Last Thing: Build Relationships With Your Audience

You’re reading an excerpt of Great Founders Write, by Ben Putano, writer, entrepreneur, and book publisher. He’s the founder of Damn Gravity Media, a publishing house that inspires and educates tomorrow’s great founders. Purchase now for lifetime access to the book and on-demand video course.

As a writer and entrepreneur, the thing I value most is the people I’ve met on my journey.

Building an audience can quickly become a soulless numbers game if you forget about the people on the other side. Take time to start one-on-one conversations and build actual relationships with others. If you’re on Twitter, DM someone who regularly comments on your posts. Ask them about their goals and how you can help. Jump on a call with an email subscriber who opens every one of your newsletters. Where do they live? What do they do in their free time? What obstacles stand in their way?

Building relationships is good for the soul and good for business. It’s very difficult to quit products or services when you’ve had a personal conversation with the founder. The more time you spend building relationships, the more fervent your audience will become.

Two people stand out to me as excellent relationship-builders: Mac Conwell and Arvid Kahl. You know Mac from the section Nurture Key Relationships. He regularly takes over two hundred phone calls a month with founders, limited partners, and aspiring entrepreneurs looking for advice. Mac’s spotlight has grown because of the personal relationships he’s built.

Arvid Kahl is also generous with his time. After selling a SaaS business, Arvid began writing books for bootstrapped founders. He found success by writing in public and asking his audience to help. He’s built relationships that extend far beyond one book or business.

Don’t measure your success by the size of your audience. Measure it by the quality of relationships you build. If you can say you’ve met one person who has changed your life for the better, I would call that a victory. Now you’re playing with house money.

It’s time to put yourself in the spotlight.

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