Most advice comes in the shape of telling you what to do to be successful. It's instructional, it shows the happy path, and as a reader, I resonate with that a lot. After all, I want to see how it's done right. I want to learn from the best. But that's not the only way … Continue reading How to Kill Your Business
Conversations are at the Core of Engagement
Yelling into the void won't get you anywhere. This is particularly clear while you have zero followers, but it remains true even when you have an audience. Talking about something that people don't expect or want to talk about is just like speaking to them in a language they don't understand: it's a waste of … Continue reading Conversations are at the Core of Engagement
The Myth of the Immediate Payoff
Wherever you look in the founder community, people talk about "how to hack SEO" or "how to hack Twitter Ads." I'm not a fan. Hacks are focused on instant gratification. Those looking for hacks play finite games; they expect to "win" at something incredibly complex and opaque that it's very hard to make out who … Continue reading The Myth of the Immediate Payoff
Say Thank You
I've had an amazing year so far. I launched Zero to Sold a year go to great success, and in May, I launched The Embedded Entrepreneur to even greater success. I can't adequately express how incredibly grateful I am for the support and encouragement I have received. Whenever I see someone talking about my work, … Continue reading Say Thank You
Competition Isn’t Always a Business
When founders do market research, they are well-advised to look for competition. But many entrepreneurs have a very limited understanding of what "competition" means and therefore overlook many interesting — and often critical — competitors in their chosen markets. It usually goes like this: a founder spots a niche in the market they're interested in. … Continue reading Competition Isn’t Always a Business
Selfish vs. Selfless: Self-Promotion in Communities
I used to think all self-promotion was wrong — at all times. Being raised in Germany, I developed a severe case of tall poppy syndrome — the phenomenon of people holding back so they wouldn't stand out from the rest. It's an eclectic mix of jealousy and self-limitation, and I have realized just how destructive … Continue reading Selfish vs. Selfless: Self-Promotion in Communities
Properties of an Interesting Problem
Let's look at what makes a problem interesting enough to note it down in our search for the perfect business opportunity. Different people will define the word "problem" differently. I think that a "problem" is anything that stands in the way of people accomplishing their goals. If they feel some sort of pain you can … Continue reading Properties of an Interesting Problem
The Line Between Stealing and Being Inspired
This week, a Twitter friend reached out to me and asked this question: "where's the line between being inspired by the competition and stealing?" That got me thinking. We don't have a clear code of conduct for this in our community. You often hear phrases like "ideas are worth nothing, execution is everything," suggesting that … Continue reading The Line Between Stealing and Being Inspired
Audience-Building and Relatable Content
When you're building an audience, people will resonate with your content differently over time. In the beginning, when you don't have too many followers, your reputation within the community may not yet be established enough to get away with controversial manifests and content that claims to be the end-all of knowledge on any particular topic. … Continue reading Audience-Building and Relatable Content
Platform Risk and the Three Kinds of Audiences
Imagine waking up one morning only to find your Twitter account suspended. If you're trying to build an audience on Twitter, this is your worst nightmare. And it's an entirely possible scenario. It happened to Jack Butcher just a few weeks ago: Twitter suspended all of his brand accounts, including @visualizevalue and @value, the visual … Continue reading Platform Risk and the Three Kinds of Audiences
