In The Minimalist Entrepreneur, business owner Sahil Lavingia gives detailed advice for starting your own modest but profitable business. Lavingia’s model emphasizes sustainable profit over the common “growth-at-all-costs” approach, and he says anyone can start a business using this method. You don’t need venture capital—in fact, you shouldn't take any, he says. You only need to invest time until your business can give it back to you in abundance.
(Shortform note: Whether you rely on venture capital or not may depend on what kind of business you plan to start. Lavingia says the vast majority of businesses don’t need any, but it may be necessary for certain kinds of businesses that come with high start-up costs. There may be other benefits to using venture capital too—an important one is that you’d then have access to the investor’s network, which could help your business get exposure.)
Sahil Lavingia is the founder of a digital marketplace called Gumroad, a website that allows creators to sell digital content. He began Gumroad with the goal of turning it into a billion-dollar corporation. When that didn’t happen, he published an essay titled “Reflecting on My Failure to Build a Billion-Dollar Company” on his blog. That reflection would lead to his realization that he didn’t need a billion dollars. He realized if you allow your business to grow organically, keeping the costs at a minimum, it’ll eventually turn a profit that can give you a satisfying life. So he switched directions with Gumroad and turned it into the sustainably profitable business it is today. In The Minimalist Entrepreneur, Lavingia gives us step-by-step instructions on how to do the same.
In this guide, we’ll take you through Lavingia’s advice for building a minimalist business from the ground up. We’ll start with how to identify the business you’ll want to create by looking in your own communities to discover needs you can fulfill. Then we’ll turn to the pragmatic details of setting up, testing, marketing, and launching your business. Next, we’ll discuss Lavingia’s advice for growing your business sustainably by managing your finances, creating a positive company culture, and hiring the right employees.
Finally, we’ll discuss the end goal—your contribution to the world and achievement of “time affluence,” an abundance of free time to enjoy your life. Throughout, we’ll compare and supplement Lavinagia’s advice with that from other books on starting a business like The Lean Startup, The $100 Startup, and Blue Ocean Strategy.
The first step in building a minimalist business is identifying the right business for you. Lavingia stresses that it’s crucial to invest significant time and effort in this first step because this business will be your life and livelihood. Remember, you’re not looking to build a fast-growing company that you can turn around and sell to get rich quick. You’re building your life’s work. (Shortform note: Research has shown that despite often working longer hours and living with financial uncertainty, self-employed people are happier. They enjoy having autonomy and freedom to innovate, and they’re more engaged in their work.)
So before you dive into an exploration of what product or service you want to focus on, Lavingia advises you to keep a few things in mind:
(Shortform note: In The $100 Startup, Chris Guillebeau says you can start a small business on your own with less than $100. His advice aligns closely with Lavingia’s, in that he advocates focusing on starting small, doing something you love, in your spare time. He says starting a small “microbusiness” gives you the ability to focus on something you care about, and set your own schedule. This will lead to both profit and life fulfillment.)
Keeping all of this in mind, let’s explore Lavingia’s method for determining what your business will be. We’ll talk about how to find your niche within the communities you belong to, how to establish yourself as a creator in those communities, and how to get feedback you can implement to solidify your business idea.
Identifying your business starts with asking what problem you want to solve, and for what community of people. Lavingia says this often starts with trying to solve a problem you have. So, for example, he got ideas for new apps by noticing things he wished there was an app for. His current business, Gumroad, was born similarly. He needed a platform for selling icons he had designed, so he created it.
Unlike other business models, in Lavingia’s minimalist method you are not “creating” a problem people didn’t know they had and then selling them the solution (for example, a beauty product designed to hide your pores when you never thought about your pores before). You’re identifying a problem that already exists within a community you care about, and that you want to solve for those people.
(Shortform note: Think outside the box when you’re considering what problem to solve, and don’t be afraid to have a narrow focus. Check out this HGTV list of 35 problem-solving products to get an idea of how diverse the possibilities are. They range from a mini spatula made for small jars to a Bluetooth sleep mask. If you’re thinking of making a physical product to sell, you’ll want to first create a prototype and test the product yourself. From there, revise if necessary until the product does exactly what it’s meant to do.)
So, to start getting ideas, you need to first identify your potential target communities. Lavingia says many businesses fail because they don’t start with a target community in mind.
To narrow down who your customer is and what problem you are trying to solve for them, look in your own communities. Lavingia says this will ensure that you’ll have a business you’ll be passionate about. Think about any hobbies, interests, or social groups you belong to, online or in your local community, and write down the answers to these questions:
Once you have solid answers, find as many relevant groups as you can (online and in person), and join them, in order to get to know people and the subject better. Lavingia advises looking for Facebook groups, Reddit communities, and related Twitter and Instagram hashtags to find people involved in your target groups and where they’re gathering.
Lavingia says you shouldn't think of this as “networking,” but as simply joining communities. With networking, you’d be starting from scratch trying to form connections with people who might be able to help you. Whereas within your communities you already have a natural connection, and your relationships are reciprocal.
Identifying Target Communities and Their Problems
Lavingia's idea of identifying target communities is broader than the traditional approach to marketing demographics. Traditionally, market demographics tend to be based on age, gender, race, or income-level categories. In The $100 Startup, Chris Guillebeau echoes Lavingia’s advice to focus more on demographics based on common interests, beliefs, values, and skills. By focusing on this kind of demographic, your product or service will be catered more specifically to the wants and desires of the consumer. Guillebeau offers two strategies for targeting a specific audience and identifying your product or service:
Look at popular fads and trends in your demographic groups and identify something that’s popular right now. Figure out how you can offer a product or service related to that. For example, you may notice a growing number of people discussing and adopting vegan diets in a fitness community. Could you offer coaching, an app, or a course to help people transition to a vegan lifestyle?
Conduct surveys and interviews with people in your focus demographic to ask them what they need. In these questionnaires, you might propose some potential ideas for products, and ask respondents to rank or rate them in terms of how much they would want that.
Once you’ve joined all the groups you can find, you’ll want to start building strong relationships within these communities. In most social media communities, Lavingia explains, the vast majority of members are just passive observers, or “lurkers.” A smaller group is active contributors, meaning they regularly participate in discussions. And an even smaller group are creators, meaning they actually create and post content for others to comment on. You’ll likely find a similar structure with in-person community groups.
Lavingia says you should gradually work your way up to being a recognized expert in your communities, in this way:
Lavingia says you can try this method with a few different communities/interests until you find the right community with the right problem. Then it will be time to pin down the solution to the problem.
Create High-Quality Content
In recent years, a growing number of people have been making their living as “content creators.” Whether you want this to be your business or not, it might help to learn a little bit about what a content creator does, so you can leverage that knowledge as you become a creator in your online communities.
In other words, if you’re going to start posting content in groups and you want to be viewed as a reliable and trustworthy source, you should put some thought into what (and how) you post. Some tips for creating meaningful social media content are:
Know your stuff: Focus on writing and posting about topics you’re well-educated in, and always refer to reliable high-quality sources. Be sure to research any information you link to, to confirm its credibility.
Pay attention to detail: Any content you post online should be well-written and easy to read. Be sure to proofread for errors before you post. If your posts are riddled with typos, lacking in punctuation, or poorly articulated, you’ll lose credibility.
Have a repository for your content: Maintain a website or a social media page where everything you create is accessible. So, when you’re posting in one of your community groups, you can link to your website or Facebook page where readers can find more of your content. You may also consider linking to your LinkedIn page, and be sure you keep that up to date, as this will further create the impression that you’re an “expert” in your field.
When you’ve determined your community and its problem, you’ll next want to do what Lavingia calls “processizing,” which is essentially a process of experimentation. This means you’ll try things out and get feedback, adjust accordingly, and try something else. He offers some advice for a few possible avenues to turning your problem into a monetizable solution. You could:
Lavingia suggests you start out by offering your product or service to your community on a freelance basis or as a side project, to see what people are willing to pay for (and how much they’re willing to pay). So, for example, you might offer a workshop to your community and see who signs up. If it doesn’t go well, try a different topic or format. If you want to provide a service—for example, graphic design—start offering it as a side job, and see what kinds of projects people request most often. Be patient, because this process can take years to develop into a successful business.
Test Your Problem and Solution
When you think you have an idea about what problem you want to solve, you may want to test this idea to see if it’s what people really want. In The Lean Startup, Eric Ries suggests developing a hypothesis and testing it, like a scientist. He says this involves two questions:
Does the customer have the problem you’re trying to solve, and does your product solve it for them?
How will the company continue to grow once you’ve delivered the solution?
Ries suggests you set up an experiment and collect data to answer these questions. This should involve tracking peoples’ behaviors instead of asking them what they want because people aren’t always good at explaining what they want. For example, you might offer samples and see what people like best, or track what people click on and react to most on your website or social media.
Lavingia also suggests you reach out to family and friends during this phase. Offer them a trial or sample of your product or service (or sign them on as paying customers if they’re willing) and ask them for honest feedback. He says you can also ask your circle of acquaintances how much they think they’d pay for your product to get your pricing nailed down. A few bits of advice Lavingia offers for pricing are:
As you experiment and receive feedback, Lavingia emphasizes that you should take copious notes on what works and what doesn’t. Use this information to recalibrate, and keep trying. He says you may need to experiment with a number of directions and price points before settling on what works. Don’t get discouraged; just keep trying. Eventually, he says, you will have found your niche and be ready to launch your business. The next section will cover the steps toward getting your business off the ground.
Determining Your Price Point
The authors of Blue Ocean Strategy give additional advice for determining the right price for your product:
Research all of the alternatives to your product. Examining this data will give you an idea of the range of prices customers might be willing to pay. Consider products that are similar to your own, as well as ones that are different but fulfill a similar purpose—for example, if you’re offering coaching, you’ll want to look at other coaching programs, as well as classes or books that customers might purchase to get the same information. Graphing the data may help you analyze it. See examples of how you can do that here.
Consider the uniqueness of your product. If it’s something nobody else can easily replicate (say, it’s patented or copyrighted), that can add value.
Consider the production costs, but don’t limit your price based on this. Some products may have a value far beyond their production cost, and will thus have a higher profit margin. Don’t sell yourself short.
A competitive price will have wider appeal than a “premium” price designed to appeal to only a select population.
Once you’ve nailed down your community and your problem, and you’ve established yourself as the creator of a solution, you’re ready to take the first steps to opening your business. In this section, we’ll discuss Lavingia’s advice for setting up your infrastructure and launching and marketing your business.
Before launching your business, you’ll need to set up the infrastructure to run it. This will include a name, a website and email address, social media accounts, a payment system, and an avenue for feedback. Lavingia offers the following advice for each:
Use Social Media as an Avenue for Feedback
Jab, Jab, Jab, Right Hook explains how to create high-quality social media content and how to use the various platforms to your advantage. Get to know the features of each platform you use, so you can get the most out of them.
A steady stream of real-time feedback is one of the most valuable assets social media can provide. Pay attention to replies and comments on your content, and take any negative feedback seriously. Any interaction with your content can tell you something, even if it’s just a “like” reaction or a “thumbs down.” Using these features, you can monitor what’s most and least popular with your audience, and adapt your content to that.
With Twitter’s retweet feature, for example, you can track how many people have retweeted your posts, to see what’s popular. Likewise, on Pinterest, you can track how many users have “pinned” your content.
When you have your infrastructure set up, you’re ready to go. Lavingia says at this point you’ll launch and begin to market simultaneously.
He advises against paid advertising because it’s too expensive and too broadly targeted for a minimalist business. He says you don’t need to spend any money on marketing (Shortform note: Although much contemporary marketing advice suggests moving away from traditional paid advertisement, the US Small Business Administration says it can still be quite effective. They say in surveys, people indicate a much higher level of trust for TV, print, and radio ads, over online ones. So, if you do decide to pay for marketing, traditional advertisements may be the most effective route). You can do it all yourself because you’ve already established yourself with your target audience.
He also advises against having a launch party just yet. Instead, start by “cold calling” to educate people on your services, then begin more widespread social media marketing, then have your launch party.
Build Anticipation for Your Launch
The $100 Startup advises building anticipation before your launch. Some of the techniques you can use to do this include:
Let people know the date and time of your launch in advance.
Give “teasers” to get people interested in what you have to offer.
Make sure your audience knows why your product will be valuable to them.
Offer early-purchase or pre-ordering bonuses.
Put out several reminders of your launch, especially just beforehand.
Write to media sources about your launch to try to get the word out.
After your launch day, be sure to thank all of your customers. You may even want to craft a thank-you message to send individually to each customer that also lets them know what to expect next.
Lavingia recognizes that most people, especially creative types, hate doing sales and marketing. So he advises thinking of sales as “education” about your product or service.
Start spreading the word about your business by reaching out individually to people in your target community, like this:
1. Connect with experts and influencers. Scour social media to find subject matter experts, such as journalists, bloggers, and influencers who have posted about businesses similar to yours. For example, if you’re creating a photo-editing app, look for people who have YouTube reviews of similar apps, or bloggers who write about photography and photo editing. Make a list of everyone you can find. Message them and offer to show them your product. You may even want to take them out for lunch if they’re local. Ask these people for their feedback and learn from them. Don’t necessarily try to sell them on your product, or ask them for reviews or promotion. Just educate them and show it off. Simply making these connections puts you in a network that can eventually generate referrals and customers. Lavingia did this with hundreds of people.
Create Mutually Beneficial Relationships with Influencers
People who work as “influencers” or content creators may be motivated to meet with you because they’re interested and invested in the topic, or because it could also benefit them. Although Lavingia advises that you don’t ask these people to promote your product at this point, 60 Second Marketer suggests that you can work out a mutually beneficial relationship with “micro-influencers”—those who have smaller audiences and don’t command high fees for product promotion. For example, you may offer to share their YouTube video on your social media in exchange for a video review, which could generate more followers for them, and more customers for you.
2. Target potential customers in your community. Search your internet communities for people who might be interested in your product and reach out to them individually. Message them and just tell them a little about what you have to offer. For example, Lavingia’s website Gumroad offered a way to sell digital products to people. So he scoured the internet looking for people who were selling digital products in a less efficient way, like emailing the product to every customer. He wrote a quick message to each of those people telling them he had created a more efficient way to automate the process of selling digital files and welcoming them to check out his website if interested. He did this with thousands of people. (Shortform note: This is called “cold messaging.” Tips for successful cold messaging include: Keep your message brief and authentic.)
3. Don’t get discouraged. Most people will ignore you or say no. Don’t take it personally. Remember, this is your passion, so just keep sharing enthusiastically.
According to Lavingia, this will be how you generate sales in the beginning. He advises that you always be authentic and open with your customers, creating relationships with them, so they’ll be inspired and feel part of a community.
Conquer Your Fears
This step in the business-building process can be intimidating. Lavingia says most people, including entrepreneurs, actually hate “selling” anything, even their own products. If you feel trepidation about messaging people out of the blue like this, Tim Ferriss offers some advice on facing your fears, in The 4-Hour Work Week. He says to ask yourself the following questions:
What are the worst-case scenarios, and how likely are they to happen? Rate each possible scenario on a scale of one to 10 in terms of how likely it is to occur. This should alert you to the fact that the worst-case scenarios are unlikely.
If the worst did happen, how would you fix it? Coming up with such solutions ahead of time may ease your fear of anything being permanent and unfixable.
What are the most likely possible outcomes and their effects on your life? Don’t forget to include the best-case scenarios.
What would you be potentially losing if you don’t act? Instead of dwelling on “what if” scenarios if you do this scary thing, think about what you might be losing if you don’t do it.
The next step in marketing will be to set up your “funnel.” In Lavingia’s model, the funnel is made up of social media at the top and email in the middle, which will funnel your sales to you at the bottom.
What Is a Marketing Funnel?
The “marketing funnel” is a widely used concept in the business world. It refers to the pathway by which potential customers go from their first awareness of your brand to becoming paying customers. There are a number of variations on the funnel, but it generally works like this:
The customer finds out your product exists, for example through an ad, social media, or word of mouth. This is the widest end of the funnel, reaching the largest number of people.
Some portion of those people shows interest in what you have to offer. They might “like” your social media post, or follow your page, for example.
Some of those will engage further and decide they want your product. They may visit your website or sign up for your email list.
At the smallest end of the funnel, some people will buy your product.
Lavingia recommends setting up your funnel as follows:
Top of the funnel: social media
Your social media presence will be your farthest-reaching marketing vehicle. Here you’ll want to create content that will be interesting and engaging enough to generate followers. Some advice Lavingia offers for managing your social media content includes:
Emphasize Your Uniqueness
In Traction, Gino Wickman says you should identify three things that make your product or service stand out and differentiate it from the competitors. To identify your three differentiators, he says you should make a list of everything you can think of that makes your product unique. You can ask others for input on this as well, including customers. When you have your list, identify three of these qualities that none of your competitors have in combination.
Once you have your three differentiators, you should emphasize these repeatedly when you’re promoting your business. At the top of the funnel, this will mean mentioning these three qualities in your social media posts. While you want to promote your product or service through your social media posts, you also need to be sure your posts are engaging, friendly, and authentic, and that they don’t come across as advertisements.
Middle of the funnel: email
As soon as you have social media followers, start collecting email addresses. Lavingia says every email subscriber is worth much more than a social media follower, because they’ve already indicated their interest, and you can reach them directly. His business has over 200,000 email subscribers, and he says this list is the business’s most valuable asset.
When you have someone’s email address, think of them as a friend and treat them accordingly. He offers some tips on how to go about compiling and using an email list:
(Shortform note: In The 1-Page Marketing Plan, Allan Dib says an email list is a low-cost and low-effort way to turn already interested people into paying customers. It’s a way to develop a relationship with your customers, introduce new products, and offer promotions. Instead of using your regular email account, he recommends you consider using an email marketing platform like MailChimp, which can help you automate, personalize, and optimize your email content.)
Bottom of the funnel: sales
When you have your funnel set up and are consistently creating content for your social media and email subscribers, you’ll start to see sales come in. At this point, you’re ready to celebrate. Lavingia says after you have about 100 customers and successful sales, it’s time to plan your launch party.
According to Lavingia, most companies don’t use the launch party in the most effective way. He says it shouldn’t be about starting your business; it should be about celebrating its early success. And you should celebrate with your customers. He says you should invite all of your customers to your launch party, so they can feel they’ve built the business with you. Invite them to bring their friends and families. This will spread the word of your business even further, and your customers will be helping you sell to their communities. This strategy will earn you loyal and repeat customers, which are essential for a sustainable minimalist business.
(Shortform note: Since you should already know a good deal about your customer demographic by this point, be sure to consider that when planning your launch party. Think about what kinds of events people in this community already attend, and design your party with that in mind. You also may want to consider inviting a guest speaker that your community will get excited about, partnering with another local business or charity, and inviting local community leaders. These elements will give your party an air of importance, and people will be excited to attend.)
Once you’ve gotten off to a successful start and have a customer base, Lavingia says there are some important steps you can take to ensure your business stays successful and profitable and continues to grow organically. In this section, we’ll explain his minimalist methods for ensuring sustainability, hiring the right people, and creating a company they want to work for. Finally, we’ll look at his vision of what the long-term goal of a minimalist business should be: improving your life and the world.
One of the major differences between a minimalist business and a venture capital startup is sustainability. Lavingia tells us there are just a few reasons most businesses fail: overspending, hiring too quickly, and founder conflict. In order to be sustainable over the long term, you’ll need to be careful to not make these mistakes.
Overspending and Hiring
Carefully monitor your expenses to be sure you’re spending less than you’re making. This might seem obvious, but Lavingia says many business owners don’t pay close enough attention to this.
Some of the ways you can avoid financial problems are:
Other Budgeting Mistakes to Avoid
Some other common financial mistakes you should watch out for include:
Not understanding business taxes: It’s crucial that you understand what taxes you need to pay, comply with all regulations, and make your payments on time.
Not separating business and personal finances: Be sure you have separate accounts for everything, so you can effectively budget and track your business expenses.
Underestimating expenses: When budgeting for the future, always overestimate your expenses to play it safe and account for unanticipated costs. This should include remembering to account for possible seasonal variations, if your business has an off-season.
Founder Conflict
If you’re working with a partner or thinking of it, Lavingia cautions that it’s important to avoid conflict and the potential disaster it could cause your business. He says you should treat a business partnership like a marriage, and he offers the following advice:
(Shortform note: Business relationships are similar to marriages in more ways than one, including the fact that nearly half of entrepreneurial partnerships end in a split. The vast majority say the rift was due to different visions for the future direction of the company. This points to the crucial importance of Lavingia’s advice to be sure your visions and goals for the business align.)
When it’s time to bring on permanent employees, Lavingia says you should first be sure to make your company a place people want to work. Create your company culture thoughtfully and intentionally, and evaluate potential employees by how well they’ll fit with that. Lavingia’s process for creating a healthy company culture that encourages long-term sustainability is:
Culture Is Crucial
Ben Horowitz, author of What You Do Is Who You Are, says your company culture is a combination of what you explicitly state—for example, in your value statement—and what is implied through your leadership style and the company’s structure. So be sure to consider what you’re communicating in every aspect of your company’s design. For instance, if your value statement says you value transparency, but the pay structure is not public information, that sends a mixed message. Horowitz says with the right alignment between your employees and your company culture, your employees will feel like they’re working together for a common purpose. This can boost performance and determine the success of your company.
To evaluate current or potential employees’ fit with your company culture, Gino Wickman suggests using a values spreadsheet called The People Analyzer. You can use this tool to evaluate applicants for how well they align with the company’s core values, or current employees to assess how well they might fit specific positions and roles within the company.
Lavingia says it’s natural that sometimes an employee won't work out. While that requires a difficult conversation, you have to be honest and straightforward. Don’t think of them as being a bad employee, just an employee who wasn't a fit. Offer them any assistance you can with finding a new position.
Finally, Lavingia addresses the long-term goal of a minimalist business. He reminds us that this kind of business isn’t about getting rich—it’s about creating a satisfying life, contributing to something you care about, and being financially successful in the long run.
Building a business, Lavingia says, should be about making the world and your own life better. Working extreme hours is self-defeating. So he says you should use your financial success to create “time affluence,” or a wealth of free time, so you can enjoy life. He gives a few pieces of advice for using your financial assets to create the more valuable assets of time and life satisfaction.
(Shortform note: Lavingia’s advice aligns with what psychologists know about happiness and life satisfaction. In Happier, No Matter What, positive psychologist Tal Ben-Shahar says that time affluence is a better predictor of well-being than material affluence. He says being time-affluent would mean feeling like you have enough time to engage in activities that are meaningful and enjoyable, rather than being constantly stressed and rushed. Generating more leisure time means you can’t make money your first priority, but it doesn’t mean you can’t still be successful.)
As your business grows and prospers, Lavingia suggests you think about automating and outsourcing anything you can, to free up time for yourself. (Shortform note: The 4-Hour Workweek suggests hiring virtual assistants for tasks that can be delegated. Since VAs work remotely, you can hire someone from anywhere in the world. This can have a financial advantage because currency conversion rates mean labor costs are lower in countries like India and China.) Sometimes spending money to create free time is well worth the tradeoff. Then, he says, you can use that free time to go back to being a creator and work on projects you love, whether it’s something you want to do for pleasure or starting another business. In this way, your business should not trap you, but free you.
He also suggests using your financial success to contribute and give back to the world, by supporting other entrepreneurs, social justice and environmental causes, or whatever you care most about. In 2020, as a response to racial justice issues in the US, Lavingia decided he wanted to invest in a Black-owned tech startup. He posted this on his social media sites, inviting Black entrepreneurs to contact him. He received over 200 emails in response and ended up investing in four of these startups. (Shortform note: This is called “angel investing.” It’s different from venture capital because an angel investor uses their personal funds to invest, rather than an investment fund. Angel investors also typically expect a lower return on their investment than venture capitalists.)
And finally, Lavingia says you should always keep in focus your original purpose of wanting to help people in a community you care about. You’ll likely want to embark on a new endeavor at some point. When you do, take some time to reflect on why you originally wanted to solve the problem you did, why you align with the community you serve, and why you want to do the next thing. This will bring you back to your driving purpose and help propel you forward in a way that will continue to make your life fulfilling.
Giving Is Receiving
Joshua Fields Millburn and Ryan Nicodemus, known as “the minimalists,” travel the world helping people create simpler, more meaningful lives with fewer material possessions. In their best-selling book Minimalism, they say part of a balanced life is contributing to the world and to others. They say getting personally involved with charitable causes is more rewarding than simply writing a check, and they offer some advice for ways to get involved and give back to the world.
Visit volunteermatch.org, where you can get matched with causes you can contribute to by volunteering. Try out different things until you find what suits you best.
Consider starting your own charitable organization.
Mentor someone who could benefit from your guidance.
Since you’ll already have a successful business by this point, think about how you might connect that to your plan for giving back. For example, Lavingia suggests helping new entrepreneurs by sharing your strategies and possibly offering start-up funds. Whatever you decide to do to contribute to the world, Millburn and Nicodemus say giving will help you grow and give meaning to your life.
In the first section of the guide, we discuss Lavingia’s advice for finding your niche. Try a brief exercise to get you started.
List your hobbies and interests, including anything you do by yourself or with a group. Then make notes next to each entry about any associated groups you belong to, either in person or online.
Now, visit social media sites and search for your communities, using the search tool or hashtags. Join a few and start exploring! As you explore, take notes on any posts, topics, articles, or discussions that pique your interest. What made you most excited? Can you use those topics to narrow or shift your focus and find more groups?
Once you’ve narrowed your focus to a few communities you're really interested in, read more carefully through posts and discussions and try to identify any problems you see people mentioning. Make note of those, as well as any potential solutions that people mention or that you can think of.