you* are the business.

blurring the boundaries between you* and the business. unconventional stuff on building one-of-a-kind brands (& businesses), monetizing your gifts, and growing audiences authentically :^)

era*

The problem is that social media tricks us into thinking they’re the same thing. That posting every day is the work. That if you’re not constantly uploading, you’re falling behind. That every other creator is outpacing you.

But that’s the trap.

Zack Evans • The Creator Casino

Don't rely on channels like social-media for only attracting and nurturing your dream audience and customers.

Take the relationship further: have them in your email-list, create a community for your people, host real life events or retreats with them.

Remove them and yourself from the internet, experience the magic together.

In a business context, a "wedge" strategy or "wedge approach" refers to a focused, early-stage strategy that aims to quickly establish a foothold in a market by solving a specific problem for a defined group, enabling efficient scaling later.

Here's a more detailed explanation of wedges in business:

What it is:

A wedge strategy involves identifying a... See more

Nathan Baschez • Good Positioning Makes Everything Easier - Divinations - Every

(AI response)

Often people attempt to live their lives backwards: they try to have more things, or more money, in order to do more of what they want so that they will be happier. The way it actually works is the reverse. You must first be who you really are, then, do what you need to do, in order to have what you want. MARGARET YOUNG

Julia Cameron • The Artist's Way: 25th Anniversary Edition

Optimize for legacy, not empire. Empires die because they’re alone, legacies live because they involve others.

-OH, on building teams and brand communities

substackcdn.com

A charismatic brand includes a dedication to aesthetics. Why? Because it’s the language of feeling, and in a society that’s information-rich and time-poor, people value feeling more than information.

Marty Neumier • The Brand Gap: How to Bridge the Distance Between Business Strategy and Design

A list of 10 principles from an early internal memo at Nike, long before the company grew into a global brand. This list is rumored to have been written in 1977 by the first head of marketing, Rob Strasser, and was shared decades later by lead designer Markus Kittner.

“1. Our business is change.

2. We're on offense. All the time.

3. Perfect results co... See more

James Clear • 3-2-1: On Simplifying, a 5-Step Process for Nearly Anything, and Collaboration | James Clear

For the show itself, they used a simple blue runway on the beach, instead of a set that would have obstructed the natural surroundings, or even damaged them. At one point in the evening, they gave a native Hawaiian blessing. But it was important to the community that the sacred moment wasn’t commodified, so no one was allowed to record it with thei... See more

Nick Susi • Culture Is the Client

Not just respect of another culture, but an adoration for it. To elevate and express it through your own work.