Superfans Summary

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Superfans Summary

What You'll Learn

When running a business or personal brand, you’ll need a group of fans that stand by you and your brand.

A group of fans that follow you and all you do (in business, not in a follow-you-home way)

Pat Flynn, from Smart Passive Income fame, covers growing that fan base in his 2019 book, Superfans.

Check the price of Superfans on Amazon

The lowdown

Superfans: The Easy Way to Stand Out, Grow Your Tribe, and Build a Successful Business literally speaks for its name. The book helps brands and businesses grow their tribe from scratch.

It is a step-by-step guide to reach the top of what Pat Flynn calls, the Pyramid of Fandom.

Superfans does not just let its readers climb up the Pyramid to the top, but also guides them for staying there for good. From dodging the hidden traps at the top to avoiding any unwanted recognition, and above all, for visiting safe, Superfans suggests ways to survive the dark side of building superfans by sticking to the famously revered principle with a twist: with great fans comes great responsibility.

Superfans: The Easy Way to Stand Out, Grow Your Tribe, and Build a Successful Business
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Superfans: The Easy Way to Stand Out, Grow Your Tribe, and Build a Successful Business
  • Audible Audiobook
  • Pat Flynn (Author) – Pat Flynn (Narrator)
  • English (Publication Language)
  • 09/16/2019 (Publication Date) – Flynndustries, LLC (Publisher)
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About Pat Flynn 

Pat Flynn is a popular podcaster, author, and founder of several successful websites, including Smart Passive Income, where he helps people build thriving online businesses. He has been featured in Forbes and in the New York Times for his work. He calls himself the “Crash Test Dummy of Online Business.”

He’s also the author of two other books: Let Go, a memoir about his transition from architecture into entrepreneurship, and Will It Fly? A business book about how to validate ideas before investing too many resources. He speaks on the topics of product validation, audience engagement, and personal branding.

Pat lives in San Diego with his wife, April, and their two children. 

Pat Flynn: Superfans Summary

 

PART 1: CASUAL AUDIENCE TO ACTIVE AUDIENCE

 
We discuss the five strategies that turn a casual audience into active participants.

CHAPTER 1: LEARN THE LYRICS

My wife April whom I met in my high school, has been a superfan of Backstreet Boys. When she was fifteen, she started listening to their songs after her first breakup. The songs connected with her experience. The band was saying everything she was going through.
 
Those lyrics had kick-started her journey down the backstreets of super fandom. Those lyrics (and the band’s many others) target band’s ideal audience: teenage girls. Building a robust and successful brand is all about solving people’s problems.
 
Step one is to know what those problems are. But, step two is knowing exactly how those people describe their problems. Your lyrics are the words you use to communicate with your audience. There are a lot of ways you can learn the language of your audience. Here are three ways
 

Method 1: Find conversations that are already happening online

In the age of Social Media, it is quite easy to find out the needs and problems of your audience. Use the right keywords on right social media platforms.
 
To access relevant Facebook conversations, you’ll need a few general searches filter. These include: “why is it”; “when can I”; “what are the”; “how come I”; “need help”; “I need”; “help with” and so on. What’s great is that you can use this method in forums, blogs, and even on Google!
 

Method 2: Describe your most significant challenge

Ask people about their biggest challenge related to a specific topic. Then, follow up with them to learn more. One of the ways to do this is by reaching out to people on your email list or social media.
 
I started using email in 2014, and it was game-changing. One time, I sent an email out with a general open-ended survey question. The email received more than 7,000 responses.
 
I used those words to inform the language in my sales copy, emails, and much more. That exercise also helped me determine the different categories of my audience.
 

Method 3: Real-Life Conversations

This method can’t be more simplified. Find ten people, and ask them to spend fifteen minutes talking to you about a problem they have. Even with a 200,000 people email list, I still call at least ten new subscribers every month.
 
I do this because the practice connects me more to the present emotions of my audience. You can find people at events like conventions or meetups. Or even online on Facebook or LinkedIn groups. Invite them to talk to you on a conference call, on the phone, or in person.
 
Once you’ve found the people in your target audience. You can begin learning about their problems, and how they talk about those problems. From there, you’ll be able to connect with that audience for as long as you’re in business

CHAPTER 2: BREAK THE ICE

Back in 2010, I attended my first conference: Blog World Expo, in Las Vegas, Nevada. My introvert self was comfortable with the setup I had at home for blogging. But, I understood the potential value that could come from a trip like this. So, I drove six hours from San Diego to Las Vegas.
 
At the conference, I felt too scared to start a conversation. The guy sitting to my right reached out to shake my hand. “Hi, Pat. I’m Dave. So what’s your blog about?” I met others, too, who started a conversation in the same way. But I remember Harris much more than I remember anyone else. “Hi, Pat. I’m Harris. I left my wife at home with my kids to be here. How about you?” It was an odd start, but what was more interesting was my response: “Hey, Harris.
 
Nice to meet you. Funny, my wife is here with a one-year-old, and I left her in the hotel room.” That was the moment we broke the ice.
 
When it comes to your brand and business, you’re having conversations with people you’ve never met before.
 

Make sure you are comfortable

Get good sharing things about yourself and your life. Share on personal topics, bring attention to the person behind the brand. This will help foster meaningful connections with your audience.
 
Say you’re writing a blog post called, “10 Things You Should Know About Personal Development.” Instead, title it. “10 Things Harry Potter Can Teach You About Personal Development.” This method will use your love for Harry Potter to make things more interesting.
 
Will everyone in your audience love Harry Potter? Not really! But you don’t break up with your friends when they’re a fan of something that you’re not a fan of, right? As long as you continue to add value, you can add your personality and make a ton of connections with a lot of new people.

CHAPTER 3: CREATE QUICK WINS

Before I started my business, I was a huge personal finance nerd. I subscribed to several blogs about personal finance that I would read every day.
 
During a lunch break at work one day, I came across Ramit Sethi’s blogs. It was about how to save thousands of dollars in ten minutes with a straightforward phone call. I could spare ten minutes. Here’s what he suggested in his article:
 
  1. Call your cable company
  2. Read his script to negotiate a lower monthly payment
  3. Enjoy the extra $
It worked! I followed the script and was able to save 20 percent per month on my bill in ten minutes. That day, Ramit became my favorite blogger. I actually paid for his products.
 
All because he’d hooked me in with a small, quick win. And that’s the trick: Give your audience a little, immediate success. It convinces them that more significant achievements are within reach.
 
Here are a few more ideas I’ve used to create small, quick wins in my own business that you can capitalize on, too.
 

Give People a Challenge

My “100 Email” challenge is one way I give people a small, quick win. The challenge gets people their first hundred email subscribers. Why one hundred? Because it’s much more doable than something like 100,000.
 
With the right approach, you could get to one hundred subscribers in a few days. And the “challenge” aspect, along with the three-day time limit, is like a bow on top.
 

Load Your First Email with Small, Quick Win Potential

With an email list, make sure the first email people get is full of value and delivers a quick win. Something they can do in less than five minutes.
 

Pack Your Getting Started Page with Small, Quick Wins

 
When you’re helping people do something, give them a one-stop-shop to get started with.
 
A great way to do this is through a “getting started” page on your website.
For example, let’s say your business involves helping people podcast.
You can deliver many quick wins by packing that page with information. This can include what gear to buy or how to find guests for their show.
 

CHAPTER 4: DRIVE THE DELOREAN

It was the summer of 2012. Shane Sams was at home in Kentucky, mowing his lawn. To pass the time, he played my podcast on his phone.
 
Shane was mowing along, listening to the show, when something he heard piqued his interest. He leaped off the lawnmower and burst into the kitchen to his wife, Jocelyn. “Jocelyn… This is our destiny!” this guy Pat Flynn is talking about making money online and passive income.”
 
It was the beginning for them.
 
Time machines haven’t been invented, but it’s super fun to imagine if they had been.
 
That’s why I’m a superfan of the movie Back to the Future and quite often use the reference of the car-Delorean. Sure, the story is excellent, but it’s the idea of traveling through time that fascinates me the most.
 

Change the potential futures

You can also use time travel to take people from casual to active on the Pyramid of Fandom. You’re going to help your audience “time travel” to two potential futures. Focusing on a harmful future will capture the attention of some of people in your audience. The key is to be sure you know exactly what your audience is afraid of. For the positive Future, use testimonials to paint a positive future.
 
Which brings me back to Shane and Jocelyn Sams. Shane kept listening to the SPI Podcast. Over the course of the following two years, he and Jocelyn used what they’d learned from SPI.
 
They each started out teaching what they know online. They eventually built an incredible online business called Flipped Lifestyle. Flipped Lifestyle has allowed them to quit their day jobs. I invited them to my podcast, and the episode was super hit. The success of the episode was because their testimony carried more weight. Rather than some ‘guru’, it was from “regular” people.

CHAPTER 5: RETURN EVERY HANDSHAKE

I was about to give the keynote address at a conference a few years ago. As I made my way to the stage, I deliberately tripped and fell on the stairs. Instead of dusting myself off and continuing up to the step, I “rewound” my fall. I then repeated my approach with zero mishaps.
 
The point I was trying to make was that you only get one chance to make a first impression.
 
In my early days of online business, I thrived on returning every online handshake. But as my brand got bigger and I got busier, it got harder for me to do that. So, in 2014, I hired my assistant, Jess, to help manage my inbox. Together, we came up with a system to tackle the bloat. She makes sure that everyone who comes to the brand gets the handshake they deserve.
 
Also, in the early days, when a person commented on my blog, I’d reply to the comment, then I’d go to their website, read their latest article, and comment on the piece.
Later, I’d send them an email thanking them for the comment and complimenting them on their material. I would also point out something specific I enjoyed about it. It works wonders. Look to be the brand that cares about people, even if they aren’t customers yet. You’ll find that you’re going to stand out among the crowd like no other.

PART 2: ACTIVE AUDIENCE TO CONNECTED COMMUNITY

At the current audience level, people know who you are and have chosen to follow you in some way. But it’s within the connected community where they voluntary engage. First, there’s a connection with you, the owner, or creator. Beyond that is the communication and connection between members of the community. In a community, people want to feel like they belong. The following chapters will help you make them feel like it.

CHAPTER 6: LET THEM TAKE A SHOT

Steve Spangler is a scientist and an entertainer. His interview on a podcast was massive for my business. He told the story about how he started his YouTube channel, Sick Science, in 2007. Before, his audience engagement was meager. So, he made a small tweak to engage his audience. Steve added a question to the end of the video description.
 
Engagement went through the roof! He let them shoot their shot by giving them more power. Not only that, they instigated friendly debates within the comments section. When more people talk about something, they draw even more people in. And this how your brand becomes human.

CHAPTER 7: LET THEM DECIDE

Cuusoo is a Japanese word that means imagination. It’s also the inspiration behind CUUSOO SYSTEM. A Japanese company that is a platform for crowdfunding new products.
 
In 2008, CUUSOO SYSTEM formed a partnership with LEGO to create LEGO CUUSOO. LEGO has manufactured and sold several products created by regular people. These range from a set highlighting the Women of NASA in 2017 to the DeLorean from Back to the Future.
 
The fact that LEGO is listening is huge for community growth. Instead of a one-sided conversation, it’s something anyone can take part in. LEGO understands that not all the best ideas come internally. By calling on their customers/fans, LEGO can create things its audience already wants.
This process is known as co-creation, and it’s a brilliant way to activate your audience further.
 
But what if you’re not a giant company with the resources to create a crowdsourced platform like LEGO IDEAS? Here’s something for you.
 
Amy Porterfield is a fellow entrepreneur and friend. I was quite surprised to see her Facebook post that asked for “Font help.”
 
She has people who do this kind of work for her, so why is she asking her audience for “font help”?
 
Involving her audience in this decision isn’t about the final outcome. Instead, it’s about participation and communication. It was one of her most engaging posts in months.
 
Remember: fans love it when you give them a chance to be a part of the decision-making process. They feel like part of the brand, or more, part of a family.

CHAPTER 8: CREATE A CHALLENGE

Challenges are powerful when trying to turn an active audience into a community.
 
Jadah Sellner and Jen Hansard are the founders of Simple Green Smoothies. The online business that is transforming the health of its population.
 
The brand has four hundred thousand Instagram followers, two best-selling cookbooks, and a top-rated recipe app.
 
Simply put, Green Smoothies engages a massive community of passionate fans. The biggest way they drive engagement is a free 30-day green smoothie challenge.
 
Subscribers receive a weekly email with five smoothie recipes and a shopping list. These challenges are a way to invite casual fans to become subscribers. Jadah and Jen definitely thought to automate their business by selling packages directly. But the secret magic to their challenge was the community engagement.
 
In your business, you’ll face moments where you can choose to make things more automated or more human. If you’re trying to build an engaged community of people on their way to becoming superfans, then be human.

CHAPTER 9: OPEN THE FACTORY DOORS

On each episode of the television show How It’s Made, the hosts take you inside a factory to show you their process.
 
The first episode came out in February 2001. More than four hundred episodes later, the show is still going strong.
 
So, why is the factory tour such a draw? It provides four things people want to see and experience. Factors that can help turn active audience members into engaged fans
 
  • Helps Your Audience Appreciate the Quality and Care Behind the Product
  • Makes Your Audience Feel Unique and Special
  • Connects Your Audience with the People Behind the Brand
  • Gives Your Audience Something to Share
Be comfortable with your own level of transparency. It can be as simple as giving people a glimpse of where you work. Something I’ve done on a couple of occasions is a video tour of the places I work. It is simple and welcoming.

CHAPTER 10: STAGE A GIG

On August 8, 1998, April attended her first Backstreet Boys concert. Every day for months, April and her friend looked forward to the concert. Even now, she would be able to recall that night vividly. For anyone who’s ever attended a live show, you know that it’s a whole new level of experience. This is why when you’re a brand, creating events can be game-changing. If you want to take your audience from active to connected, you’ve got to be willing to gig.
 
When I started blogging, one of the first resources I found was Darren Rowse’s ProBlogger. I heard he was going to do an exclusive video live stream with chat. I was quick to register.
 
What I found to be the most exciting part of the show was the question-and-answer segment. Darren found interesting questions from comment scream and then shared his thoughts. From that point on, I developed a close affinity to Darren and the ProBlogger community.
 
These kinds of events are powerful on their own, but there are little things you can do to amplify their effect. As a tip, whenever possible, make sure you do your best to call out people’s names. Such small events can go a long way, especially if you do them regularly.

CHAPTER 11: GIVE THEM A NAME

September 8, 1966, the first episode of Star Trek: The Original Series aired on NBC, to mixed reviews. Variety said, “it wouldn’t work.” In 1967, Star Trek’s creator led a secret campaign to save the show after rumors of cancellation. Using four thousand fans on a mailing, his team asked people to write a letter to NBC. Then, find ten friends to do the same.
 
Between December 1967 and March 1968, over 116,000 letters poured in. Students from schools like Caltech, MIT, and Berkeley even protested the cancellation. NBC finally decided to renew the show. Since then, more and more versions of the show have aired, totaling 31 seasons and over 740 episodes.
 
The term Trekkie was first used in an interview for TV Guide in 1967 by science fiction editor Arthur W. Saha. The name came after he’d begun to notice a considerable growth in the cult-like fandom of many Star Trek viewers. A name may seem like a simple thing, but it’s compelling. When you’re a member of a community with a name, you have an identity.
 
I didn’t name my community until 2018. Before, my fans were simply called the SPI Community. Now, I call my community Team Flynn. Indeed, a community that has a name has no excuse not to get together in a close-knit setting!

CHAPTER 12: BRING THEM TOGETHER

During a trip to St. Louis to speak at FinCon13, I rented out a restaurant and invited one hundred fans. At the end of the evening, I noticed a woman who I hadn’t yet had a chance to speak to. So, I went up to her and apologized that we hadn’t had time to chat, and her response was not what I expected.
 
“Pat, I hear you every day on your podcast. But, I never get to meet other entrepreneurs at my level in person. Thank you so much for putting this together and giving me the chance to meet some new friends.”
 
A meetup is about bringing the community together for each other.
 When it comes to building community through meetups, the Adult Fans of LEGO (AFOL) are a phenomenon. This worldwide collection of LEGO aficionados is so big that it has its own wiki and subreddit. There are chapters around the world that host regular real-world meetups. These LEGO fans get to spend quality time with people similar to them.

CHAPTER 13: MAKE THEM SHINE

Being half Filipino on my mom’s side, I’ve had a lifelong immersion in Filipino culture. We are a very proud people. Anytime a Filipino person gets a little positive, the entire nation gets behind them. American Idol contestant, Filipino–American Jasmine Trias, became a household name. My mom and all the other Filipino parents in the community couldn’t stop talking about her. We’d rally each other to dial in and vote to keep sending Jasmine through to the next round.
 
It is a fact that we love seeing people in our community do well. It inspires and moves us.
 That’s why if you have a community, you should be going out of your way to feature your community members.
 
At this point in the journey, there are likely some standout people. You can highlight these people and introduce to the others. This has worked well in the SPI community. It shows people that others, like them, can build a business from scratch and succeed. The podcast is a great place to feature the SPI community. Sometimes we invite people on the show to share their success stories.
 
So, if you want your audience to stay engaged, you need to bring them to the court and pass them the ball. Give your people a chance to shine, and to feel like they belong.

PART 3: CONNECTED COMMUNITY TO SUPERFANS

This part of the book is about getting a community to be superfans, then spread the word.

CHAPTER 14: REMEMBER THE LEMONS

When I was in college at UC Berkeley, I made a little extra money by waiting tables at a local Macaroni Grill. For fun, when my friends and I were all working the same shift, we played a little game. Whoever could make the most tips during the turn would collect $10 from each of the other players. The energy was high, and I was determined to learn all the tricks to getting the most tips possible. I picked up some excellent skills, too.
 
For example, whenever a family with kids came in, if I focused on making sure the kids were happy, I’d see a larger tip. But the best money came from regulars.
 
One of the customers was Albert. He was a middle-aged businessman who often came in business attire, with a colleague or two.
 
They seemed to discuss important things, which was a sign for me to keep the chatter to a minimum. I looked for ways I could make his life even more comfortable. First, I paid attention to his order. If it was the same the next time, then I could assume it would be “his usual.” Pay attention to special requests, too. I noticed that with his water, he asked for three lemons. Noted. His tip was pretty standard: $10 on a $60–$70 check.
 
But that check also told me his name. The next time he came in, I made sure that he felt special. I brought two drinks of water and a little dish with three lemons on it for Albert and told him my name. From then on, he would always call me. Over time, the tips started ranging from $20–$25, with the largest being $100 when he brought his whole office in one day.
 
So, serve first, pay attention to the individual, and you will be rewarded. Now, can you deliver individualized service to every fan in your audience? Probably not. That’d be a waste of lemons. Not all customers, viewers, subscribers, and followers are the same. But you can do little bits and pieces.
 
I put this strategy into action when I attend live events. When I’m at a conference, I always make sure to look out for people in my audience I recognize. And It’s not about the lemons. It’s about the fact you remembered the fruits. Being human to your audience goes a long way.

CHAPTER 15: SEND UNEXPECTED MESSAGES

Nathan Barry, the founder of ConvertKit, was filling me in on a new tool his team was using to onboard new customers. Here’s how he described it:
 
“When a new customer signs up, the Bonjoro app will notify you. You swipe to open a video recording screen where you can record a quick little thank-you video. You have their name so you can personalize it, too.”
 
Matt Ragland was a member of Nathan’s team who described how it has affected business. Roughly half the people reply back via email saying it was a pleasant surprise. What a great first impression! After nine months of Bonjoro, user churn had dropped by more than 12 percent. What’s churn? It’s the rate at which people stop using a paid service.
 
It opened my eyes to the power of small, short, unexpected, personalized messages. So, I downloaded it and took this a step further. I sent personalized videos to fifty people in my audience who I knew had been fans for a while.
 
The next day, I woke up to a barrage of email replies to my videos.
 
Individualized video messages are an excellent and easy way to personalize your interactions. Going above and beyond like this is a huge key to making people into superfans.
 

CHAPTER 16: GET THEM INVOLVED

In 1972, Peter Capaldi was a fourteen-year-old growing up in Glasgow, Scotland. He was a huge Doctor Who fan. He was also infamous for the amount of fan mail he sent to the official Doctor Who fans club. He even asked that he be made the president of the club, but the position was already taken. Years later, he got the best consolation prize he could have asked. In 2013, with Doctor, Matt Smith, retiring from the role, Capaldi was announced to take over.
 
Note: By giving your community a little bit of ownership, they are more likely to support your business.

CHAPTER 17: OFFER PLATINUM ACCESS

The VIP experience is a superfan catalyst. It’s a particular tier you add to your offerings to satisfy, delight, and reward your superfans.
 
Let’s look at another example. In the past decade, Spotify has become one of the most popular music streaming services in the world. Through its “Fans First” program, Spotify rewards fans with special offers.
 
Walker Stalker Con is a convention for The Walking Dead fans. Kinda like Comic-Con, but for zombies. In 2015, the minds behind Walker-Stalker Con, gifted April and me two VIP tickets to the Walker Stalker Con. After arriving, we were greeted by a person, who, to our surprise, already knew us by name. He escorted us around the line and gave us badges with bold letters that read “PLATINUM.” We were already feeling pretty unique at this point. Then, he showed us where the Q&A was happening and made us sit right upfront. Even without platinum access, I’m sure we would have had a great time, but I’m not going to lie—it felt awesome.
 
The VIPs get to enjoy the same delicious cupcake everyone else is eating. The trick is only that theirs just has a cherry on top. By now, you’ve likely already developed some superfans. So, give them the VIP experience they crave.

PART 4: THE DARK SIDE OF BUILDING SUPERFANS

In the words of Uncle Ben, “With great power comes great responsibility.” With these superfans comes high power—a power that you must balance. Here is how to avoid any shortcomings of having a huge audience.
 

CHAPTER 18: THE 6 HIDDEN TRAPS OF BUILDING SUPERFANS—AND HOW TO AVOID THEM

Trap 1: You get a chip on your shoulder

When you have a big audience paying close attention to everything you say and do. But, you can still make mistakes and keep your fans. The key is to be aware when you’ve done something wrong. Assess the situation. And appreciate the people who guided you.
 

Trap 2: You let the fame and money get to your head

Once upon a time, I had two friends in the online business world. They started their own business together around the same time I did. We helped each other navigate this challenging new world. We chatted online a lot and even met in person a few times. I considered them my friends. After some time, their businesses started to take off. I was excited about their success. But the attention and the money began to get to their heads. It became clear that money and fame were more important to them than relationships.
 
They also started automating a lot of the transactions and interactions. Of course, there’s nothing wrong with automation, per se.
 
But when you forget about the relationship aspect, that’s a recipe for disaster.
I’m not sure how their businesses are doing, but they’re no longer a household name in the space they were in before.
 

Trap 3: You don’t plan properly—with unintended consequences

There were points early in my online business journey when I was sending lots of sales emails. I just wasn’t giving enough thought to how I should be spacing out my promotions. The effect of those emails on my audience, regardless of my intention, was negative—and they let me know it.
 
I realized that I wasn’t planning things the right way. With the help of my team, we implemented a content calendar that helped.
 

Trap 4: Other people’s actions reflect poorly on you

Back in 2010, I was building niche websites. Which, are sites designed to help people looking for information on a specific topic. The idea is to create a site that will rank high in search results for a few specific keywords. Then you make money on the website through products and advertisements. That year, I agreed to take part in a “niche site duel” with a fellow entrepreneur in the online business space.
 
He challenged me to a competition. We would each build a niche site and see if we could make it more successful than the other person’s. We also agreed to be transparent with each other and our audiences about the whole process. Things were going fine for a while. But a few months after we started the duel, he posted a video admitting that he’d been exaggerating his numbers. He’d been lying to everyone. He said he felt guilty about it and wanted to come clean.
 
As soon as the video came out, I started getting emails from people. Most emails were saying, “How could you be associated with this person? I don’t know if I can trust you anymore.”
 
You can’t control the actions of others or the reactions of your audience to those actions. And despite your best judgment, people may not turn out to be who you thought they were.
 

Trap 5: You try to respond to everybody

Early on, I loved being able to respond to every message I got. But the increasing responsibility of building business took its toll. I stopped being able to respond to everyone.
 
So I decided to follow up some strategies to stay connected. Here are the ones I’ve used to keep in touch with my audience even though I can no longer respond to everyone.
 
  • Conduct one-to-many conversations
  • Highlight and address questions from specific people and share them with everyone
  • Hire team members who can help with audience communication and interaction
On that last point, here’s one of the best tips: don’t have your team members pretend to be you. The answer is to hire the right people, ones who align with your values.
 

Trap 6: You burn out.

As you build fans and grow your business, get more opportunities. In 2016, Arianna Huffington told Entrepreneur about her experience with burnout. In 2007, after a long period of sleep deprivation, she collapsed in her office.
 
She found herself on the floor, her face covered in blood and her cheekbone broken. She says she “listened to the wakeup call” and started prioritizing sleep. Since then, she’s written a book called The Sleep Revolution.
 
Although I’ve never faced full-blown burnout myself, I’ve come close. When it comes to staying away from that ledge, what can you do? Here are four things that help me a lot.
 
  • Get sleep
  • Don’t do it all yourself
  • Lean on your support network
  • Stay focused on what matters
 
The journey to the top of the pyramid is a hard one. But just because you’ve earned your fans doesn’t mean they’re going to stay there forever.
 
Always remember: with great fans comes great responsibility.

CHAPTER 19: AVOIDING UNWANTED RECOGNITION AND STAYING SAFE

As you expand your brand you may become a celebrity in the eyes of some of your fans. It’s essential to understand the safety hazards that may present themselves.
 
Therefore, it’s best to consider the following tips sooner than later.
 

1. Do not use your home address in your business

 
The best practice is to always separate home and business. Even if you work from home, having a different business address makes sense.
 
Did you know that the information you use to register your domain name is accessible to the public? Domain privacy ($10–$20 per year) will hide that information from the audience. Send all business-related mail to another address.
 
A few options include your local UPS Store, a local co-working space or virtual office spaces.
 

2. Create rules for location sharing on social media

While we don’t have to worry about the photo mapping feature anymore, can still share your location.
 
Twitter and LinkedIn. I share my area when it makes sense, and usually only after I’ve left. When I’m with my family, even if we’re not at home, I hardly ever share my location, and if I do, it’s usually long after we’ve left.
 

3. Make sure you don’t photograph or film these things by accident

When filming or shooting photography, be sure to watch out for these following items.
 
  • Vehicle license plate
  • House numbers
  • Addresses on packages sent to you
  • Home address on letters you receive or send
  • Pictures of the outside of your home
 I once filmed a drone video outside my house. For a split second, the license plate of our minivan was shown on screen. Two people emailed me later that day to say they might be able to find our address because of that license plate. All this is to say: Even if you don’t think it’ll happen, it could, and I want you to be prepared if it does.

My Personal Takeaway

The thought of building ‘superfans‘ is a great one. Having a group of loyal allies is always useful. Having that as a part of your business is worth the weight in gold.
 
Pat Flynn is definitely the go-to guy or building a group of loyal customers. Team Flynn is a credit to the business Pat has built and the person that he is.
 
My three biggest takeaways from the book Superfans are:
  1. Learn the names of your first fans
  2. Strive to create a community
  3. Give your fans an identity to hold on to

Did this summary excite you?

Book summaries are great, but I also really believe that you will not fully understand the book or the author without trying the real thing. Learn more about this subject by listening to the full book for free via Audible.

Put it into action

If you have an email list, send a personal email to five subscribers and introduce yourself and have a chat.

You’ll be surprised at the response that you get.

You should read the whole book if…

While we covered a fair chunk of the key takeaways, there is so much more to learn by reading the entire Superfans book.

If you’re a business owner (especially online), then Superfans is a must-read.

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Hey, I’m Erik… a Swedish university student, marketing professional, and life-long learner. Here at BookSummaryClub I summarize my favorite non-fiction books into easily digested posts. Hope you like what you’re reading!

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