 I'm excited to be here with Tyson Sharp. And we're gonna be talking about using a Facebook group effectively to actually grow a free community that can then turn into clients. Anyway, before I go on, there's gonna be a lot of great stuff shared in this episode, but I wanted to just, first of all, say hi to you Tyson, thank you for being here. Thanks for inviting me. Yeah. I'm happy to see what comes about. Totally. Yeah, so let me share your official bio, I guess, with the folks first, and then we'll get into this conversation. So Tyson's the creator of the online community called the Serving Circle, which is what we're gonna talk about today. It's a tribe of spiritual entrepreneurs who find creative and heartfelt ways to collaborate and to grow together. And Tyson, you've been doing, you've been serving spiritual entrepreneurs since 2016. Coaches and healers as well. You've had, you're helping them create more reach and impact and income by integrating both their spirituality as well as profitable business strategies. And you have a podcast yourself, Tyson, which I recommend folks check out. It's called Awaken Your Business. And it's about elevating the consciousness of the planet through spiritual business success. Great, great. So, Tyson, for a long time, I have talked people away from creating free Facebook groups. So let me put it out there right now. And I just, all the time people are always saying, oh, I've heard a great strategy on Facebook is to make a Facebook group free and then invite a bunch of people so that you can sell to them or at least have a presence in their newsfeed. And I keep talking to people away from that because I'm like, oh, it's so much work and it usually doesn't work and why don't you run Facebook ads instead until I met you and saw what you're doing in the serving circle. And I thought that it was a much better model than I've seen elsewhere. So that's why I am now revising my recommendations to people saying don't create a free Facebook group unless you're gonna do it something like what Tyson Stark was doing over at the serving circle. So Tyson, tell us, why do you think that the serving circle was different than a lot of free Facebook groups? Well, I think exactly what you're talking about is the intent behind it is more than strategy. So the intent is more than just, hey, let's build the Facebook group as a means to an end, right? As, hey, build a Facebook group so you can invite people so they can be aware of your contents then therefore you have warm leads to sell your paid programs. I saw it as, I see it as very different, my intent's very different, it didn't used to be but that's why I think there's so much more, there's so much more behind a certain strategy if it's going to succeed or not. We all know Facebook groups that are dead. We all know podcasts that aren't doing well. We all know YouTube channels that aren't getting any views but we also know all of those that are doing well and sometimes it can come down to someone using the right strategy. I find when it comes to people who are on their personal journey, on their spiritual journey, the intention is so important. So I don't, I never see it as a, hey, let's just build this free Facebook group as a strategy because that's part of my funnel, it's part of my lead generation, it's part of my value ladder. I never really see it as that. I always wake up and I'm blessed to have in my community heartfelt like-minded people who I have the privilege of serving and I think to give you an indication of why that is, I ask everyone, okay, what's the highest, what's the value that you get out of the serving set because it's growing immensely and I have hundreds of people joining each month. There's more than 2,000 members now and I will put the link of course in the episode notes below so folks can check it out themselves. Yeah. Well, one of the, I always ask for feedback for people who are joining the collaborative calls and enjoying the content, meeting one another, they always say it's the energy. The 90, I shouldn't say always, 90%, 95% of the time, people say it's the energy, it's the energy of the group, it's the energy of the content and the teachings and so that's why I feel it goes well beyond the strategy itself and when they can feel that energy, they can feel the intent, that's when they start getting the real value and they can start and a lot of it grows because they invite their friends and it grows organically and it grows naturally and it's just an absolute pleasure for me to be able to have people welcome their friends into this family and it's my intent and my pleasure to just have them thank that person for welcoming them. So that's really my intent, I think that's what's different. Yeah, so awesome. So tell us a few things. So there's a lot that happens in the serving circle. Tell us like, I don't know if you could pick out three things that you most find impactful for the members. I know there are certain events, there are certain like rhythms every week that you allow people to promote themselves during a 24-hour period or there are certain activities, I guess you might say. What are three of the most impactful activities that members have most appreciated? Yeah, I mean there's, I'm always asking myself the question of how do I add more value? So always giving and getting feedback by what people are struggling with and obviously the core marketing questions, right? So what they're struggling with, what they really wanna achieve and it's up to me to be creative, resourceful, fun, playful about how to add value in that manner. So what I found was I started doing things like collaborative calls. So we jump on each week and members can jump on Zoom and they can share what they're all about but they can also share who people can connect them with and how it can help most. Do they look into jump on podcasts? Do they look into do service exchanges? Are they looking to do collaborations for audience sharing? Like whatever it may be there's, and people are getting so much value from that. We'll have 30, 40, sometimes 50, lately we've been 50 people join each week and just loving the energy of meeting other spiritual entrepreneurs and being in the space of selfless service. So people are getting a lot of value from that. I also provide a free, it's a complimentary program I call Spirit in Business and in that it's basically a module that they get where they learn how to create all the inner shifts necessary to create a consistent flow of clients and it's a complete course in and of itself. There's no real upsell or marketing in there. All I ask is that if you do create this massive shift and change that you introduce the program to someone who may also enjoy similar benefit. And also we also have plenty of ways in which people can connect with one another and all that and one of the ways is through the directory. It's quite new that I created a directory where people can look up everyone else in the serving circle, see who aligns and have their contact information to reach out and build those collaborations. So those are the three things that most people are excited about they're getting the most benefit from and what I'm hoping will expand. Yeah, this is awesome. So I wanna talk a bit more about the weekly collaboration. It's weekly, right? Is that right? Yes. Yeah, so the weekly collaboration call that you do for members of the serving circle. And again, I just wanna mention at this time the serving circle is free to join. I always say at this time there's more in the future. But if you're listening to this chances are the serving circle is free to join. And Tyson, you personally, right? Host a collaboration call every week. And I've seen clips of it in the serving circle where it's on Zoom and the energy is really nice. People come together or they introduce but basically it's like how can I help and what kind of help do I need kind of thing, right? And you even clip out certain aspects of the recording later to kind of highlight within the serving circle Facebook group which is really nice thing for you to do. But tell us, well, maybe you could share with us like what's the format of that call and why do you think it works well or what aspects of it do you think it works well? Yeah, the format is always chopping and changing. I'm always- Okay, sure. Maybe share with us. What did you do before that you've decided to change? Yeah, I mean, there's been a few iterations in the last couple of years. Because it used to be we jump on as 12 people and so we all get to go around, we all get to share and we all get to have some in-depth conversations. I think a few weeks ago there was 54 people on and it was, okay, you need to change a little few things then. So, you know, when I really wanna make sure that people have different avenues so that if they jump on the collaborative call and they jump on to be a speaker, and they get a couple of minutes to share, I really wanna make sure that they share everything that's most effective for them in that time. So I really wanna them to share their business, share with the community who they are and what they do, of course, but there are ways in which people can help. So how they're looking to collaborate. And even if they just share that very quickly, they can also use the chat in the Zoom to then post all their links so people can schedule calls with them. You know, they can share links to their Facebook groups, podcasts, they sort of things, but then also they can post in the serving circle community within that 24 hour period so that people who aren't on the Zoom call can be introduced to them and what they do. And I'm more than happy to share that, to share the reach of the community. You know, I really see it as our community. So it's really just a matter of what the person can benefit from most and then giving them that space. Now, obviously there are challenges as the community grows and as those calls grow, that- You mean Zoom breakout rooms, you know, that's why I'm not sure. We have been doing that. We have been trying Zoom breakout rooms. I found last year that we tried it and for whatever reason, a lot of people loved it and a lot of people didn't. So it's kind of, I was, I tested and tweaked. Community experimentation, yeah. Yeah, exactly. So, but we went from about 50 people joining to then about 20 people joining. I was like, okay, the people who were, you know, as I started doing those breakout rooms, it sort of seems people are less interested and maybe they are more interested in a larger group just to enjoy the environment and things like that. So now we're doing separate calls and we're doing other things in ways which can people can interact, you know, more in depth with one another. So we're definitely testing and tweaking and seeing what can happen and how to still maintain that intimacy. While also listening to the feedback and seeing what people, you know, what people are wanting most through the attendance numbers. It's just a fun experiment for me, I find. Well, let's talk a bit about how you grew this thing because going from, you know, I mean, serving circle has been around, how long approximately? Well, it's been, I've sort of always had a Facebook group for the last six years. It's been in the last three years that I rebranded it, reshifted it and there's a short story behind that but it's, yeah, to answer your question, it's been three years or so. Yeah. And to, you know, now you have 2,000, more than 2,000 members. It's one of the most active, you know, Facebook groups I've seen. You bring a lot of love into it. And so how did you grow it? Like, or maybe I'll put it this way. If someone were to say, I would like to also grow a community of, let's say somebody is, you know, there are some kind of healer and they want to connect. Well, actually I have a specific situation. Let's see somebody who serves, somebody who is in the leadership space and they want to grow a community of others who are doing leadership type stuff so that, you know, people can collaborate, create together, learn from each other, et cetera, whichever I mean, whether it's the healer space or the leadership space, how would someone go about starting to do that? What would be your tips on that? Yeah, cool. Well, there are practical tips. There are some strategies. And there are also some things to go beyond that. I think from engaging with my community, I'm so lucky that they're engaging. You know, we get thousands of engagements per month. I wouldn't call that luck because I feel like you really do put a lot of heart and smarts in there too. So you're doing something right. That's why. That's why that's what we're tapping into here. From interviewing and asking a lot of people, I know now, more than ever, that people can feel your energy. And so I believe if you're looking to build a community, build a group and have it be successful, your energy is what matters most. And to long story short, the reason why I shifted things to the serving circle was my business around three years ago was falling apart basically. So my clients were drying up, my income was drying up and things were just, things were falling apart for me. And I realized how attached I was to outcomes, to circumstances, to money. I needed to make income to feel safe. I needed to feel successful and be perceived as successful to feel enough and loved. All these core wounds that we have. And it was really where I started to sit down in a chair and just do a silent meditation. And instead of building my business or Facebook group from a place of scarcity, a place of fear, a place of I need this to be successful for me to feel a certain way. I started to hold space for that fear. I started to hold space for that side of me that was scared. And to my surprise, as I held space for it, it started dissipating, it started leaving. And I realized all emotions are coming up because they're coming out. They're coming up because they're wanting to be seen, they're ready to be healed. And it's up to us to do that work. Now I sat in this chair for six hours in one day and just decided to feel fully and hold space for all of the fears, the uncertainties, the doubts, the concerns of business. And it was through that meditation that I just had tears coming down my face with all of the pain and wounds. And I had an insight that said, hey, if you build a community and you fall in love with the art of serving, everything else take care of itself. Everything in terms of the income, the collaborations, the clients, the impact, it'll all happen to you in perfect timing even if your mind doesn't agree. I'm like, cool, I'm gonna follow that. So I free branded it to the serving circle and started to pour that intent into the community. And that's when it really started growing, expanding. It was, I think it was roughly 800 members at that time, but the amount of growth that I've seen and the amount of engagement has really been from that intent. So that's really why I'd encourage people to start is really see why are you starting a community? Is it because you need to achieve something to feel safe and loved and enough? Or are you trying to avoid feeling like a failure? Are you attached to anything in particular? Or is it your heart flowing through? Is it really your heart? Is it your passion? Is this this inner guidance that's flowing through you that says, hey, I can't not share this. I can't not share my heart and my guidance. And if that's poured into your community and into your Facebook group, people will feel that. And that's really where they'll feel safe and they'll get the value that's needed. Yeah, it's beautiful, really, really lovely. And one of the, I guess, when asked, we've talked about the importance of intent in growing the community. And then on the other side of it, the kind of the other side of the balance is how do you maintain a kind of personal sustainability? Like what is your strategy for, because easily if you pour your heart out for this community and especially now, even if it's 800 people or 80 people or even eight people, whatever, now 2,000 people, it's like there's a potential to get lost there in terms of like all your time could go into this free project, which is a labor of love, for sure. And yet you also have a business that requires your attention and your time. And so in other words, my question to you is, what are your tips in terms of keeping good boundaries and also managing your time as you pour your heart out into this community? Because I can imagine, and maybe you're sure you have story stuff, I can imagine that there may be some members who come in saying, oh, wonderful, Tyson is so generous. So I'm gonna message him to request this and to ask for introductions to these people. But I wonder, you must have learned a lot about keeping good management of a community. Totally, I recognize that what the community needs most is for me to be in my highest. And so no matter what happens in my day, ever since I started that meditation I was describing, I decided to start meditating two hours a day and just that sitting in silence, being with whatever emerges within myself. And so I decided to do that and it's been three years since I've been meditating roughly two hours a day, just sitting in silence, healing when it needs to be healed, tapping to whom what I really am. And I've prioritized that. And so I now know that what my business, what my community, what they need most is for me to be in my highest. And so it has, growing a community and there's a lot of people in there, there's a lot of personal messages that go around. I really always need to tap into myself and say, okay, what's in my expansion? As I'm elevating, as I'm heightening my vibration, my consciousness, what feels in my expansion? And that really allows me to dedicate some time, some energy and effort towards the things that feel exciting, that feel expansive, that feel energizing, that feel aligned for me. Sometimes it feels scary, right? It's sometimes in my alignment to run a program or an offer or some sort of project that feels scary for me, but also very expansive. And so doing those as well. And I find the boundaries come naturally when you place that high priority. It's really when you're confused and you're saying, oh, I'm not too sure what's in my highest. That's really where you're like, oh, should I reply to this person? Should I not? Should I spend more time in this Facebook group? Or should I put out more offers or whatever? But the more you tap into yourself, the more you can start to feel what's in your expansion and follow that guidance. Yeah, that's a good point. Yeah, that for the community to stay healthy, you as the leader need to stay healthy as well. And so as you see this thing growing, what do you see as the future of it? Like, or maybe you're keeping it open to what could be, but any, yeah, what's possible? What are you kind of working towards? I'm definitely keeping it open. I'm definitely keeping it open because I've got no clue where it's gonna go. I've got no clue what's gonna happen. So I'm not attached to anything in particular, but one of the ways in which I am looking forward to expanding is definitely having more leaders in the community, which we're doing now. So more leaders are coming into as help with adding value and with obviously helping with the running of events and all those different things. So that's a big piece. Another big piece is giving back. So it's, I'm a partner with a company called B1G1, which is buy one, give one, and they allow, they're an incredible organization. They allow companies and businesses to be able to give back to really worthy causes around the world as a way of just doing business. So anytime something happens in your business, something great happens around the world. And that's one thing that I've been implementing here and there with the serving circle, but really elevating that in the projects we do and in the intention that we have. So I'm really looking forward to expanding that and seeing like every time something happens inside the serving circle, something amazing happens around the world. And whether that's for health benefits, education benefits, for helping families have more shelter and food in need or whatever it may be, there's ways in which we can give back. And I think that really serves the intent and serves the energy of the group to realize that this is more than business. We're here, because we're not here to succeed. We're here to really live a purposeful life and we're here to really give. And I think that's, I think providing that energy and the opportunity for people to give back and tap into what really matters most. Yeah, I think it'll help them elevate their business as a byproduct of that. So I'm excited to do that as well. Yeah, any other tips you'd like to share? Any other encouragement tips, strategy for those who are wishing to also grow a community of their own? Yeah, I mean, I guess we could talk about some more practical tips as well. I mean, when it comes to building a community and you've checked your energy, you've seen where you're attached to things, you've seen where you may be placing judgments on things and once you're doing all the inner work, really ask yourself, what can you do that's different? What can you do that stands out? What can you do that sets you apart from other people? And one of the biggest areas of guidance that I've had from my mentors and coaches is, if you want people to follow you, be followable. It's a lot of people putting out okay content or even good content and realizing, why don't I have a million people following me? And what you really have to ask yourself is, look from your audience's perspective and say, okay, what is it that would make them want to follow, make them want to engage with this community, with this group, with this content, what would make them want to and be proud that they're doing that? And if you can evolve yourself and your group to that standard, then naturally, people will gravitate towards it. So think about what you can do that's different. Think about how you can stand out and how you can serve the needs of others in ways that no one else is. And you'll find yourself starting to have more and more engagement, more and more success and you can allow that momentum to build. Yeah, sweet. Well, I think the best way to learn from you is to, sorry, my dog is excited about my wife coming home. So yeah, is to join the serving circle and kind of like participate and see what it feels like to be part of a community like this. So I'm excited for people to try it out and experience it. Who is the serving circle best for? Well, maybe we'll end on that point. Yeah, I mean, it's for obviously spiritual entrepreneurs, spiritual entrepreneurs who are looking to grow online, looking to grow using social media. And they can feel like I want to collaborate with my soul tribe, with people who are also on the spiritual journey and who do have podcasts and ways of service exchanges. I mean, we love to integrate business and spirituality. And so anyone who's looking to get on more podcasts, looking to do, you know, organize referrals, you know, referral partnerships and have service exchanges, these sort of things and just be creative with being of service. That's the number one energy we have on the collaborative calls each week is to really say, okay, you're here to grow your business as a byproduct. But the ways in which we do that is for you to tap into the energy of you being in selfless service. If you're in selfless service and you're just there with no expectation and no assumption as to what will happen next, but you're just there for each person, you provide a consciousness of unity, right? Unity consciousness and one that's more unconditionally loving. And I think that's the energy that we have in this community. So anyone who aligns with that message, no doubt we'll get a lot of benefit from the group. Awesome, great. Tyson, thank you for what you do. I know a lot of people, you know, we were introduced from somebody who was in the serving circle who said, you know, George got a sole brother here who also approaches business from a much more generous perspective. So thank you, thank you for the impact you are making among all the members and the people that are part of your community. So I look forward to hearing what people think as they join your group and, you know, benefit from it and add value there. So thank you so much. The link is, well, let me just make sure people can go to your website as well. So your website is simply tysoncoaching.com, T-Y-S-O-N-C-O-A-C-H-I-N-G, tysoncoaching.com. And even from there, people can probably find the link to the serving circle, I imagine. Yeah, you got it. Or even if just on Facebook, you just search in groups and search the serving circle. You'll find it, you'll be able to, as soon as you click to join, I'll accept and I'll reach out personally to give you all the information necessary and see how the group can help you most. So I'm forward to seeing who we can connect with. Awesome, sounds good. Thanks so much, Tyson. Thanks so much, George. Appreciate it, buddy.