The quickest way to find belonging in a community is to speak the language of that community.

This sounds simple, but it's profound. When I moved to Vancouver, I didn't try to fit into what everyone else was doing. I just started putting out content about technology—the Vancouver Tech Journal—speaking in the language I naturally speak.

And people who resonated with that language found me. They said, "Oh, this is interesting. Who is this person? I'm on board with the stuff he's putting out." Then I had a connection with one person. Then another. It builds slowly from there.

I think about it like being in another country where English isn't the first language. If I just kept speaking English, eventually I'd find someone who'd say, "Oh hey, I can talk to you!" And I'd think, "Thank goodness I found you. You're my people now. Now we can build something together."

That's exactly how it works in any community. Don't try to speak everyone's language. Don't water down what you're about to appeal to the broadest possible audience. Just say what you want to say, and the right people will find you.

Too many founders try to be everything to everyone. They think if they can just appeal to a wider market, they'll be more successful. But what actually happens is they end up being nothing to anyone. Their message is so diluted that nobody really connects with it.

The Tech Journal succeeded because it was very specifically about Vancouver tech. Not Canadian tech. Not North American tech. Vancouver tech. That specificity made people feel like it was for them.

When someone in Vancouver sees "Vancouver Tech Journal," they think, "That's for me. That's my community." Even people in Victoria wanted their own version because that local identity matters so much.

This principle applies everywhere. If you're building a product, a newsletter, a community—don't try to appeal to everyone. Speak to your specific people. The ones who get it will rally around you.

I see this with underrepresented voices too. When we brought on guest editors who were women, they spoke in their authentic voices about their experiences. And suddenly we were reaching audiences we hadn't reached before because those audiences finally heard from someone on their same wavelength.

Your weirdness is your strength. Your specificity is your advantage. Don't file off the edges trying to be more palatable to a mass audience.