Weeks 1–2: Foundation
Every community that lasts starts with a sharp positioning sentence. One you can say out loud without wincing. Before you write a single landing page or invite a single person, answer three questions in writing:
- **Who is this for?** Not “everyone interested in X” — an actual persona with a specific pain.
- **What change do they want?** The outcome, not the mechanism.
- **Why you?** Why you, specifically, are the person building this.
If those answers don’t fit on a postcard, you’re not ready to launch.
Weeks 3–4: Build your audience
Newsletter first. Community second. A list of 500 people who opted in to hear from you is worth more than 5,000 followers on a platform you don’t own.
Weeks 5–6: Shape the product
What do members actually get? Events, content, access, or some mix. Pick two things to do well. Say no to the rest.
Weeks 7–8: Price and package
The most-asked question. Skip the hour-long frameworks. Your price should make you slightly uncomfortable. If it doesn’t, you’re under-pricing.
Weeks 9–10: Launch
Soft launch to your list. Give them a reason to say yes this week — founding-member pricing, bonus resource, limited cohort size.
Weeks 11–12: First 100 members
Onboarding is marketing. Members who show up in week 1 stick around. Members who don’t, don’t.
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This is the short version. The full playbook includes templates, worksheets, and a week-by-week Slack channel for launching-with-us cohorts.