Monitor Early Adopter Groups
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A strategy for identifying future mainstream trends by monitoring early adopters and niche communities online, as discussed by Sam Parr and others.
Key Monitoring Channels
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Facebook Groups
- Overlanding communities (4x4 vehicles with camping capabilities)
- Mobility/stretching groups (rebranded yoga for men)
- Niche hobby and interest groups
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Twitter
- Following specific "quirky" individuals
- Looking for people discussing unusual or emerging ideas
- Monitoring crypto Twitter for Web3 developments
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Private Communities
- Discord servers
- Private Telegram groups
- Small gatherings of peers discussing new ideas
Strategy for Identifying Trends
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Look for rebranding of existing concepts
- Example: Yoga → Mobility (made more appealing to different demographics)
- Example: Mayo → Aioli
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Monitor tech enthusiasts
- Follow what "geeks" are doing on weekends
- Chris Dixon quote: What geeks play with on weekends becomes mainstream years later
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Watch behavioral shifts
- Example: Tim Ferriss discussing fasting before it became mainstream
- Observe how early adopters behave to predict average consumer behavior in 5-10 years
Community Characteristics
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Small, focused groups
- More intimate conversations
- Higher quality discussions
- Less chaos than mass platforms
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Access Requirements
- Often invitation-only
- Need to demonstrate knowledge/expertise
- Must "talk the talk" to gain entry
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Information Flow
- Ideas start in niche communities
- Gradually spread to mainstream platforms
- Eventually become common consumer behaviors
Sam Parr
Host of MFM and fitness influencer
Sam Parr is a serial entrepreneur and business media pioneer.
In 2016, he founded The Hustle, a business news media company that started in his kitchen with just $12 and grew to eight figures in revenue.
Sam led the charge in making newsletters popular when few believed in their potential.
After four successful years, he sold The Hustle to HubSpot, a publicly traded company. Now operating as HubSpot Media, The Hustle reaches 3 million readers daily, employs a team of nearly 100, and has been the launchpad for dozens of its staff to found their own media companies and newsletters.
Sam remains the host of the popular business podcast, My First Million, and continues to start and sell companies. He also co-founded Hampton, a highly vetted community for entrepreneurs, founders, and CEOs, and teaches people to write better through his platform, Copy That.