“If I Had More Resources…”

…you would have fewer excuses.

Blaming a lack of engagement on a lack of resources is great, no-one can ever prove you wrong. But that doesn’t mean you’re right.

There are thousands of thriving communities founded by passionate amateurs today who had far fewer resources than you.

The problem is rarely a lack of resources, but often a lack of ingenuity and permission.

Ingenuity matters a lot. If you don’t have the right community concept, can’t find clever ways to keep members engaged, or foster a desire in members to invite others, you’re going to struggle. None of these things are resource-intensive.

Often the problem isn’t a lack of resources but a lack of permission. Permission to do things that need to be done has a far bigger impact on participation than money. If you don’t have permission to promote your community to your customer base, integrate it with the product/service experience, or use the right platform, that can be a killer. And permission is about credibility.

Demonstrate what you can do with what you have. Then ask for more. Asking people to put more resources into a struggling project is never a winner. If you can’t drive a good level of engagement with limited resources, you’re not going to do much better with more resources.

You need to drive plenty of engagement before getting more resources. Companies want to back winners, not losers.

Remember also the kill zone is real. The bigger your community budget, the bigger target it becomes during hard times.