LinkedIn Post: Build a Front Door

Source: /opt/gcv-portfolio/captions/bysPxWBn30M.en.vtt — GCV "open the gates" podcast-network announcement, ~00:04–00:26

From time to time I like to open the gates and bring new people into our community.

Not out of generosity. Because a community that stops taking in new people starts dying, and you usually don't notice until it's already quiet.

Some come as fans, some as listeners, some as friends. But the ones I'm really opening the gates for are the ones who want to host. People who want to make their own journey through art, activism, and entrepreneurship a little easier and a little more fun.

Most people never build a front door. They've got the group, the membership, the inner circle, but there's no cheap way for a stranger to walk in. No first step that doesn't ask for money or a favor.

Our front door was the podcast network. Entry-level, all-encompassing. You could show up, listen, and figure out later whether you wanted anything more.

Whatever you're building, ask yourself what the cheapest way in is. If the answer is "buy something," you don't have a front door. You've got a toll booth.

What's the first step somebody can take with you that costs them nothing?

draft from corpus — based on Brandyn's GCV "open the gates" podcast-network announcement (bysPxWBn30M.en.vtt)