Key insights

• ⚠️ Having a large audience can be a distraction and may not directly translate to sales or support for your product.
• ⏳ Building an audience takes a significant amount of time and can be a form of procrastination.
• 🔮 The 'curse of the audience' refers to people signing up to support the founder rather than being potential customers.
• 🤝 It's more beneficial to focus on building a network of industry professionals rather than a large audience.
• 📈 Having a network provides valuable feedback for product development.
• 🎯 Network makes it easy to get feedback from potential customers.
• 🌟 Building a network requires deliberate effort and reaching outside one's comfort zone.
• 👍 Acting on advice from influencers and reporting back can make you stand out.

Q&A

• Why is having an audience important for certain business types?

  Building a network takes time, and for certain business types like info products, courses, content creation, and community building, having an audience is crucial. However, it is still essential to focus on building a network of industry professionals.

• How can one build a network in their industry?

  Building a network in your industry takes effort and can be done through hosting events, creating content, and producing industry reports. It's important to be proactive and start where you are in your entrepreneurial journey.

• What is essential for making memorable connections when building a network?

  Building your network requires being proactive, providing value, and making memorable connections. Examples include acting on advice given by influencers and becoming a connector through events and introductions.

• What are the benefits of building a network of industry professionals?

  Building a network can be beneficial for getting constructive feedback, reaching potential customers, and leveraging influencer audiences. It requires deliberate effort, reaching outside one's comfort zone, and initiating connections.

• Why is building a network of industry professionals emphasized over building a large audience?

  Building an audience might not be the best use of time, especially for B2B SaaS products. Having a network of industry professionals can provide valuable feedback, support for product development, and might be more beneficial than a large audience.

• What is the 'curse of the audience' mentioned in the video?

  The 'curse of the audience' refers to the scenario where people sign up to support the founder rather than being potential customers. Having a large audience can be a distraction and may not directly translate to sales or support for the product.

• 00:00 Building a large audience can be a distraction, leading to the 'curse of the audience.' Instead, focus on building a network of industry professionals to support your startup.
• 02:17 Building an audience might not be the best use of time for B2B SaaS products. Having a network can provide valuable feedback and support for product development.
• 04:29 Building a network can be beneficial for getting constructive feedback, reaching potential customers, and leveraging influencer audiences. It requires deliberate effort, reaching outside one's comfort zone, and initiating connections.
• 06:40 Building your network requires being proactive, providing value, and making memorable connections. Examples include acting on advice given by influencers and becoming a connector through events and introductions.
• 09:00 Building a network in your industry takes effort and can be done through hosting events, creating content, and producing industry reports. It's important to be proactive and start where you are in your entrepreneurial journey.
• 11:11 Building a network takes time; start where you are, stay curious, and seek out niche-specific online communities. For certain business types like info products, courses, content creation, and community building, having an audience is important.