I need some tips on owning a club ;))

[silent quail]

Club owning is very complicated, so there is no single "best way" to lead a club. Depending on your own capabilities (specific skills, amount of free time, etc.) and your goals for the club, "good club owning" can look very different! But I think the best way to guide yourself in the right direction is to do your best to make a club that you think is a healthy, fun space while also taking care of yourself. Some ways to do that are...

• when deciding how active to be and what kinds of responsibilities you're going to take on, try to balance everything you do for your club with irl things like your physical/mental health, spending time with friends/family, sleep, etc.
• commit to some values or qualities you want your club to have, and keep these in mind when you make decisions like what activities to do, how active to be, what club systems look like, what club rules and requirements are, and so on. Some of these qualities could be organization, easygoing vs strict (or somewhere in the middle), carefully scheduled vs more go with the flow, competitive vs casual (if you're pursuing a discipline like dressage), an accepting club environment, diversity, fairness, complexity vs simplicity, active vs less active, age range of members, etc.
• ask for help, lean on your high ranks and members, and take breaks
• err on the side of having things more planned out than less - if you have a vision of where to go and how to get there, you're going to be a lot more successful, and when you're starting a new club, you have the unique opportunity to spend lots of time thinking and planning before jumping into things!

When it comes to fame, I would first advise you not to place value on it. Being well-known in the community is absolutely helpful when it comes to finding members, and it's more fun to have a community to participate in and make friends with! But having lots of followers isn't what makes a club successful, it's having a place where you and your members accomplish your goals and have fun together. It's far too easy to get caught up in numbers, but speaking from experience, you're going to have a much more fun, much less stressful, much easier time as a club owner when you start fighting the instinct to count and compare yourself to other people or clubs. That said, here are some ways you can build your community!

• be seen in passing ingame as much as possible (so, be active and do club activities in populated areas)
• have a unique, recognizable theme. your goal is to have people get a glance of your club horse, your outfit, or your name and immediately think of your club
• advertise advertise advertise! as often as possible, in as many places as possible, and with the most attractive advertisement as possible - highlight the things that make your club unique and offer the reader something for paying attention to your ad, like possibly finding their new home in your club, or learning something new by attending an open lesson/event, or making friends and having fun by hanging out in your open server.
  • when I say as much as possible I mean as much as possible. For Discord, get to the full 100 server limit (or 200 with nitro) in as many populated open servers and servers of large organizations and send your self-promo ad 2 or 3 times a day. For Instagram, post a few times a week early in the day and be active on your stories as well as interacting with other clubs' posts. (Of course, if you don't have the time/resources to be this active, just do your best! But the more active with advertising you can be, the better)

• go out of your way to make friends and interact with people in your community! make friends with and do events with similar clubs, chat with fellow owners, actually get yourself out there!
• a step further would be to offer the community a way to come to you, like hosting open lessons/events!

Having active members starts with accepting people who will be active.

• Where you write your club info, make clear your activity times and requirements, ask for people's availability on your application, and be diligent about only accepting people who have a lifestyle that aligns with your club's schedule. Also try to accept members who seem especially motivated and dedicated about participating in your club (not just any club in the same category, but your club), as they will be much more likely to make plans to go to club activities and to stay in your club in the long run (which, if your club is active when new people join, they'll be encouraged to be active too)
  There's also the matter of encouraging your current members to be active by creating a schedule and environment that people will be able and excited to participate in.
• Have a varied schedule with different kinds of practices/meetings/events, make your activities sound different and interesting and fun!
• Ensure that your club activities are interesting and fun while they're happening. When hosting a practice or event, pay attention to your members. If they're bored, consider adding a challenge or changing things up. If they seem to be struggling, try making things easier. If they seem awkward or tense, try to break the tension and show care for your members by briefly acknowledging their jokes/side comments, using their nicknames, and asking for their input.
• In general, invest time into bonding! People will be more motivated to attend things when they know their best friends will also be there, and much more anxious to attend things when they're going to be surrounded by strangers. It's especially important when your members first join to try to incorporate them into your club and give them opportunities to make friends quickly!

• Have at least a little structure to your activity system, including clear, posted requirements and clear, posted, and upheld consequences for not meeting those requirements. You can go a lot of different ways with activity systems, like attending a minimum number of things or giving people strikes for not attending and not giving a reason. But most importantly, uphold your rules, even if it means sending warnings and removing members. It's not easy, but it's also not fair or fun for anyone, including you, when your club has extremely inactive members.