Minimum Viable Audience
Start small. Start with someone who needs you.
You don't need everyone. You need someone who cares.
If you could serve 100 people so well that they could not live without your work, that would create a marketplace only you cater to. No competition. No barriers to entry.
100 people who care for what you create, beats 10,000 who don't. This is your minimum viable audience. It is the minimum number of people you need - to rent your time.
Not the maximum. The minimum.
Because, when you know exactly who you're talking to, you can solve their specific problems. When you solve their specific problems, you start becoming essential.
The internet makes this possible. You can find the 100 people who need exactly what you have to offer. You can reach them directly. You can serve them specifically. You can choose to matter to them.
Start small. Start with someone who needs you.
