Creator or owner—who are you today?

Annnd we’re officially in October - can you believe how the year has flown by?!

This week, Dakota (a community founder and Candid mentee) shows how he went from YouTube creator to platform owner—site, app, even an async coaching plugin—by shipping the top 20% that drives 80% of results.

Plus there are exciting free summits, my upcoming Notion AI workshop (!!), and community member news to catch up with. Let’s go!

A Scrappy System & Candid Mentee’s Success Story

Dakota Snow, the Bearded IT Dad, has been a Mentee in the Candid Community since January and tbh he’s the one mentee who constantly keeps me on my toes.

Why? His bias for action. He consistently finds the top 20% of work that drives 80% of outcomes, and ships it, FAST!

In this season’s Scrappy Systems finale, he broke down how he went from YouTube creator with 65k+ followers to owning his entire community platform, site, app, even an async coaching plugin—all without quitting his day job.

Watch the full podcast:

Otherwise, if you’d prefer to read about it, go to the podcast write-up here.

If you’re like Dakota, and need some advice on how to build an grow your community, then please check out our swanky new Candid Memberships page to see how you can join the Candid Community.

P.S. If you're seriously considering building your own community platform, I also asked Tasha Van Vlack to about how she custom built Community Hives in an earlier episode of Scrappy Systems. So go watch through it here too if you'd like an additional perspective!

What I’d share in your DMs this week

UPCOMING EVENTS:

🤖 Where the Heck is Notion AI? In 60 minutes you’ll learn where AI lives in Notion, build a general-worker agent, and see how to switch personas without breaking your workspace. It’s virtual, $37, beginner-friendly and might get you to cancel your current AI accounts. → Grab your ticket!

🥤 My AI Brings All the Clients to the Yard: And I’m showcasing just how I use Notion AI for member matching in the upcoming Her AI Era summit! It’s free to join, with over 50 speakers showcasing their real-world uses of AI in their work. → Free RSVP here.

🎟️ Q4 With NO Meltdowns? The free CoCreator Summit with 24-hour access. I’m talking about Group Programs vs Memberships and there will be live panels so you can ask your questions. → Claim your spot.

COMMUNITY SHOWCASE:

🎙 Set Status: Online. Jomiro just dropped a pilot and he’s building the format in public—first ep is live. Leave one question you want answered next; he’s pulling from comments. → Take a listen and cheer him on.

🛠 Need an Automation Built? Venessa will automate a critical business process for free (apply to be picked). Pitch the one stealing the most hours; worst case you clarify it, best case you win back a week. No-brainer right? → Apply here.

🧩 Content Motion, Not Chaos. Marisa shows a simple capture → draft → ship process you can run weekly—no more “random acts of content.” Steal the loop and ship one piece this week. Order restored → read here.

🧭 Can You Trust Your Gut? Overthinking stalls. Lee’s post nudges us to: pick a path, walk a block, course-correct later. → Learn to trust your gut

📊 Turn Data Into Posts. Start with your own numbers—one stat → three slides (what it is, why it matters, what you’ll do next). Credibility beats hot takes, so → learn to share receipts > vibes.

Always build community, never alone!

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