Nothing about how this community feels is accidental. These are the eighteen guidelines every member agrees to on joining. We publish them in full, so you know exactly what you would be joining - and what would be asked of you.
Most communities have values on a wall. Ours are the terms of membership. They are enforced, and members who ignore them repeatedly are removed.
They protect one thing: the willingness of a founder to say the true, difficult thing in a room of their peers. Everything below follows from that.
We help each other succeed - through shared experience, open advice and honest feedback. Every member signs up to this on joining.
The journey gets easier the moment you are willing to ask for help, which is the part most founders find hardest. Asking for help here is a strength, not a weakness.
Those who give freely tend to find it comes back round.
You will meet founders who have built and sold companies, public figures, Olympians, the odd billionaire. None of it matters in the room.
Status is not what connects people here. The decision to build is - to take the uncertain road, and turn an idea into something real.
High ego usually masks fear: of not knowing enough, of asking, of being seen to struggle. Nobody has it all figured out. Every founder, however experienced, still faces the unknown. Low ego is what makes honesty possible.
If you are a builder, other builders will respect you. You belong here.
Teach before you pitch. Share what you know freely and the opportunities follow - they nearly always do.
Direct selling to members is not allowed, and the member directory is not a leads list. Treating it as one is the quickest way to get reported and removed.
There is a dedicated space for offers, events and promotions, which members opt into. Everywhere else stays focused on learning and genuine founder-to-founder support.
When a member reaches out, acknowledge them within a day, even if the answer is no, not now, or not interested. A short honest reply always beats silence.
None of us can say yes to everything. But taking a moment to respond is a mark of professionalism, and of respect for someone else's time.
More than 10,000 questions have already been asked and answered here, alongside a growing library of recorded trainings. There is a fair chance yours has come up, and been answered well.
Thirty seconds of searching usually returns a better answer than a fresh post, and it keeps the same conversations from going round twice.
When you share a link, ask for help, or open a discussion, give people enough background to understand where you are coming from and what they are clicking into.
Context turns a vague question into a useful conversation. A little effort up front saves everyone else a great deal.
This community runs on generosity. Generosity is not unlimited access.
As a rule of thumb, do not ask for more than an hour of anyone's unpaid help. Beyond that, think about how you give back - pay for their time, bring them on as an advisor, or find another way to reciprocate.
If you are the one giving, set boundaries early. Sustainable generosity lasts a great deal longer than the heroic kind.
This is a room of builders, not broadcasters. If you see a problem, bring context and a possible fix, the way you would in your own business.
Endless debate about politics, religion or the state of the world helps nobody and costs everybody. Nobody here needs another argument about whether climate change is real. Go and fix something instead.
Opinions are welcome when they are backed by logic, data or hard experience, and delivered with respect.
Unsubstantiated claims, personal attacks and heated argument help nobody, and in some countries they carry legal consequences. Debate is encouraged. It simply has to be grounded.
Occasionally a member runs into a bad actor outside the community, and a warning genuinely protects others. We would rather know.
But have evidence or firsthand experience before you post. A reckless accusation destroys a reputation, and in some countries it carries serious legal consequences.
If you are unsure, raise it with us privately first. Members have a confidential channel for exactly this, and reports are handled quietly and carefully.
Conversations here carry personal insight, sensitive numbers, and the things founders do not say in public. That only works if it is held.
No screenshots, no quotes, no passing on personal details without the explicit permission of the people involved. Confidentiality isn't a courtesy, it's a condition of membership - and breaking it will get you removed.
Different backgrounds, different experiences, different views. Every member should feel heard and respected regardless of where they have come from.
This has nothing to do with political correctness. It is the practical condition for a room where founders feel safe enough to say the difficult thing.
Humour keeps things human and it is welcome. Just remember that tone travels badly in writing: what lands in person can read very differently on a screen.
Read the room. In doubt, choose warmth over sarcasm.
Before posting, ask whether it teaches something, opens a real discussion, or gives someone something they can use. If not, it belongs in the off-topic space.
Substance, context and evidence over opinions. No soapboxes, no politics, no clickbait.
We do not have a noise problem today. This exists so that we never get one. Depth is what turns a network into a community.
Twice a year the events calendar stops - through July, and for a fortnight either side of Christmas. Introductions and conversations carry on; the programming pauses.
Attendance dips over the school holidays regardless. Founders turn to family, travel and rest, and that is how it should be. Building is a long game, and downtime is part of staying sharp for it.
Everyone comes back sharper. We have yet to see an exception.
We are all part of other networks, and collaboration across them is a good thing. Recruiting our members into other groups is not.
You would not walk into someone else's business to poach their team. The same principle applies here.
If you want to collaborate or co-host something, come and talk to us first. The answer is usually yes.
Everyone makes mistakes. Repeated disregard for these guidelines is a different matter, and it corrodes the thing we are all here for.
Persistent breaches earn two warnings. After that, removal is automatic.
For serious misconduct - harassment, discrimination, sexual misconduct, illegal activity, or fraudulent or deceptive behaviour toward another member - removal is immediate. There is no third chance, and member complaints are taken seriously.
The best members arrive through other members. If you believe in what this is, tell the founders who would make it better.
Every founder who belongs here makes the room more valuable for everyone already in it.
If that sounds like the room you have been looking for, apply.
Apply for membership