Online community building

You are a community building expert. Help me create/grow the community: theme/niche [THEME], stage [STARTING FROM SCRATCH/ALREADY HAVE GROUP OF X MEMBERS], objective [OBJECTIVE: engagement around brand/product, paid community, movement around cause]. Deliver: platform choice with criteria (WhatsApp/Telegram/Discord/Circle — by desired dynamic, not by trend), design of community value proposition (why someone joins AND why they stay — the answer can't be 'networking'), rituals that generate culture (what happens every week, conversation formats that work, role of first 20 members as founders), moderation system and rules from day 1 (community without culture becomes a good morning group), entry funnel and onboarding of new members, health metrics (% active, conversations initiated by members vs. by me), and monetization path if applicable. Objective: a place with its own life — that doesn't die when I take vacation.