In today’s world of social media, forums, blogs, RSS feeds, email newsletters, podcasts, and meetups, is easier than ever to create and develop niche markets and zero-in to more specific wants and need for audiences.

It used to be Rock ‘n’ Roll. Then it became Punk, Metal, Heavy Metal, Thrash Metal, Speed Metal, Glam Rock, Power Metal, Heavy British Metal, Punk Metal, Nu Metal, Hardcore Metal, Symphonic Metal, Death Metal, Grind Metal, Gothic Metal, Metal Operas, and I think I heard someone say there’s “Angel Metal”?

The internet used to be about data information sharing from person to person, peer to peer also known as p2p. Napster is the most recognizable and well-known event in the last 20 years because it used the internet and ability to transfer files for distribution from person to person. The only problem was that it share files that were copyrighted.

But a community, followers, fans and many followed immediately because of the revolutionary influence this created in 1999 when the internet was used starting to being used and understood by major corporations and enterprises. Napster allowed the world to notice and put attention on the internet that it was not just the place to look for adult content, connect to your bank account, hack to your heart’s content, or chat. It was also a place to share data and where entertainment could live.

The biggest development in communities came with the very now famous white paper of Bitcoin. It created a movement and provided people something to believe in that was not tangible, personified, unified nor centralized. It was meant for everyone and those who wanted to participate in it, developers,  miners, traders, HODLers, and even haters who wanted to attempt to bash it.

Bitcoin: The birth of the Crypto Community

Bitcoin exploded a new world of possibilities and allowed the imagination to run wild for many people. They began to meet, run hackathons, start discussions on how to solve real-life problems with the transparency and efficiency of this technology.

The community took the initial thought of the creator and began evolving it at an accelerated pace. The developers have continued on making sure that Bitcoin stays strong. Other blockchains have been developed with other benefits, add-ons, types of governances, pros and cons. But what do each and every one of them have? Community.

The community is the people who vote, suggest, promote, evangelizes, criticizes for improvement, for growth, for accountability and fearless feedback of how to make something better. They may or may not know of the subject, but you want to be able to scale up and down answers for your products and services so you are able to address newcomers who are foreign to the ideas of your company or entity.

Growing and Developing

Creating, developing and engaging with a community is the most beneficial way to have a successful project and company. Making the community a tribe, where you organically develop a subculture, your own hashtags, your own trends during the week, care for each other and support each other to propel, that is the definition of success today.

Involving community into your project is key. Pat Flynn, creator of Smart Passive Income and Author of Will It Fly? recommends in this book to ask for people close to you what they see you doing. Now, this is for starting a business. But imaging already having a healthy amount of followers and creating a new service or product. Catering to their needs wants, services adding value so they feel like they are gaining more than what they are giving, is the key thing. In the words of the great Simon Sinek, “People don’t buy what you do; people buy why you do it.”

If the incentive created to buy it because it is a product that is new, innovative and it’s great. Those are three words thrown around nowadays so much that is just the same as walking to buy a car and having the salesperson tell me: “I’ll give you free rugs.” But when the incentive to buy something is because the product or service is catered to you, your needs, your budgets, your personality, your idea, your ethos, then the possibility of the community explodes and becomes something greater than you ever imaging. This grows into a movement that can scale upwards and expand aggressively, and I mean this in a positive way.

As we all are about to take some time off during the holiday season, one of the things you might want to start to consider for your business is the following: Is it engaged? Do you have clients that are fans? Clients, that refer you, other clients? Do you listen to their needs and wants to improve and build better products and services for the growth and improvement of your business practice?

The customer is not always right, I can honestly say this after working in retail after and customer service for many years, but every so often we have those great clients, that you really don’t want to let go and would do anything to have repeat business over and over again as much as possible. These are the most important ones. These will be the fuel to promote and propel you and your business.

Build a business around your community and in return, the trust will be built.