Introduction

In a world where "community building" has become a buzzword for marketing strategies, Kyle Van Deusen stands out as someone who built a thriving community of over 11,000 web designers and developers without initially planning to monetize it. On a recent episode of the Strategic Thinkers podcast, Kyle shared valuable insights about creating The Admin Bar, a Facebook group that has become a cornerstone resource for WordPress professionals.

Starting Without a Business Model

Unlike many community builders today, Kyle didn't launch with monetization in mind. "There was no idea that it was going to be any sort of business whatsoever," he explains. "The whole idea was just like, let's get more people together so we can learn and grow and do more than we could if we just sat out on our own."
This approach aligns with research showing that only about 25% of communities launch with a monetization strategy in place. The Admin Bar began simply as Kyle and a colleague sharing business practices, pricing strategies, and client management techniques. As they saw their businesses improve through this collaboration, they wondered: if two people sharing knowledge could benefit so much, what could happen with 10, 20, or eventually thousands?

The "Mosh Pit" Approach to Community

Kyle rejects the traditional community model where a leader stands on stage while members passively consume information. Instead, he describes The Admin Bar as "all of us kind of in a mosh pit together, sharing whatever we can and whatever helps. And you take what's useful to you and you kind of leave the rest alone."
This collaborative approach creates space for everyone to contribute, regardless of experience level. Kyle notes that some of his best insights have come from newcomers who bring fresh perspectives: "We can learn so much from everybody, not just the people who are way further ahead of us in the game than we are, but the people who just started out."

Quality Over Quantity

Despite building a community of thousands, Kyle maintains strict standards about who can join. Currently, only 40-45% of membership requests are approved. While this has slowed growth, it's preserved the community's supportive culture.
"A bad community member is going to cost you way more than you could ever gain from it," Kyle explains. "If I let the wrong person in the group, that's going to be way more detrimental than having one more person in the group for whatever that metric or number is."
This careful curation extends to removing disruptive members quickly, even when they have large followings or when it leads to uncomfortable confrontations. The priority remains the community's health rather than growth metrics or personal status.

The No Self-Promotion Rule

One of The Admin Bar's most distinctive policies is its strict limitation on self-promotion. While this might seem counterintuitive for a business-focused group, Kyle explains that without this rule, "the group would be unusable for everyone."
Instead of direct promotion, members build reputations through consistently helpful contributions. "There are a good handful of people... if you bring up this software or this technical issue or content marketing, 50 people are going to tag that one person and say, 'This is who you need to talk to,'" Kyle says. "They've built the reputation of knowing those things."
For those who do want to promote their services, Kyle has created alternative channels, including newsletter advertising opportunities and guest posting options that require giving value to the community first.

Community vs. Audience

Perhaps Kyle's most important insight is the distinction between building a community and building an audience:
"There's a lot of people that say they want to build a community because they heard that was the thing you should do. But what they were really trying to do the whole time was build an audience. And I think there's a difference between building a community and building an audience."
While building a community can lead to an audience, the reverse isn't necessarily true. Kyle suggests that authenticity and genuine care for members are essential for long-term success: "I don't think I would ever say like my audience or my followers or my subscribers. It's like my friends, like my friends in the group."

From Service to Product: Changing Business Models

As The Admin Bar grew, Kyle eventually found ways to generate income that aligned with his community values. One success story is the Website Owner's Manual, which began as a free lead magnet that few people downloaded. After repackaging it with a modest price tag (initially $10-15), it sold a thousand copies in the first month.
"When you put a price tag on something, you're implanting a value in somebody's mind. So when you give them the price tag of free, they kind of value it at $0," Kyle observes.
This shift from service-based work to product-based revenue represents a fundamental business model change. While client work requires ongoing effort for each payment received, digital products involve upfront work followed by relatively passive income.
Kyle has also found success with sponsorships, carefully selecting partners whose values align with the community. Rather than relying on affiliate marketing, which could raise questions about his recommendations' authenticity, sponsorships provide a transparent revenue source while connecting community members with relevant resources.

The Personal Rewards

Beyond financial benefits, building The Admin Bar has transformed Kyle's lifestyle. Working from home in "a hoodie and gym shorts," he's been able to structure his schedule around family needs, particularly spending time with his youngest daughter in her early years.
The community's worldwide nature means he can work flexible hours, adapting around his children's school schedules. While building to this point required years of 14-hour days, the resulting work-life balance has been worth the effort.
Perhaps most rewarding are the relationships formed. Community members now meet up independently around the world, creating connections that extend beyond online interactions. "Man, anything I can do to foster that and keep that going is huge," Kyle says.

Lessons for Community Builders

For those looking to build their own communities, Kyle's experience offers several valuable takeaways:

1. Start with genuine connection, not monetization. The most sustainable communities begin with authentic relationship-building.
2. Create a collaborative environment where everyone can contribute, not just established experts.
3. Be selective about membership to maintain community quality and culture.
4. Establish clear boundaries around self-promotion and enforce them consistently.
5. Distinguish between building a community and an audience. They require different approaches and yield different results.
6. Experiment with engagement strategies. Kyle kept an Excel spreadsheet of potential discussion topics, finding that questions typically generate more interaction than statements.
7. Create opportunities for deeper connection, such as The Admin Bar's "happy hours" that bring members together via video calls.
8. Consider sustainable monetization options like digital products and sponsorships that align with community values.

Building a thriving community takes time, patience, and genuine care for members. But as Kyle's experience demonstrates, the personal, professional, and eventually financial rewards can be substantial for those willing to put in the work.

This community-first approach represents a refreshing alternative to the growth-at-all-costs mentality that dominates much of the online business world. By prioritizing quality connections over quick monetization, Kyle has created something far more valuable than a marketing channel—a true community that continues to thrive after years of organic growth.