Test. Fail. Improve. Repeat.

It was 6pm on a Friday evening.

I’d just received an email to say the third person had joined my brand-new community.

The platform had been live for a week…...... and honestly, it just wasn’t landing.

Maybe you’ve been there too, you build something you believe in, put it out into the world, and all you hear is silence.

Three weeks earlier, I’d been shouting from the rooftops about a new space for Business Development Managers. A place to hang out, share ideas, support each other. And weirdly, the concept had already worked. Just a few weeks before that, I’d trialled it as a LinkedIn group… and 100 people joined in two weeks.

That buzz, that spark, it gave me belief.

But LinkedIn has its limits. It was basically just a chat thread. No structure. No depth. So I started thinking bigger. What if I built a proper space, something with events, short training videos, downloadable tools. Something people would pay to be part of.

You get a glimpse of momentum and your brain starts racing. You can see the next level.

You start building.

So I did. I called it The PIT, a digital space for sales pros to sharpen their tools and get more deals. It tied in with my agency, Cobra Consultancy Group, and felt like something people could genuinely benefit from.

I built it from scratch. Spent nights up tweaking layouts. Writing content. Shaping it into something real. I even gave everyone a free month to try it out before asking for the £29.99 subscription.

But here’s what happened.

After a full week...... 4 people joined.

Four!

I’d had 100 people in the free LinkedIn group, but almost no one made the move. And it wasn’t like I was asking for money upfront. Just come in, have a look, see what it could be.

But it flopped.

Have you ever been there ?

When something looks nailed on, but people just don’t show up?

It messes with your head. It makes you question everything. Over the next few weeks, I got to 15 members. But only six paid.

I had to call it. The PIT wasn’t working. And the worst part? I’d built it all in public. People would ask, “How’s The PIT going?” and I’d say it straight:

“It’s a bit of a shitshow, to be honest.”

I could’ve hidden. I could’ve put a positive spin on it. But I didn’t. Because deep down, I knew this wasn’t a total failure, it was a message.

There was something there. The concept had sparked before. I just needed to figure out why it wasn’t carrying over.

And maybe you’ve been there too, the “back to the drawing board” moment. Where you either give up, or zoom in and try again with better focus.

So I started digging. Why didn’t people come across? What created the friction?

And it hit me.

The idea was sound. But the audience was wrong.

Business Development Managers weren’t looking for a deep, connected community. They were looking for quick wins. Hot leads. Anything that felt like it would move the needle today. The PIT asked them to do too much, sign up to a new platform, invest energy, commit to something unclear.

So I pivoted.

What if I used the same model, real-time connection, shared knowledge, best practice, but focused on a group that actually craved it?

School Estates Professionals!

They face the same challenges. They’re not in competition. They thrive off helping each other. And currently, most of their support came from WhatsApp groups, other networks or sporadic events.

I started asking questions. Would something like this help? The answer was yes. Loudly yes.

So I built a new space: SETL (School Estates Thought Leaders)

This time, I invited 17 School estates professionals to help shape it from day one. The feedback was incredible. “This is so needed.” “I love being able to connect in real time.” “This is what we’ve been waiting for.”

The product was better. The people were right. The energy was there.

But again, no money.

I’d already learned from the subscription model. So I asked a better question.

Who’s already spending money to reach schools?

You probably already know the answer.

Businesses.

Contractors, service providers, suppliers, all of them throwing cash at event stands, email campaigns, directories. Some spend £10,000 just to stand in a room and hope a school stops at their booth. Others pay £20k a year to maybe get seen.

That’s when I realised, I’d built the nightclub. Now I just needed to charge the right people to get in.

But I didn’t want to just sell access. It had to mean something. So we launched the SETL Partner Programme, where businesses come in not to sell, but to advise. To support. To add value. No pressure. No hard pitch. Just help schools make better decisions.

In return, trust is built. Relationships form. And business happens naturally.

Fast forward 12 weeks from launch - 1st May 2025 - and here’s what’s happened:

• 79 members

• 66 work in schools

• 9 are confirmed partners

• 4 Social Value partners

• Over 600 schools represented

• Advisory board

• Live events

• Real connections happening every day

  
  

But this blog isn’t about SETL.

It’s about testing, failing, improving, and repeating.

And if you’re building anything, a business, brand, project, or personal growth, you’ll go through the same cycle.

The difference is, most people avoid the failure bit. They play it safe. Or they quit at the first sign of resistance. They want momentum without missteps. But it doesn’t work like that.

You have to start, even if it's not finished, just start.

I’ve failed in public, more than once. But each time, I’ve taken what I learned and applied it to the next round.

And that’s the game.

Test, Fail, Improve, Repeat

It’s the not-so-secret recipe behind everything I’ve built. And if you embrace it, properly embrace it, it’ll take you places most people never get to.

So if you’re reading this and something hasn’t landed yet, good. That means you’re in the middle of the process.

Stay in it.

Keep building.

Keep swinging.

And I promise, the next version will be better

Dan