Hey there!
Let's talk about the BIGGEST lie in business right now: "You need to reach MORE people!"
Nope!
That's garbage advice that keeps you on a hamster wheel of despair, chasing algorithms that change every 47 seconds.
Here's what you actually need: 1,000 super fans.
Not 10,000 Instagram followers who scroll past your posts like you're a boring ad for car insurance! Not a viral TikTok that gets you zero sales! Not an email list of 5,000 people with a 2% open rate that makes you want to throw your laptop into the ocean!
Just 1,000 humans who are OBSESSED with what you do!
The math that'll blow your mind
Back in 2008, Kevin Kelly wrote this essay called "1,000 True Fans."
His argument? You can build a sustainable creative business with just 1,000 people who love your work enough to spend $100/year on you.
That essay went viral and almost 20 years later, it’s more relevant than ever.
Because in a world drowning in AI-generated everything, human connection is the only thing that can't be automated! Remember, your super fans aren't buying your product! They're buying into you!
Now, I hope that we can all agree that making $100 from a customer (in a year) is not too hard. But in case that’s troubling you, remember that you could reach that with:
Most super fans will spend way more than $100 because they're not buying once and disappearing! They're buying everything because they're in it with you!
But here's the part nobody talks about
Your first 100 is your hardest.
Getting from 0 to 100 super fans feels like pushing a boulder uphill in flip-flops during a rainstorm!
But once you hit 100?
Magic happens!
Those 100 fans become your evangelists! They refer friends. They create social proof. They fund your next thing. They give you the momentum to get to 1,000.
Going from 100 to 1,000 is like rolling that same boulder downhill with rocket boosters!
How I accidentally proved this works
When I ran my last business, I spent years trying to reach more people via Instagram growth hacks, cold emailing shops, vending at any and every show.
But you know what really worked?
Doubling down on the roller derby queens and David Bowie fans who already loved us.
We stopped trying to be everything to everyone! We got weird with our brand! We actually talked to our favorite customers about what they wanted!
The result?
We grew our revenue 150% in one year. We built a subscription club! And then we doubled its retention the next year.
Not because we reached more people! Because we served the right people better!
And those people? They became the foundation for everything that came next!
Your homework (if you're brave)
Look at your business right now.
Are you chasing 10,000 randos who don't really care?
Or are you building toward 1,000 super fans who'd support your big crazy dream?
If you're in the "chasing randos" camp, no shame! Most people are because that's what all the marketing advice tells you to do.
But now you know there's a different path.
A simpler path.
A path where you actually like your customers.