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Hi YATMers, I'm Bukola Lydia Adewumi. A proud mother of two wonderful children.
Back home in Nigeria, I worked as a journalist with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), the country’s leading news outlet. I covered the agriculture sector for several years.
My experience in this field fueled my passion for exploring the intersection of media and food security. This led me to pursue a PhD in Media and Communication at Bournemouth University.
I believe in the power of the media to drive positive change and make the world a better place. In my quest for continuous learning and collaboration, I joined YATM Creator Lab to connect with like-minded individuals.
In life, growth often requires letting go. Many people carry burdens—fears, limiting beliefs, unhealthy relationships, and negative habits—that hold them back.
Releasing these obstacles can unlock one’s full potential. That means my recommendation to you is John Purkiss's The Power of Letting Go, embracing change can lead to personal and professional transformation.
Let's make sure we connect today.
Here I am on LinkedIn
Community relies on its people, when it works it’s the most empowering experience you’ll ever be involved in.
Getting there can take a lot of time, energy and consideration, as well as facing many obstacles.
In 2025, these challenges have intensified for those trying to build their own communities. While success is achievable, it's useful to acknowledge these hurdles.
Setting The Scene
I have always used YATM as a case study to illustrate with you how a community works.
If I want to share my insights with you, the least I can do is go out and prove my points. I would never want to rely on an anecdotal approach.
After over 10 years of navigating this journey, I recognise the importance of adopting a scrapbook approach to your work. This method allows you to look back and identify the pivotal moments and how things appeared at various points in time.
YATM is a live experiment for people to walk in and experience it for themselves. It’s good to provide that space for people to look around. It also provides food for thought for others who want to establish a community approach to their work.
Being able to create a space where others can develop, connect, and grow is truly a privilege.
Where Is It Getting Tougher For People To Build Community?
Here is advice I would give my younger self if I wanted to build a community in 2025.
It’s not here to halt you in your steps or to make you reconsider your aspirations. More than anything else, it’s here to save you time.
Here is why building community in 2025 is more challenging than ever.
1) The Pressure of Comparison
Being distracted by others who have established communities creates a sense of pressure.
Community building is a valid business strategy today, and there are more platforms available for hosting an online community, from Circle to Discord. However, the desire to replicate someone else's successful space cannot be achieved through conventional methods like paying for ads or increasing posting frequency on a platform.
What looks desirable, behind the scenes can come with years of work, toil and constant homework. People sometimes forget that.
It's easy to overlook the journey and focus solely on the perceived utopia, forgetting the miles traveled just to stay in the race. Being distracted by someone else's achievements can create unnecessary pressure.
2) Misaligned Motivations
The appeal of recurring revenue motivates many people to create communities.
It’s understandable, who wouldn’t want the peace of mind that comes from knowing there are people engaged and financially supporting the entire experience?
When that becomes the driver, the building effort becomes transaction led. The intention all along is to make a space where people consider it an integral part of their life.
3) An Obsession With Scale
Scale can become a focus for so many people.
The pursuit of more can be damaging as well as draining.
I understand that reaching a larger audience can help validate an effort and demonstrate social proof. However, when it comes to building a community, what truly matters is serving those who feel connected to the initiative.
It is challenging to know 100 people well, let alone 1,000 people. According to Dunbar’s number, we can realistically manage around 150 stable relationships at any given time. Beyond that, our connections may be driven more by ego than by genuine interaction (read more from the BBC here).
I couldn’t successfully manage an event with more than 300 participants; at that scale, individuals get lost in the crowd, and I lose sight of the original purpose.
4) The Fragmentation Of Social Media
I am giving credit here to Darryl Sparey from Hard Numbers, who helped my thinking with this.
Five years ago you knew where to spend your time and Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and possibly LinkedIn became your places to head to.
The polarisation, addiction, and volatility of social media platforms, along with the rise of newer options like BlueSky and TikTok, have created a chaotic environment.
As people begin to tune out and spend less time on these platforms, they face the dilemma of deciding where to focus their energy. Additionally, algorithms now dictate content visibility, making it increasingly difficult to reach and connect with your intended audience and the nudges you give.
According to recent survey from The Verge and Vox Media social platforms are rapidly losing ground as trust and authenticity fade, with more people flocking to AI chatbots.
5) Building Around A Personality
When we start, we want people to trust our knowledge and expertise in a specific topic area.
If you always lead with "listen to me," the burden falls solely on you. This can lead to burnout and increased pressure.
At the beginning, it's important to share your perspective, as it reflects your beliefs and will attract people. Over time, the focus can shift from "listen to me" to "what do you think?"
When a community is built around one person's personality, that individual feels the weight of responsibility. However, when we view each member as an expert, we can learn and grow together, which is a powerful dynamic.
Success Comes Down To The Space You Nurture, Over Time
The core principles of community-building remain unchanged. The development and success of a community is tied to the people who feel like they belong.
Shifting our focus to serving others fosters a sense of attachment, first to you and then to one another. This is why live events are essential to YATM. Finding the right balance between the online and offline experiences is crucial.
Progress comes from empowerment. By this, I mean the ability for other people to step up and to have opportunity to shine.
The communities who will win, will be those who allow others to be leaders, even if they previously did not see themselves in such positions. Change happens when other people lead.
I have seen the collective energy of people stepping up, taking charge, and adding their unique strengths to the mix. Those who lead sessions in YATM Club, Lunch Club and Creator Day don’t just fill a gap, they bring new layers of depth and energy that cannot come from a single voice alone.
Let’s Round-Up
Building a community in 2025 is challenging, but the outcomes are what matter.
People who are active and engaged drive progress. The Verge and Vox Media survey shows that many are leaving large platforms for smaller, trust-based groups focused on shared values and meaningful content. That is encouraging for everyone.
Encouraging people to feel valued and participate ensures the longevity of a community. By confronting the challenges of community-building today, we can create spaces where everyone contributes to a collective, impactful creative effort.
Time Wasting
Jam out like a real musician, no skill required!
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This Week Around The Web
GROWTH, CREATION & YOUR INDEPENDENCE
How LinkedIn works in '25 - from Matt Navarra
My 7-year journey to "Enoughness" - from Jessica Lackey
THE COMMUNITY YOU CAN BUILD
The future of the internet is likely smaller communities - from The Verge
42% of people say Google Search is not as useful - from Search Engine Land
GROWING YOUR NEWSLETTER
A beginner's guide to starting and growing a newsletter - from Josh Spector
The hidden cost of not having a newsletter in 2025 - from Kit (video)
For The Few
When you focus on a smaller, more engaged audience, you cultivate relationships that go beyond numbers.
These relationships help you create something lasting and valuable.
In time, it’s the “few” who spread the word, naturally attracting other people who connect with your overall message.
Being for the few doesn’t mean limiting yourself, it means creating depth, more opportunities and standing the test of time.
People Of YATM
"Being part of YATM these past few years has been a joy.
YATM (or, I should say, YATMers since YATM is about people, first and foremost) offers a welcoming and supportive environment in which to step out of your comfort zone and develop and practice new skills.
A place, online and in-person, to share what you know and to learn from others; a ‘sense check’ and testing ground to explore new ideas and new directions.
But perhaps best of all is that you get to share time with a group of people with infectious energy, enthusiasm and curiosity – about the world and about the work.
I knew nobody when I attended my first YATM event, but that didn’t matter. It was easy to chat and get to know people because, as ever with this group, the event was as much about involvement and fun as it was about learning.
Within a short space of time I came to feel part of a non-judgemental and caring network of friends."
Join In With Team YATM
The YATM sessions are every week online and we come together offline.
🏡 This morning at 9.15 GMT is Working Together in YATM Club, join here
🍕 Thurs 3rd Apr is Lunch Club on personal branding (London), book here
💥 Thursday 10th Apr is Lunch Club on reinvention (Poole), book here
Click here to watch the end of newsletter video. I'll see you soon.
