Archive of posts from September 2022

People love to support you when you’re winning. But those who love supporting the winning team may not be cheering for you when you need them most.

Those who support you when you’re not winning were there for you when you needed them, and should share in your success. Love on them, they played a role in how you got here.

We have an opportunity to be the kind of person who supports people before they’re winning. To go first in advocating, buying, and championing emerging talent. If you’ve succeeded, you know how important it is. If you’ve yet to succeed, you’ve no idea how much it means to them.

How do you start a project?

One option is to dip your toes in and see how it goes. If it succeeds it succeeds, if it fails it fails. If people benefit then great, if it flops then people don’t.

The other option is to commit to going all the way. If it succeeds it succeeds, if it fails you try another way. If people benefit then great, if they don’t then you fix it.

The challenge isn’t to decide which is right or wrong.

The challenge is to choose, and commit.

Sexy businesses tend to be great at spending money. Raising it and spending it. Perhaps on full-page spreads, nice offices, and tweaking the logo… just one more time. Then raising some more.

Unsexy businesses tend to be great at earning money. Working hard and earring it. Then working hard some more, and earning some more.

When the recession comes, earning is a useful set of skills.

It’s worth prioritising that set of skills.

There may be a huge obstacle in your way at the moment.

Today, it’s really huge.

Next month, it’ll have been big.

Next year, it was a challenge.

In a decade, it was just a thing, if you even think about it anymore.

In trials, we’re easily led away from perspective.

Go back.

Creators, builders, entrepreneurs and makers:

In case you need to hear this today…

Yes, there’s a recession coming. It has been looming for a while.

And yes, you’ve felt it for a while. Those who buy from you and sell to you have too.

And yes, things are hard, and getting harder.

But.

Please.

Remember to be kind to yourself.

When we see grinders and spammers, we all think the same thing.

Ban them… kick them out… protect the others.

And this is often the right course of action.

But remember…

Each one of them is a real person, trying to find their way online, and you happen to have crossed paths with one another. Your interaction could leave them better than you found them, if you choose for it to.

Each one of them is struggling with their own stuff, and you’re experiencing them in that moment with their baggage included. Your words and actions can reenforce their issues, or change their course for the better, whether you realise it or not, if you choose for it to.

Sometimes the best service we can give them is a respectful ban, perhaps with some positive words to help them on their way.

And sometimes, you may have one of your best future fans in front of you, crying out for your help and service.

They’re people. Be kind.

A quick reminder, friends:

You do not need permission to create and build.

We get to take courses and watch videos online that show us how to make things we don’t yet know how to make. Previous generations didn’t have that.

We get to work jobs then create, or work a job we get to create in, or even run creative projects of our own that can touch thousands of lives. Previous generations didn’t have that.

We get to connect with diverse talent and test ideas quickly in communities aligned with a common vision for the future, without even knowing their real names. Previous generations didn’t have that.

We are not restricted by a lack of permission or opportunity.

The only thing holding us back is the willingness to try.

Most traders underperform vs their benchmarks. But it’d be odd if it were any different — it’s not a scam, rather it would appear to be one were it to be different.

Most websites don’t show up on page 1 of Google. But it’d be odd if it were any different — it’s not a scam, it’s just how it works if there is to be a ‘page 1’ at all.

Most creative projects don’t get seen by many people. But it’d be odd if it were any different — it’s not a scam, it’s just the supply/demand of attention.

The only way to change the odds is to forget about the outcome altogether and fall in love with the process with patience and commitment to doing your best work.

And it’d be odd if that were any different.

What’s the difference between a party and a community get-together?

A party is normally a place where folks go to stick with their clique, show their face and consume what’s there. We have a one-way relationship with parties.

A community get-together is a place where folks go to love on their people, relish every moment and contribute as much as they can. We have a two-way relationship with these.

I’m not big on parties. But I LOVE community get-togethers.

We have the opportunity to treat our work like a party (something for people to consume and review) or like a community get-together (a place for people to contribute and improve with you).

The choice is yours.

If we do things we hate because we need money for things we like, we’ll filling our lives with things we hate so we can have a few likeable souvenirs to come home to.

If we don’t buy into new ideas and products that reflect a future we want to live in, we’ll fill our lives with things that don’t, and wonder why nothing seems to change.

If we want for someone else to make things better, we’ll be waiting for a long time.

Things change when we’re the change… and we tell our friends.

That’s how movements are made.

Launching projects during a recession feels scary.

But does it need to?

When ‘everyone’ is cutting back, don’t sell to ‘everyone’. After all, they’re cutting back, right?

When ‘your chosen few’ want to support you, sell to ‘your chosen few’. After all, they want to support you right?

Could it be that simple?

Only if we focus on those we wish to serve, and ignore the rest.

Boiling the ocean isn’t required.

I made a new word:

Impossibowait.

It’s an alternative to the word, “impossible”.

When we say, “impossible”, what we mean is that we think something simply cannot be achieved.

But we also know, if we think about it, that very few things are actually impossible.

“Impossibowait” ends the word by putting you on the hook. An acknowledgement that you’ve stumbled upon something magical: the opportunity to innovate, to try something new, to try something that might not work.

“It’s impossible… oh wait, no it’s not, and here’s why…”

Impossibowait.

Of course, this is now a serious word. But it’s a serious reminder, for each time we think something can’t be done.

It might just be doable.

And it might even be doable by you.

The tools you love weren’t made with perfect plans or by perfect people. Their quirks and incompatibilities serve as a reminder of all the opportunity around us to build and teach.

The markets you love weren’t created by design, or by a designer. The lines that determine one industry from another are painted by people no smarter than you; a reminder that you can define new segments and break the rules, if it’s in the best interests of those you serve.

The world you love isn’t the way it is because of some grand design. It’s simply a byproduct of many decisions that came before you, some intentional but many coincidental. The intentionality you bring to your work has every bit as much potential to change the culture as anything that came before it.

It’s all imperfect, like you and like me.

And that’s why we’re a perfect fit to bring positive change through our work and our actions.

Naming is hard.

Kezi and I have spent months trying to decide on the right name for our boy. A name carries a lot of signal, history and meaning; we want to gift him with a great name.

The same can be said for important projects, books, and businesses — getting it right has an affect on the success of the project, its market reception, and who associates with it.

There are no perfect words, and we have to work with what language affords us. But then again, the same is true of keys on a piano, or colours in the rainbow - we can do so much with only a small selection.

Naming is hard… but that’s because there’s an art to it. And that means it’s a joy, a privilege, and a gift.

If you have a new project in the works (or a little one on the way!) naming can be seen as tricky — tedious, even. Remember that it’s part of your craft, part of your work, part of the gift you’re wrapping for someone very special.

A good brand is like a good marriage.

It’s not good because of its past or its reputation…

It’s good because it brings its best…

Every… Single… Day.

If that sounds like too much work for you, perhaps a good brand (or a good marriage) isn’t for you.

But if you’re prepared to do the work… may I be the first to say: Congratulations!

When we make work that matters, we tend to want it to live forever.

But what about when ‘forever’ isn’t the point?

A great live event is great firstly because of the experience found in that moment in time. Even if it carries cultural significance into the future, the primary ingredient in a great live event is that it is great, live, at the event.

A great brand is great firstly because of the relationship forged between the brand and those it wishes to serve in that moment in time. Even if we look back on a brand as great in marketing classrooms, the primary ingredient in a great brand is that it can connect with its people in that moment in time.

Some of your meaningful work may be designed to live on for a very long time.

But some of it is better precisely because it won’t last long.

Some of it is better when we allow it to be a celebration of this moment alone.

You can surprise yourself in so many ways:

The speed you could develop that new skill you’ve always wanted to try could surprise you. With focus and commitment, coupled with a few books, courses and YouTube videos, you can build new skills rapidly, if you choose.

The transformation in your body from just one, simple, daily exercise discipline could surprise you. While it’s easier to “put it on” than to “lose it”, you’ll be shocked at how different you’ll feel if you just commit to a habit.

We all have ‘something’ we’d like to nurture within ourselves.

Surprise yourself.

There are many problems. We have to find the right ones:

The process of writing a book contains a hundred problems. But only one of them truly separates a good book from a great book, and it’s your job to find it.

The process of launching a new product or service requires a thousand decisions. But there are only a very small handful of decisions that truly separate the good from the great.

It even applies to the conversations you have with your loved ones; there are many conversations in a day, but only one or two that truly matter, that nurture that relationship in meaningful ways, if you’ll only show up fully for them.

There are many problems we get to solve if we want to.

The game is finding the ones worth solving, then giving them everything you’ve got.

You could just start right now:

…A project idea you’ve been thinking about but haven’t yet started… because… doesn’t there need to be a bunch of formality around getting started on something new?

…A pitch you’ve been thinking of sending but haven’t yet… because… is now really the right time? Isn’t there some research to do about optimal sending times, or something?

…An experiment that could make your work or life so much better that hasn’t happened… because… is today the right day? Maybe you need to “sit down” and talk about it first?

No! You Get to start right now!

How scary. How liberating. How exciting.

What do Skills and Ideas have in common?

When you want a good idea, you can’t strain and magically “have a good idea”. We can’t create good ideas on demand… but we can create environments for good ideas to develop. A daily ritual of creating and consuming, for instance.

When you want new or elevated skills, you can’t strain and magically “be better”. We can’t create skills on demand… but we can create environments for skills to develop. A daily ritual of practice, for instance.

We can’t magic these things up.

But we can design lives that make them appear often, as if by magic.

When I first started making web-based experiences in 2000, good experiences looked like little virtual worlds like Habbo Hotel; you had a place to go, treasure hunts and rewards, and a home for community members to congregate.

Then, for a while, all anybody wanted was things that looked like cold, minimal rental properties; Web 2.0 chic, all-white Apple circa-2012.

Thankfully, what was old is new again. Some sites, though still rare, are being designed to be a place to return to once again, where fun is encouraged, and discovery is rewarded.

We sold our ‘homes’ for ‘cool’…

But one community at a time, we’ll see new online homes built.

Welcome home.

I want to take a moment.

To just say: Thank You.

As this community develops, I’m blown away by the support, advocacy, and camaraderie I’m finding in it every day.

Benevolent ideas grow…

Successes are shared and circulated…

Failures never dampen the spirit…

Together we can achieve so much.

And I want every single one of you to know how much I appreciate you being here.

LFG, Adam

Efficient feels like we’re getting stuff done, in the moment. But it’s empty calories: we were busy all week, but by end of the week we don’t feel like we have much of real value to show for it.

Effective feels like we’re not getting much done, in the moment. But it’s all meat: we don’t always look busy… but by the end of the week, we achieved something we feel proud of.

Efficient gets celebrated for its business and creative theatre.

Effective gets the job done.

We all have the opportunity to be great.

But we don’t all take it, not always:

Being too enthusiastic about too many things at once means we don’t focus on doing a great job in any one area for those trusting us to do our best work.

Being too liberal with our “Yes” forces our hand into mistakenly saying “No” to everything, thanks to the lack of commitment to any one “Yes”.

Being too eager to please, or feel worthy in the eyes of others, causes insecure missteps that make us less effective team mates as we pursue praise over progress.

Sometimes the opportunity isn’t found in going a mile in one hundred directions…but in going a hundred miles in just one direction, one confident “Yes” or two, and a reverence for the work ahead.

We need more of this.

Community powered product: When those who buy are helping you build what they buy, you get to build things they truly want, and maybe change the culture in the market.

Community powered marketing: When those who buy are helping you spread the word, you get to be seen by others like them, and maybe touch more lives than you ever could alone.

Community powered community: When those in your community rise up to lead the very community they’re a part of, maybe you’ll witness a movement among those in your care.

Viva la community.

There are enough ideas. Everyone has them, some are better than others, most never see the light of day.

There is enough money. Revolutionary ideas can be funded with what amounts to a rounding error of the big players.

There are not enough people prepared to execute effectively. Sometimes it’s a skill gap, other times it’s a commitment gap.

When in doubt, invest in yourself and execute.

The other things have a habit of finding people who do.

What do you work on when it’s off-season for you?

When the markets are down… when buyers are timid… when opportunities are less obvious… what are your “off-season activities”?

Investing in ourselves, just like in peak season. Except we learn more about ourselves off-season, and get to “fix the roof while the sun is shining”.

Investing in our crafts, just like in peak season. Except the skills we develop off-season will then be ready to make the most of in-season opportunities when they come.

Investing in our relationships, just like in peak season. The camaraderie of peers and support of loved ones will be more abundant when we take the time to remind them we want them, not just what they can offer us.

Seems like off-season is essential for succeeding in the good times, doesn’t it?

Are you making the most of it while it’s here?

Disagreeing is a superpower, when wielded properly:

When harnessed, your assumptions are challenged, your knowledge enhanced, your ideas refined, your friendships strengthened.

When misused, your reputation frays, your opportunities stall, and your ideas fall on deaf ears.

The not used at all, your footsteps are unguided, your foresight shortens, your journey becomes laden with entirely avoidable problems.

So.

What is to be your relationship with the power of disagreement?

Sometimes, you get options you love. Other times, you have to make the best choices you can with the options available. The resourcefulness found in the latter is what makes great work happen.

Sometimes, you get to play risk-free. Other times, you have to take on risk and know it may not pay off. The decision-making skills found in the latter is what makes great work happen.

Sometimes, things aren’t as they would have been were you writing everyone else’s lines in your story.

What matters is the ability to write yours.

What is ‘best’, really?

The best social media campaigns aren’t necessarily being run by the Fortune500. Maybe they’re the campaigns that are making the brands you’ve never heard of today, household names tomorrow.

The best products aren’t necessarily the ones you’ve read about in the headlines. Maybe they’re the ones only your closest friends will tell you about, because their budget went all-in on product and less so on newspaper advertising.

The best work you can produce may not necessarily look like what the others are doing.

And maybe that’s exactly what the world needs.