them what they need to hear in a way that is your own-

Which is why you need to write for yourself and know your MESSAGE- who you are and WHY you are called to lead in the first place.

When I wrote my first ebook it was designed for a community, not one person. It was designed to help beginners learn a particular skill and craft (film photography) that I knew I had. It was simply me showing up and sharing the answers to the questions I had when first starting out with film cameras.

I wrote what I would have needed and wanted to read.

Think about all of the questions you had a year ago or even six months ago- the answers you now have and the variety of ways in which you found them.

Those aspiring leaders and visionaries – your tribe- are probably right now seeking the same information and answers and advice – from you. 

Write for yourself, from your heart and experience, for your community- not a single person or ‘type’.

4. Share Everything You Know

Here’s something I don’t agree with that’s pretty popular with online marketers right now.

‘Don’t give away your best work / content / information for free’. 

In fact I passionately DISAGREE with that terrible piece of advice.

Mainly because even if you wanted to, it’s impossible to give away EVERYTHING you know, unless you plan on stunting your own personal growth for the next five years and so think you’ll have nothing new to say.

Reality; you are always growing and if you want to lead a tribe on fire for what you do, growing and learning and stretching your own ability and knowledge IS the work!

True leaders never stop aspiring to greatness.

The truth is your tribe aren’t stupid- they will KNOW free information will rarely ever be as transformational as receiving support, leadership, guidance and hands-on-personalised-help from you in a program or a 1:1 capacity.

But they only way they will ever know if what you offer is truly of value is if you SHOW them, not tell them!

You can describe your glitzy program or ground-breaking service all you want, but if you don’t first SHOW your clients, how will they ever really understand its true value?

Withholding information purely based on the fears you will run out of things to say! or that your client won’t ‘pay for it’ if they ‘get it all for free means you’re approaching your business from a place of lack and scarcity.

The posts where I have shared my in-depth strategies and content have been by far the most popular which is why I’m writing more of them!

And from a time-rich lifestyle perspective- there is no easier way to grow your community- how could there be anything easier than simply sharing what you know? Of course, you could also try this via a ton of Strategy Calls in which you attempt to persuade people of your value and knowledge, but isn’t this way so much easier- and perhaps also, unless you’re one of those people who LOVE ‘strategy calls’ – WAY more fun?

Ditch the secrecy, trust you have limitless knowledge, share freely. 

5. Share YOU.

You know that lifestyle you have? Those qualities about you that you think are ordinary? The things you buy, discover, devour, learn?

They’re all INTERESTING.

The things we take for granted are the things your tribe will LOVE possibly because it’s ASPIRATIONAL and definitely because it’s interesting.

People are interested in people, which is why strange 80’s tv programs like Through The Keyhole were a hit.
Every time I ask my community over in Shining Lights for questions for the QA calls I ALWAYS get asked either about my daily routine OR about how I manage everything.

To me those things are so NORMAL I barely ever mention them!

It’s YOU that your tribe want. Every part of you.

This isn’t licence for bleeding your heart over your page or every ounce of your thought process and emotions (although you might, actually, and my tribe certainly know if I am frustrated or joyful or whatever it is I wish to share).

It does mean letting them see your real + true existence, without a filter, without shame or fear.

I’ve written about every subject from my fears surrounding my breech baby to my joy at finding our dream home- seemingly ‘irrelevent’ posts to ‘business’ and yet this IS my business because my tribe want to know about juggling multiple commitments and the REALITY behind running one successfully!

And again- these are some of the posts my clients remember and still mention to me.

As a species we are driven by human connection and as every great leader knows- to truly lead (and grow your beautiful tribe) you don’t stand on a pedestal. You get down and share the joy with the crowd.

Give them beautiful, shining, you.

FINALLY –

It’s kind of obvious that to increase your profits you’ve got to grow your list, fans and tribe.

But to be a TRUE leader here comes the BORING part probably nobody wants to read or hear but I’m going to tell you anyway because, well, somebody has to and I’ve had too many coffees this morning and my fingers are on fire so why not, might as well keep going –

To be a TRUE leader requires first that we HUMBLE ourselves.

To accept that we are never fully formed and that there is ALWAYS more to learn.

When we accept that we release ourselves from the pressure of having to be this perfect, flawless leader which is one of the reasons women DON’T step into leadership (and when they do, they often suffer untold stress); the pressure to perform, flawlessly-

As I led the other dancers out on to the stage one starry evening, I stumbled. For a second my cheeks flamed and I wanted to run off stage- but I recovered my footing and carried on, shaken but doing it anyway. And for a split second I turned, possibly to see if anyone was laughing or shocked at my ‘failure’ but instead, all I saw was them absorbed in their own dance; standing in their own spotlight.

And that’s how to quickly grow your tribe with ease-

Remembering this is ultimately about them, not you-

And that is also how you step into leadership and greatness in your field.