Making A Million With 1000 True Fans: Case Study Intro
Crystal posted this on April 22, 2008
One true fan — cc Heraklit, courtesy of Flickr
The idea of supporting yourself comfortably on the proceeds from 1000 True Fans may sound loopy, but the math is straightforward. Get $100 a year from 1000 people and you’ll earn $100,000 each year.
The theory has its inevitable skeptics and hesitants, but Seth Godin believes it’s a concept worth restructuring a business around. Both positions call for a deep think, and it’s also important to ponder collecting a fanbase and improving customer experience.
Because although the math is simple, the execution of a 1000 True Fan Plan can be complex. Surviving and thriving on 1000 True Fans means:
- Earning and keeping the attention of tens of thousands of Potential True Fans AND
- Bringing them to part with a day’s pay (according to the theory) AND
- Convincing them to pay you year after year AND
- Maintaining a collection of 1000 willing buyers AND…
You get the picture. It takes time and helluvalotta work. It takes thoughtful strategy. And maybe more than those, it takes massive action and perseverance. But it’s doable. And it’s being done. I have proof.
Introducing Ali
In my Dismiss Your Doubts post, I introduced Alexandria Brown—the information marketer formerly-known-as the Ezine Queen—who solopreneured her way to $2,000,000 last year. I don’t mean she’s accumulated $2M over her 7 years in business, I mean that was her income for 2007. Notably, that’s a ninefold+ jump from the $270K she made in 2005.
Yes, way.
No sh!t.
How the heck would I know about her income? Well…because she told me. Offering details about her enviable lifestyle, workstyle, and earnings is one of her keenly effective marketing techniques. Ali uses all the income-generating methods she shares, so she is her own poster child. She’s attracted 22,000 28,000+ Potential True Fans with her success story, free teleseminars, and free email newsletter.
Me, the Hater
She also attracts haters, and I’m among them on my lesser days. It’s painfully stupid of me to feel that way when—with equal diligence and focus—I can accomplish as much as she has. In truth, it will be easier for me because I can work from the strategies Ali’s already developed, tested, and outlined (which is why I subscribe to her weekly ezine and never miss a teleseminar).
Now, I’m not an affiliate and this series of posts isn’t sponsored. But there is a payout for me, of sorts…
My positive and productive penance
Maybe writing about her success will extinguish my cussed crabbiness about it and swing my karma around. It serves everyone better for me to be truly thrilled for Ali, and proud that there are one-woman shows who earn a ton for their hard work, and particularly thankful that she’s left a trail of free breadcrumbs we can follow.
From what Ali shared in her Top 10 for 2008 teleseminar and my observations of her strategies and tactics, I’ve developed a bird’s-eye view of what she’s built, how it works, and how she makes millions from fewer than 1000 True Fans.
Subscribe to my full feed or sign up for my email service so you won’t miss:
Part 1: Be a Tollbooth on the Information Highway
Part 2: Big-Ticket VIP Access for a Few
Part 3: Get a Life With Automation and Delegation
Et tu? What do you think about where this week’s posts are headed? Let me know down below…
Tagged with: 1000 True Fans · entrepreneur · solopreneur
Comments
17 Responses to “Making A Million With 1000 True Fans: Case Study Intro”
Leave a Reply
Full feed updates
Crystal,
That is incredible. I’ve read of the 1000 true fans concept before, and this is a great example. I’ll be looking forward to your series…
I have to take this concept and run with it. I have an idea for a service that is niche, but would appeal to wealthy & trendy people - I know it would. I need to focus my energy and get my 1000 true fans.
You’ve given me some food for thought.
Thank you…
-Brett
Crystal, I am quickly becoming a huge fan of yours…this is a perfect reason why.
great article.
I will be spending a lot of time picking it apart like meat on a chicken breast.
Recent blog post from Wendi Kelly: The Garden Gate
Crystal,
Absolutely! Raving fans make true business growth happen, not only because they wouldn’t consider going to anyone but you, but also because true fans become little prophets for your company, “spreading the word” to others about your awesomeness.
(The way you just did, because I got the coolest email today from the lovely link above. Thanks.)
He’s not reading, so I’m not flattering him directly, but for those who don’t know it, Seth is a genius. Subscribe. Now. I am one of his biggest Propheteers.
Alexandria’s enormous numbers worry me, though. I can imagine them filling people with pie-in-the-sky dreams instead of achievable and realistic plans, then seeing it as a personal failing if they don’t get her results, rather than as a “your-results-will-differ” situation.
This is one of my favorite topics, and you’ve got a good perspective on getting your fans!
Regards,
Kelly
@Wendi,
Ack! You made me hungry with your comment (mmmmmm, chicken…)
Hey, I have to sound like Homer sometimes, I work at a nuke plant!
@Kelly,
Seth. Awesome.
I love his stuff…
Good stuff - i’m still aiming to get my own blog going - currently I operate businesses for clients and JV partners. As I keep helping them get their 100 True Fans, I watch myself not getting any.
Great food for thought, and very big of you to admit you’re a hater yourself sometimes.
Shawn
Hi Shawn! Naomi at http://IttyBiz.com had a great post that covered both of those things: helping clients with their success, and being a bit jealous of it. It gave me lots to think about, and had me looking out for my own hater moments.
And like most things, once you start looking for it, you see it everywhere. I found that little nasty bit about Ali, and also for probloggers, people who travel a lot, folks with dogs, folks with a higher Technorati ranking LoL
I know! It’s stupid! But now that my psyche has tipped its hand, I have the lesson:
If I’m hatin’, two things are true: 1) I want what that person has…really, really bad, 2) I don’t believe I can have it. Otherwise, what is there for me to be hateful about? If I don’t really (really) want it, then whatever. If I believe it’s attainable, then OK! Great!—Time to get to gettin’ so I can have it also.
But if both 1 and 2 are true, then it’s time to exorcise the demon by addressing ‘em both. Which means 1) Determining if I really want whatever it is…Am I willing to put in the effort, make the sacrifices, and live with the tough decisions of getting and having it? If the answer is anything but a heart-breaking, bone-shaking YES (anything less pretty much squashes my internal whining) then it’s time to 2) work through why I feel I can’t have it and get to thinking on how I can.
Don’t get it twisted. I wouldn’t mind $2M/yr income, but that’s not the part of Ali’s life that I want. The flexibility of schedule, the travel, the free time, and the choices are what I want. I can achieve that satisfactorily with far, far less than $2M.
It is pretty incredible, and like Kelly was saying, not necessarily achievable to the same extend with the same methods.
…However!
I do feel the general concept is solid, and critical to microbusinesses and folks who are just starting out in business. I mean, what a relief! You’ve got to take a mo’ to think it through, and you still gotta work your heiny off, but at least you probably won’t need the avid interest of 20,000 or even 2,000 people for your business to survive.
Hope tomorrow’s post gives you something more to nibble on. Which…err, I better get to writing instead of hanging out in the comments with all you good folks! But first, gotta sip a cuppa with Kelly
Crystal,
The concept is solid, which is the beauty of it. Create a business plan, a service, a product. Figure out a way to market it to enough people such that 1000-2000 will pay you $100 a year. Enjoy.
The world is a big, big place, and the technology we have at our fingertips gives us great power, if we have the mindset, the focus, the courage to try. Nothing but fear of success to hold us back.
Damn. I have to get cracking on a few things tonight…
-Brett
Howdy Wendi!
Tomorrow’s post has crunched numbers and a diagram (maybe two) that I would love for you to pick over. Like most Bright Ideas, the possibilities for both success and failure are endless…we just need to leeeean to the success side!
Hey Kelly!
True fan story from yesterday: Todd from http://PDFOnline.com contacted me about my cost query on the very next business day (Point!), and didn’t blow me off when he found out my business is still growing (Point!), and is just li’l ol’ me (3-pointer!). He asked me if I was product shopping, and how they were measuring up.
I may have surprised him when I said my Fan-dom was based on how freely they offer their free tools which you touched on recently, and that I was done shopping for providers unless someone more giving popped up. All the rest was bonus points.
As for Ali’s numbers, they don’t worry me. She brings achievable and realistic plans/methods to the table with everything else, so I’m cool with it. Achievable Goals + Realistic Plan + Sky Pie = Busy, Lovely Life
The “personal failing” thing though…that does indeed worry me. That, to me, is a hazard to the spirit, and folks who come to a product/service/religion/relationship/anything with unmanaged expectations will likely learn the hard way to value the effort put in (which we definitely control) more than the results that come out (which we sure as shit don’t).
From where I sit, unmanaged expectations are the devil. Big dreams met with big action are glory. As I’m learning (the hard way), it doesn’t matter whether I get a slice of my Sky Pie, so long as I navigate for it. Where’s the advantage in starting with pie-on-the-floor or pie-on-the-counter dreams? Pie-on-top-of-fridge dreams, maybe…
~CW
ps There’s no joy in dreaming small, particularly when powered by Big Vision.
pps Words like “achievable” and “realistic” are stay-in-the-box words. What’s possible is redefined all the time by folks who have unreasonable ideas about achievement and little grasp on reality.
You have to dream big. Otherwise you’ll run out of rungs on the ladder, and stop climbing.
That’s why I don’t care how silly anyone thinks it sounds, I’m going to sit up on stage next to Oprah and tell her all about my book.
Recent blog post from Brett Legree: do something crazy.
Crystal,
Well-put. I love a good debate.
I am a HUGE Dream Big fan, but not a huge “I made 6 mill last week and so can you” fan. You are right, there is definitely no joy in dreaming small. If you’ll allow
Achievable Goals + Realistic Plan + Sky Pie = Busy, Lovely Life
isn’t too boxed in,
I’ll sign on to Sky Pie.
& how about:
What’s possible is redefined all the time by folks who have unreasonable ideas about achievement and A grasp on reality.
Teeny tweak?
Regards,
Kelly
Kelly — HA! Oh I so used to listen to some of those “big instant money with no effort” Internet marketers and bloggers. I never invested money in their concepts, but they did have my undivided attention for awhile.
I’ve got no use for that kind either, and wouldn’t guide anyone to them, except maybe as an object lesson. To her credit, I’ve never heard Ali say earning big money was anything but big work.
And my formula for a busy, lovely life represents an entire world of work and friends and growth. Not too boxed in at all…it takes a big box to hold a world. But it’s still a box
How about: What’s possible is redefined all the time by folks who have unreasonable ideas about achievement and a grasp on a wealth of realities. ..?
Great comments happening on this post!
My wife and I are also fans of the ‘dream big’ mentality. And we don’t need alot to have that ‘big dream’ as our #1 priority in it all is flexibility and freedom with our time. And we practically have that already!
And yes, the hardest part of dreaming big is following through on the actions to achieve the dreams (and not just sitting there dreaming).
Shawn
[...] series starts with an introduction to the 1000 True Fans concept and solopreneur Alexandria Brown. The first part demonstrates the [...]
[...] series starts with an introduction to the 1000 True Fans concept and solopreneur Alexandria Brown. The first part demonstrates that [...]
It is a great concept but many bands have had trouble getting 1,000 true fans period, let alone having those 1,000 fans spend at least $100 a year. Because you have to look at it in the way of each CD they would buy a year would make around $6-$8 profit. If you went with that model you would have to have all the fans come out to 4-6 shows a year and buy cd’s at each
Recent blog post from Nashville: Tim McGraw To Host SNL