[PRACTICE] Building an Indie Community Together - Part One (First Two Weeks)
I've started building a community and willing to build it with your feedback & ideas.
This (hopefully) series is dedicated to builders who are building indie communities without having enough audience and proper network when they started.
There are tons of ‘how-tos’, ‘step-by-step guides’, ‘frameworks’, and ‘how I built this stories’ out there. And they’re helpful, no doubt. But I haven’t come across a series that shares the journey while it’s happening. (Let me know if you have one)
That’s why I’m starting this one.
My motivations are simple:
To show how uncertain and hard this process really is
To explain my approach as I go
And to get your feedback and ideas to help shape the path
I’ve been helping individuals and organizations build online communities for a long time. I’ve also tried (and paused) several attempts to build my own. But this time, with English in Business, I’m all in and using this series as a way to experiment with my learnings, document the process, and hopefully become a useful example for others doing the same.
I’ve been thinking about this community for a long time.
As a non-native professional who uses English daily at work, I often find it hard to speak and write naturally. And over the last five years I better understand that language needs regular practice to feel natural.
So I decided to create a practice space for myself.
When I started talking to other non-native friends working in global teams, and searching online spaces, I realized I wasn’t alone. Many people are looking for a place to practice, connect, and feel less isolated in their learning journey.
After this talks and research, I started building English in Business.
Although I have different community ideas, this idea stands out for a few reasons:
It gives me a playground to build an English-speaking community without worrying about being ‘perfect’ in English.
It meets an urgent need I’ve personally felt for a long time.
People close to me, my wife, close friends, are facing the same challenges.
Defining My People
Five years ago, I started an online event series where people gathered weekly to practice English speaking. We hosted over 10 consecutive sessions on Gatheround While some meaningful connections formed, it didn’t grow into a real community.
I assumed that the shared desire to “practice English” would be enough to build lasting bonds. But over time, I realized it wasn’t. Some people dropped off quickly. Others stayed but didn’t build deeper connections. That experience taught me a few things:
Practicing English is a common desire but not always a pressing need.
For people who don’t use English regularly, it’s more of a “nice to have.” The motivation to keep showing up just isn’t strong enough.The group lacked a shared story.
We had college students, professionals from different fields, retirees. While that diversity was beautiful, it made it hard to relate. People weren’t speaking the same “culture language,” even if they shared the same second language.Being from the same country didn’t help either.
Most participants were from Turkey. At some point, it started to feel unnatural to speak English with each other. Many started looking for opportunities to connect with other cultures and non-native peers from elsewhere.
So this time, I decided to define my people more clearly.
Here’s who I’m building for:
Must-Haves (Core Similarities)
Non-native using English for daily work.
Works for a Digital Product or Service
Want to use English with confidence
What Varies (Used for Healthy Community Curation)
Native Languages
English Proficiency Levels
Profession
Work Setting
Positioning Community as a System Changer
‘You need a strong mission definition for your community.’
Yes, thanks — we’ve all heard that.
For years, I searched for the perfect paragraph to explain what I was building and why. I’d rewrite my purpose statement again and again, thinking the words would unlock clarity. But over time, I’ve come to see that defining a community is less about perfect wording and more about understanding the system it’s part of and how you want to nudge that system.
Four years ago, during the Rosieland Community Building course (which I joined through a scholarship 🙏), my project was focused on communities for social impact. I posted a question on Twitter:
‘Do you know any good examples of social impact-focused communities?’ and one simple answer from Phil Santos: ‘Aren’t they all?’
That moment still shapes how I think about communities.
It made me realize impact isn’t something a community adds later, it’s something it already does. Whether intentional or not, every community shapes how people relate to each other, how they grow, what they normalize, and what they imagine possible. Just by existing, communities are system-changers in the world around them.
Lately, I’ve been fomalizing this to help me understand why I am building the community.
To understand what kind of system I’m building with English in Business, I’ve been working on a simple exercise
Which ecosystem intersections I am positioning the community.
Who are the players and their personas.
What existing connections do they have
Once the context is clearer, I define what kind of system this community is trying to build by answering:
What motivations and roles different players have?
E.g. Learners as companions, Masters as guides.What is the purpose of the community?
What change are we trying to create in the larger system?What types of connections are most important?
Learning, collaborating, finding buddies, sharing stories?What rhythm and infrastructure will support this?
Regular practice? Concept workshops? Joint events?
This framework doesn’t just help me explain what I’m doing, it keeps me grounded when I’m overwhelmed or unsure. It gives me:
A north star for what to build
A lens to evaluate features and formats
A flexible map I can revisit as the community evolves
I’m still refining this as I go. But I wanted to share it now in case it’s useful for others trying to go beyond.
Research and Discovery
As mentioned earlier, I began by defining my people and mapping the ecosystem I wanted to play in. Then the real exploration began.
I dove into networks, content, and short interviews to discover:
Who the current players are
Especially masters, communities, products, and services I could eventually collaborate with — either to build the community together or explore future partnerships.What types of activities and content already exist
So I could avoid reinventing the wheel and identify what’s already been explored.What needs my people are expressing
By observing their questions, posts, and answers in short interviews.Which networks I can tap into to spread the word
Including existing communities, LinkedIn groups, Reddit threads, and niche platforms.What tone resonates with them
To make sure that when I speak, they hear the purpose behind the project clearly.
This early research helped me refine my ecosystem map and pointed me toward my first set of actions. It shaped who I reached out to, what I started posting, and how I positioned English in Business.
And I should say this isn’t a one-time phase. I’m still doing it. Discovery doesn’t stop when building a community. It evolves with every message, every reply, every insight.
Landing Page & Application Form
Thanks to the research phase, I felt much more confident about a few things:
How to describe what the community does in a way that actually resonates with my people
What kind of routines and rhythms would make sense for early engagement
What makes this community feel different, especially compared to typical English-learning spaces
Although I bought the domain name and may still move to a dedicated platform later, I decided to keep things lightweight. I built the landing page in Notion and used a simple bit.ly link to start sharing it.
Along with the landing page, I created a simple application form to better understand potential members, curate a healthy early group, and learn what kind of support they’re looking for.
HERE is the form link. Would love to hear your thoughts and feedback.
Spreading the Word
I haven’t started building the community on a platform yet. And while I have a rough activity plan for the first month, I haven’t begun executing that either. Because I’m still figuring out the right place and rhythm for my people.
Instead of rushing into setup mode, I spent the first two weeks focusing on something more foundational:
Building an early audience
Forming a network around the community
Meeting people who might resonate with the mission
Here’s what I did to get started:
LinkedIn Page
I didn’t try to be everywhere from the start. I chose LinkedIn as the main place to share updates not because of a detailed growth strategy, but mostly because:
It’s the only platform I actively use
I’ve heard good things about audience growth there recently
Since my focus is business English, it felt like the most relevant space
My goal was to post at least three times a week, without overthinking or spending too much time writing. I used GPT a lot to help draft and edit posts more efficiently.
Here’s what I’ve done so far:
Started posting with a 👋 Hello LinkedIn! post
Shared regular learnings from different resources and turned them into carousels (I read that carousel/presentation posts increase reach)
Created a Word Game which loved by my friends.
Posted Polls to learn more about my people and encourage interaction
Tagged masters (teachers and coaches), which led to meaningful new connections.
I also reshared everything from my personal profile and invited a few friends to follow. Right now, the page has 21 followers. A small start, but it already led to something meaningful: on the very first day, I received a message from a professional who said she’d love to be part of the community.
Reaching Out to Masters
As part of my research, I created a list of teachers and coaches who are already sharing valuable content and have built trust with their audiences. I see English in Business not as a replacement for their work, but as a support space, even a kind of marketplace where learners and guides can connect, collaborate, and grow together.
With that framing, I decided to reach out to a few of them, not to “pitch” the community, but to explore how we might build something together, or at least support each other’s missions.
So far, I’ve reached out to five people I felt were deeply aligned with the community’s values. Here’s how it went:
2 of them responded with genuine interest, asked for more updates, and want to help spread the word
2 were interested but are currently too busy to get involved
1 hasn’t replied yet
I’m treating this as a long-term, relationship-first strategy, not a numbers game. My hope is that by involving masters from the beginning, we can co-create something meaningful and open up the space to people who are already reaching out to learners who can also be part of our community.
Posting and Reaching Out to Admins
To spread the word through existing networks, I started by creating a list of communities, newsletters, Slack groups, subreddits, and forums during the research phase. My method was simple.
If the group had no strict rules, people were already promoting in it, and it was large, I posted directly.
If the group felt more like a tight-knit community, I didn’t want to interrupt the flow — instead, I reached out to admins or moderators first.
If it was a newsletter, public page, or organization, I contacted the team directly.
Here is a sample post (Adapted per network)
Hi everyone, hope it’s okay to share this here. Please feel free to remove if not.
I’ve been working remotely for a while, and as a non-native English speaker, I’m still struggling when doing a presentation, getting a question in a meeting, writing an email, or even a simple message.
So I’m building a small peer community for people who feel the same. A space to practice English in a way that’s judgment-free, consistent, and together.
If this sounds like something you’d be into, here’s more about it:
https://bit.ly/englishinbiz
Would love to chat if you have any questions or feedback.
Sample DM to Admins
Hi [Name],
I’ve been following your community and really appreciate the space you’re creating.
I’m Çağrı, freelance community builder. I’m starting a small, peer-powered group for non-native professionals who work in English and want to feel more confident in writing, calls, and everyday work communication.
Here is the Landing Page https://bit.ly/englishinbiz
It’s not a course or a business pitch, just a free community experiment I’m running with people like me. I was wondering if it might be okay to share a short post with the group.
Totally understand if not.Thanks again for your work and time
Çağrı
What happened?
So far, I’ve posted in 20+ networks (Twitter, LinkedIn, Slack, Reddit).
→ Only one application came from Twitter.I sent 5 DMs to community admins/owners (via Reddit, Circle, etc.).
→ One gave me approval to share, but I haven’t posted yet.
I’ve started with English-learning focused spaces, but now I’m shifting more toward remote work and freelance communities, because that’s where many of my people seem to be.
I also think the sweet spot is communities with 100–2,000 members, small enough to feel personal, but large enough to make a difference. That’s where I plan to focus next.
Commenting on the Posts
Although commenting on others’ posts was top on my list from the beginning, I didn’t start right away. It’s hard to execute well, especially because the context doesn’t scale easily and requires personal attention.
But recently, I began prioritizing it.
I try to search related posts on the internet and that’s how I dived into Reddit. So far, Reddit has been the most effective space for understanding my people. It’s where I’ve seen the clearest needs expressed and had the most direct, genuine interactions.
With just a few keyword searches, I found 50+ relevant posts from the past week alone. I began replying with:
Honest reflections
Personal experiences
And a gentle mention of the community I’m building, only when it truly felt relevant.
I’ve now commented on 10 posts and connected with 5 people directly, by far the highest return rate I’ve had across any outreach channel.
That said, I’m not a native Reddit user, and I’m still figuring out the best way to engage. I also have some ongoing doubts about the platform’s anonymity and how that might affect community-building long term. But for now, I’m learning a lot, and it feels like the right place to continue.
Results & Learnings (What I’d do Differently)
Over the past two weeks, I’ve spent around 25 hours working on English in Business.
I started with a few rough goals in mind:
Reach 100+ followers
Get 50+ applications
Onboard 5+ masters
Have a community space ready to welcome people
Here’s where I landed:
21 followers
5 applications
2 masters onboarded
Still no community platform in place yet
Not quite what I hoped, but also not nothing. And more importantly, it gave me perspective.
From where I stand today, here’s what I’d do differently:
Spend more time with people who showed genuine interest
At least schedule a quick call with them. These early conversations matter more than reach.Prioritize Reddit sooner
Instead of spending hours searching for content or communities, I would’ve started earlier by engaging in real conversations on Reddit, where my people already are.Reach out for 1:1 calls with community admins and service providers from day one
Especially those running mid-sized communities (100–2K members). A few meaningful partnerships early on would’ve helped open doors faster.Lean into the amateur spirit instead of the polished strategy
Because I build communities professionally, I defaulted to treating this like a structured business. I wish I had embraced a more “rough-around-the-edges” approach. If I’d shown more of the messy, I think it would have sparked more honest conversations and trust from the start.
Next Two Weeks
The third week has already started, and here’s what I’m focusing on now:
Building a community entry point for Reddit users with r/EnglishinBusiness subreddit. It’s a way to show what I’m doing and start building trust.
Goal: Reach 50 people there.I’ll schedule video calls with people who showed genuine interest through the form, DMs, or posts.
Goal: Have at least 5 calls.I plan to reach out to more teachers/coaches who align with the mission and invite them to join.
Goal: Onboard 3 more masters and ask them to help spread the word.With better targeting and clearer communication, I’m aiming to boost the number of early applications.
Goal: Reach 20 solid applications and if all goes well start the community by the end of this two-week sprint.I’ve been thinking about hosting community activities like:
A low-pressure speaking practice session
A workshop with a master
I may not run them in this sprint, but I’ll try to plan at least one and prep for execution in the next cycle.
I’ll continue posting on LinkedIn three times a week to stay visible, build trust, and keep the space around English in Business active.
One idea that’s been in the back of my mind: creating a community finance model that shares future value (profit, equity, ownership) with members. I made some research about this (Tokenomics, Exit to Community, etc.) but for now, it’s more of a side exploration, not the main focus.
How You Can Contribute
If anything in this post sparked a thought, question, or idea, I’d love to hear it. Your feedback helps me shape this community as I build it.
Here are a few specific ways you can help:
Have ideas on how to spread the word?
Thoughts on the landing page or application form?
Where should I focus more?
Know any inspiring community finance models?
Thanks in advance for all your ideas and feedback 🙏🙏
Mini Announcement
I know being a community builder can feel lonely, especially when you don’t have others to share your ideas, doubts, or small wins with. It’s easy to lose motivation when you’re building in a vacuum. To help ease that journey, Led by Community has launched a new mentorship program, and I’m excited to be part of it as volunteer.
If you’re looking to be part of a network where you can share your ideas, get support, and talk to someone who truly understands the ups and downs of community work, I highly recommend checking it out.
🕓 Applications close on June 30!
Thanks for taking the time to read through my journey. Whether you're here out of curiosity, support, or shared struggles. I'm glad you're part of it.