PP 196: Why You Don’t Need a Massive Following to Be Successful (Community Building Series Pt. 1)
I’m going to start off by making three assumptions about you:
You don’t want to feel isolated on an island when playing this creative game.
You want people to care about you and your work.
You want to feel connected with a support system to lean on and learn from.
That’s the power of community, and it comes in different forms for sure.
I want to drive home that having a community is a sure-fire way to consistently progress and push forward.
For me, growing an engaged community around me and my work has become my most powerful asset—especially when the pandemic hit this year.
Before I dive deep into how building a connected audience has massively benefited my creative pursuits, it’s important to know why I’m laser-focused on this topic in the first place.
That way, you get a better understanding of what’s to come over the next few weeks. Today, we’re kicking off a 3-Part Series on The Power of Building an Engaged Community.
Due to the interest on the Engaged Community Guide free download, it’s clear you wanted more on this topic.
You sparked this series, which in turn sparked the Engaged Community Building Blueprint Video Course that officially releases worldwide January 13th–22nd!
NOTE: If you downloaded the free guide, you’re going to get first access to the Huge Homie Hookup Early Bird Reduced Rate January 11th and 12th.
My goals with this series are to:
Convince you that you DON’T need a massive following to have a successful and profitable creative career.
Give you the tools you need to build a small-to-mid-sized hyper-engaged community that supports you and the work you create.
Guide you to being more intentional about WHAT you create, WHO it’s for, and HOW you share it.
Craving Connection
Throughout my life, I craved connection for a few reasons:
I grew up getting bullied and desperately craved acceptance.
While finding my artistic groove post-college, I felt isolated in my small town of Iowa.
The local people I used to kick it with were holding me back and weren’t aligned to the big goals I had for myself.
It’s funny, when I started consistently sharing my work under Perspective-Collective 6 years ago, I had no idea I was building community around what I was doing.
It was just my extroverted and connection-seeking tendencies to engage with people first.
Literally, I’m the dude on an elevator who can’t handle the awkward silence. I’m gonna talk to you.
Over time, strangers online initiated this engagement back.
After almost giving up art because I didn’t think I had the chops, getting any type of love on my work was a BIG deal for me (and still is).
So I’d make extra sure to respond with genuine gratitude toward ANYONE who'd comment on my work (and I still do today).
Wildly enough, doing this year after year sprouted a little fan base. It’s composed of people who vibe to what I create on this floating rock in space.
The Perks of Turning on the Marketing Switch
Things began to scale when I turned the marketing switch on.
I started to understand the things I was good at and how to optimize and scale them.
Specifically, I’m talking about:
Creating relatable, helpful content based on my experiences and interests.
Building relationships by connecting with and providing a personalized experience.
Creating safe spaces where people can connect with other like-minded people.
I slowly continued to build an engaged community through my Instagram and through this podcast.
Then, I became more intentional about building this community by creating hubs in the form of my FREE Perspective-Collective Facebook Group and The Side Hustler’s Coaching Programs.
The focus on creating hubs was NEVER to sell people shit.
It was all about creating a one-stop-shop full of like-minded people.
A place I could dish out targeted value based on the biggest struggles, dreams, and fears people like you shared with me.
Somehow, the more energy I invested into building community, the faster I built the credibility, social proof, and authority too.
As a byproduct, this led to:
Speaking gigs
Podcast interviews
Affiliate-based/Sponsor opportunities
Note: I only co-sign on something I personally use that I believe will provide someone like you value.
What I’m trying to say is that putting my focus on serving rad humans like you continually opened up new doors of opportunity.
Listening to Your People & Your Gut
I could’ve gone all-in on the freelance path like many of my friends and idols.
Instead, I listened to what people like you said you struggled with and needed the most.
Because of this, I stopped freelancing and killed my online merch shop in January 2019.
I went with my gut and chased my love for connecting and listening. This helped me unearth a new stream of side hustle income in coaching creatives.
Finding success in this new angle of my business ended up saving my ass later in the year.
After losing my “safe” day job in November 2019, I made a leap of faith that went against all logic.
Instead of applying for a design job or pursuing full-time freelance, I went all-in on Side Hustle Coaching in January 2020.
Two months into self-employment, and a freakin’ pandemic hits…
Had I taken a new day job, I would’ve been fresh meat on the chopping block.
Had I went full-time freelance, I would’ve struggled because people were afraid to spend money in order to weather the storm.
However, building an engaged community and stepping into the online education scene was the best move I could’ve ever made.
The Power of Serving
Not only did I have a strong coaching program locked down, but I was freed up and able to create digital resources I KNEW were going to help your side hustle pursuits.
All because I engaged, listened, took action, and served year after year.
And damn, did this pay off.
Between my the launches of the Spring 2020 Side Hustler's Coaching Program, The Side Hustler’s Handbook Mini-Course, and the Digital Ink Brushes for Procreate, I was able to:
Build up 6-months of expenses.
Pay off my wife’s $25k car loan (which freed up over $400 per month).
AND cover her 12 weeks of unpaid maternity.
I did this all well before my Baby Emma was born on June 2nd. Not to mention, I had already made the same amount as I did at my last job. 🤯
NONE of this would’ve been possible had I not:
Focused on building an engaged community...
Around me and the work I was most passionate about…
And attentively listened and served those who followed me.
This is way more than just selling solutions and making money.
Not only do I get to build deep relationships with incredible people like you, but I get to listen and find new ways to serve you with killer free content.
I’m focused on GIVING first, not creating to sell.
If what I’m putting out there strikes a nerve and people want more, then it could potentially evolve into a profitable resource.
There’s a huge takeaway right there: Give > Listen > Create > Revise > Repeat.
I gave for years before I ever gave an ask to purchase a damn thing.
I gained people’s trust by connecting, listening, understanding, and serving.
Opportunity Comes From Serving the Right People
If I was to summarize this all up, it’d be this:
Building an engaged community around you and your work is a powerful asset.
It doesn’t happen overnight—it takes connecting with one person at a time to get them on your team.
It’s not about selling, it’s about listening and serving your audience as you grow together over time. This is how you create super fans and loyal customers who support the human behind the work.
Doing this consistently will compound to the point the floodgates of opportunity open. With that, you’ll find endless potential to make great money while serving the RIGHT people who want to support you.
There are no cheat codes if you want the benefits of building an engaged community.
It’s all on you to put in the work and genuinely give a shit about those you want to serve.
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Credits
Music - Blookah
Executive Assistant - Paige Garland
Photo & Video Specialist - Colton Bachar
Social Media Coordinator - Hannah Schick
Animation Specialist - Greg D'Amico