The right size for an entrepreneurial community

This is a question I've been asking myself a lot lately.

I think almost every builder or entrepreneur would admit that a community and/or network of like-minded people is key.

These people brainstorm ideas with you. They become your sparring partners and help you think through every little aspect of what you're building. They make connections and open up doors - which can lead to anything from a hire or a partner or an investor... or just someone who knows more than you do about what you're building. They also can help you launch, get the word out, amplify anything you put out there. Or help you find testers and early adopters when you're looking for those first 10 users.

The first of these things are best served with a tight-knit group of people. Usually that's just your friends or coworkers. The other things here, like supporting a launch, are best served with larger groups. But also, it doesn't help to just have a lot of weak connections. You want a lot of people who are committed to helping you, whether that's 10 people or 1000.

So how do you find the group that sits between a small group like your friends and personal network, or a big group like all the members of Indie Hackers? What group size gets the job done the best?

I think the perfect size group of entrepreneurs is about 100-150. It's small enough that over a not-too-long period of time, you'll get to know a lot of the people personally and build relationships, and you'll have the sparring partners and be close enough to make connections and do favors for each other. But it's also big enough that you'll be able to tap into the group to find your first 10 users, or to amplify to thousands across your combined social networks. And 100 is sure to include enough diversity that you might find some mentors, some early hires, or some partners.

There's science to back this up - communities maintain cohesion up to certain point. It's called Dunbar's number. It's not hard and fast, but it's a good rule.

The question becomes, how do you find and maintain a community of this size, and how do you curate for people who will be valuable contributors and ensure the community thrives?

Yes, I've set this up to have the answer : )

I've just launched Day One today. www.joindayone.com
And applications are opened to join the first cohort of the Day One Fellowship, which is an 8-week program (and a year of access to the community) for 100 high potential entrepreneurs. Basically you'll build this perfect-sized community to supercharge whatever you're building.

If you're interested, please sign up! Or connect with me directly if you'd like to help as an advisor to these entrepreneurs.

Here's to finding your people!