150

150, also known as Dunbar’s number, is the theoretical cognitive limit to how many people we can maintain stable social relationships with.

Even though this is not an exact number depending on who is concerned, it tells us that we have to be wary of who we let in our lives. 

I think it’s especially interesting for solo bootstrapped business owners: if there is only so many people we can deal with on our own, do we need a strategy that takes this biological trait of ours into account?

The startup sphere focuses on growth and economies of scale, but most of those traditional principles praised by all sorts of crowds do not apply to indie makers: not all businesses are meant to reach abject heights of valuation or be sold. Some of us just want to earn an honest living while contributing to society, and that’s enough.

What if we applied Dunbar’s number to business relationships then? A viable business would be comprised of 150 close collaborators and clients, and this would allow the solopreneur to live above a given ramen profitability rate.

If you have 150 clients paying $5 per month for your service, you obtain $750 before taxes. $1500 in monthly-recurring revenue if you price it at $10/month, which is enough for most individuals on Earth to sustain themselves.

It’s more realistic  to create a close-knit community of 150 paying high-quality customers than to aim for virality.