Email 2.14 - Be Flexible And Adaptable

❗ Cole Johnson 🕺 you're still the most consistent person to show up in the comments and have a conversation going, so thank you a ton for that! 🥳🤗

For others - talk to me, help me help you 😉

And if my experience helps you succeed in your professional and personal journeys, support me here 😉🤗

In Today's Issue

• Lead and lag metrics in community building.
• 9am Starting Freelancing Course (MVP) - try it out!
• Why accept changes instead of fighting with them?

Let's Talk

Last week was pretty emotional for me because Linkin Park reunited after a 7-year pause with a new lead singer, Emily Armstrong, and a new song - The Emptiness Machine.

Why has it been emotional? I grew up with Linkin Park, and a huge part of it was Chester.

I went through so many teenage things and adolescence with LP, and still, one of my favorite songs ever is "In The End," and when I feel blue, I always turn LP songs on.

Now, it's changing, and I've even had a few conversations about it with some folks—everyone feels pretty much the same.

Still, you can't turn back time and replace something that doesn't exist, and no matter what's happening with you, life on Earth goes on.

What really matters is whether you're flexible and ready to adapt, what impact you make here and now, and the legacy you'll leave for the future 😏

So let's talk about it!

Community ROI

Community is a long-term game.

I've never heard stories where a community was created overnight and immediately brought huge value.

However, there are hundreds of stories of communities being built step by step, day by day, and at some point, they bring huge value overnight.

(doesn't really look like an overnight success story, huh 😏)

It's something people forget when they start building communities around their businesses.

They want some tangible ROI, usually without any financial investments, and they want it yesterday.

But it's fixable!

In sales and business, there are lead and lag metrics.

Lag metrics show past outcomes and lead metrics predict which outcomes will lead to future success.

For example, the number of messages in a community space or attendance at a community event are lag metrics, and you might need them to measure the results of your actions.

And here are some examples of lead metrics:

• new sign-ups—it's an early indicator of whether your awareness campaign and onboarding efforts are effective and can help predict long-term community growth, which is a lag metric
• activation rate—it's a percentage of people who completed a specific milestone with your community, such as finishing onboarding and scheduling a coffee chat with a community manager
• quality of conversations—to thrive, an online community doesn't really have to have hundreds of messages daily, it's more about whether people can find the valuable information fast and ensure that any time they need support, they can find it in a community; and the more valuable conversations are in a community, the more people will come back and invite others to join
• referral rate—it reflects members' satisfaction and predicts future member growth and reputation, both of which are lagging outcomes.

There are not all lead metrics that exist.

You must consider the business goals you'd like to achieve with the help of a community, think about the predictive and controllable actions that drive future success, and find out how to measure them.

Definitely, you must use a combination of lead and lag metrics to ensure a community thrives, but please don't rely on just lag metrics—they're not helpful!

Mastering Freelancing

Freelancing is an ever-changing journey.

You can't learn how to freelance once and for all.

You must constantly adapt to changing market conditions, clients' needs, competition, new social media algorithms, etc.

Still, you can build a strong foundation for your freelancing journey by learning crucial skills, building a professional network, and preparing for freelancers' challenges.

That's exactly why I with Marc Philipp Clemens , Antonia Patzelt , and 9am and CodeControl teams are creating The Freelancing Foundations course! 🤩🥳😎

It consists of 8 chapters, 23 lessons, and 126 small videos!

It'll be definitely paid, but now I have a deal for you! 😉

If you're just starting freelancing, I'll give you free access to this course and early access to the private community we'll be building around to become great freelancers together,

but I'll need you to go through it in a week and give the most honest and comprehensive feedback you only can!

I planned to gather only 10 people for the early access and testing, but since it was a much bigger demand than I expected, I made it 20, and now there are just 3 places left!

So, if you'd like to get this deal, support this post (and even comment if you can 😉), and send me a personal message!

Human Connections

So, coming back to Linkin Park's new singer and song 😏

I started with rejection, like, "Nah, Linkin Park is not the same anymore..."

And it's true, it'll never be the same again!

They might keep a similar style of music and lyrics, but they changed.

It's not like they've done it intentionally, still, they are moving on.

The same is true with human relationships.

They're constantly developing and changing.

Not a single person is the same as the first time you've met them, and you're not the same, too 😉

As long as you're walking the same road in the same direction and have no expectations of others - it works.

Yeah, I know it's hard to have no expectations, but it's easier in the long run because if you have no expectations, no one can disappoint you and still can make you unexpectedly happy 🤗

Also, it's totally okay to say goodbyes and move in different directions, but as long as you're open to meeting others, you'll always have someone to make a journey with!

And just like that... I'm totally open to my journey with the new Linkin Park, and I can't wait to listen to their new album "From Zero" in November! 🤩🥳

Curiosity Corner

“It is all that we know, and so we easily mistake it for all there is to know.”

Excerpt from "Immense World: How Animal Senses Reveal the Hidden Realms Around Us" by Ed Yong, recommended to me by Mirella Ang de Jonge 😊

Upcoming Events

• Between Two Watercoolers Meeting 125 on Friday, September 13th @ 10 am PT (7 pm CET) - to meet new and old friends from the community world
• CMX Global 2024 - September 25th-26th @ 8am PT (7 pm CET) - me and many other amazing community experts will share some insights 🤗
• Community (re)Focus - October 1st @ 9am PT (6 pm CET) - me and many other amazing community experts will share some more insights 😏
• Freelance Unlocked 2025 - May 14th-15th, 2025, in Berlin - if you're a freelancer in Europe - you must be there 😉😎

Valuable Materials

• Sense of Guilt, Low Self-Worth, and High Expectations (Video and Audio) - Not Psychologists Talks with Yurii Lazaruk and Jason Baum
• How To Reduce Mental Load and Increase Productivity (Video and Audio) - Freelance Thrive conversation with Orell Garten
• How to Secure Great Clients With Marketing And Networking (Video and Audio) - Freelance Sucks conversation with Stefan Ritter

In upcoming newsletters, I'll share even more tips and tricks I learned from multiple conversations with experienced community builders and freelancers, so stay tuned 😉

P.S. I help build communities for startups and fast-growing companies that want to foster trusted customer relationships and grow together!

If it sounds your way, message me, and let's make it happen! 💪🚀