640: (Solo) Why Community Beats Followers in 2026

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0:39Just head to OmniSend.com forward slash founder without the E to get started. All right, now let's jump back into the show. Hey Founder fam, Nathan here. Welcome back to another Founder to Founder solo episode where I share everything I'm learning from speaking to so many successful founders while building founder and everything in between. All right, so I want to talk about something I'm seeing a shift across e-commerce content brand building and that is the growing importance of community in 2026 and beyond. Now for context, at Founder we have built an audience and community of over 5 million followers across our social channel and we started growing that audience in a time where social media looked a lot different like organic reach was stronger content traveled further it was much less noisier and the landscape is totally different now like content is faster ai you can generate posts like if i think about so much content creation that i'm using ai to make videos posts captions even entire strategies in minutes i know this can feel like personally our attention is more fragmented than ever and what I'm noticing more and more is this.

1:49Followers are becoming easier to get, but genuine communities and genuine relationships that are being built are becoming significantly more valuable because in a world where content can be replicated, real connection is what actually stands out.

2:05Nathan Chan:Hear the stories, learn the proven methods, and accelerate your growth and future through entrepreneurship. Welcome to the Founder Podcast with Nathan Chan.

2:19So what does that mean for you and your brand? Well, let me talk you through that. First and foremost, you need to be prioritizing real connection, real relationship building. And one of the biggest misconceptions I see founders make is assuming that more followers actually means dollars and a stronger brand because there is a big difference between an audience and the community. So a follower can scroll past your content for years and never engage, never buy, never feel connected to your brand. I've seen it firsthand with founder, being a content-led business, a community member on the other hand, somebody that engages, gives feedback, perhaps buys your products, shares your product, actually feels invested in what you're building.

3:00So from a brand perspective, this changes absolutely everything because your customers are no longer just buying a product. They're buying into a shared experience, an identity, a lifestyle. Who do they become when they purchase your product. And that creates a much deeper loyalty over time. And we're really entering an era where AI and everything going on, you need to be doubling down on community. And that's what I'm thinking about a lot. You can create content more than ever. People are creating content more than ever. Anyone now can make ad creatives, social posts, email flows, product descriptions, landing page copy in literally seconds, which means content alone is no longer enough to differentiate your brand.

3:43Now, I've talked about founder-led content a lot, and I'm not going to keep talking about that, but that is definitely a way to cut through, take people on a journey. And if you're not doing founder-led content, that's fine. But what you definitely need to do is have an ongoing conversation and give your community a sense of belonging. So here's an example. You might be thinking, oh, well, I sell a physical product. Why do I need a community? And this is a common thought for founders. So here's an example. Think about if you're just selling skincare or apparel, a community might feel irrelevant.

4:18But in reality, your customers always have something in common beyond the product. So if you put yourself in their shoes, because at one moment or another, you have been a customer and there is a lot more than what happens in your life outside of the last t-shirt you bought. So maybe the people in your community are new mums or beauty lovers or trade people or students or fitness focus. There's always some shared interest or identity that connects them. And your job as a founder is to identify that common thread and build around it. So the product, think of the product as just an entry point. And the community is really built around the lifestyle, the identity or problem that your product presents.

4:59So a great example is Strapsicle. They sell Kindle accessories, which is a very specific physical product. But instead of just marketing that product, they've built a highly engaged community around readers, particularly through, especially through BookTok and Instagram. They actively encourage user-generated content, reshare customer photos. It's really cool, right? Like, you know, they even have a dedicated Facebook group. So their customers aren't just purchasing. They're participating. They're sharing. They have this really strong identity. They're part of a community of like-minded people.

5:35And that's what creates cult status feeling. And this is what you see with modern day brands. And it can't come from just ads alone. It came from making customers feel like they are part of something so much bigger. So if you're building a brand today, I'd actually challenge you to stop asking, how do I get more followers and start asking what brings my customers together? Because a community doesn't mean you need a Facebook group or a place for people to congregate overnight. It can mean resharing customer stories and UGC, replying meaningfully to comments and DMs, creating content that speaks to a shared identity, really involving customers in product feedback and decisions, you know, building an email list that actually nurtures, not just sales, founder collaborations and in-person activations or value-led experiences, even small touch points of genuine interaction that compound over time.

6:25And in a crowded market, that connection becomes one of your biggest strengths as a brand. So here's the big shift. I want founders to understand that going into 2026, followers help you grow your reach. However, community helps grow your brand. It builds a relationship. It builds a place for people to continuously buy from you over time. And at Founder, yes, we have millions of followers. But what matters far more to me and the team is the relationship that we build with our audience of founders around the world. And in particular, those inside our Founder Plus community. So in a world where content is becoming faster, cheaper and more automated and genuine community is what will really separate forgettable brands from lasting ones and really think about in-person experiences, activations.

7:11I hope you start to think about this in 2026. It's what we're thinking about in a big way. I hope you've enjoyed this episode. And if you would like to join the founder community at a deeper level, you've got to sign up to Founder Plus and go to founder.com forward slash membership. and as always thank you for listening and i'll see you in the next one