Ep 581 | Why the Next Generation of Winners Will Be Creators

Thank you for joining me today. It's Brian Gubernick, and welcome to the No Days Off podcast, where we believe that every single day brings a new opportunity to get better. I believe that if you want to be wealthy and independent and impactful in the next decade, I think there's a truth that you need to understand. And, and I think our buddy Naval Ravikant says it best. He says, if you can't code, write books and blogs, record videos and podcasts. Pretty simple statement. If you can't code, write books and blogs, record videos and podcasts. Now, I've been following Naval for years. We've been talking about him here at No Days Off for a couple years. To me, he's not just some other, you know, another influencer. He's a genius, a tech founder, a thought leader, an angel investor. I think he's a philosopher, and I think he really understands not just how leverage really works, but what the future holds. I mean, no one has a crystal ball, but I think a lot of what this guy says is, is meaningful and should be strongly considered. And what he's saying here— he's been saying this, this stuff around owning your content since 2019— what he's saying is that the path to wealth in today's world is actually through leverage. And if you don't build software, your best leverage is going to be your content. The content, the content that you create, that you own, and ultimately that you distribute. So in today's episode, I want to talk about what Naval really means, why it matters even more right now, how to actually use it in your business, and your personal brand. And then, I'm going to give you a simple action step that I think you could take today. Now, I'm living this, just full transparency. When I go back in time with respect to the podcast, you know, I've got a whole story around how the podcast came to be. I would love to tell you it was as intentional with respect to Naval's message as maybe it could have been. I started the podcast because I was writing things for my kids and didn't like to write and said, I'm going to start recording, and then decided to publish it. And here we are today with, with the No Days Off concept. But this showed up for me in other areas, in creating content and, and teaching and running the mastermind and doing a lot of this stuff. Naval really sparked that because I can't code, but I can own some content, I can record, I can do these things. And the podcast now plays an integral role in all of that. The big idea here is that, well, frankly, Naval said it best. He says there's really two forms of leverage that don't require permission. That's code and content, and they scale infinitely. You don't need a boss, you don't need a bank, you don't need a venture capital firm to get you started. You can write, you can record, you can publish from your phone. You can reach 10 people or maybe you can reach 10 million people and you don't have to ask for approval. Now, why content? Well, Naval will tell you it's 'cause it compounds. One great piece of content can work for you forever. Content builds trust. It shows people how you think. Lastly, content creates inbound opportunity. Partnerships, recruiting, revenue, audience, even legacy. And here's the kicker, the people who create content are no longer just creators, they're actually asset builders. Look around, you can, you can see it. You know, I probably push back on this for a bit, but I'm definitely accepting of it now. Now, I think this is urgent, especially for you. You may not think this pertains to you, I think it does. If you're you know, in your 30s or 40s and 50s and you're in business and you're raising kids and you're trying to build a legacy, I mean, frankly, you're probably already thinking about this legacy. You got to be thinking about what lasts, what grows, what frees up your time without capping your, your upside. And I think that content is actually your answer if you use it right. I think it matters right now more than ever. Because AI can write generic content, but it can't write your story, your insights, your journey, your frameworks. I think that's the differentiator. So yeah, AI is writing a lot of great stuff, but it's not yours. It's not your insights. It doesn't have that, that emotional and personal touch. I think it also matters, content matters right now more than ever because we're in this trust economy. People don't want ads anymore. They want voices they trust. If you don't show up publicly, someone with less experience but more content is going to take the stage from you. Lastly, it's your digital footprint. And I think your personal, you know, brand in that sense is kind of your personal compound interest. Every post, every podcast, every email is kind of like this brick in a structure that outlives your day-to-day grind. So I think there's a few ways you could take action around this, 3 tactical ways that I think you could apply what I'm talking about right now. You could start using Naval's principle immediately. Number 1, build your base layer content. I would start with the questions you answer all the time. Like, what do people constantly ask you for your advice on? Now turn that into a blog post or a video or a podcast or all 3. So what do people constantly ask for your advice on? Start writing about it. Start recording on it. Now, if you run a business, maybe you start a behind-the-curtain series for your clients or your team, or maybe record a weekly voice memo reflection and post it. I know a lot of you listening already do this, so kudos to you. You probably could do more. Now, everybody listening, you already actually have the content. You just haven't packaged it yet. I found that early in my journey, that was exactly it. I had so much content, I just never really packaged it and been purposeful around it. I think you have the same. So build your base layer content. Number 2, I want you to own your platform. What do I mean? I don't think you need to own your Instagram followers. You don't need to own your LinkedIn connections. You just need to own your email list, your website, and your podcast feed. Naval is pretty clear on this. Content's not just about posting, it's about owning. So create assets that live on your terms, not inside someone else's algorithm. So some examples, like if you're serious about this, maybe you start a weekly email newsletter, which we now have here at No Days Off, and hopefully you subscribed. Uh, maybe host your content on your own domain. Maybe launch your podcast or your personal site, even if it starts really simple, but own on your terms. Create assets that live on your terms, not inside someone else's algorithm. Lastly, number 3, use AI to multiply but not replace your voice. Naval did not say become a robot. He said build leverage. So use tools like ChatGPT. We just did an, uh, a podcast on this. Use tools like ChatGPT to turn one of your ideas into 5 different pieces of content, or to refine your message, or to draft outlines or captions or summaries. But always add your voice, always add your perspective and your story. I think AI might be the hammer, but you're still, you're still the contractor, right? You're still the carpenter doing the work. So here's your No Days Off Challenge for the week. I want you to pick a message or a story from your life or your business, and now I want you to record it or write it or speak it and publish it somewhere this week. Just one. Just give me one message, one story that you publish somewhere this week. Keep it simple. Use your phone, send it to your list, post it to your feed, Don't overthink it. We're just trying to start building. We're just trying to start build— starting to build, I'm sorry, your, I guess I'd call it digital equity. Because in Naval's world, and that's the one we're all living in right now, the people who create and the people who own their content are the ones who win long term. I think most people are still chasing all sorts of leverage, and you're actually sitting on it. Like, the mic is yours, the pen is yours, so start to use it. That's all I have for you today, the No Days Off Podcast. Thank you so much for listening, and remember, every single day brings a new opportunity to get better. So let's get after it.