Espresso+ FAQs

Here are some of the most common questions people have asked about the Espresso+ community for small business owners and solopreneurs.

• Is it right for me?
• What do I get?
• How do the live calls work?
• Do I have to commit to a minimum term?
• Do I already need to know exactly where my business is heading?
• Do I have to attend the live calls?
• Do I have to speak if I’m on one of the live calls?
• Do I need to do any “speed networking”?
• Do I need to be a LinkedIn expert to understand everything in the community?
• What if I’m already a LinkedIn specialist?
• Do I have to be in the UK?
• Is this an engagement pod?
• What can I post in the discussion forum?
• Is there any mandatory homework?
• Am I required to post in the discussion group or anywhere else?
• Do you help with ads and recruitment?
• Is everything focused on LinkedIn? What about other social media?
• Is there a free trial?
• What are Espresso+ members called?
• How many members does Espresso+ have?
• Is there any secret bonus stuff?

Before I get started, everyone always asks what the 🟦🟩🟧 post-it notes on my wall are, so click the image to play the video below and you’ll discover the secret:

Is it right for me?

Espresso+ is aimed at small business owners and solopreneurs who want support in getting more online visibility for their content, who need support with developing their personal brand, and who want some best practice advice for showing up well on LinkedIn.

What do I get?

The Espresso+ community is made up of a private discussion group that runs on LinkedIn.

There are Live Q&A calls on Zoom once a month.

All of the videos that I create for the community are stored in a private Showcase video library.

All of that content is captioned and transcripted so you can read it if you don’t want to watch.

You can also listen because there’s a private podcast.

And there’s also a private email list.

The main benefit, I think, is the fact that the discussion group is very, very active and provides a great space to network with colleagues, get accountability and have a safe space to discuss your ideas and for us all to grow together.

How do the live calls work?

At the start of each month, I announce a schedule moving forward, which includes at least one Live Q&A session on Zoom.

Members can register for that and then attend live.

Anyone can put up their hand.

We ask questions, discuss, those sessions last for an hour.

If you can’t make it live, it’s not a problem because all of the content is moved to the video Showcase library so you can catch up or listen to it anytime that suits you.

Do I have to commit to a minimum term?

No, there is monthly and yearly membership.

If you want to stay for just one month, you can do that.

I think people will get most value if they commit to a year and you will save some money if you do that as well.

But a month is the minimum membership term.

You’re free to leave whenever you want.

Do I already need to know exactly where my business is heading?

No.

Part of the reason for the community is to help you develop your personal brand.

And sometimes you might be a bit unsure about which area you want to move in, whether you’re happy with what you’re already doing.

So, in combination with my book, Content DNA and the support you get from the community, that can help you find your path, so you don’t need to have a clear idea before you join the community.

Do I have to attend live calls?

No.

Everything is recorded.

You can watch back, read or listen through the Showcase, the transcript and the audio podcast so you don’t need to be there.

I think it’s good for people to show up every now and then because that reminds the community that you exist, and you get a chance to interact directly with me.

But there’s absolutely no requirement for you to attend the live calls.

Do I have to speak if I’m on one of the live calls?

No.

I do encourage people to have their cameras turned on but if you would rather turn off your camera and just listen along live, you’re more than welcome to do so.

Do I need to do any “speed networking”?

Absolutely not.

I can’t think of anything worse than being hived off into a small sub room on a Zoom call and being forced to interact with people.

No, everything is much more organic than that.

You don’t need to partake in any such thing as speed networking.

You will, over a matter of time, get to know the people who are in the discussion group. Maybe you’ll have your own separate Zoom calls with them or private discussions on LinkedIn, but that’s totally up to you.

And there’s no structured, forced way of doing any of that.

Do I need to be a LinkedIn expert to understand everything going on in the community?

No.

We do have a lot of people who are experienced in using LinkedIn but we also have lots of newer members who have barely set up a profile.

And my aim is to make things as simple and understandable as possible.

So, no, you don’t need to be a LinkedIn expert to be part of Espresso+.

What if I’m already a LinkedIn specialist?

You’re more than welcome in Espresso+!

We’ve got more than 65 people who actually make a living off specialising in LinkedIn.

And I try to go as techie and nerdy as I can to serve those people while making things accessible to everyone.

I’d like to think that everyone has something to learn and specialists and non specialists are welcome in the community.

Do I have to be in the UK?

No.

Only about one-third of the Espresso+ members at the moment are based in the UK.

We’ve got members all around the world: North America, South America, all throughout Europe, even Australasia and Asia.

So, everyone is welcome, so long as you’re willing to learn, you’ve got a growth mindset, and a good heart and a good mind, you are welcome to join.

Is this an engagement pod?

Absolutely not.

For those who haven’t come across that term, it’s a group of people who agree to support each other’s posts in public so that everyone’s posts perform better.

I’m not about that at all.

That goes against LinkedIn’s rules.

If your post succeeds, it will be because you’ve created good content for a relevant audience and your natural organic audience will be supporting you.

You shouldn’t necessarily need to rely on anyone within the community to go and support your posts, and I would never support that kind of activity.

What can I post in the discussion forum?

The community is about 4 main things: online visibility, content creation, personal branding and LinkedIn best practice.

So, if you’re posting about something that is relevant to those fields, then it will be pertinent to the discussion in the private discussion group.

Anything else, anything that is self promotional, or way off topic, I might have a word with you in private about or you could ask me before posting, but I try to stick to those 4 topics so that we can stay on topic and everyone knows what to expect in the daily discussions.

Is there any mandatory homework?

No.

I will suggest some opt-in activities each month.

So, for example, “let’s all try to get our LinkedIn profile video created this month.”

That’s an accountability thing. People can opt in to that and say, “yes, in 3 weeks time, I will have done that task.”

But there is no mandatory homework.

I appreciate that people are busy running their lives and their businesses.

So, you can do as much or as little as you want.

Am I required to post in the discussion group or anywhere else?

No.

I think people will get value from posting in the discussion group because you get to learn more people and have your questions answered, but if you want to silently watch along you’re more than welcome to do so.

Do you help with ads and recruitment?

No, neither of those things is a specialism for me.

But the beauty of having a community is that I can always refer you to someone who does specialise in those things.

So, while I won’t help with that directly, I’m more than happy to refer you if you need that kind of support.

(Espresso+ is aimed at people who want to build an organic presence online, without paying for ads.)

Is everything focused on LinkedIn? What about other social media?

LinkedIn has become my specialism over the past 5 years.

So, it’s no surprise that that’s what I talk about most.

But part of the reason for having the community is to help people build online visibility in an ethical way.

And that encompasses all social media.

So, while I might not be an expert in Facebook, or Instagram, or TikTok, or any of the other social networks, that doesn’t mean that those discussions are off limits.

And again, we have experts in the community who are good at all of those platforms, who can drive that discussion forward.

So, although LinkedIn is my personal main focus, that doesn’t necessarily mean that it has to be the sole focus of the community.

Is there a free trial?

I’ve thought long and hard about this and decided that no, I’m afraid not.

I think the community offers a lot of value at a very, very low price.

And I think if I were to offer a free trial, then that would possibly attract the wrong kind of people.

It might also attract the kind of person who would come in for a day or two, try and suck down all of the content that’s in the video library, and then disappear.

So no, I’ve decided that there are no free trials, but you can sign up for just a month if you wish.

What are Espresso+ members called?

I think identity is important and during the discussions in the discussion group we did come up with a name for ourselves so we are called “Espressians” and use the hashtag #TeamEspresso.

How many members does Espresso+ have?

We currently have 200+ members and the maximum member count is 300.

I want to manage this community myself, and I think I would need to get external help if I were to grow and grow and grow. By keeping it small, it means just a bit more personalised, tailored support for people.

When we reach the maximum number, we’ll switch to a “one in, one out” system. That means someone will need to leave before another person can join.

Is there any secret bonus stuff?

If you sign up yearly, you can get a copy of my book, Content DNA, while stocks last.

When you sign up, you can also get a discount on my LinkedIn Leaders Playbook course.

Inside the community, we’ve done some other activities that aren’t really publicised. For example:

We’ve tried a digital coin project.

We’ve got a community book read going on.

There are accountability challenges, competitions and some other fun stuff going on.

You will find out the full scope of that when you join.