key takeaways from ‘superfans’ (1/5)

In Superfans, Pat Flynn, active keynote speaker and host of the popular Smart Passive Income Podcast, highlights the importance of creating superfans instead of just looking at the numbers and accruing followers, subscribers and customers.

It’s easy to just pay attention to the numbers, but as entrepreneurs and changemakers, Flynn explains, we have to remember that there are people behind all those stats. There are people out there who are counting on us, who want us to lead, give helpful advice and genuinely care. In this highly competitive and ego-driven world, people want a “guide on the side,” someone who they can wholeheartedly trust, and who they know has their best interests in mind. And these are people who you are looking for, who will become your biggest cheerleaders, your “Superfans” if you connect with them in the right way.

At its core, this book attempts to convey the message that a smaller, more loyal audience is way better than a large, disengaged one. The basic premise of this book is inspired by an essay called 1,000 True Fans written by Kevin Kelly, senior editor at Wired. This masterpiece, which is still just as applicable today as it was back when it was published more than a decade ago, has been a key resource for many creatives and entrepreneurs including Flynn in helping them understand how attainable real, life-changing success actually is, and why building a business in a super small niche can actually be a good move. You don’t have to become a celebrity or a rockstar, all you need is 1,000 dedicated superfans. A simple but powerful insight!

The bottom line is that in order to thrive and build a successful business, you don’t have to aim to change the entire world; you just need to change someone’s world. 

Accruing superfans is a process and doesn’t happen overnight. It takes time — a good number of months or even years. But in the broad scheme, it’s definitely worth it. When it comes to running a business in the ever-changing climate of social media and technology, your superfans will always be there in your corner supporting you. The synergistic relationship between you and your superfans thus becomes a crucial factor in attaining perennial success. 

Flynn points out that the beauty of nurturing relationships with your superfans can be extremely rewarding in the long run. And that’s why the most important aspect of your business becomes creating smaller magical moments and experiences for the people once they find you rather than having a single, huge magical moment.