Based on the 1,000 true fans theory.
Recently, I came across the 1,000 true fans theory by Kevin Kelly.
In his own words, you don’t need millions (dollars, clients, or customers) to be a successful creator.
To make a living as a craftsperson, photographer, musician, designer, author, animator, app maker, entrepreneur, or inventor, you only need a thousand of true fans.
First, you have to create enough each year that you can earn, on average, $100 profit from each true fan.
If you keep the full $100 of each true fan, then you need only 1,000 of them to earn $100,000 per year.
That’s a living for most folks.
His theory supported my idea of developing a niche before moving outwards to conquer the masses.
Remember Apple's iPod? Back in the early 2000s, it was for the music enthusiast.
In a world dominated by clunky CD players, the iPod was a breath of fresh air, yes, but it wasn't ubiquitous.
Think about it. Most people were still content with their existing setups. That sleek little brick of brushed metal with the satisfying click wheel was solving a desire in a specific domain - personal music.
And that's where the magic began.
Apple, in those early days of the iPod, wasn't trying to conquer the entire electronics landscape. They were laser-focused on doing one thing exceptionally well.
They obsessed over the user experience, the industrial design, the seamless integration of hardware and software.
This focus on a seemingly small corner of the market was, in hindsight, a brilliant act of strategic patience.
It allowed Apple to cultivate a fiercely loyal following of a thousand fans, a tribe of users who appreciated their attention to detail and willingness to prioritise experience over everything else.
Then came the iPhone.
That same obsession with user experience, that same seamless integration, that same focus on solving a specific desire – in this case, the desire for a powerful, intuitive mobile computing device.
And because of the groundwork laid by the iPod, there was already a segment of the population primed to understand and appreciate this approach. This group of thousand true fans had experienced the "Apple difference" firsthand.
The expansion didn't stop there. Look at the resurgence of the Mac.
For years, it held a respectable but relatively small share of the personal computer market. Yet, fueled by the halo effect of the iPod and the iPhone, and a continued commitment to design and user experience, the Mac has steadily gained traction.
People who fell in love with the simplicity of their iPhone often found themselves drawn to the similar ethos of the Mac.
The iPod showed the world the unexpected power of deeply serving a specific desire, and in doing so, it inadvertently laid the groundwork for conquering much, much more.
Apple's journey from the niche of the iPod to broader dominance isn't unique.
Many other brands have followed a similar trajectory, focusing on a specific market segment initially and then strategically expanding their offerings.
Let’s check out Amazon.
Jeff Bezos started Amazon in 1994 with a singular focus: selling books online. It seems almost quaint now, but at the time, this was a distinct niche.
Amazon patiently built its infrastructure, customer base, and reputation within this niche.
Once they had a strong foothold, they began to strategically expand into adjacent categories – music, then electronics, then apparel, and so on.
Today, Amazon is a global behemoth, selling virtually everything and even venturing into cloud computing (AWS), streaming (Prime Video), and groceries (Whole Foods).
What about Google? The company's initial focus was on providing a better way to search the burgeoning World Wide Web.
In the late 1990s, search engines existed, but Google's PageRank algorithm offered a significant improvement in relevance and usability. They weren't trying to be a software company or an advertising giant; they were simply focused on making information accessible.
As Google became the dominant search engine, it leveraged its understanding of user intent and massive data infrastructure to expand into numerous other areas.
This included advertising (AdWords, AdSense), email (Gmail), maps (Google Maps), mobile operating systems (Android), and much more.
So what do these brand histories tell us?
Sometimes, the most impactful growth doesn't come from trying to be everything to everyone all at once. It comes from doing one thing exceptionally well, building a foundation of loyal users, and then patiently expanding your horizons.
So, find your niche, own it completely, and watch as the world comes to you.
Cheers,
Val