The 6-Figure Power of 100 True Fans
I first heard about the 1,000 true fans concept (by Kevin Kelly) on a podcast over 10 years ago. This was back when I cleaned houses for a living and during that time, I listened to hundreds of podcast episodes while I worked.
The 1000 true fans idea has stayed with me to this day - guiding my approach to business and proving itself true over and over throughout the years.
I love it because it keeps me grounded. I’ve never had to worry about radically growing my number of followers or subscribers, because I knew I didn’t need big numbers to create big results.
All I needed to focus on was creating 1000 true fans.
In this blog post, I'm sharing why even just 100 true fans (900 fewer people!) is enough to completely transform your business.
The Math That Changes Everything
When I explain the math to people, it always surprises them.
People tend to focus on how much money they want their business to make. I recommend focusing on how many customers you want to create.
When you switch from thinking about the revenue goal to instead thinking about the number of customers, it becomes a very powerful reframe.
I remember having a conversation with my cousin. She wanted to make $20,000. I asked her how much her course was, and she said she wanted to price it at $200.
"That's great," I told her. "All you need is 100 customers. Focus on the number “100”, not “20,000.”
She couldn't believe it. We actually had to break out a calculator to do the math because she had never thought about the fact that all she needed were 100 people to buy her course in order to make $20,000.
The number 100 was so much less overwhelming than the number 20,000.
The True Fan Equation
Here's where it gets even more powerful.
If, over time, you develop a product suite that totals $1,000—a number of different products priced at different price points, from entry level all the way up to your signature program—and when you add it all up it equals $1,000, then the math becomes even more amazing.
A true fan is someone who will buy anything and everything you make. So if a true fan buys all your products, that's $1,000.
Which means all you need is 100 true fans to make $100,000.
Now your focus is simply: What can I sell that equals $1,000 in total? And how can I create 100 true fans?
This completely changes your business strategy. You're no longer chasing thousands of one-time customers. You're building deep relationships with people who trust you, who love what you create, who want to grow alongside you.
You Can't Create True Fans by Being Anything Less Than Your True Self
Here's the part where I differ from most business advice.
You can't create true fans by niching down so hard you become a two-dimensional version of yourself. You can't do it if you're always trying to follow other people's way of doing everything. You can't do it if you're obsessed with "staying on brand" and only talking about one thing all the time.
The thing that creates true fans—people who will follow you for years and years as you evolve and grow—is you honoring your own growth and evolution first and foremost.
You can't honor your growth and evolution if you're terrified of expanding beyond a niche. Because the reality is, when you stick to a single topic, people will outgrow you. They won't follow you for years and years because they will have already moved beyond what you're offering. You’ll constantly be under the pressure of having to find brand new customers all the time. Acquiring a new customer costs 5-25x more than retaining an existing customer.
True fans don't follow a static brand. They follow a real person who is brave enough to evolve, to change, to explore new ideas, to grow into new versions of themselves.
Think about someone who you have followed for years. Are you still in their circle because they’re the “best expert in their niche”? Or is it because of something deeper? Is it because you connected to who they are as a person - not what they do as an expert?
And this Brings Me to Why I Don’t Niche Down
This “True Fans” approach is a part of why I don’t niche down. I follow my curiosity, say yes to desire and teach what I’m learning on my own journey. Over the years, people have tried to categorize me as “the Picmonkey girl” or “the Etsy girl” or “the planner girl”, but I knew that the best thing I can do in long run was just be me - Michelle. I keep outgrowing every label. I keep exploring what’s calling to me next.
As it turns out, being yourself is the most “niche” thing you can possible do. Because there is only one YOU. And when you focus on being YOU, the benefits are BEAUTIFUL:
You have no competition (there is only ONE YOU)
You're a magnet for your true fans (people who love you for who you are)
You never burn out because you’re operating from your higher self
You attract customers who stay for years, not just one transaction
You can evolve and grow without losing your community
Your marketing becomes effortless (you're just sharing your real life)
You stop second-guessing every decision (because you're following your own compass)
You can work less because you're not constantly chasing new customers
So the question isn't "how do I niche down?" - it's "how do I show up more fully as myself?" Because that’s what attracts your 100 true fans.
