How to NOT become a commodity

Here it is:

Make more than you consume.

The problem is the shit we consume is getting better and harder to resist.

“Good shit.”

We see a version of this dystopian life on Wall-E, where people are carried around on hover chairs, with a screen in their face and a Big Gulp of infinite flavors.

Each innovation that makes life easier means one less reason for you to do anything.

The downwind effects of this: upwards of 60% or more of highly skilled jobs are being eliminated.

If you’re trying to breakout on your own with a one person business all signs point to one singular advantage you must focus on.

Creative work.

Your non-creative work gets automated, delegated or get AI to do it.

The cynic in you says these outlandish claims and solution will not work for you.

The sorting hat

Which solopreneur house do you fall under:

Hufflepuff: You’ve started a one person business and are writing online but haven’t had traction with your social posts, video content, newsletter, etc.

Slytherin: You haven’t developed a skill and are looking to level up your knowledge and execution so you can sell or teach it.

Ravenclaw: You have developed skill and expertise and trading your time for money. You want to start earning with your brain, systems and creativity.

Gryffindor: You’ve tried multiple “side hustles” but you never got them to work. You may taken a course or followed some advice and found the information too basic or out of date.

(Reply to this email with which house you fall under, so I can see what my next newsletter should focus on.)

Don’t let past failures determine what your future success will be

Walt Disney went bankrupt — twice — before finally gaining lasting momentum.

The venture to do your own thing creates a vision in your minds eye of something innovative with your eventual moment shaking hands with Mark Cuban on Shark Tank.

Do this instead:

• Sell what people are already buying

• Sell it the way the best are selling it

• Sell to more people

• Make your thing better than what’s already being sold

• Charge more

1. Sell what people are already buying

Start with one of these categories:

1. Wealth

2. Health

3. Relationships

4. Happiness

These are the unchanging markets.

Sell to solve their status problems and survival problems.

Take a good hard look at what skills you have and what problems in these markets you’ve solved for yourself. Could you even say that you’ve solved any for someone else? Would they pay for that?

Tim Ferriss says to simply scratch your own itch. Then package up how you scratched yourself.

See how uncomplicated that is. Stop thinking you need to be the next Elon Musk.

2. Sell it the way the best are selling it

Study the most followed marketers and emulate what works until you can develop your own approach.

For example:

• Deconstruct Frank Kern's sales funnels and offers

• Analyze how Brooks Sports runs hyper-targeted Facebook ads to runners

• Model Perry Marshall's "Bucket Brigade" marketing sequence

3. Sell to more people

Don't spread yourself too thin. Focus intently on the platforms where your ideal buyers congregate. Neil Patel reached millionaire status by going all-in on YouTube & SEO content.

4. Make your thing better

There's no better marketing than exceptional product/service quality. A few ways to raise the bar:

• Provide 2x more value than competitors (e.g. more lessons in an online course)

• Offer higher-touch service like accountability or a community

• Freshbooks leapfrogged with 10x better UI/UX for cloud accounting

5. Charge more

The ability to command premium prices shows you create abundant value. But you must earn it:

• Through fantastic delivery and customer experience

• By specializing and building authority (e.g. "Architect Quality" brand positioning)

• By creating unmatchable results, as Jack Butcher does commanding $10k for brand design

TL:DR

• Focus on creative work as non-creative tasks get automated or delegated.

• Sell solutions to people's perennial needs (wealth, health, relationships, happiness).

• Study and emulate successful marketers' strategies until you develop your own approach.

• Differentiate your offering by providing more value, better service, or a superior user experience.

• Charge premium prices by delivering exceptional quality, building authority, and creating unmatchable results.

The internet game is not zero-sum. You can win at this with unlimited upside. This game is about the freedom to do what you want, when you want and with who you want.