How building your own thing is closer than you think...

Happy Saturday!

I’ve never believed security resides in a W2…

it sits inside you.

And it’s closer than you think

Alright, let’s get curious…

Want to build you own thing?

Consider the “1,000 True Fans” methodology.

Coined by Kevin Kelly, former editor of Wired magazine, in an article titled by the same name.

In his iconic piece…

before the buzzphrases of “side hustle, “creator” and “solopreneur…”

he offered a vision to building your own business that makes this possibility not only a reality, but within reach for us all…

by building a core following of “1,000 True Fans.”

These are your people (your tribe) who will support whatever you create.

They are your clients.
They are your patrons.
They are your supporters.
They are your fans.

Simple math: 1,000 x $100 = $100,000

You could add another “0” and you move that to $1M.
You could make that $100 a monthly subscription and you’re at $1.2M

I first read this essay when it was published in 2008, which coincided with me founding Career Attraction.

It has informed how I think about everything I have built since:

• 300K subscribers in a year (without paid ads)

• Just shy of 40 digital programs

• Multi 7-figure coaching practice serving 16,000+ clients

Those at all much closer than you think.

As Kevin (great name, right?) explains, there are two (2) requirements for building your “1,000 True Fans.”

1) Products

You must have enough product(s) for your fans to spend $100.

This is the easiest part. It’s also the place where I find most get distracted.

You need to approach your product(s) with a “build once, sell multiple times” mentality.

Building a relationship with your fans is key here.

2) Access

Moreover, direct access.

Social media is a great place to start in solving for this. No friction and no middle man (read: no one taking a %).

But, it’s a starting place. While platforms like LinkedIn (my personal favorite) can provide insane access to your fans…

you are renting that audience.

Albeit, for free…but I want you to have more control than that.

Make sure you once are connecting with your fans you move them to a place where you can contact them directly, consistently and on terms you both agree to.

Email is one example of this (and my tool of preference).

Remember…

there are people out there right now who NEED to hear from you.

Experiencing your Zone of Genius is what’s standing between them and solving their biggest, most painful problems in life.

These are your fans (in waiting).

And they need you. Go serve them.

I like to count you as a fan. For that, a heartfelt “thank you.”

And, if you responded “Yes - let’s go!” above, I’m going to share some special training focused on:

• Leveraging your Zone of Genius.

• Creating a simple product that serves them (and you).

• Build a path of access for your fans to easily find you.
  

  So make sure you respond to the poll above.

  As always…
  
  I’m in this with you shoulder-to-shoulder,
  
  Kevin

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P.P.S. As you can tell, I’m writing more and more on LinkedIn. If we aren’t already, let’s connect there.