“If you’re starting from zero, trying to grow an audience is like trying to plant trees without soil.”The real foundation is community. Build that, and the audience comes naturally.—Lorant
Community over audience
Tips to create your own community:
Choose your space
Pick a platform you own (Discord, forum, Circle) and make it your home.One entry point
Use a single landing page with one clear CTA — no distractions.Personalize the onboarding
Set up a bot to greet people and follow up with a personal message.Give it an identity
Name, rules, and visuals that make it feel like a place, not a chat room.Keep planting seeds
Post updates, polls, and questions until the flywheel starts turning.Promote on social media
Even if you don't have a reach, it will convert well, since many people are looking for belonging.When participation becomes culture
Over time, we built rituals. Recently, I sent out $800 worth of merch to the most active members. On paper, that’s not ROI-smart. But recognition matters. Symbols matter. That’s how a community stops being just a channel and starts becoming a culture.
The Twice UI Tee from our is a symbol of our shared story.
Many people misunderstand . They think of it as a monetization tool. It can be, but the real upside is belonging. Owning a hoodie, a sticker, or a patch makes you part of the story. It gives people something to point to and say: this is who I am, this is what I’m part of.
Tips to form a culture:
Create a mascot
Involve your community in the design or reveal — it becomes a shared story.Make symbols tangible
Custom emojis, stickers, and merch create a sense of belonging.Host rituals
Regular calls, shared spaces, or recurring events strengthen bonds.Reward recognition
Highlight and reward your most active members — even small gestures matter.Encourage collaboration
Side projects, collabs, and experiments give the culture creative energy.Think in years
Culture doesn't form overnight. It builds over time with every small interaction.When culture demands change
A movement isn’t just belonging.“It’s a challenge to the status quo. It’s saying: this isn’t working, and we’re going to fix it.”—Lorant
- Social media apps that farm our attention instead of serving us.
- Learning platforms that outsource your mind to AI instead of sharpening it.
- Systems that treat creativity like content instead of craft.
Tips to build a movement:
Set a bold vision
If it doesn’t scare you, it’s not strong enough. People need something bigger than themselves to rally behind.Plant early seeds
Talk about it before it makes sense. Let people call you crazy — that’s how you know it’s big enough.Take small, visible steps
Don’t wait for the “big launch.” A movement grows from hundreds of actions, not one.Invite peers in
You can’t carry it alone. Share the vision, share the stage, and give people ownership in the mission.Think in decades
Movement is about patience. Progress happens over years, after reaching key milestones.The stories that survive generations
You don’t build myth — you create the conditions for it to form:
Think in centuries
What would the future remember? How could your work help the next generation?Plant long bets
Once you have a movement, take actions that might outlive you — actions that help the future, not the present.Tell the future as story
Myths often come from predictions that outlast the moment. Frame your work as part of a bigger arc.Accept distance
You won’t be here to see it succeed. You have to trust the story will travel without you.Accept failure
Most myths don’t last. But one that does can change everything.The takeaway
- a community that makes your work fun
- a culture that gives it identity
- a movement that pushes for change
The mistake most founders make is chasing the end without earning the beginning.“They want growth before trust, fame before community, permanence before persistence.”—Lorant
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