Archive of posts from December 2021

It can be tricky enough getting small businesses to focus on their target audience at the best of times.

The ‘other target audience’ only comes up once the first has been mastered.

What is the ‘other target audiences’?

Cultural observers… these folks may not ever be buyers, but they’re critical to the fabric of you market. Buyers care what they think. A lot.

Fans… these folks also may never be buyers, but they behave precisely as though they are. They’re not in the stadium, they’re watching (and tweeting) from home.

Commentators… these folks have the attention of the observers, fans, and buyers. They review, unbox and enhance (or attack) your market perception.

Collaborators… these folks could be complimentary, they could be competition… savvy businesses know it doesn’t matter either way, they’re still opportunities for collaboration.

If you have a hard time staying focused on your target audience, work on that.

If you’re great at focusing on your target audience, keep doing that.

But while you’re at it, consider the folks above. They’re on your side (if you help them).

Maximum productivity and efficiency is good, right?

Not necessarily:

More isn’t necessarily better. General Motors make 7.7 million cars a year. Rolls-Royce only sold 5,152 in 2019, yet is deemed more valuable. Some buy for economic travel, others buy for prestige.

Faster isn’t necessarily better. The bond between source, artisan and buyer is much stronger with Hermès than it is with Walmart. It takes longer to do everything, and shoppers feel a connection through their purchases.

We celebrate productivity and efficiency.

Often with good cause. They have their place.

But for every time we ask ourselves, “How could our work benefit from being more productive?” we might want to also ask ourselves, “How could our work benefit from being less productive?”

Brands that claim to want to get closer to their audience will, soon, be faced with a choice.

An opportunity to truly be community-focused has emerged. Will brands take it?

Hierarchical: The way you’ve thought of companies up to now. The company decides things and makes things, you buy them, they profit.

Heterarchical: The way many brands will develop in the future. The community decides things, buys them, and profits from the growth… the company makes for the community.

How does the product develop?
Who spreads the word?
Who profits from the success?
All of these things will be disrupted.

Community moves from thankless fandom to essential for business. Community members move from passive buying to active engagement and reward.

Opportunity is available for heterarchical brands to disrupt even the most blue-chip of enterprises.

It’s exciting to imagine what we’ll all come up with. How will you leverage this opportunity in your work?

“The mind must be given relaxation - it will rise improved and sharper after a good break. Just as rich fields must not be forced - for they will quickly lose their fertility if never given a break - so constant work on the anvil will fracture the force of mind. But it regains its powers if it is set free and relaxed for a while.” — Seneca, on Tranquility of Mind

For a long time, I used to have a bad relationship with ‘taking breaks’.

For some reason, I’d associated it with some weird mess of “needing a break is for the weak and I’m trying to get stronger at this”…

…Which, as you probably know, is utter nonsense.

For many of us, when we’re doing important, difficult work… taking a break feels unimportant, and equally difficult.

Turns out, if you take that break, that important, difficult work may simply become important work.

Consider adding “going for a walk” as an essential line-item in your to-do list of how great things get done.

They were and are for some of the world’s greatest minds.

Maybe they’re onto something.

We know what ROI (return on investment) is.
We’re talking money.

We know what ROTI (return on time invested) is.
We’re talking time.

What about ROᾰ̓́? (return on ἄξιος, or ‘axia’)?
(‘ROA’ is already taken to measure profit generation, so let’s go with Greek characters instead!)

Axia is the true worth. Not what it sold (or could sell) for, but what it costs an owner to own.

When measuring return on axia, we have to factor in things like anxiety and peace of mind (“does it cost our calm to profit from this?”) to determine a true worth to us.

A shiny new car costs calm when we want to park in a less affluent neighbourhood. A well-timed investment in a volatile market may cost the nervous energy of constantly watching your charts for the right moment to exit your position.

Our state of mind isn’t recorded on balance sheets that are interested only in ROI.

Opportunity is everywhere, every day. Consider the true cost of the ones you pursue.

“If a person gave away your body to some passerby, you’d be furious. Yet you hand over your mind to anyone who comes along, soothed may abuse you, leaving it disturbed and troubled — have you no shame in that?” — Epictetus Enchiridion, 28

If you use social media, this may be happening to you.

Not because social media is bad, it’s not; it’s how society communicates.

If communication is a vessel that passes from mind to mind, then we should be more choosy about the vessels that we permit to pass our ports:

The online entrepreneur who tells you what you should be earning, shaming those either earlier in their journeys or pursuing different journeys. Notice how the less fortunate often hang on their words, while the more fortunate don’t permit passage.

The investor who tells you what great opportunities they acted upon, shaming those who did not. Notice how many then make reckless plays, trying to reproduce a savvy that may have been luck. Notice how the more successful don’t permit passage.

The politically charged who tell you precisely why they’re right and everyone else is wrong, baiting you into an unhealthy conversation. Notice how many armchair-politicians engage. Notice how the real ones don’t permit passage.

There’s a lot of noise out there.

It’s like half-eaten fast-food found on the side of the street, for the mind.

Don’t eat it.

It’s Christmas.

Whether you celebrate for the original meaning behind the day, or you prefer to prioritise a good excuse to spend more time with your loved ones, keep in mind…

Your important work can wait, for just a day, if you let it.

Treat it like a loved one.

Let it rest, let it enjoy the margin of a few days.
Great things often come from a little bit of breathing space.

That’s what we’re doing, and by golly will the ROI be worth it.

Happy Christmas to you, and Happy Christmas to your important work.

Good times ahead!

Bought a new smartphone or laptop in the last 18 months?

Have you invested in your mind to the same degree in the same span of time?

Many I speak to invest more on tech than on the minds that drive the tech… tax-deductible investments that have the added benefit of improving your whole life.

Seems like a good deal to me.

How about you?

“For this is what makes us evil – that none of us looks back upon our own lives.” – Seneca, Moral Letters, 83.2

I didn’t journal much in 2021.

It ended up being one of those things that I kept meaning to pick back up, but kept…not. T’was a loaded year and, while I appreciate why it didn’t happen, I would have liked to have a journal of the year.

Seneca’s point is that looking back creates time to reflect on how we’re living, every day. When faced with our vices and failings, we’re forced to forgive our mistakes and commit to being better tomorrow.

Fancy 2022 being better than 2021? Consider picking up journaling!

“From Rusticus… I learned to read carefully and not be satisfied with a rough understanding of the whole, and not to agree too quickly with those who have a lot to say about something.” — Marcus Auraleus, Meditations, 1.7.3

This can be applied to the marketing guru, the crypto chad, and the social media influencer.

Many opinions, many agendas, many perspectives. None appreciate your condition like you do.

Like Marcus says: Read carefully. Don’t be satisfied with rough understandings. Don’t agree too quickly with those with a transparent agenda.

Twitter is ablaze with anxiety from people who have missed an opportunity.

Don’t tell them about all the millions of opportunities they missed that they didn’t see!

See, there is opportunity all around us, all of the time.

Sometimes, you see it.

Sometimes when you see it, you feel good about exploring it.

Sometimes when you explore it you still feel good about it.

You take those opportunities.

You miss all the others.

To mourn the passing of every opportunity you didn’t seize is to inflict a constant, sustained amount of pain upon yourself.

To celebrate the spring wells of opportunity that flow abundantly all around us — drinking from it as it suits us — is to be grateful for the opportunities we take, and grateful for the ones we don’t.

Designers take issue with clients that don’t make good design decisions. Of course they don’t — that’s why you’re there.

Coaches take issue with prospects that think they don’t need a coach. Of course they don’t — or they’d already have one.

Soft-play funhouses take issue with customers behaving childishly. Of course they will — their target market is children.

These aren’t things wrong with the system. These are things working the way they’re supposed to.

When we remember that, our craft becomes much easier.

Sales costs are the tax we pay for one of two things:

#1 The margin between cost and value is negative (“it’s not worth it”)
#2 There is no margin between cost and value (it’s as much as you’re willing to pay)

This post is about #2.

The problem with #2 is that it’s deemed shrewd, smart, good business.

People happily buy things that they believe are worth more than they cost. But #2 makes that difficult to determine. And so we pay the tax.

The alternative is to leave some value on the table. To let people happily buy things knowing the value is worth more than the cost. Then we don’t pay the tax.

We pay one way or another… we can choose the option that makes our customers happier, if we want.

Most NFT projects will fail. You haven’t heard of most of them. You couldn’t track every single one of them even if you wanted to.

Most lines of plastic or stuffed toys will fail. You haven’t heard of most of them, either.

Most smartphones.
Most books.
Most indie video games.
Most paintings.

Most most things.

That does not mean, “Don’t try doing anything”.

It simply means, “The odds of failure are high, so enjoy the act of trying to win”.

Do you feel others in your industry are better than you?

Or that you’re better than them?

What if you could operate with neither, showing admiration, not overvaluing their opinions or undervaluing yours?

If you think they’re better, you’ll revere their steps and question yours. You’ll put yourself in their shadow by the moves you make, and make your belief come true through stifled innovation coupled with a little envy.

If you think you’re better, you’ll dismiss their steps and revere yours. You’ll miss opportunities to learn and grow together, and constantly wonder why people who ‘aren’t as good at you’ are so much more effective.

When you think you’re equal, you’re not afraid, you have no excuses, you learn more, and opportunities to collaborate seemingly come out of nowhere.

Isn’t that a better place to operate from?

What do you think about the metaverse? How about web3?

I ran a metaverse brand in 2008 I first met my wife in a metaverse! And now metaverse is brand-new in 2021. Interoperable virtual experiences aren’t new, but the money flowing into it is new, so therefore the media says it’s new.

It’s dripping with potential, but then again, it has been since 2008! The problem isn’t whether opportunity was present or not.

The problem metaverse has is that, 13 years later, most people still don’t know what the heck ‘metaverse’ means. Folks need to be specific about what metaverse means for consumers if there is to be wider adoption.

The headline of web3 is the ability to move ownership back into the hands of individuals, with a common wallet for attendance and immutable verification of what’s yours. I started my first web3 project October 2021, and am thoroughly enjoying it.

The problem web3 has is that most people don’t really understand what ‘ownership’ means. Even proponents of decentralisation are centralising their attention around select blue-chip tokens, don’t diversify their coinage, and never tried signing an online experience that isn’t purely DeFi-based. Folks need to be specific about what web3 means for consumers if there is to be wider adoption.

These things don’t have hype problems.

They have communication problems.

Perhaps you’re in a similar boat with your work. Excited about the potential of your project or business, but can’t clearly define to anyone outside of your core team why you’re worth betting the farm on.

All of our projects and pursuits benefit from being more specific.

So please, be more specific. We need you to so that we can support you.

Some brands strike it lucky with right place, right time.

For the rest of us, there’s a formula like the one below.

It’s not complicated, but it’s not easy either.

Nor should it be.

Chapter 1: The Secret. Nobody knows what you are yet. We all start here. As we ought; it’s the right way for things to start.

You move to the next step by showing up consistently with good stuff.

Chapter 2: The Dismissable. Some have seen you now, but you were dismissed. Maybe not ‘forgettable’, there’s just a lot going on in the world and you haven’t yet earned the mental bandwidth to be considered.

You move to the next step by showing up consistently with good stuff.

Chapter 3: The Nuisance. You’ve shown up in the newsfeed a bunch at this point. You’ve still not earned that mental bandwidth, and yet there you are, again. You’re now pushing through the membrane.

You move to the next step by showing up consistently with good stuff.

Chapter 4: The Familiar. ‘Oh look, it’s those guys, they seem cool.’ At this point you’ve earned your spot on their screens. They still may not be interacting with you or buying from you, but you’re on the other side now.

You move to the next step by showing up consistently with good stuff.

Chapter 5: The Staple. At this point, we’d miss you if you were gone. You’re a regular, a fixture of the space. We expect you’ll be there, we expect to hear your thoughts on what’s going on. We probably have an idea of what you’ll have to say before you even say it.

You move to the next step by showing up consistently with good stuff.

Chapter 6: The Interesting. At this stage, we buy in. At this stage, we engage your community, we buy your products, we value your work as our own. You’re a brand we care about and associate with.

Two things got us here.

Showing up consistently. With good stuff.

What is ‘consistently’? Having a routine and keeping to it. Perhaps it’s something small every day and something bigger each week. Whatever it is, you stick with it.

What is ‘good stuff’? Things that don’t scale well. Things that are more valuable than what others give. Things that are worth talking about and sharing.

Two things.

It’s not complicated, but it’s not easy either.

Nor should it be.

You know that idea you’re scared to talk about because it’s really weird?

The fear is your kryptonite and the weird idea could be your superpower.

Historically, doing something really weird that nobody has ever done before is where “the first” of something comes from.

Larva Labs’ Cryptopunks were weird. But they were the inspiration for the ERC-721 standard that powers most NFTs now.

Similar stories can be told for Edison and the lightbulb.
Alex Bell and the telephone.
John Baird and the television.
The Wright brothers and the aeroplane.
The list goes on.

Weird is because it’s different.
Different is what becomes “the first”.
“The first” could change the course of history.

My wife had an operation recently.

We thought we were lucky to get it done privately now, rather than wait over a year to be done via public health service.

Only after getting it done did we realise that waiting that year could have proven fatal.

Before the operation, we weren’t especially focused on how fortunate we are to be alive.

We are now.

What a shame that it takes the risk of loss to appreciate what we have.

What a blessing to be reminded without loss taking place.

This is your reminder.

Live fully, create bravely, focus on what matters.

There’s not enough time to do everything we want.… and yet there’d enough time to do anything we want.

There’s not enough time to live a thousand lives… and yet there’s plenty of time to live one, fully.

The project you want to want to run… is there time? It depends on if you’re willing to say no to other things.

And those things don’t have to be huge sacrifices. It could be saying no to procrastination. Or over-analysing things. Or a bad habit.

Is there time for the work you want to pursue?
That’s up to you!

I spoke with a founder today who was having a hard time with some of their key stakeholders.

These stakeholders struggled with being defensive and offended when accountability came up.

Insecurity takes many forms. Especially in teams that produce important work.

Both Marcus Aurelius and Epictetus wrestled with this in their own ways. Epictetus said, “If you are tempted to look outside yourself for approval, you have compromised your integrity. If you need a witness, be your own.”

If you can’t be your own witness and you can’t receive gifts of feedback that will make you better, you will not reach your potential.

But if you don’t live for the approval of others, and you routinely receive those gifts as gifts, your full potential is what we will all remember you by when you’re gone.

Your potential and your insecurity are linked.

Do you receive these gifts gladly?

If the font on your website doesn’t match the one on the box you ship,

If your team’s email signatures don’t all match in size or style,

If your blog posts shift in tone and voice every quarter due to shifting specs,

If your team photo shot contains a bunch of people who aren’t there anymore,

It might mean that you’re growing and developing. Listening and iterating. Focusing on both the horizon and the steps.

It might not be a problem — it might mean that you’re doing just fine.

I’ve met founders who are desperate to get into execution.

I’ve met founders who are desperate to get their initial assets shipped.

I’ve met founders who are desperate to get their outbound/inbound running.

I’ve met founders who are desperate to get their first customer.

I’ve met founders who are desperate for their acquisition systems to run smoothly.

I’ve met founders who are desperate for their service systems to run smoothly.

I’ve met founders who are desperate for a break.

Most founders are all of these things at one time or another.
Always desperate for the next step.
Always missing the joy of the step they’re in.

What if you were to enjoy each step of the way, rather than remaining desperate to escape to the next one?

Who is about to own your work?

When we put our work into the market, it’s not for us.
It was never really for us.
It’s for the person who will buy it.

When we create with that person in mind, it’s easier for them to buy.
They can see themselves more clearly in the work.
They can see themselves more clearly in your description of the work.
They are more confident in their yes.

And they should be confident — it’s about to be theirs!

If you create while thinking, “I hope someone likes this!”…
Consider switching to, “Who is about to own this?”…

…It focuses creativity and makes it easier for the right person to buy!

Ever wished you started a business or a project sooner?

Or that you had invested in something sooner, before it mooned?

There’s probably a valid reason why you didn’t.

Perhaps you weren’t ready for that business, and the right time wasn’t ‘sooner’.

Perhaps the investment would have overexposed you, or interfered with your focus.

Wishing you started sooner could result in wishing that you were more reckless…

…With projects that are important to you, or your finances, or your health.

Be careful what you wish for.

Ever noticed how you get most what you give most?

Doing things that help make others happy, might just make you happy.

Doing things that help make others money, might just make you money.

It’s funny how that works.

Similarly…

When you demand happiness, happy leaves the room.

When you demand money, money leaves the room.

Please, look after yourself. But for the things you want most, give most.

Which learning mindset do you have?

Learning mindset 1:
This is hard and I’m doing it wrong, how frustrating.

Learning mindset 2:
No idea what I’m doing, but it’s great fun.

Most of us are born with the second one…

…and most of us swap it out for the first one in school and in the workplace.

You can change your mind again, though, if you want to.

Since it’s your choice: which do you choose?

If you’ve ever upgraded a computer or a phone…

It’s probably because you decided that, despite the new version doing essentially the same things as the previous version, that the upgrade is worth it.

…That the incremental gains are important enough to invest in.
…That leaving it too long means you’ll be left out, or less competitive.
…That the cost is justified, even if not in an immediately obvious way.

Even if that cost is many thousands of dollars.

But when considering learning or upgrading a skill…
…Or training and nurturing a new interest that makes you better…
…Or investing in your mind and how you interact with the world…

Many of us struggle with that.
We won’t make ourselves slightly better, almost as though we value our smartphones more than ourselves.

If your phone is good enough, why aren’t you?

A journey of a hundred miles starts with…

…a single cup of English Breakfast tea.

Another after each successive mile is optional, too.
At least, that’s how my miles tend to start.

You get to choose.

A hundred miles is a lot of miles, but you get make all the rules.
Be sure to set the rules in a way that enables you to achieve YOUR goal.

I find that I tend to like some parts of projects much more than others.

In the moments I enjoy, I wish they’d last longer.
In the moments I don’t, I wish they’d hurry along.

But when I’m reminded that the moment — now — is all we really have…

…suddenly the whole project becomes more enjoyable.

It all moves from something “I got to do” to something “I get to do”.

The constant is you: how you approach this moment is how you approach every moment.

Show us all how YOU think life should be lived by the way you show up in this moment.

How do you change the world?

By changing the life of the next person you encounter.

The world is a large place…
But people are changed one life at a time.

A library consists of lots of smaller books, each consisting of even smaller pages.

Big things can happen when you’re brave enough to start small.