Maybe after I start a business I'll understand, but this seems kind of backwards.

"In reality, it’s been more like being a shepherd trying to herd a flock of ambivalent geese through an obstacle course."

Maybe that should be a cue to make your product or service more valuable and exciting, with fewer obstacles. If your customers don't love you yet, you need to do more for them.

yep, find passionate users, if not, redesign your product/service and try again.

Even if you find some passionate users, they will be a tiny minority against the sea of ambivalent geese. Getting the passionate ones on your side is a good move, but if you have to choose between the passionate ones and getting more of the flock through the pay gate, the latter is frequently a good choice. It depends, of course; you can't ignore your passionate ones either or they will passionately turn against you, but some balance is called for. And in fact the article warns you, though not in these exact terms, against letting that one passionate customer turn you into their personal consulting service while the rest of your customers get left in the lurch. It's not necessarily wrong, but it is dangerous.

unless it makes them happier/sexier/kick ass etc.

then they just won't believe you.