The new Indie Business Community is now open. If you already know you are ready to request your invitation, you can join us by opening this page and typing in your name, email address and the word JOIN in the space provided. If you're not sure yet, this article will answer some of your questions so you can make a decision to join us.
Over the past several months, I have been working thoughtfully and intentionally behind the scenes to create something new for our members. Today, I’m pleased to share that we will soon open a new Indie Business Network community on a dedicated platform designed to better support your growth as an entrepreneur. This marks an important step forward in how we gather, learn, and build together. Our member Facebook group has played a meaningful role in connecting us together members over the years. While it will remain in place for now, it will become public and it will serve different purposes than the new Indie Business Community.
Why IBN We Are Transitioning From the Facebook Group
The digital landscape is constanty evolving. Platforms like Facebook (Meta) continue to make changes that, while beneficial for their business model, are not always aligned with the needs of our members who want to learn, grow and share in private as they cultivate deep and meaningful relationships and collaborations with other members. Increasingly, on platforms like Facebook groups, community leaders face challenges such as limited visibility due to lack of trust and privacy, algorithmic control, a constant stream of distractions, and fewer tools to create structured, intentional member experiences.
As a result, many business owners are rethinking where and how they build community. IBN is one of those businesses.
A Better Member Experience
The new Indie Business Network community is built with clarity, focus, and your ease of use in mind.
It will provide:
- A cleaner, distraction-free, truly private environment that allows for deeper learning, relationship-building, and engagement
- Centralized access to training materials, insurance resources, business news, tips, and events
- Organized spaces and dedicated sections to make it easy to find support, guidance, and connections
Rather than relying on fragmented tools and scattered conversations that depend on a platform we cannot control, our new space brings everything together in a way that is both intuitive and purposeful.
A Strategic Shift to Support Modern Entrepreneurship
This move is not simply about adopting new technology. It reflects IBN's broader strategic priorities.
I believe that small business owners must increasingly take ownership of their audience and their relationships by building communities they control. These should be spaces where brand leaders can connect directly with customers, facilitate meaningful interactions, and create long-term value beyond any and all public social media platforms. While these platforms have their place, they are severely limited when it comes to providing opportunities for the kind of personal interaction that supports creative maker and artisan businesses.
In the months ahead, you will see a deeper emphasis within the Indie Business Network on:
- Building and leading brand communities
- Strengthening customer relationships and boosting sales through connection and engagement
- Creating sustainable business ecosystems that support recurring revenue and long-term growth
Our new community will serve not only as a gathering place, but also as a working model of these principles in action.
Our New Community is Built on Circle
After careful consideration of several options, I have personally selected the Circle platform to host our new home.
Other platforms, including Mighty Networks, Heartbeat, Slack, Discord, Skool also offer strong options for community building. Circle, however, allows for the highest quality member experience for the Indie Business Network.
It's not perfect, but it is the best option we've seen for our valued members.
As part of this transition, I will be incorporating more teaching and coaching around how to evaluate and use these tools effectively within your own business. I'm very excited about that because I am persuaded that the future of every business depends on large part on the brand community that supports it.
Looking Ahead
The new Indie Business Network community is now open, and you can join us by opening this page and typing in your name, email address and the word JOIN in the space provided.
