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Image Credit: Veronica Sams<\/i><\/span><\/p>\n Most entrepreneurs build a product, then find an audience.<\/p>\n But what if you could do it in reverse \u2014 build an audience first<\/i>, and then create a product to serve them?<\/p>\n That’s what Lauryn Bosstick<\/a> advocates to new founders. She’s run this playbook to great success: She first built a fanbase of millions through blogging (The Skinny Confidential<\/a>) and podcasting (The Skinny Confidential Him & Her Show<\/a>), then spun out a top-tier podcast network (Dear Media<\/a>) and a thriving beauty brand (also called The Skinny Confidential<\/a>).<\/p>\n “My audience is invested in the development of the product,” Bosstick tells me on the Entrepreneur<\/em> podcast Problem Solvers<\/a>. “So by the time that it’s launched, they feel like they’ve been a part of every step of the way.”<\/p>\n People often misunderstand this strategy, she says: It’s not about just being an “influencer” who spins off products. It’s about mitigating your risk. When you launch a product without an audience, you have no idea who (if anyone) truly wants what you have. But when you develop your audience first<\/i>, you can learn exactly what they want \u2014 and then serve them.<\/p>\n “\u200aI really focused on the audience and the community for, gosh, like eight years,” she says. “And then<\/i> I launched products.”<\/p>\n Want to try it? Listen to our conversation<\/a>, or read her step-by-step playbook below.<\/p>\n