Most content creators use tactics like the penny drip approach but lack real business strategy. Ask yourself the questions you'd ask any business: margin, competitive advantage, who's your client, where do you operate, what's your cost of goods. Treat your content like a venture, not a side hustle.
So then we'll talk about, just real quickly, what we do. So one of the things I saw and heard a lot today in getting ready for today is tactics, right? So tactics are important, and tactics are great. And Brad's comment on the penny to drip out content, the penny before you spend the advertising dollars, those are great tactics. However, most people fail to develop the right strategy for the content business that you're in. This is a weird business. People sort of accidentally fall into it. I've yet to meet one person that said, I deliberately set out to be an author, a speaker, a thought leader, and this was the career path I thought, and at year 7, instead of being an associate at a law firm, I would be a $10,000 speaker, and at year 10, I would be here, and at year— That's not how it's worked. We all wound up here, and it's a great way to make a living, and it's a fun way to make a living, but I would urge you all to pause, and be reflective and say, listen, I might not have developed the strategy when I dove in, but better late than never. 'Cause nobody in this room would counsel someone, so if your nephew came to you and said, hey, I'm gonna open a gluten-free pizza joint in my local community, there's a series of logical business questions we would ask that person. What's the margin? What's your competitive advantage? Who's your client base? What's your location? What's your cost of goods? Do you know anything about this business? Impose those questions on yourself to develop the strategy to grow and leverage and scale your business.
