Archive of posts from July 2023

Be willing to look like a buffoon.

Be willing to get it all wrong.

History’s proven: it’s the path to figuring it all out.

You could do it because you think you’ll make money.

You could do it because you think you’ll gain status.

You could do it because you think you’re supposed to.

Or you could do it because it’ll make you proud…

…which willl likely help you achieve your goals anyway.

You decide.

The scary thing about being ‘all in’ on something…

…is that it feels risky.

So you naturally want to spread your risk by doing other things too.

Maybe you take on other projects. Maybe you date other people. Maybe you stick to renting.

The problem is…

The biggest rewards come from focusing on your target.

The results you’re looking for come from focusing on your target.

The highest chances of scucess come from focusing on your target.

All that ‘diversification’ is stealing your momentum, progress, and likelihood of success.

Focus on your target.

Social is awesome for creators.

And terrible for creators.

At the same time.

Because, for better/worse:

• Everyone in the world is there.
• Every opinion and mindset is on offer.
• Algorithms show you what pushes your buttons.

But what algorithms can’t help us with is:

• The discipline to disengage with toxic people and ideas.
• The security to not see other people’s gains as our losses.
• The bravery to be ourselves despite what others are doing.

This week’s productoon goes into more detail on this topic. Check it out at The Productoon.

Remember:

• Likes/follows/etc can be faked
• Subscriber counts can be faked
• Incredible content can’t be faked
• Loyal audience can’t be faked

What has your focus?

If you want to be seen as different…

…do different things.

This Friday, I’m rolling out a custom email newsletter referral system. Not because the world needs another referral system… but because the world doesn’t do things in the weird, quirky, different way I wanted.

It might not work.

That’s the point.

The act of creating meaningful, different work is also the act of confidently saying, “This might not work”.

The path to “safe, predictable success” is fraught with imposters and con-men.

The path of “being different, knowing it might not work, but knowing if it does, it will precisely because it wasn’t safe or predictable” is clear.

Turns out the real safe, predictable path is actually the latter, huh?

Since launching the Productoon newsletter a few weeks ago, we’ve had some wonderful feedback on the format and the content.

I thought I’d share some of the recent feedback:

“I never met a creator more talented and diverse than Adam. His newsletter is everything the creators' economy needs – it's full of warmth, coziness, and incredibly useful insights.”

@ContentKuba, Content creation influencer

“I love how Adam communicates wise advice with simple words and awesome little cartoon stories! If you're a creator or building your own business, I highly suggest subscribing to his newsletter.”

@_anthonyriera, YouTuber

“The Productoon is the first newsletter to make me actually reply and engage, not just read passively. One of the best newsletters around for creators, solopreneurs or indie hackers. I unsubscribe to most newsletters after a while… but I won't with this one!”

@youcef_appmaker, SaaS startup founder

“This is a one-of-a-kind newsletter. Creativity through art and writing. It honestly just makes you smile when you know you’re getting something new and fresh every week. Adam shares great tips for building online. Definitely recommend subscribing to this one.”

@zbijelic, Business builder & podcast host

“Game changer. The short actionable nuggets that come in each edition makes The Productoon one of the few newsletters that I feel better after I’ve read. Each week, it takes me one step closer to where I wanted to go anyway!”

@TobiasTalltorp, developer & indiehacker

“The Productoon newsletter is phenomenal! He has an incredible talent for bringing product insights to life through captivating illustrations. Playful mascots, powerful insights, delightful animations. Definitely worth subscribing.”

@UrmiFormly, building Formly

“Do you like refreshing content? I invite you to follow Adam Fairhead and The Productoon. Such a talented guy. I'm lucky to call him a friend.”

@thevirgilbrew, Course builder

“It takes supreme expertise to communicate these topics in an entertaining and simple manner. I can honestly say it’s the best newsletter I’ve seen.”

@curtiscoffeew, Community builder

“Witty and insightful. Totally worth the weekly read.”

@marc_louvion, Solopreneur & SaaS builder

“Literally one of the most amazing newsletters I've ever seen! SO different and helpful and motivational! Thank you for putting it together for us each week!”</strong>

@kopybykenz, Creator copywriter

Really thankful for these (and other) kind words we’ve received for the project so far, and looking forward to seeing where we can take it next!

Building your own business?

Using social media?

Okay, then remember:

• People are publicly putting on a brave face
• People are publicly trying to convince you they’re OK
• People are publicly inflating their figures
• People are publicly exaggerating their successes
• People are silently stressing the heck out
• People are silently swaying from determined to depressed
• People are silently feeling unworthy and incapable
• People are silently hurting

Keep this in mind and you’ll find social media a kinder, safer place to be.

Are you patiently building your best work?

Careful. Patience can get twitchy.

Twitchy is when you start thinking you should be earning more, more quickly, than your plan originally allowed.

Twitchy is when you have an expense that comes up that makes you want to cash in quicker than planned.

Twitchy is when you feel peer pressure and want to trade tomorrow’s gains for today’s flexes.

Ignore the twitchy feelings.

Patiently build your best work.

Is it going to work out?

Who knows.

But does the you of today have a role to play in it working out?

Absolutely.

So don’t short change your future-self.

Invest in yourself so your future-self is better equipped for success.

Invest in the tools your future-self needs to increase his/her odds of success.

Invest in the network and community your future-self needs to open doors and thrive.

If investing in things feels scary…

…Remember you’re not doing it for today-you. You’re buying a gift to your future-self.

And even if the gift doesn’t work out…

…Future-self thanks you for believing enough in him/her to try.

You’re an imposter.

At least, that’s what your brain is telling you on a near-daily basis.

What’s an imposter?

• Somebody who doesn’t belong in the room.
• Somebody claims to be something they’re not.
• Somebody who has no business doing what they’re doing.

Feel like any of these describe you in your creator journey?

OK.

Now we’ve defined it, here’s why you’re not those things:

• Doesn’t belong? The room is literally full of people who don’t have a clue what they’re doing. We’re here because we want a clue. Welcome.
• False claims? Every creator is learning. Every artist is learning. Every entrepreneur is learning. None have it figured all out. Welcome.
• No business doing? The world was assembled by people who started out no smarter or more capable than you. Welcome.

There’s also a lot of pretenders out there.

You can spot them because they claim the opposite of the above: that they have it all figured out, that it’s easy, and they can show you how to make it easy too.

This week’s productoon goes into more detail on this topic. Check it out at The Productoon.

Some days, you need to scratch a few things off your to-do list and… think.

It’s not necessarily because you don’t know what you’re doing.

It’s not necessarily because you’re burning out or overloaded.

Sometimes, your mind just needs to chew on the creative elements.

To play with it. To stay locked in and showing up at its best.

It can feel unproductive.

But if you think “thinking-time” is unproductive…

Try working blindly on stuff without it.

Allow yourself thinky-time.

Got goals?

Great.

Forget about them while you work.

If you work with your goal in mind, you’re in a hurry, and feel a tedious stretch of ‘necessary evils’ behind you and your destination.

If you work with your craft in mind, you’re in love with the process, and feel your growth behind each brushstroke, keypress and voicemail.

So while you plan, forget your craft and love your goal.

But while you work, forget your goal and love your craft.

Pain reveals opportunity.

Example:

Pain: Back-ache all weekend after LONG stretches of animation (this was my weekend!)

Opportunity: Ergonomics for artists & animators (nobody’s doing this)

Opportunity everywhere. Even pain gives good ideas!

I posted a video tweet about growing your creator business by watching cartoons today.

That’s unusual.

Look at your stack of biz books. Look at your competitor or peer social content. Look at everything people are doing around you…

…as a reminder of what NOT to do.

After all, you can’t stand out by trying to fit in, right?

Be the full, wonderful, beautiful you.

Look at your hands.

Y’know that project you’re working on right now?

It’s going to take up a chunk of the year to do.

And year’s not a super-long time.

But a year’s a tenth of a decade. And a decade is a long time.

We can count our decades on just our hands.

Next time you think about taking on a project, count the time it takes on your hands.

Is the project half a digit on your index finger? Or maybe it’s half of your index finger?

Maybe it’s your entire thumb?

That’s time you’ll never get back. That’s that finger gone.

Moral of the story:

Do not ask if you are worthy of a project.

Ask if the project is worthy of a portion of your life.

’Cus you won’t get it back.

Marketers say you need an ‘irresistable offer’.

But is any offer really ‘irresistable’?

And should ‘irresistable’ be the goal?

Most offers aren’t ‘irresistable’, nor are htey category ‘killers’. Normally, there are simply a handful of good options to choose from, some of which might be a better fit for you than for someone else due to your unique set of specifications and requirements.

And normally, the option that best fits that need (and want) is the one that gets selected.

Isn’t that better?

To be the best fit for a specific group of people, and to be selected on that basis?

Maybe you should spend less time trying to be ‘irresistable’.

Maybe you should spend more time simply being the best fit for your chosen few.

Here’s the thing about skills.

The more you know, the more you know you don’t know.

Those who claim to the the best, are usually claiming ignorance. They may, in fact, be a few developmental steps away from seeing a new level of uncharted growth available to them.

Those who claim to have much to learn, are usually the ones advancing most. They may have advanced to the top of a mountain, at which point the view available to them has revealed new worlds of growth to explore.

If you think you’re great, watch out.

And if you don’t, it may just mean you really are.

Maybe you’ve noticed this too:

The success stories aren’t usually as successful as they claim.

The big earners aren’t usually earning as big as they claim.

The award-winners aren’t usually as amazing as they claim.

The great minds aren’t usually as great as they claim.

The slick sales people aren’t usually as slick as they claim.

So nevermind the claims.

Nevermind any of it.

Just do you.

Being a creator is the art of :

• Not knowing if you’re right
• Not knowing if you’re good
• Bravely trying anyway
• Losing a few lives
• Then winning

…Just like playing a video game.

Do not forget this.

Play the journey.

Marketing is a process.

A tiring, never-ending, glass-eating process.

It doesn’t get easier…

Glass just gets tastier.

Most marketers = Defined their skills and make simple things complex.

Mid marketers = Defined their audience and make complex things simple.

Top marketers = Understand their audience and make hard things fun.

Which are you? How do you plan to ascend to the next level?

If you’re not thoughtful in your outbound, you will be forever chasing others.

If you’re truly thoughtful in your outbound, you will be forever chased by others.

If your content strategy is to flippantly copy what big accounts do, you will be forever chasing likes.

If your content strategy is to proactively solve audience problems, you will be forever answering qualified DMs.

Care is rare. It “doesn’t scale”.

Our little secret is, it does, just not how they think it does.

Dreams are kind of like house plants.

Dreams only stay alive if you feed them daily. Like house plants

Dreams wither and die if you don’t expose them to the right environment. Like house plants.

Over-feed dreams and they also die. Like house plants.

Gosh, dreams are hard work to keep alive. Like house plants.

But you manage house plants alright.

Why not dreams?

Now, I may be dyslexic…

…but 'cant' is still an expletive to me.

We’re exposed to this dirty word all the time:

• You thinking you 'cant' achieve great things (you can).
• Influencers who 'cant' keep their word in private (they could).
• Customers saying they 'cant' afford your product (they can).
• Twitter saying you 'cant' once rate-limited (Zuck entered the chat).

The natural response is to engage 'cant'. To research more. To accept you suck. To accept everyone else sucks. To lower your prices. To give up.

Screw that.

This week’s issue of the Productoons newsletter covers this in more detail, plus steps you can take to make it happen in your own work.

Check it out at Productoons.com.

If your business or project were to fail…

Why would it fail?

• Write it down
• Execute against that thing
• No more fail!

We defeat so many more foes by knowing the enemy before we meet.

Your tools matter.

In this order:

1. Does it do the job?
2. Will it do the job for a long time to come?
3. Does it delight you when you use it?

• Fails the task? No good.
• Unlikely to be here tomorrow? House of cards.
• No fun to use? You won’t use it!

Grade all tools using these three criteria. You won’t regret it.

Know what’s hard?

• Consistently writing.
• Consistently producing.
• Consistently listening.
• Consistently iterating.
• Consistently building.
• Consistently putting in the reps.

Consistency is hard.

But it unlocks everything.

Busyness is the enemy of business.

Good business moves are often born out of mental slack. Margin. Boredom, even. Room to breathe, to chat with your choice of market, and to dream a little.

Busyness removes all that. No room to breathe, no time to learn your market, no time to mentally chew over what you’ve learned. No eureka moments. No business.

Want to grow? Stop being so busy.

I don’t measure my newsletter by subscribers.

I measure it by replies.

Because news flash:

Relationships are more important than email addresses.

They say the value is in the list. Not the list itself. The difference is subtle, but it gets marketers confused.

Optimise for relationships.

The best businesses come from patience.

The best media? Patience.

The best relationships? Patience.

The best skills? Patience.

The best meals? Patience.

Remind me again why you’re in such a hurry?