9 Questions For...Mark Masters

"9 Questions For…" is an interview series in which I ask soloists, founders and leaders working in the Shopify ecosystem, as well as the wider digital and creative industries, to share their experiences of doing "their thing, their way". The questions might be the same but the insights certainly aren't! If you fit the bill and would like to share your learnings please get in touch.

In this edition of 9 Questions For…, we head down to Poole on the south coast of the UK to chat with Mark Masters, founder of learning community You Are The Media.

I'm booked onto my first YATM event in May 2026 and am really looking forward to attending — although I'll probably skip the dip in the channel!

Q: Are you a founder, co-founder, solo entrepreneur, consultant or something else?

Founder

Q: What type of business do you run?

I lead a learning community called You Are The Media (YATM).

It's a community that is centred around shared experiences and learning together when it comes to growing our audiences and business.

It is built around a weekly newsletter, live events, education and membership.

Q: Why did you start your business?

I started this in 2013 from a place of loneliness. Nobody had ever picked me in life and work, so I decided to find ways to pick myself.

I began by writing a newsletter every Thursday, called “You Are The Media”, and it is still the glue to everything that I do and the community that has been built.

As each year progressed, I found other media that I wanted to sharpen my skillsets, such as hosting events and understanding what it means to build connection and friendship with the people around us.

Q: What’s the biggest challenge you are facing in your business?

Something I think about a lot at the moment is around identity.

YATM has always represented the fight and the human side to the work you do.

It feels independent and unlike traditional business communities. But as it grows (more people, more events), there’s the risk of losing that intimacy and the rough around the edges identity that makes it stand out.

Q: What’s going well in your business?

The strong sense of belonging is important. For instance, people buying into an idea (creativity, community, interdependence, support, friendship) is a lot harder than buying into a discipline (marketing, SEO, AI, social media).

What is happening is the importance of experience and being with people on your side. In 2025, we made a shift to YATM representing a place for 'misfits', and people have connected to that idea.

Q: What skill do you excel at, and which one do you want to get better at?

I excel at what it takes to bring people together and see the best in each other. This helps people discover talents they may never have had before. I believe that we can all have our moment in the sun. For instance, that could be hosting an event.

I'd like to get better at increasing the visibility of YATM beyond the people who are familiar with it. I know it's not for everyone, but I want to head out and find the others.

Q: What will be different about your business this time next year?

The live event footprint expanding. We have events in London and Poole, and I can see this model working, where people come together to lean in as a team, rather than treating the next person as a transaction and we spend a life as strangers.

I’d expect a wider network of pop-up Lunch Clubs or regional events, run with co-hosts or member-partners. That gives YATM a national (even international) texture without becoming corporate.

Q: What’s the one thing you wish you’d known before starting your entrepreneurial adventure?

You cannot wait for anyone to hand anything to you, as they won't.

No one in life is going to pick you, beyond your friends, your family, and the people who love you.

You have to build your own space, without an over-reliance on anyone else. When it works, it gives you freedom and pushes you to the greatest work you have ever produced.

Q: Where do you live, and what do you love about your city?

I live in Poole, and what I love is the closeness of this place I call home.

In July 2021, a few of us started a Friday by going in the sea, we just kept going, and we still do it every Friday and now more people join in (no matter the season).

I love the fact that I can treat where I live as a playground and do risky things with other people, which means we build closer friendships.