In 2008, Kevin Kelly published an iconic essay called 1,000 True Fans. It was about how artists, creators, and entrepreneurs didn’t need mass-market fame, just a direct and loyal relationship with a small group of super fans.
Great post! I read Kevin Kelly's piece in college and was really fascinated by it. As someone in venture, I always encourage people not to pursue venture capital if they don't need to for all the reasons you mentioned. It's our tendency as people to move fast and scale before we are ready. If you don't have 100 super fans, than maybe you are building something people don't want. Or perhaps you are building something that the market isn't ready for yet.
Great post! I read Kevin Kelly's piece in college and was really fascinated by it. As someone in venture, I always encourage people not to pursue venture capital if they don't need to for all the reasons you mentioned. It's our tendency as people to move fast and scale before we are ready. If you don't have 100 super fans, than maybe you are building something people don't want. Or perhaps you are building something that the market isn't ready for yet.
Thank you Kelsey! 🙏 Kevin’s piece really is indeed timeless.
You know, as a founder, it’s so tempting to chase scale when the real work is in earning deep belief from the first 100.
The ambassador strategy. Nice.