Article

You Shouldn't Start a Community

David Spinks · davidspinks.substack.com

The necessary cold shower before you commit: most founders should not build one yet.

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The question it answers

  1. How do founders build and run their own community (Slack, Discord, Skool) with AI help?

Read with it

  1. The canonical founder-facing guide from the person who built CMX and wrote the book on it. lennysnewsletter.com Guide A Founder's Guide to Community David Spinks (Lenny's Newsletter)
  2. The standard book on communities that grow the bottom line, still the field's reference. goodreads.com Guide The Business of Belonging David Spinks
  3. A tight audio primer on when community actually enhances a business model. foundersjournalpod.morningbrew.com Podcast How to Build a Community-Enhanced Business Founder's Journal (Morning Brew)
  4. Spinks on the mechanics: rituals, moderation, and measuring belonging. meetup.com Podcast Episode 9: Community Building for Business with David Spinks Meetup (with David Spinks)
  5. The ACP (Audience, Community, Product) sequence with the no-code and AI shortcuts. nocodeexits.substack.com Article Greg Isenberg's Playbook for Community-First Startups NoCode Exits
  6. Proof cases of community as the growth engine, not the cost center. capitaly.vc Article Greg Isenberg Case Studies: 7 Community-Led Startups That Scaled Without Ads Capitaly
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