Most businesses are afraid of “free”. It’s understandable. Once your competitors start to give away what you are selling, it’s lights-out. Game is over. You can’t compete with free.
But I think you are wrong. You can compete with free, and it’s easy: just give away something better.
The hard part for most businesses to grasp is this: once free enters into the equation, you are no longer competing for money. Instead, you are competing for attention — to see who can figure out the best (fastest, most efficient, most cost effective, etc.) way to build the biggest and the most passionate following.
If you can’t figure out a way to turn attention into income, then that’s your problem, not your followers.
An artist who has 1,000 passionate subscribers to his (free) blog shouldn’t have any trouble making a living, neither should a business with 10,000 true followers.
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