Got forwarded this email? Subscribe here 👈

If Not You, Then It'll be the next guy (or gyal)
​read time 4 minutes

On Saturday evening I showed up to my own event just in time for the sunset.

I wasn't hosting the event because we've got hosts in place now, so I just rocked up, grabbed a drink, and enjoy the event as any other guest would.

It was one of those moments where you kind of step outside yourself and think, "How did I get here?"

Because I didn't plan any of this.

I never sat down and said, "Right, I'm going to build a community business in Spain." I just started making videos, started running events, and figured it out as I went. Most of it was by accident. All of it was messy.

I'm writing this on a Monday morning. I woke up at half nine. No alarm.

Rewind a couple of years and Monday mornings were a different story. Sunday scaries every single week. That knot in my stomach on a Sunday night thinking about the project I was behind on, or that meeting I was dreading.

I wasn't broke or in some awful situation. I just knew that I was spending all my energy building someone else's thing. And I didn't even know what my own thing would look like yet.

I just knew I wanted to own it.

Since I started, everything changed. Not overnight. But the difference is that now, everything I put in, I get back tenfold because it's mine.

Even the bad days hit different when you know it's all yours.

There's nothing special about me. I didn't have a big idea. I didn't have funding or a business plan or a clue, really.

I just started.

And that's the bit that gets people stuck. Not the strategy. Not the tech. Not the money. It's the starting. It's the "I'll do it tomorrow" that turns into next month, next year, never.

Here's what I've learned: no idea is so sacred that someone else won't think of it. Whatever you've been sitting on, someone somewhere is already building it. Not because they're smarter. They just started before you did.

It won't work out the way you picture it. Mine didn't. But by taking that first small step, you learn something. You either fail and adjust, or you succeed and build from there. Either way, you're moving.

So if not you, then who?

And if not now, then when?

Tom

P.S. I work with people on a one-on-one basis to help them build their personal brand, just like I have. If you'd like to apply to work one-on-one with me, reply directly to this email and introduce yourself. I read every reply personally.

If today's newsletter made you think, 'Hmmm, I want to start my own community', then that's exactly what Community Builders Bootcamp is for.

A 12-week cohort-based bootcamp where I'll help you go from idea to your first real event 👇

Join 22+ others already building their communities 🐦‍🔥

The Community Builders Podcast

As well as launching our first-ever Community Builders cohort at the start of this month, we've also launched the Community Builders podcast 🚀

Daniela Roiz, co-founder of Mussa, has transformed a simple idea into a thriving community of over 600 women in Madrid. Musa is a members-only social club that emphasises authentic experiences and genuine connections. In our conversation, we explore the journey from initial concept to a successful membership model, the importance of trust and authenticity, and the power of community in fostering personal growth and belonging.

​