Share the Process to Attract Your Tribe
Reveal your real process so aligned customers discover and trust you
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Time to result
- ~weeks to results
- Steps
- 6
- Confidence
- 98%
This framework replaces polished self-promotion with consistent documentation of how work actually gets done. Select a real project, expose the decisions, difficulties, experiments, and lessons behind it, and publish those observations where prospective customers spend time. The mechanism is identification: audiences see their own uncertainty and ambition reflected in an honest process, which creates trust before the creator is recognized as the best in the field. Sharing also allows relevant people to discover the creator without traditional room-working or cold networking. The differentiator is not merely the tool, product, or technical skill; it is the person's perspective and way of navigating the work. Over time, repeated process-sharing attracts a self-selected tribe that can become customers, advocates, collaborators, and peers.
Origin
Jasmine Star began sharing her development as a photographer after even free photography offers were rejected. She credits that visible process with attracting clients. Extracted from The Jasmine Star Show.
Core principles
- 01Useful knowledge creates value only when shared
- 02Process can be more relatable than polished results
- 03Visible struggle builds identification across industries
- 04Personality differentiates commoditized services
- 05Consistency lets the right audience self-select
How to run it
- 1
Select a Live Process
Choose a current project, task, or skill you are actively developing. Use genuine work rather than manufacturing a lesson after the fact.
Pro tip Start with a recurring activity that can produce multiple updates.
Watch out Never expose confidential client or customer information.
- 2
Capture the Decisions
Document what you are trying, why you chose it, and what trade-offs you considered. Show the reasoning that a finished portfolio cannot reveal.
Pro tip Save short notes, photos, or recordings while working.
Watch out Do not reduce the story to a generic highlight reel.
- 3
Reveal a Meaningful Struggle
Share an obstacle, uncertainty, or mistake alongside the response to it. Connect the specific experience to a recognizable human challenge.
Pro tip Pair vulnerability with a useful lesson or next action.
Watch out Avoid performative vulnerability that manipulates the audience.
- 4
Publish the Lesson
Turn the captured material into a concise post, video, email, or episode. Make it understandable to people outside your exact profession.
Pro tip Use concrete details instead of abstract claims about authenticity.
Watch out Do not wait until your skills or branding feel perfect.
- 5
Let the Tribe Respond
Invite questions and notice which people consistently identify with the process. Use their responses to guide future content and offers.
Pro tip Track repeated questions as evidence of audience needs.
Watch out Do not force every interaction into an immediate sale.
- 6
Repeat Consistently
Continue showing the process as your skill and business evolve. Consistency compounds familiarity, credibility, and audience identification.
Pro tip Build documentation into the work itself rather than treating it as a separate campaign.
Watch out Do not stop sharing once the work becomes more successful.
In the wild
A new photographer cannot persuade acquaintances to accept free shoots. Instead of hiding her inexperience, she shares what she is learning, the work behind each image, and the emotional reality of building the business. Prospective clients identify with her before her technical reputation is fully established.
→ People hire the photographer because they trust and relate to the person behind the camera.
A founder posts weekly notes about interviewing customers, discarding weak ideas, selecting features, and correcting launch mistakes. Readers see both competence and uncertainty rather than a manufactured success story.
→ The founder attracts an initial group of customers who understand the product and feel invested in its development.
Common mistakes
Sharing Only Finished Wins
A polished result displays ability but conceals the process audiences can identify with and learn from.
Making Vulnerability the Product
Personal disclosure should illuminate the work or a transferable lesson, not become attention-seeking without value.
Hiding Behind the Tool
Cameras, software, materials, and tactics are replaceable. The distinctive element is the creator's perspective and experience.
Is it for you?
Best for
It is best for creators, service providers, and early-stage founders whose work can be documented publicly.
Not ideal for
It is not ideal for confidential work or situations where disclosure would violate client privacy, security, or professional obligations.
From the transcript
“what I knew the little I knew the nothing I knew and in my ability to openly shared on the internet that created tribe and…”
“They hired me because I was meat and the more that we can share exactly what makes us special and guess what?”
From the episode
Is Networking WHO You Know, or WHAT You Know?
Travis Chappell