Generalist alert! (he built a SaaS, community, & co-working space?!)

Watch or listen now:
YouTube // Spotify // Apple

Charlie Ward is a community builder, product strategist, and solo entrepreneur. Currently, he runs multiple ventures including a coworking space and networking communities. Previously, he worked in advertising and product management, transitioning through roles at various tech companies. His work ranges from building physical community spaces to creating online networks to developing frameworks for evaluating business opportunities.

What you'll learn:

• How growing up in different cultures can develop adaptability skills valuable for entrepreneurship

• Why building in competitive markets can actually be advantageous for new entrepreneurs

• A practical framework for evaluating new business opportunities based on search traffic and competition

• How to balance multiple projects simultaneously as a solo founder

• The crucial differences between community-based businesses and traditional SaaS models

• Strategies for reducing churn in community-based businesses

• How AI is transforming career paths and creating new opportunities for builders

• Practical approaches to community building that create engagement and belonging

Some takeaways:

• Adapting to different environments early in life can build foundational skills for community building and entrepreneurship—Charlie's experiences moving between Berlin and Russia taught him to connect with diverse groups and adapt quickly.

• Competitive markets provide built-in validation and educational resources—when you enter a competitive space, you know demand exists and can learn from established players' successes and failures.

• Evaluating business opportunities should involve analyzing search traffic trends and competitive landscapes—Charlie looks for keywords with high search volume but manageable competition as indicators of promising niches.

• Managing multiple ventures as a solo founder requires ruthless prioritization—Charlie focuses on what only he can do, delegates everything else, and isn't afraid to put in significant working hours during growth phases.

• Community-based businesses face unique challenges compared to SaaS models—churn affects not just revenue but the entire community experience, requiring different retention strategies and engagement approaches.

• Creating slight access constraints for communities can counterintuitively increase demand—when potential members need to apply or meet certain criteria, it increases perceived value and commitment levels.

• AI is rapidly transforming career trajectories by enabling faster skill acquisition—what previously took years to learn can now be accelerated to days or weeks with the right AI tools and approach.

• Physical spaces create unique opportunities for community building that digital alternatives can't replicate—in-person interactions foster deeper connections and relationships that become self-sustaining.

• The "hell yeah or no" approach to opportunity evaluation helps entrepreneurs avoid mediocre commitments—Charlie assesses both potential upside and downside risk to ensure he's only pursuing truly compelling opportunities.

Links:

Where to find Charlie

• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/charlierward/

• Website: Ramen Club: https://www.ramenclub.so/

• Cosy: cosy.community

• Podcast: napkinmath.transistor.fm

Where to find Milly

• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/milly-tamati/

• Website: http://www.millytamati.com/

Generalist World resources:

• Podcast: https://open.spotify.com/show/0qbGzMUMDCK5v3XbvRANmD?si=b1d7af51c24e43ee

• The Generalist Quiz: https://www.generalistquiz.com/

• Essays: https://www.generalistcareer.com/

• Upcoming events: https://lu.ma/generalist.events

• Positioning Guidebook: https://www.generalist.world/positioning