How To Build Community w/Tom Ross

What are the business fundamentals to building an online community? How do you choose the right platform to grow in? How do you even begin growing your community?
In this livestream we have Tom Ross, founder and CEO of Design Cuts, sharing how he built his online community. He'll explain what the difference is between audience and community, how to nurture your members to create true fans, and share a case-study in how The Futur have built such an amazing community.
Tom is the founder and CEO at Design Cuts, a community of over 750,000 creatives. In his spare time, he mentors fellow entrepreneurs and creatives on how to build engaged online communities.
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Tom's website: tomross.co/
/ tomrossmedia
/ tomrossmedia
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8:00 - The difference between audience and community
10:00 - Pros and cons of an audience
12:00 - Pros and cons of a community
17:00 - How do you build your communities
29:00 - what kind of audience you should get
42:00 - What’s a way to keep in touch with your community
45:00 - how to scale community
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Host: Chris Do
Producer: Mark Contreras
Cinematographers/Editors: Stewart Schuster, Ricky Lucas, Jona Garcia
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[@TomRossMedia]

Thanks so much to Chris and the team for such a fun live session! I had a blast and appreciate everyone for showing up 😊.

[@thefutur]

Thank you for your generosity.

[@mikebutkus]

Thanks for sharing!

[@TomRossMedia]

@@mikebutkus Your'e so welcome Mike!

[@renecleveland4674]

Tom, we are adding a community to our small business, which is in itself a sort of grassroots movement for local food. I strongly believe that a community is going to support our people but also help be a draw for the business. My partner and I have been going back and forth of pricing for the membership. We do need some income from the community so that it pays for the time and resources of it, but we are worried it will be off-putting to some. My stance is that we are delivering an experience for belonging and value through networking and learning. I know it had to be a high-value, remarkable product no matter what we charge, whether that's $0 or $10/month. Is there some advice you can provide that might help us land on an approach for the pricing? We are a sort of buyers club, so one thought I had is to price the membership to the club a little higher and then list the community as a benefit.

[@manilabroker2672]

I've just started a community of visual artists last night on Zoom. 22 attended. Didn't know what to say. Just be(ed) myself, My quirks, My korney jokes I was groping in the dark as to how to manage a community. This is gold! Thanks much, Donut. Thanks, Tom; you're so geneROSS!

[@TomRossMedia]

Haha thank you Manila! Good luck with your community and hit me up if you have questions.

[@thefutur]

great start!

[@orbitforcreators]

Watching this two years later and it still holds so much value. Looking forward to exploring more of Tom's content!

[@SandraHippoLogic]

Hi Tom and Chris, Thank you for this video. I'm 55 minutes in and I really like the way you talk to each other. I learned already so much (taking notes here!) and also hearing lots of advice from someone else or in another way, shape or form or hearing things I forgot about helps so much. I'm building a community and now I'm really motivated again to cherish the members I have instead of keep looking for more, more, more and forgetting about the ones who already are in my community. Such a great reminder! I also send out printed and personalize Christmas cards over snailmail last year, and your personalize Christmas videos gave me the idea of doing that for their birthdays! Now I will be listening to the rest of your lovely conversation!

[@Honorou]

Just as the shaolin monks have their masters to teach their ways towards wisdom, I have Master Do, in a different part of the world, to teach me how to, hopefully, one day, become a master myself for the others. Thanks to both The Futur and DesignCuts teams and communities! You make the world a better place in so many ways!

[@thefutur]

Welcome to the Dojo

[@TomRossMedia]

Thank you Honorou, I hope you enjoyed the session. Truly appreciate the kind words.

[@Honorou]

@@thefutur It is my honor and a blessing to be here!

[@Honorou]

@@TomRossMedia Yes, I did enjoy it and I will come back to it many times to make sure I do not forget your lessons!

[@ahairwebyonamonica3250]

This is so wholesome! Been struggling to run a community for the past year only to find a well of knowledge that is helping me even before the session is done! Just asked a few questions from the community and they are engaging already.

[@Joinotm]

What type of community are you building?

[@kevinthomas7772]

I recently stumbled upon the Futur and have slowly consumed a lot of the content on youtube (and I've also started listening to the podcast as well). A lot of great insight in this video. Heck, it even inspired me to actually write a comment and ENGAGE, as opposed to just listen. It's incredibly valuable. I'm in a totally different field, (I'm a tutor. I used to say "freelance tutor", but I've listened to quite a bit of your material and had to change my mindset to become a business owner), and I still learn a lot! Thank you Chris (and your whole team at the Futur), for taking the time to put out quality content. Looking forward to more!

[@thefutur]

Thank you Kevin. and thanks for leaving a note for us.

[@TomRossMedia]

I'm so glad Kevin, thank you for watching. I believe we can all adopt more of a people-first mindset.

[@grydient3936]

Thank you so much Chris + Tom, can't believe this is free content online!!! I learned so much and need to watch it 100x to put this into effect and build a community.

[@MulkRaj101]

My thoughts exactly. I have bit of foundational work to do.

[@grydient3936]

@@MulkRaj101 Yep we will get there!

[@TomRossMedia]

Thanks, that means the world!

[@TomRossMedia]

@@MulkRaj101 The foundational work is the most important, good luck, and hit me up with any questions :)

[@thefutur]

there's a lot of meat on the bones in this one. Tom did a great job!

[@premiumturkish]

37:00 I can confirm Chris responds. :D Last year I asked for an advice after sending him my design. He said go bold. I said I’m going bald instead and he went Join the club :D:D

[@premiumturkish]

After going bold I posted consistently for 120 days and went from 5K to 80K on IG.

[@thefutur]

I’m here for ya.

[@wilsoncoronado8569]

“Online community is the future” no doubt about that. I enjoyed the conversation 🔥🔥👏🏾👏🏾

[@MarketingHarry]

Loved this conversation. Community building is crucial for the future of your brand. It's the secret sauce that helps your business grow sustainably!

[@TomRossMedia]

Cheers Harry! I couldn't agree more.

[@vbyrntliving]

I really love this message and it really shed some light for me on the things that I had been thinking about. Thank you so much, I'm glad I found your channel.

[@thefutur]

if you don't mind sharing what were some of those things?

[@hiphopkhoj2054]

Thank you so you Tom Ross and Dear Chirs Do

[@TomRossMedia]

Thank you! Hope you enjoyed it.

[@onuohaudeagha1255]

Glad to be one of the first persons to comment on a new Chris Do video, for a change. I've always been either late for the show or shown to an old video. To me this is an honour. Hi Chris 👋.

[@thefutur]

Good timing is the secret to life.

[@onuohaudeagha1255]

@@thefutur Yes, I agree! And thank you.

[@TomRossMedia]

Hey Onuoha! Hope you enjoyed the content.

[@onuohaudeagha1255]

@@TomRossMedia ABSOLUTELY, I did! Thanks, Ross.

[@janellebrown5792]

The Tomboys/girls/cats, The Tom Toms, The Tom-orrow, The Tomfoolery, You Got Tommed... That Tommunity was an awesome suggestion too.

[@MulkRaj101]

Toomfoolery! Love it

[@TomRossMedia]

I'm surveying my audience again as I really wanna find a term they love/identify with. Thanks Janelle! :)

[@thefutur]

some good options. Remember, if Tom uses any of these, he'll gift you 6 coaching sessions from me (6 x $1500). good luck. ;)

[@janellebrown5792]

@@TomRossMedia You're welcome 😊

[@MatthewCicanese]

I can't wait to watch this morning! I'm taking notes... What a wonderful way to start my day, after finally getting my first complete course + sales funnel live after weeks! Thank you so much, Chris & Tom.

[@tomross5307]

Thank you Matthew! I'm so glad this helped you.

[@TheBrunoHJ]

This is truly pure gold. Thanks for sharing this valuable content.

[@jefinjoseph365]

I'm starting as a Community Building and Management intern tomorrow. And, to be honest, I had very little idea of what to do. Thank you, Tim and Chris, for putting this together!

[@JUSTCreative]

You've inspired me to get our community off the ground! I bought a Circle membership back in November 2020 but never got around to launching. Thanks Tom and Chris for the nudge.

[@TomRossMedia]

So excited to hear that mate! Can’t wait to hear more about your upcoming community

[@ThisDesignLife]

How's it going?

[@JUSTCreative]

@@ThisDesignLife The honeymoon period is over but the core group are actively engaged and even hosting their own events which is awesome to see. Marketing (getting new members) & churn is the challenge.

[@MauriceDeFi]

That's such an important input. We will use it for building our community. Thanks a lot. We ❤️ you guys. 💎

[@eddiejaoude]

This is golden! Thank you both for sharing!

[@TomRossMedia]

Thank you Eddie, appreciate that

[@Cybergirl]

Now I just have to figure it out how to do this all while being introvert, hahaha! :3 Amazing! Thank you for the amazing content as always! ♥

[@bucampus]

Is Chris high? :))) his responses to Tom's questions are so dope. I wish I was that relaxed and happy all the time :)

[@anthonynwaneri7991]

This was freaking awesome. So much value. Thanks a ton. The video was recommended at a perfect time.

[@tomross5307]

I'm so glad to hear you enjoyed it Anthony. Thank you and I hope it helped you.

[@Wokeafricantvs]

How can anyone not like Chris, He is sharp young man. Thank God I'm Taken. Now if I wasn't....

[@thefutur]

Haha 😂. I’m a young 52.

[@aikoyonamine]

I love Karate Kid and the Miyagi Do reference! It's been a while since I've watched your videos, Chris! I've been through a lot, and I am still here! Cheers and light, Aiko

[@thefutur]

Hope you’re doing okay.

[@taylorkaplan2614]

I know Im late to the conversation, but Im using the community building tactic to compete in one of the most regulated industries. Its crazy.

[@myislandjamaica]

This is awesome, thanks. Can you deep dive into the WAIT LIST at bout 35:00

[@GuelmyNeris]

I grateful to you both @tomrossmedia @thechrisdo for sharing your experiences and guiding us. 🙏🏼

[@ThisDesignLife]

Finally had chance to listen to this all the way through. This was an excellent episode and has given me a ton of ideas

[@iamthekaverik]

This was perspective shifting; thank you ✨ If there's one actionable take-away I will apply from this video .. it's to *actively shower appreciation*, just for the sake of sharing love I'll start here: Thank you for ✨ giving time to read my comment; ✨ it makes the time I spent writing it, even more valuable.

[@DavidGoods]

Great live stream to listen to while I edit, thanks Tom :)

[@TomRossMedia]

Thanks David, glad you enjoyed it mate.

[@pawelpietraszek7680]

So glad I stumbled upon this channel. Great video and thanks so much for sharing!

[@thefutur]

Welcome to the Futur

[@TheMagicSauce]

So when Chris goes a bit too far, do you call those OverDo’s?

[@monetvangoghempire5284]

Thank you so much you have no idea how much this has helped me 🙂

[@manilabroker2672]

Tom, call your loyalists: The GeneRossCity

[@TomRossMedia]

Haha I like it! Thanks Manila :)

[@jasonwitt8161]

@@TomRossMedia how about The Rosstafarians!

[@moonkey5080]

great video thank you for sharing!

[@emmanuellerurek4214]

This has been really helpful, thank you for packing so much quality into this video !

[@themutupoguy]

Thank you so much, Tom and Chris. This is definitely gonna help my community.

[@thefutur]

Glad to hear it!

[@Termopanistul.78]

Greetings from Romania, what you are doing is great!💪

[@fluid1614]

One day I will pay you for all this free valuable information. Thank you Chris and team

[@thefutur]

Thank you 🙏

[@tomross5307]

Glad you enjoyed this session. The Futur are awesome and I was honoured to be invited on the show.

[@DimiHard]

When should you start to build a community on Circle? I'm currently on a bit above 200 subs, so I'm not big by any means, but is it too early to open up a Circle community?

[@divyanshsh]

thanks, this was awesome

[@Angelblive]

There is a lot of amazing info in this video! Thank you!

[@tomross5307]

Thank you Angel, so glad it helped you.

[@BenCaesar]

Being in web 3 I've had to really understand community. Great points here 👏🏾

[@thefutur]

Glad it was helpful!

[@JaneMcCanceCommunity]

First ever comment on your videos. I’ve watched a few before but this was brilliant. Really insightful and generous. Just what I needed and got so much value. Thank you both ❤

[@madisonribordy9609]

I love this topic! Would love to see more of this!

[@tomross5307]

Thank you Madison. I'm sharing free content all the time around community if that helps.

[@jenna-ek6vw]

i love this channel i learned a lot of stuffs from you guys thank you

[@BSPoK]

Great content! Thank you so much

[@MitchellRTucker]

This was soo awesome! Very valuable, thank you!

[@intracerebrally]

Love it!

[@martinshuudeni5247]

THis was such an amazing connection

[@TomRossMedia]

Thanks Martin, Chris and his team are the best!

[@rxart8043]

Excellent content guys. Both of your speaking styles and interaction immediately captured my attention.

[@thefutur]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@tomross5307]

Thank you so much, truly appreciate that.

[@nadinestoltz3133]

Thanks for sharing guys. This was awesome. Loved it.

[@tomross5307]

Many thanks Nadine!

[@yoursocially]

This wa sso wholesome and beautiful to watch.. best thing i have ever watched. :)

[@thefutur]

Thank you so much

[@AnnMoses]

Thank you Tom

[@tomross5307]

You're welcome Ann! :)

[@martynagozdziuk8372]

You should photograph the Mini Chris lego man and give him some Chris quotes to give us wisdom every day ❤️‍🔥

[@CryptoGrit]

Loved the podcast, Tom is amazing guy :) and the gifts that you got are telling how much people appreciate you ^^ awesome episode

[@ngothingocmy7015]

great talk

[@jzlz2806]

I thought I should build a community with my neighbours. What do I think? 💗

[@msdollana]

Great content as always!

[@Benefitsofdating]

True

[@divyanshusahu2211]

Hey Chris do a thing on How to become Community manager

[@MichaelWilliams-lo3ix]

Awesome

[@gustavbrinkel5489]

community is good

[@tomross5307]

Community is incredible :)

[@hiphopkhoj2054]

how can I know the live Session is happening in advance so I don't miss it ?? Plz help me I don't want to miss

[@ingridayarza]

You can turn on the notifications for the channel and when you see they've programmed a livestream you can set the reminder in KZbin.

[@thefutur]

this is the way- Mandalorian.

[@divyanshusahu2211]

Read TRIBES - Seth Godin

[@rupalakar1891]

christ your face like talking to me " hmmm hem ehem... ok , no no no it's fine, it's fine, keep going" 😅 i'm sorry but i can't hold this feel for long time.. 🤣🤣🤣

[@thefutur]

Wait , what?

[@rupalakar1891]

@@thefutur 😅 i'm sorryy.. but it's my feel when i watching your face like that.. OMG 😆😆😆

[@jzlz2806]

Do you make community with your neighbours also?

[@paulsalele3844]

Great content!!

[@TomRossMedia]

Thanks Paul!

[@olaidealabi787]

Please.. I do not have an audience on KZbin or instagram or tiktok and all these other platforms, so how can I just start a community without an audience or even a Brand.. Is that going to be possible or I need to have a brand and an Audience on social media first.

[@thefutur]

You start. You win over one person at a time.

[@tomross5307]

The best time to start an audience is 10 years ago. The second best time is today :). Also, realise that many communities were simply started by someone pulling together like-minded people in their network, who share a common interest. If you know 10-20 people, you can be the organised one who sets up a platform for them to come together and share ideas.

[@olaidealabi787]

@@tomross5307 thank you very much

[@pick6trading]

Yo, is no one gonna comment on the obvious EQ dynamics here... holy hell man. AWK the entire time. Shout out to Chris for bein' authentic, professional and Smoooooth -- not feelin' the Cartoon character Tom vibes.

[@pick6trading]

case & point 50:55

[@TomRossMedia]

I’m sad to hear you didn’t enjoy my presentation, I hope you got some value around community, even if you didn’t resonate with my speaking style. I’d like to make this a helpful exchange for others who may stumble across it. Public speaking has always been a huge fear for me, and I’m proud to have come a huge way. In the time stamp you cited, I believe Chris and I were simply discussing sharing vulnerabilities, which I believe is super important. I would always rather be the version of myself that seizes opportunities to challenge myself, despite 1-2 critical comments, versus the version of myself who avoids things outside my comfort zone. Progress over perfection. It’s also a zero ego game, so I take your feedback constructively. I’ll continue to work on my delivery style and becoming increasingly natural. Thanks for your honesty 🙏.

[@TomRossMedia]

I also balance feedback so Chris complimenting my speaking skills and multi tasking at 54.45 meant a lot 😊

[@pick6trading]

@@TomRossMedia a little hasty on my part. Just a first impression of your delivery. Content is very much appreciated.

[@TomRossMedia]

@@pick6trading Appreciate the open discourse :). Thanks for the kind words.

[@DJSTOEK]

🖤

[@Jzguan]

AWESOME

[@tomross5307]

Thank you Jaz!

[@Jzguan]

@@tomross5307 TQ

[@johnmandago3180]

Please name the font u used in your thumbnail

[@juancamiloosman]

Incredibly valuable content. Beyond boring presentation.

[@thefutur]

You saying it’s boring?

[@TomRossMedia]

I’m complimented and hurt simultaneously haha. Always working to improve, what exactly was boring to you? 😊

[@anacarolinalins]

Does anyone know if Tom's community on circle is still active? I just found some old content on his pages. I would like very much to see a new podcast about the tendencies for commununities on 2023. If anyone has some tips, please share! Tk u!

[@michaelstancato6057]

The audio is now out of sync. What happened?

[@thefutur]

If should be fine now.

[@_kuya.e]

Go where gamers go.. twitch and discord

[@_kuya.e]

space for people to meet and connect, community to learn, Belonging - the strongest - be part of the tribe - entertainment, its fun, make friends

[@_kuya.e]

Asnwer - why join - why stay

[@_kuya.e]

Growing - one to one conversations at scale

[@_kuya.e]

I need to go to them... who is my ideal communiry member?

[@maryladybird9977]

RossPivots

[@TomRossMedia]

Haha yes!

[@lagartink]

Thank you so much for sharing this helpful video! Your insights have been truly valuable in my journey

[@daviddutymentor]

I just watched your interview with Tom Ross. Great stuff, thank you. You said that you would reply to anyone who has a question and I have one. I have a website in Wix that I did and granted it's not real good. I have my courses for sale there but no buyers to speak of in almost two years. I also have a Mighty Networks community with almost 300 members. nuy only 3 or 4 are active. I'm going to take your suggestion and send a personal chat to every member. My question(s) are would it be best to move my courses to Mighty Networks and take down my website since I'm paying about $500 a year for it and getting no traffic. My Mighty Networks site is Public (free) so should I make it a paid site? My email list is down to about 900 people from about 3,000 over the last 29 years. Most of the emails have gone bad. When I do set out and email I get less than 5% open rate. How can I improve this? Thanks in advance for replying to these questions.

[@manilabroker2672]

Tom, call your loyalists: The GeneRossCity