Book Review: Cult Status by Tim Duggan

By Steph Clarke

It’s easy to tell ourselves that creating a business with buzz is something saved for funky startups or tech companies. But what if that wasn’t true? What if any business, from law firms to loo roll could develop a cult following?

As the co-founder of Junkee Media, Tim Duggan knows what he’s talking about when it comes to developing momentum around a brand. In this book he dissects seven principles of how to get people talking about your business, for all the right reasons. This is not about prioritising virality over substance, but a prompt to think differently about surprising, delighting, and truly connecting with your customer base.

Before you can achieve cult status, it’s important to choose an enemy. Canva’s enemy is inaccessible design software. The Pakistani startup SheKab chose a social problem as their enemy – the dangers women face on public transport, which often prevents them from participating in paid work. Whatever your enemy is, it helps to define who you are, and (equally as importantly) who you are not.

The ideas in the book require a mindset shift more than a checklist of new techniques. Tim calls this being an ‘Untrepreneur’. He was inspired by the new generation of business owners who are leading from the front and redefining what it means to be in business. They are the ones elevating ‘purpose’ to the same level as ‘profit’, using this purpose to guide significant decisions, investing in community, and challenging the idea that bigger equals better. It’s a view that being in business and ‘doing good’ can coexist, and are not at the expense of each other.

It’s refreshing to read a book like this that doesn’t default to the overused examples and tropes about Google, Apple, Netflix, and the demise of Kodak. There’s a healthy selection of Australian case studies included; Aussie tech darlings Canva get a mention, as do everyone’s favourite purveyors of toilet humour emails, Who Gives a Crap.



With his first book, Tim has set the bar high. Not only is it a compelling and enjoyable read full of fresh, interesting case studies, it’s also a book you’ll bookmark to revisit, having been inspired to put the concepts into practice yourself.