CEO and Founder of Living Online. Tech and startup enthusiast, reformed film maker, basketballer, & 6'9 friendly giant.
Perth, Western Australia
Joined March 2013
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When this fire burns it burns hot; people with this type of drive are resilient and unflappable. They’re bothered little by challenges and speed bumps, and in fact, perhaps they’re even enthralled by them.
The drive you’ve articulated is also one that stokes the engines of longevity. It’s not a whimsical feel good sense of altruism, but rather that a deep-seated and unwavering yearning that yanks at the inner core.
If you're looking for a purpose, 99.9% of the people and resources will recommend you to look at things that you love, lose track of time doing, feel called for, etc.
It's wonderful if that works for you. If it doesn't, there's another way: Look at what truly annoys you, other people don't get, feel laughably miserable, seek the things that absolutely don't make sense to you..
You can tell a hundred things off the top of your head, if you're not a deadbeat. Pick the one that annoys, enrages, baffles you the most (=biggest "amplitude" of feeling).
The obvious example to this - this is/was the mindspace that Edison type entrepreneurs (Dyson, Jobs, etc) lived in. They were disgusted by the low quality products around them. It wasn't the love and joy of contributing to humanity - that can be unlocked later. You also don't have to be the Edison type entrepreneur for this. Rockefeller type (Bill Gates come to mind) also operated this way - they were shocked at the inefficiencies, the sluggishness and overall incompetence of ALL the others and wanted to have it ALL and do it 100x better than anyone else.
Thiel's question of "What important truth do very few people agree with you on?" basically means "What do you see that other people don't?" - of course the quality of the answer matters here, but that ultimately depends on who you are.
Easily one of the best business books that I’ve ever read (or listened to).
Perhaps even #1.
Give it a whirl if you’re a CEO or Founder - you won’t be disappointed.
Thanks @bhorowitz for sharing your hard-earned insights.
a16z.com/books/the-hard-thin…
Wondering why you lose sales to a ragtag bunch of competitors? Especially when you think you’re clearly better?
Baffled as to why your prospective customers don’t appreciate your obvious points of glorious difference?
If so, then try swapping seats with the other side of the table for a moment.
For the last few days I’ve been muddling my way through the purchasing process for a piece of operational tech that’s new to me.
I can’t fault the sales people that I’ve been chatting with - but it sure is hard to differentiate these products.
While I can see some variation, the question remains - do I care about those differences, or are they just nice to haves?
It feels like all of the features, bells, and whistles are nice, and some are very nice, but not essential - and so at this point it’s going to come down to price.
It’s a sobering experience to watch a multi-stage sales process end in this type of dollars and cents price negotiation.
Aside from walking away with a new system, I’ll also be walking away with some new insights.
Two very different ways to win in marketing:
#1 Build a multi-faceted marketing system, grounded in product, strengthened through price, and amplified through formidable promotions that leverage brand, positioning, design, content, and reach, all underpinned by obsessive analytics.
#2 Exploit an innovative new channel, format, technique, or technology to generate higher than normal return on effort, scale to your limits, and be ready to jump ship once the early adopter glow begins to fade.
Option #2 is governed by the law of the locusts - the ravenous hordes will follow you, they will feast, and the fields of opportunity will be left barren.
But it can be a fine way of operating if you’re a fast mover who has a knack for riding the waves of cultural and technological trends, and you’re willing to play a perpetual dance with irrelevance.
Whereas, while option #1 isn’t as sexy in the short term, it is however reliable, and it’s one of the fundamental ingredients of any enduring company.
Some businesses go bust during boom times.
Others go boom during hard times.
You are not a slave to the economy.
Brands that try to please everyone are boring and forgettable.
So remember - it’s OK to alienate.
Just make sure you’re alienating the right (wrong) people.
What sort of business would you build if you adopted Warren Buffet’s mindset?
In his words: “The first rule of investment is don’t lose money”.
Building a business is typically the most consequential investment you will ever make.
Worth thinking about.
You’ve got to be a massive data nerd to squeeze the juice from an SEO campaign.
On the other hand, if you’re rolling with short form video, then you better know how to excite eyeballs on a massive scale.
Two types of marketing, each requiring very different skill sets.
If you can do both, then that’s where the magic happens.
The ability to leverage the overlaps and scale the synergies can give you a formidable competitive advantage.
I used to think that my career was a bit of a mishmash.
But actually it was the perfect training ground for what I do now.
If you have a curly problem that exists at the intersection of business, marketing, media, and technology - then I’m your guy.
Hit me up if I can help.
I don’t have a favourite marketing channel.
Rather, I love creating campaigns where all channels work in harmony to lift each other up.
Symphony for the win.
There’s one surefire way to tell if your content marketing is any good.
And surprisingly it’s not by how many conversions it generates (although conversions are a by-product).
Instead, it’s to ask yourself these questions:
“If was pitching my content as the concept for a new TV show, then would I get investment? And if so, then how many people would actually tune in?”
If the answer is no and none, then stop and change direction.
Content marketing must be entertainment first, conversion second.
No one wants to waste their life consuming boring crappy content.
Instead, you must delight your audience. Tell dramatic stories. Excite their intellect.
Do this - and you’ll have built yourself a raving fan base.
And then the sales will follow.
Yesterday my fiancé bought a $7 pickle.
$7.
For one pickle.
It was spicy…
But it was still one pickle.
Marketing is alive and well.
1994: “Go to university so that you can get a high paying job.”
2024: “Work in the trades so that your job doesn’t get taken by AI.”
Building a business with the idea that you can free yourself from work is setting the scene for failure.
You’ll inevitably find yourself drawn to shortcuts and hack-jobs that aren’t in the best interest of your customer.
Instead, build to add the most fantastic and extreme value.
Not imaginary value that you’ve dreamt up as part of your passion project.
But real value - battle tested through the exchange of dollars in the marketplace of supply and demand.
Win at this game - and the freedom comes naturally.
The early years of bootstrapping a business are like the tribal initiation rituals of years gone by.
Thrust into the wilderness with no resources, fending for oneself against the harsh elements, and struggling for survival.
Extreme adversity interspersed with euphoric accomplishments. In a world where sustenance is earned, not given.
Bootstrapping a business is the same.
One moment you’ll be starved of customers, suffering from a revenue drought, and facing a seemingly bottomless pit of problems.
And the next - with perseverance and resilience - you’ll build enough momentum to break through the barrier and begin drinking that sweet nectar of juicy cashflow.
But more important than the quenching of thirst, is the newfound belief that nothing can stop you.