How to Build a Thriving Community – Generate B2B Founder Axel Sukianto

Most B2B communities suck.

Either they’re dead zones with zero engagement, or they’re overrun with salespeople pitching their latest “game-changing” software. Community members join, see no value, and bounce.

But what if you could build a B2B community that people actually want to be a part of? One that’s filled with real conversations, useful insights, and members who stick around because they’re getting value, not spam?

That’s exactly what Axel Sukianto did with Generate – a thriving Slack community built specifically for in-house B2B marketers in Australia and New Zealand.

I sat down with Axel to break down:

• Why most B2B communities fail before they even get started
• The exact steps he took to grow Generate from 5 members to 800+ without spending a cent on ads
• How to keep a community active and valuable long-term

If you’re thinking about starting a community – or wondering how to make yours actually work – keep reading. Because this isn’t just theory. This is what’s working right now for one of the most engaged B2B marketing groups in ANZ.

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Why a B2B Community Matters More Than Ever

All professions can be lonely. I know first hand that’s the case for B2B marketers.

If you’re working in-house, chances are you’ve got a small team, a tight budget, and big expectations. You’re figuring things out as you go, testing new strategies, and trying to move the needle – often without a sounding board to tell you if you’re on the right track.

That’s why community matters more than ever.

Most marketers don’t need more blog posts, more webinars, or another generic LinkedIn group where everyone just pitches their latest SaaS tool. They need real conversations with people who have been in the trenches. That means marketers who get the struggles of running demand gen with limited resources or dealing with sales teams who expect magic leads overnight.

As Axel put it:

That’s the kind of space he built with Generate. It’s not some free-for-all networking group. It’s a tight-knit community of in-house B2B marketers in Australia and New Zealand, all facing similar challenges and willing to share what’s working (and what’s not).

And that’s exactly why it works.

Too many “communities” end up being glorified pitch-fests where every discussion turns into a sales call. No one sticks around for that. As Axel pointed out: “Some groups are just full of people selling. It’s just ‘hey, attend my webinar,’ or ‘take my free trial,’ and there’s no real discussion happening”.

When a community actually helps people solve problems, it becomes invaluable. Instead of wasting time sifting through Google search results or generic blog posts, members can ask real-world questions and get practical answers from people who’ve been there before.

That’s the power of a real B2B community. It’s not just another content channel. It’s a shortcut to insights, support, and better decision-making.

And if you’re trying to build one? Step one is making sure it actually solves a problem worth solving.

How the Generate Community Started

If you’re an in-house B2B marketer, chances are you’ve felt the pain of figuring things out on your own.

There are plenty of marketing communities out there, but most of them are either too broad or filled with agencies trying to sell you something. That’s exactly the problem Axel ran into when he was looking for a space to connect with other in-house marketers.

So instead of waiting for someone else to create the perfect B2B marketing community, he decided to build one himself.

Of course, it didn’t happen overnight. He experimented with different platforms – LinkedIn groups, Facebook Messenger, even Slack – to see what actually worked. And most of them? Flopped.

Turns out, LinkedIn groups are dead zones, Facebook Messenger is chaotic, and Slack? Slack was where B2B marketers were already working every day.

At first, Generate was just a group of five marketers. No paid ads, no big launch, just a few people helping each other out. But something interesting happened – those five people started inviting others. And suddenly, the group wasn’t five people anymore.

Fast forward to today, and Generate has over 800 in-house B2B marketers, growing entirely through word of mouth.

That’s the secret to a strong B2B community. It’s not about getting thousands of people overnight. It’s about building something so valuable that people want to bring others in.

The Secret to Growing a Thriving B2B Community

Most marketing communities start strong, but then one of two things happens. Either nobody talks and it becomes a ghost town where questions go unanswered, and eventually, everyone forgets they ever joined.

Or, even worse, it turns into a sales pitch fest, where every second post is someone trying to flog their webinar, ebook, or “free assessment” that isn’t actually free.

That’s exactly why most B2B communities fail. It’s not about how many people you have in the group. It’s about whether they actually want to be there.

Axel knew that if Generate was going to work, engagement had to come first.

So instead of focusing on getting as many members as possible, he focused on creating a space where marketers actually wanted to participate.

That meant setting strict no-spam rules, no self-promotion, no endless event invites, just real conversations.

It also meant making sure that every single question got answered.

“One of our biggest rules is that no question goes unanswered. If someone takes the time to ask, they deserve a response.”

That’s how Generate went from five members to 800+ purely through word of mouth. Not because of some big marketing push, but because people found value and wanted to invite others in.

This is the real secret to building a thriving B2B community. It’s not about the number of members. It’s about making the experience so good that people actually want to stick around.

Engagement is Everything: Keeping the Community Alive

It’s easy to start a B2B community. The hard part? Keeping it alive.

Most communities don’t fail because they didn’t get enough members. They fail because nobody actually engages. People join, lurk for a bit, maybe ask a question or two – and then the group slowly dies out because no one responds.

If people aren’t getting value from the conversations, they’ll mute the group and forget about it. That’s why in Generate, every single question gets answered, no exceptions.

And it’s not just about answering questions, it’s about keeping discussions focused. Too many communities try to be everything to everyone, flooding members with too many channels, too much noise, and not enough direction.

Instead of letting the community run itself and hoping for the best, Axel makes sure that conversations don’t stall. He personally engages in discussions, asks thought-provoking questions, and encourages members to share insights and experiences.

Should Your Business Start a B2B Community?

So, should your business start its own community…

Maybe. But probably not for the reasons you think.

Too many businesses launch communities because it’s the hot thing to do or because they think it’ll be an easy way to generate leads. But most communities fail fast because they don’t have the resources to dedicate to keep it alive.

If your business is still figuring out product-market fit, then launching a community is a distraction. Your focus should be on building a product that people actually want, not creating a group that nobody asked for.

Even if your product is solid, a community only works if it has a real purpose beyond selling. People don’t join communities to be sold to. They join to learn, connect, and get better at their jobs.

And the biggest mistake? Thinking a community will run itself.

“If no one owns it, it’s not going to work. You need someone committed to making it valuable.”

That’s why Generate works – Axel didn’t just launch it and hope for the best. He was in there every day, sparking conversations, answering questions, and making sure it actually delivered value.

Don’t start a community unless you’re willing to put in the work to make it useful. Otherwise, it’s just another Slack group that people mute and never look at again.

The Future of B2B Communities: What’s Next?

If there’s one thing that’s clear, it’s that B2B communities aren’t going anywhere. But they are changing.

For years, we’ve seen vendor-led communities pop up, where companies create a group and hope customers will just hang out there. But most of them suck, and they turn into glorified support forums or places where marketing teams dump content nobody asked for.

That’s why the future isn’t about big, broad communities. It’s about high-value, curated groups where people actually want to engage.

The brands that get this right now are going to win long-term. Why? Because in a world flooded with automated marketing, AI-generated content, and generic LinkedIn spam, people are craving real conversations.

That’s exactly where Generate is headed. Axel isn’t focused on just adding more members. He’s doubling down on real engagement, ensuring new members actually contribute and get value. He’s also successfully been running in-person meetups to create deeper connections beyond Slack messages.

Generate now even have their own summit that they run – make sure you check it out here.

Building a B2B Community That Lasts

Most B2B communities don’t fail because they were a bad idea. They fail because they didn’t provide enough value to keep people coming back.

If you take one thing away from this, it’s that a community isn’t just a marketing asset. It’s a living, breathing thing that needs real effort to survive. It’s not about launching a Slack group and hoping people show up. It’s about creating a space where people actually want to engage.

Axel got it right with Generate because he didn’t treat it as a numbers game. He focused on real conversations, real connections, and real value.

Here’s what you need to do if you want to build a B2B community that actually lasts:

• Start small – Don’t focus on mass growth. Focus on attracting the right people first.
• Make engagement the priority – If people don’t talk, the community dies. Encourage participation daily.
• Kill the spam – No sales pitches, no fluff. Keep discussions useful.
• Be the glue – A community needs a leader. If no one is driving it, it won’t survive.

B2B communities aren’t just a trend. They’re becoming one of the most powerful tools for marketers and businesses that want to build real trust and long-term relationships.

So if you’re thinking of starting one, ask yourself: Are you willing to put in the work to make it truly valuable? Because that’s the only way it’s going to succeed.