How To Make $100,000/Month Doing What You Love

Summary

In this insightful interview, Chris Do, a renowned designer and entrepreneur, discusses the journey of finding one's passion and turning it into a successful career. He emphasizes the importance of mastering a skill, understanding media, and monetization, while sharing his personal experiences and strategies for overcoming limiting beliefs. Chris provides valuable advice on building a brand, embracing failure, and the art of storytelling in business. His vision of empowering individuals to find joy in their work and contribute positively to the world is both inspiring and motivating.

Takeaways

• 😀 Building a personal brand requires finding the intersection of joy, energy, and contribution to the world, as well as monetization.
• 🔍 The journey to success often involves overcoming self-limiting beliefs and finding one's 'ikigai', or reason for being.
• 🎓 Mastery is foundational, requiring dedication and skill development, but it's not limited to traditional education; it can be in various modern fields like social media marketing.
• 📢 The second 'M' in Chris's framework is media - understanding how to capture and hold attention, as every individual is a publisher of content.
• 💰 Monetization comes after mastery and media, and it's crucial to find a way to earn from what brings you joy and serves a purpose.
• 🔑 The 'ikigai' framework helps to find the intersection of what you love, what you're good at, what the world needs, and what you can be paid for.
• 🚀 Entrepreneurs should embrace the idea of 'deliberate incompetence' to delegate effectively and not become a bottleneck in their business operations.
• 🛠️ Systems and processes are vital for a business to run smoothly and for the entrepreneur to have the freedom to explore new ventures.
• 🎯 Risk-taking is an inherent part of entrepreneurship, and making bold bets can lead to significant growth or change in direction.
• 📈 Business growth isn't linear; it involves periods of stagnation followed by innovative moves that propel the company to the next level.
• 📚 Storytelling is crucial for branding, and defining traits, enemies, friends, and the narrative arc helps in creating a compelling brand story.

Q & A

Who is Andrew Tate and why is he mentioned in the script?

Andrew Tate is a public figure known for his ability to command attention and focus, even if people don't have to like him. He is mentioned as an example of someone who has become the most searched person on the internet at one point, demonstrating the impact of his presence.

What is the 'ikigai' framework mentioned by Chris in the script?

The 'ikigai' framework is a concept that helps individuals find the intersection of what they are good at, what they can be paid for, what they genuinely enjoy doing, and what the world needs. It's a tool for finding one's purpose and joy in life and work.

What are the 'three M's that Chris discusses in the script?

The 'three M's refer to Mastery, Media, and Monetization. Mastery is about acquiring a skill, Media is about capturing attention and creating content, and Monetization is about finding ways to earn from the skill and media presence.

What is the importance of 'articulation' in personal development according to the script?

Articulation is important in personal development as it helps individuals gain clarity by speaking or sharing their ideas with the world. It's a way to learn about oneself and refine one's thoughts and ideas.

How does Chris describe the transition from a service design company to an education and media company?

Chris describes the transition as a gradual process where he maintained the existing business while exploring the new venture. He ensured that the existing business could run by itself with the team in place, allowing him to build a runway for the new company.

What is the concept of 'deliberate incompetence' as mentioned by Chris?

Deliberate incompetence is a practice where a leader or entrepreneur intentionally does not perform certain tasks to allow others to take on those responsibilities. This practice encourages delegation and empowers team members to explore and learn.

What does Chris suggest for entrepreneurs who are considering quitting their job to start their own business?

Chris suggests that entrepreneurs should first ensure they have a runway of at least six months. They should live frugally, eliminate unnecessary expenses, and save as much as possible. Then, they can start working on their passion project while still employed, until they have enough proof of concept and market demand to make the jump.

How does Chris view the process of building a brand?

Chris views the process of building a brand as one of discovery rather than creation. He believes that brands are 'found' through understanding the founder's story, the problem they sought to solve, and their passion. This story then guides the brand's development and messaging.

What is the significance of having a clear 'enemy' or 'villain' in the brand story, according to Chris?

Having a clear 'enemy' or 'villain' in the brand story helps to define what the brand stands against, which can be just as important as what it stands for. This creates a stronger connection with the audience and gives them a clear understanding of the brand's mission and values.

How does Chris relate the concept of storytelling in comic books to personal branding?

Chris finds parallels between the structure of comic book storytelling and personal branding. Elements such as defining traits, enemies, friends, and the hero's journey can be applied to craft a compelling personal brand story that resonates with an audience.

Outlines

00:00

🌟 Introduction to Andrew Tate and Chris's Impact

The video script introduces a gentleman named Andrew Tate, highlighting his ability to command attention and become a top internet search subject. It transitions into an interview with Chris, who has had a significant impact on the lives and careers of the interviewee's team. Chris is commended for his tools and systems that help people find joy and energy in their work, aligning with their purpose and earning potential. The conversation aims to delve into Chris's journey and his mission to help a billion people find their passion and livelihood intersection.

05:01

🔍 The Journey to Finding Purpose and Joy in Work

Chris discusses the evolution of career paths and life choices, contrasting traditional views with modern perspectives. He emphasizes the importance of finding joy and purpose in one's work, rather than just focusing on material wealth. Chris introduces the concept of 'ikigai' and the three M's (Mastery, Media, Monetization) as a framework for achieving success and fulfillment. He shares his personal journey, from struggling with traditional career paths to finding his passion in design and entrepreneurship, ultimately leading to his current mission of helping others find their ikigai.

10:03

🗣️ Articulation as a Path to Clarity and Personal Growth

Chris and Matt discuss the importance of articulating one's thoughts and ideas as a means of gaining clarity and personal growth. They explore different forms of expression, such as performance, writing, and video content. Chris emphasizes the need to find one's unique voice and style, and to use these to build an audience and community. The conversation also touches on the challenges of starting small and the importance of persistence and gradual growth in building a successful media presence.

15:03

🌐 Building a Content Strategy and Embracing Evolution

Chris shares his approach to content creation, emphasizing the importance of being reactive and adaptable rather than strictly adhering to a long-term plan. He discusses the evolution of his content from focusing on design to addressing business and mindset aspects, reflecting his personal growth and the needs of his audience. Chris encourages founders to be open to change and to let their content strategy evolve organically, mirroring their journey and the culture around them.

20:04

🛠️ Overcoming Limiting Beliefs and Embracing the Entrepreneurial Journey

The conversation delves into the challenges founders face, particularly in overcoming limiting beliefs and taking bold steps in their entrepreneurial journey. Chris discusses the importance of embracing the process and the need to make big moves when growth stagnates. He shares his experiences with making bold decisions, such as focusing on short-form content and changing enrollment strategies, which led to significant growth. Chris emphasizes the need to be brave, take risks, and learn from failures as part of the entrepreneurial journey.

25:05

🏢 Transitioning from Service Business to Education and Media

Chris details his transition from running a service design company to an education and media company. He explains the process of gradually shifting focus while maintaining the existing business, allowing for a smooth transition without financial stress. Chris advises on managing the 'messy middle' of transitions by maintaining financial security and gradually building the new venture. He also discusses the importance of having a runway and making calculated risks to achieve success in entrepreneurship.

30:07

💡 The Importance of Storytelling in Branding and Personal Brand Development

Chris and Matt explore the concept of storytelling in the context of branding and personal brand development. They discuss the need for brands to have a clear story and purpose, drawing parallels with comic book characters and their narratives. Chris emphasizes the importance of identifying villains and defining traits to create a compelling brand story. He also highlights the need for founders to reconnect with their brand's original story to maintain authenticity and relevance.

35:07

🚀 Final Thoughts on Entrepreneurship, Branding, and Personal Growth

In the final segment, Chris reflects on his journey and the lessons learned in entrepreneurship, branding, and personal growth. He discusses the importance of making bold bets, embracing failure, and continuously correcting course to achieve success. Chris also emphasizes the need for founders to understand their brand's story and connect it with their personal journey. The conversation concludes with a mutual appreciation for the insights shared and the impact they hope to have on their audience.

Keywords

💡ikigai

Ikigai is a Japanese concept that refers to the intersection of four elements: what you love, what you are good at, what the world needs, and what you can be paid for. In the video, Chris discusses finding one's ikigai as a central theme, illustrating it as the foundation for a fulfilling life and career. He mentions his journey and how he helps others find their ikigai by aligning their passions with their professional endeavors.

💡Mastery

Mastery, as discussed in the video, is the first 'M' in Chris's concept of the 'three M's' and refers to the idea of becoming highly skilled in a particular area through dedicated practice, often involving the '10,000-hour rule'. It is presented as a prerequisite for success in one's chosen field, emphasizing the importance of expertise before moving on to other aspects like media and monetization.

💡Media

In the context of the video, Media represents the second 'M' and is about understanding how to capture and hold attention through various forms of content creation. Chris explains that in today's digital age, everyone can be a publisher, and the ability to create and disseminate media effectively is crucial for building an audience and community around one's work or passion.

💡Monetization

Monetization is the third 'M' in Chris's framework and involves the process of converting one's skills, media presence, and audience into a source of income. The video emphasizes that while monetization is important, it should come after establishing mastery and a strong media presence to ensure a solid foundation for a sustainable income.

💡Dematerialization

Dematerialization, as mentioned by Chris, refers to the trend of valuing experiences over material possessions. He explains that people are willing to pay more for fewer, higher-quality items that enhance their life experiences. This concept is tied to the video's theme by illustrating a shift in societal values and how it relates to finding joy and purpose in one's work.

💡Limiting Beliefs

Limiting beliefs are mindset barriers that prevent individuals from achieving their full potential. In the video, Chris discusses the importance of overcoming these self-imposed restrictions, such as the belief that one must choose between doing what they love and being financially compensated for it. He encourages viewers to challenge and change these beliefs to find a fulfilling career path.

💡Content Strategy

Content strategy in the video is portrayed as an evolving process rather than a fixed plan. Chris shares his approach to creating content that is reactive and reflective of his current interests and insights. This strategy is about adapting to new trends, like YouTube shorts, and continuously engaging with the audience by providing valuable and relevant content.

💡Transition

Transition, as discussed in the script, refers to the process of moving from one state or phase to another, particularly in the context of career or business evolution. Chris talks about his experience transitioning from a service design company to an education and media company. He emphasizes the importance of managing this transition carefully to maintain financial stability while pursuing new opportunities.

💡Risk

Risk is an integral part of entrepreneurship, as highlighted in the video. Chris discusses the necessity of taking risks in business, such as investing in high-quality talent or trying new content formats, even when the outcome is uncertain. He shares examples from his own journey where embracing risk led to significant growth and success.

💡Storytelling

Storytelling is presented as a vital component of personal branding and business development in the video. Chris explains how defining one's story, including traits, enemies, and friends, helps in creating a compelling narrative that resonates with an audience. He draws parallels between storytelling in comics and crafting a personal brand, emphasizing the importance of having a clear and impactful story.

Highlights

Andrew Tate's ability to command attention and his impact on internet searches is highlighted as a brilliant example of capturing public focus.

The importance of finding the intersection between joy, energy, and contribution to the world for a fulfilling career is discussed.

Chris emphasizes the journey of discovering one's ikigai and the concept of the three M's: Mastery, Media, and Monetization.

The cultural shift towards valuing experiences over material possessions and its impact on career choices is noted.

Chris shares his personal journey from engineering to design and finding his ikigai through teaching and entrepreneurship.

The Paradox Principle is introduced, suggesting that big things start small and small things start big, challenging conventional thinking.

The idea that public speaking and being on camera are fears that can be transformed into opportunities for growth is presented.

Chris discusses the importance of storytelling in personal branding and how it helps in maintaining a strong sense of self.

The concept of deliberate incompetence as a leadership strategy to empower others and avoid being a bottleneck is explained.

The significance of hiring a team that can collectively outperform the founder's individual capabilities is underlined.

Chris talks about the transition from a service design company to an education and media company without a sudden pivot.

The approach to managing a business while exploring a new venture by maintaining the existing business for runway is shared.

The importance of embracing failure as part of the entrepreneurial journey and making bold bets is emphasized.

Chris describes the process of switching to quarterly enrollments as a risky but successful business move.

The role of storytelling in branding and the connection between a founder's story and brand identity is explored.

The idea that brands are not created but found, and the need to reconnect with the founder's story when a brand loses its way is discussed.

Chris shares the strategy of identifying villains for a brand to create a stronger connection with the audience.

The transcript concludes with a discussion on the importance of getting in touch with the essence of one's brand and personal story.

Transcripts

there's a gentleman his name is Andrew

Tate you don't have to like him but you

have to respect his ability to command

attention and focus for a period of time

there he became the most searched person

on the internet and here's something

that's brilliant about what he's done

[Music]

hey everyone welcome back to the Matt

Gray show I feel super super lucky to

have Chris here today and truthfully I

know I'm not the only one on my team

that's excited all the designers and

creators on my team we're thrilled to

hear that we were having Chris on the

show he's had an amazing impact on my

life an amazing impact on the people

that I work with as well not only their

lives but their careers and I'm

extremely excited to be able to dive

into the tools and the systems that

Chris has created so thanks so much

Chris for being here today

thanks for having me on the show Matt my

pleasure

awesome well to Dive Right In A lot of

people that I work with a lot of the

founders I'm working with and founder OS

oftentimes come to me with this kind of

self-limiting belief thinking that

there's a trade-off in life between you

know you either sort of do what you love

to do but have to sacrifice getting paid

for that or you you know do what you can

be paid for but you're not going to

enjoy it and I think you're a shining

example of someone that's been through

your career journey and not only found

the intersection of what brings you Joy

what brings you energy but also

something that you can contribute to the

world and get paid for and you're not

only living that yourself but also then

helping you know with a vision now of

helping a billion people actually find

that intersection for themselves as well

I'd love to just hear a little bit more

about your journey sort of finding your

reason for being and how you're going

and helping others find theirs

absolutely Matt I believe this and there

are maybe more than two schools of

thought but I'd like to reduce it down

to two two to make it a little bit

simpler to understand there are people

that were my parents and people that are

older them their generation who had an

operating system about figuring out how

to do the responsible thing to go do the

nine to five to clock in and to play it

safe and there weren't a lot of other

options and part of that plan was to go

to university get a degree the higher

the degree the better the university the

better opportunities that you have and

you do that until you're about 65 then

you retire and then you get to enjoy

your life and with a lot of things

happening in the last 20 30 years with

admins the internet social media there

seems to be an abundance of different

kinds of opportunities and when we speak

to younger people especially Millennials

they now are more in tune with the

things that give them Joy they're less

concerned about having material things

and when pulled at least in a survey

form they will eagerly choose to do

something that has meaning and purpose

to them than to do something that makes

more money they're learning to live with

fewer things and it's in Trend with

what's going on in the dematerial

realization of things and what I mean by

that is

we now pay more to have fewer things

the iPhone you know it's only this big

but it's replacing a camera a GPS maps a

pager a web browser a laptop it replaces

so many different things and we're

willing to pay more to have less so that

we can have better experiences in our

lives so I think the culture is already

moving there whether we want to agree to

that or not it's already moving there so

here's the real challenge then to find

things that give you Joy that spark your

inner curiosity the things that make you

get out of bed that Propel you forward

versus to push you and I think this is a

really

uh interesting phenomenon for all of us

to solve whether you're 12 22 or 99

years old to find work that you love

that gives you meaning to give you

purpose and when you find that to figure

out a way to make money from it and so

there's the thing that I'll refer to as

I'm working on this is still kind of A

New Concept it's called the three M's

the first part is Mastery to have put in

your 10 000 hours to be able to have

learned how to do something that you're

skilled at and this is very important

and in a step that we cannot skip so

many people see young people achieving

things online and most of it's not real

and then they start to tell themselves I

can skip all the steps I don't actually

have to be good at anything I can live a

great life but I think you have to have

Mastery over some skill now what is that

skill it's not like what it used to be

it's not like a four four-year degree in

an undergraduate studies in in Bachelor

of Arts or something it could be in

copywriting or social media marketing it

could be in Building Sales funnels or

something like that once you have

Mastery you move to the second part

which is understanding that all

companies companies of one with only one

employee become media companies that's

the second M to understand how to use

and capture attention to create media

we're all Publishers of content we're

all media companies and when you can do

that at scale and be able to tribe and

Community around that you get to the

third part which is to monetize so

begins with Mastery it goes into media

and then then you can start to think

about monetization in that order

sometimes we get the order mixed up and

it causes a lot of grief for us I love

that so yeah the order of going from

Mastery to Media to monetize and so when

someone's you know they find themselves

maybe an adventure or working for

someone and you know they're burnt out

they're not enjoying it and they want to

move towards really finding what brings

them Joy oftentimes I'll Point them to

the framework of icky guy right and

helping them find their intersection

between you know what they're good at

what they can be paid for what they

genuinely enjoy doing and what the world

needs and is a useful framework to then

finding sort of what's that Center

intersection of these four quadrants

that is going to allow you just to jump

out of bed in the morning and find a job

that you know you're not looking at the

clock day after day that it's something

that you know genuinely brings you Joy

and is kind of your greater purpose and

what you can contribute to the world I'm

curious what's been your journey of

finding your personal icky guy I did

what many people who do who are my age

I'm 51 years old this year right so I

did what I thought was the right thing

and I found that that was not a good fit

for me I did not excel in the

engineering computer science space that

was what my brother my older brother was

very good at and I couldn't even get

into the schools that I applied to for

that major so that was the world telling

me who are you trying to kid at this

point it wasn't until I found design

that I started to find some direction

and got some traction and this is the

first clue to everyone when you could do

something without a lot of effort and

you seem to do it better than other

people were trying real hard it's a

really good clue so you could be an

amazing skateboarder or bmxer or maybe

you do like cross points pitching or I

don't know what you do but if you do

that and you're like barely trying and

you're like oh my God I'm smoking

everybody

that's a good clue what happens is we we

get really like like we get uh that

adult voice in us and said I feel

responsible for us to do that's not

practical or pragmatic who's gonna ever

pay for this and you you kind of Silence

that voice inside of you for a little

bit and I'm not sure that that's a

healthy thing to do that's society

imposing a very specific framework on

you they say that people who are

successful people who do well who are

respected in society don't do things

like that but that inner creative voice

and you need to fight all those external

voices so that that creative person can

be allowed to explore and find something

so when you do things that give you Joy

that you do with relative ease where you

lose track of time is a pretty good

indicators to what you should be doing

so once I found design I went to design

school I started to excel I started a

design company and for 20 plus years I

grew that design company to making

multi-million dollars every single year

and I got a lot of creative and

financial reward from that but that was

on only one half the equation because I

was still showing up doing work for

other people that was fulfilling to me

to some degree but didn't serve the

larger need of one-fourth of that

equation from the ikigai which is what

does the world need the world does not

need another commercial or a music video

we we have to be honest with ourselves

when we say like yeah it serves a very

specific purpose but it's not elevating

Humanity no one ever stayed up late at

night thinking wow that commercial

really changed my life rather not in a

positive way at least they could say

that commercial really annoyed me you

know and it's irritating I have to keep

seeing the same ads over and over so

when I was able to dovetail teaching my

other passion with my I guess my

expertise in entrepreneurship and my

love for design and production then I

started to find Mikey guy I love that so

you have your you know love for design

and this passion for teaching and kind

of merging those to find your real

reason for being now as we move on to

then that second pillar of figuring out

this media piece how did your journey

then go on to sharing your journey with

you know thousands of people and now

Millions with the vision now of helping

a billion people find that intersection

of you know doing what they love and

making a living you know how do you kind

of think about that media piece yourself

and for those out there that are maybe

struggling to get started you know what

do they do okay I I think it is

sometimes misleading to look at what

somebody's doing today and assume that

that's the way it always was yes we do

have a decent sized following now on

different social platforms but just

remember everybody that's great today

started out somewhere not dissimilar to

you there was a time when we had a

couple thousand subscribers to our

YouTube channel when we would be

thrilled to get a couple hundred views

per video and that was exciting for us

that meant two or three hundred people

were excited to see it and we're showing

up on a regular basis to watch our

videos and we should not take that for

granted somebody told me this before I

don't remember where I saw it or heard

this but if they say if you have a

thousand or two thousand followers who

show up pretty regularly to your

Instagram content to your YouTube or

your LinkedIn post think about how many

humans that is inside a space that's a

lot of people that's enough to feel a

sizable church or or a large Auditorium

and we then sit there like well I'm not

getting hundreds of thousands of well we

became jaded pretty quickly so what I

want to do is to tell everybody it's

very important for you to learn how to

articulate your thinking your ideas and

your opinions to other people but it's

more important that you practice

articulating thoughts because you gain

clarity through articulation that's a

quote from David C Baker in this book

The Business of expertise you gain

Clarity by speaking or sharing your

ideas to the world articulation could be

performance interpretive dance it could

be music it could be written words like

you're really good with Twitter or

Instagram or it could be recording video

on YouTube you have to find a lane that

suits you ideally and we have to be

really honest with ourselves if you have

an amazing voice and let's just say

you're not that good looking do podcasts

do voice over work that could be just

really fulfilling you know I listen to

those people who have those amazing

voices like the trailer voice guy I'm

like wow what is skill that is just by

opening your mouth you're amazing and

some people are just very statuesque

they have high cheekbones and they just

look good no matter what camera angle is

being used on them well if they're in in

that space where they're modeling or

acting or being a public figure they're

using that to their advantage so look at

what your mama gave you what the what

whatever religion you believe in what

God gave you and just try to harness

that because that is what makes you

unique yeah no I see that a lot with uh

Founders and I'm guilty of it even in my

own life sometimes you know you see

someone that's so much further along the

journey and you just want to get there

now and it's very similar to you know

almost wanting to take the elevator to

the 10th floor when really you just need

to focus on taking the stairs and just

focus on that process of just getting

one percent better every day you can't

just fast forward and get to where they

are now there's a whole journey you're

not seeing that's got them to there I'm

curious you know there's a lot of

Founders that I think deal with you know

they they know that they have a real

history on a skill they know they want

to start building out their personal

brand building an audience and building

a community and a livelihood around it

but there are some of these limiting

beliefs that they hold that keep them in

this sort of action sort of paralysis

mode I'm curious you know you're someone

that clearly has you know you've taken

the stairs you've put in just the daily

action for years now to build a very

vibrant audience in a community speaking

globally you've written a book you have

a YouTube channel of millions of

subscribers you know what are some of

these other limiting beliefs that you're

seeing with Founders and a couple

strategies maybe to help them overcome

those yeah this is going to be a big

reframe and I'm working on a series of

ideas called the Paradox principles I

think Paul Arden already wrote or

already figured out the best title for a

book and the book is called whatever you

think think the opposite and I really

believe that like we think the path to

getting our fame fortune and whatever it

is we want in life is to take this

Express bullet train elevator up to the

top and Skip all the necessary steps but

I know this people who are in love with

the journey in the process will go much

further and farther than people who just

want the result because what happens is

when you don't get the result that you

want in the timeline in which you

figured out for yourself which is

artificial to begin with then you get

frustrated and you get discouraged and

then you stop and you try something else

and you can spend 5 10 15 25 years of

your life going from one thing to next

never finding a thing that you're good

at and becoming a jack of all trades and

not being valued by the world so I think

what we have to do is take a big step

back so one of the Paradox principles is

big things start small and small things

start big I want you to think about that

I want you to process that okay so what

what did I just say small things start

big I'll give you an example the hope

that most people have when they first

start in content creation whether you're

an entrepreneur a new graduate or

whatever is you want that Viral hit you

want the dopamine hit you want the

social credibility the social proof of

having a monster hit and let's say for

whatever reason everything is in

alignment the universe is smiling upon

you right now and that first tweet that

first video blows up like crazy and you

think you're going to be really happy

and the truth is you're going to become

miserable and I'll tell you why so let's

just think this through your your

wildest wishes have come true you've got

this monster yet what are you gonna do

for an encore what is the sequel going

to be and now you're going to stress out

and you're going to do one of two things

you're going to make another video or

piece of content that is exactly like

the first piece of content and it could

work and then before you know it your

pigeonholed into doing something that

you don't even love and you feel trapped

every time you try something new your

fans hate you for it and you don't even

love this and now you keep showing up

forced to make this thing or you're

gonna have to start all over again so

it's not even a thing that you want to

have happen because there's going to be

a period of time which you need to

explore in relative anonymity to find

your voice the subject matter that you

want to speak on and your style of

delivering it and this should happen

kind of in the cover of night so that

people aren't overly examinating

examining what it is that you do and

being overly critical and saying you're

stupid I hate your face and I hate your

voice and don't you know that's not how

you record video or audio yeah yeah I

know because it's my third video

Everybody chill out so I think the way

to go is to make the commitment to

yourself that I'm on a journey of

self-discovery of personal development

and this is just my form of public

journaling and it's important for me to

share my thoughts just so I can learn

about myself I was listening to the

person his name is ask Vin and he's on

he's big on Instagram now he's got over

a million followers right and then

teaches people about public speaking and

learning how to use their voice because

it's such a powerful instrument he said

that we all need to practice

storytelling and why is that because we

need to have a strong story of ourselves

so that when someone else tells us who

we are we have something to compare it

against so if you know who you are

because you've practiced telling your

story and you've gotten to know yourself

when someone says you're an idiot you're

a jerk you're selfish you're being

greedy well that doesn't align with the

story that I know about myself so

therefore I'm not going to put too much

weight and give this too much gravity

it's not going to tear me down if you

don't practice telling your story if you

don't know who you are you're going to

ride the High highs you're great you're

amazing person Matt or you suck you're a

scammer you're stupid this is unreal and

you're gonna ride between the highs and

the lows the Peaks and the valleys and

that's no way to regulate your emotion

in your state yeah I know that's a great

example and a great way of looking at it

I think

this idea of kind of going from you know

feeling like you need to produce

everything to just more sharing your

journey and documenting your journey of

self-discovery is a beautiful way of

kind of looking at building out your

content building out your brand I was

actually speaking to a creator with

around 30k Subs uh just yesterday and he

was looking a lot of his videos and

feeling pretty perplexed around his

YouTube content strategy he had a couple

hits that I got in say a million uh

views that had brought most of his

subscribers but the truth was similar to

what you're saying Chris he didn't want

to double down in that area and just

become known for that content and I

think felt a little bit pigeonholed of

recent I've really been trying to get

back into the foundations of like why am

I making content and for me it really

comes down to helping people and helping

people solve real problems that they

have and I think sometimes in the day

and age we live in of followers and

Views and subscribers we can get lost in

just the the root of it all which

oftentimes is inspiring and helping

people and so you know I was talking

with this gentleman Tom around you know

let's go and kind of survey your

community and what are the problems that

they're having let's put those into

question statements and let the problems

that they're having dictate sort of some

of the content we're going to produce

we can find joy in that we can find joy

in helping people and at the end of the

day that's really why you got into this

in the first place I'm I'm curious as

you're sort of building out your content

strategy and you're across all these

platforms you know and you know you're

super far along in your journey I'm

curious over the years how you've

thought about building out your own sort

of like content strategy I I wish I

could tell you Matt that there was this

amazing three five six year plan on our

content strategy I'm I'm much more

reactive in terms of like how I do

content it's not planned out very far I

think that's kind of important I I think

one of the differences in the late night

talk show hosts here in America between

somebody like Jay Leno and David

Letterman and it's from what I can

understand is David Letterman will

record a week's worth of content in one

day whereas Jay would record it every

single night because he wanted to react

and respond to what's going on to be

very topical relevant right the audience

can't tell but they can feel something a

little bit off like why isn't Dave

responding to it what just happened on

Wednesday or Thursday because it didn't

happen for him if he recorded on a

Monday or Friday and so I think for me

the channel is evolving all the time as

I'm evolved solving and the channels a

reflection of me where I'm at my

emotional maturity my intellect what

I've learned and what I care about in

this moment so oftentimes people say I

remember when this channel was about

design well you know what I decided I

don't want to talk about design so I'm

going to move and I'm I'm gonna do what

I do because no one's paying me to do

this and that is my art form and that's

what gives me joy so tomorrow if we want

to decide to go back to design because

that's what gives me joy that's what

we're going to do and if people find

that to be valuable and entertaining

they'll continue to watch and if not

that's totally okay too because you know

we all grow and sometimes we grow apart

sometimes we grow together and I I think

we have to kind of be faithful to that

so there isn't a giant media strategy or

plan here all I know is I look at our

numbers and I ask my team all the time

what can we do better what is working

and and where what direction do we want

to go in right now everybody's talking

about AI chat gbt how it's going to

impact the industry so yeah we're going

to be talking about that we're going to

dive deeper into that because we're

feeling that as well we want to reflect

the culture yeah I love that approach so

yeah there's an element of it's less

kind of written in stone it's very much

a dynamic almost growing organism here

that you're constantly kind of you're

watering it a bit you're letting it grow

you're looking at some of the patterns

of what's working what's not and it's

more of a it's a system it's a process

versus something that's like written

down solidified and stuck to necessarily

for a long period of time yeah so what I

think people think about is there's this

giant forest and that the forest is

always one type of tree and it's always

going to be one type of density but we

know this is not the case when you reach

the edge of the force you're going to

enter into a different topography

different water system and it might be

an open grassy plane who knows or it

might be really Rocky and Barren for a

little bit and so I don't want to go

there and and plan my my entire life

thinking it's always going to be a force

it's always going to be a desert I need

to be be prepared to expect the

unexpected and adapt up to what's going

on the example is this when I started

out we talked mostly about design and

topography and then as we evolved I

found that there were a lot of creative

people who were saying to me I know what

to do with design there are many

resources out there for me to learn that

better faster cheaper and I accept that

teach me about business how to run a

design business because I'm not finding

that anywhere so then we're at the edge

of one force at the edge of the circle

and now we realize there's a whole

different world and we start to make

more content teaching people about how

to run a design business and to my

surprise there are a whole lot of people

who started showing up it's like we

really need this no one else is doing

this for us so as I teach them pricing

principles negotiation tactics and

strategies I feel great but then we run

into a new problem and the problem is

this and you're pointing to it right now

and if people haven't figured it out

it's like I can teach you all the tools

in life and you will not be successful

if you do first do not believe that you

could do this so there's a there's a

belief system that I have to dismantle

in limiting beliefs scarcity my mindset

those are the things I need to solve and

once I work through that then people are

asking me well how do I teach this to

others Chris so now I have to like okay

what's the next edge of the force and

you're going to continue to grow and

evolve or you're not and that's okay too

you know and I love that lens of you

know younger in my career I oftentimes

was so focused on outcomes you know

growing a business of this much revenue

or I'll be successful when I exit and

that constant Chase of an outcome while

from the outside I looked maybe

successful in inside I was dying I often

felt like I was a failure wasn't doing

enough because the outcome is just a

quick moment in time kind of like the

edge of the forest you just described

but along the way there's this whole

journey and when you're so addicted to

outcomes that journey is just miserable

as I've kind of gotten older I've

realized that you know building

companies much like life is much more an

internal game and Leadership is much

more of a habit of mind I'm curious is

your kind of you know going and helping

Founders out there you're helping

designers build their business what are

some of those like internal sort of like

mindset shifts as well as habits that

you think are important and still to

have that sort of grounded approach to

entrepreneurship I think the thing that

separates entrepreneurs from

entrepreneurs is they do love the game

they just show up to play the game and

that's really important to them that the

money the success and the fame are just

byproducts of the Love of the Game

they're there no matter what and they

find joy in that and so I think if

you're doing something as an

entrepreneur that's not getting you out

of bed it's it's time to have a hard

conversation with yourself to say like

why am I doing this why does this matter

and sometimes your first second third

stab at it isn't the thing that you need

to be doing and to be in dialogue with

your inner child to figure out like when

you were three five seven years old what

is it that you love to do

and and I'll give you the example here

when I ran my design studio I got to a

point in which I was starting to phone

it in and I started to kind of

I started to

feel a certain amount of pain showing up

to work every single day like I was

thinking and counting down the days into

which I can retire and walk away from

the business if that's not a clear sign

I don't know what is right when you are

driving up to your own company pulling

up to your own parking lot and dreading

that day it's time to make a change and

I just didn't realize it at the time

that there were more options available

to me other than the path that I was on

in that moment and it took a couple

external influences to get me to change

my thinking around this and open doors

that didn't even know were closed and

someone my wife started to plant this

seed in my brain which is I know you

love to teach could you use your time

better to teach more people

instead of teaching 7 or 10 students at

a time is there a way to do this and I

didn't have the answer and then my

friend Jose comes into my life and he's

like patient should we like try to start

an education company together like how

does one do that well I think the first

part is just to build awareness let's

get on to YouTube and I was resistant to

that whole idea because I'm like I'm not

getting on YouTube so you can see like

if you keep an open mind and you're

attuned with what it is that gives you

Joy and makes you happy then these

obstacles or these threatening ideas

actually aren't threats but they're

invitations to do something new

different and Bolder and I'm so glad

that my friend and my wife put those

seeds in there because they grew into

this amazing Garden that I could not

have predicted where it was going to go

so part of the entrepreneurial journey

is to remain curious to keep an open

mind to new things and move in the

direction of your fears I'm testing out

this concept that fears are actually

road maps or blueprints they're not

something to be that you should run from

but run toward words because every time

somebody brings an idea that challenges

you that kind of offends you or hurts

you a little bit it's actually a good

indicator that that is probably

something that you need to address and

resolve in your life and and until that

no longer gives you pain and for me it

was like public speaking be on camera

and inventing a new business model and

detaching myself from the old business

model which I spent 20 years building so

if you remain flexible and Nimble and

agile these obstacles that present

themselves in your life will not be seen

as obstacles they'll become

opportunities and I really believe that

yeah I love that mindset I think it

reminds me a lot of Naval ravacant the

idea of easy decisions hard life hard

decisions easy life and similarly yeah

you know following your fears leaning

into the discomfort versus running away

from it and I think that you know yeah

when we look back on our life and we're

doing the rocking chair test when we're

85 we'll be most proud of those moments

that you know in despite of the fear we

still move forward towards the fire and

sort of you know stared in the face and

lean into those things versus shying

away backing down and then living our

life with wondering what could have

happened if we had just overcome it and

maybe face those those obstacles face

those fears and and risen to the

occasion I'm curious is your kind of I

think these transition phases for

Founders and humans in general are just

so tricky uh the things that like were

never really taught how to navigate and

from your story too it's interesting

like I find it's also hard for humans to

understand the opportunity cost of

something like you may be working on a

company that you've built and you know

it's going fine it's putting money in

the bank it's not exactly you know what

you want to do uh but you know it's what

you know you're in that habit of doing

it and so you kind of just stick with it

not knowing that you know if you had a

more abundance mindset there's actually

a thousand other things you could be

doing that would bring you so much more

joy make you so much more money

um you just kind of need to be okay with

staring that transition in the face and

you know being curious and opening your

mind to other opportunities I'm curious

if you have any other tips for people

trying to manage those messy transitions

I think that's a really good thing that

you bring up there and a lot of times we

get caught into patterns and routines

really quickly and sometimes they're

inherited from our parents in terms of

like hey here's a business and we're

doing really well don't you want to make

all this money and you do that or it

could be about a belief system and you

get caught up in that so I think it

doesn't always have to be like quitting

cold turkey and making a hard 90 degree

pivot so I want to just explain like how

I was able to Pivot from having a

service design company to running an

education and Media company and

oftentimes people are like wait how did

this happen so there's the thing that

you do right now that pays the bills

that keeps the lights on that brings you

some Financial Security it's kind of

important for you to maintain that but

for you not to put all of your emotional

and creative energy into it so that you

leave some room to explore something

else and so for me having run this

service design company for 20 or so

years at that point is going to run

itself now left uncheck it will run

itself into the ground but there's a

period of time where it can run by

itself with the team that I have in

place while I work on the next thing so

during our management meetings which

we'd have every month or so I would tell

the team your job isn't to make a ton of

money your job is not to lose money

that's it if you can maintain this

you'll help me to build Runway while I

build another company and when we're

ready we're going to have this

transitionary period where anybody and

everybody is invited to join me on this

new Venture now of course this scares

people right away right because they're

saying Chris no longer cares about the

main Mothership how we make money and so

some people quit they didn't quit on the

day but they did quit eventually and I

can tell because they didn't see a

future in this other company and I get

that a fear-based mindset I got it but

once we were able to establish the

second company it's kind of like a fader

on a mixing board where you're switching

from record a to record B and it doesn't

have to be this hard thing you could

just be very gradual so it took us about

two and half years to figure out the

business model to make sure there was a

good product Market fit and to build a

customer an audience base such that when

we decided to make the complete switch

it wasn't so scary to do and so that

messy middle doesn't have to be as messy

and as crazy as you think I often advise

entrepreneurs who have a job and it's

it's a good paying job where they're

like oh Chris I'm gonna quit I'm gonna

put in my notice I'm like hold on how

much runway do you got if you don't have

more than six months Runway I suggest

you enter into a very lean period in

your life where you get rid of every

expense that you don't absolutely need

and there's lots of stuff that you don't

need sell off everything that you don't

use and love on a daily basis and then

make sure you're living as frugally as

possible to extend your Runway and then

commit to the next three to six months

as to making as much money as you can in

your business while you're trying to

spend as little so that you can extend

the runway in the meantime worthwhile to

sound out little trial balloons set up a

web page start to work on Crafting your

message and creating an irresistible

offer and see if you're getting takers

for a period of time it'll be very

difficult because you'll be essentially

working two jobs your day job and your

passion job so keep working on that

until you get some proof that the market

wants this needs it and then you can

make that jump and you'll have the

runway and you won't be stressed out of

your mind yeah I think that's a

important uh note there like I related a

lot to you're almost like Tarzan on a

swing in the jungle you know your

existing Vine you're swinging on is your

existing job you're going to eventually

go and latch on to another Vine in the

jungle and that's your new transition

that you're making to either starting

your own thing or your next thing and

then you know eventually slowly you're

going to swing to the other and

gradually let go of the other end I

think you know it can feel uncomfortable

but you know yeah if you're managing a

Runway properly and you kind of just

develop the mindset that hey it's okay

this period may feel a little bit weird

it may feel like I'm managing quite a

few things you know I don't think people

talk enough about that that stage but

it's an important one that many of us

have gone through and yeah you don't

want to be making any just rash

decisions to quit if the runway's not

there you've obviously built a number of

businesses now that are you know in some

set respects running on autopilot you

know you've built systems on them so

that they can scale you've hired great

teams of people and gotten the right

people in the right seats what are some

of like the core systems that you think

often get ignored when founders are

trying to put their businesses on

autopilot very good question first of

all you need to make sure your

operations are in place that you have a

good sales and a marketing team those

are the three critical parts so you need

to have a marketing team so that there

are new leads coming in all the time you

need a good sales team because those

leads have to be converted from warm

interest to hot to purchasing and once

they're sold you have to deliver on the

goods so you need a good operations and

a production team and if you have those

three parts in place they don't all have

to be excellent but at least you can run

the company to a degree in which you

don't have to be Hands-On you don't

become the bottleneck for everything one

thing that I practice is deliberate

um incompetence right like I know how to

do lots of things but if I do all those

things basically everybody will give me

all of their work to do so I want to

practice deliberate incompetence and say

you know what I don't know how to set

this email server up I don't know how to

write this marketing campaign can you do

this and then people do and you give

them a space to explore to learn fully

realizing accepting that they'll never

do it as good as you and that's not the

point of hiring people they will do it

their way and if they're 80 of what you

would do that's 80 more than you would

have done by yourself and so if you hire

enough people the sum of everybody's

effort and input will be greater than

yours and I want entrepreneurs to get

over this idea right because a lot of

times people will not delegate their

workload to someone else because they

keep thinking I'm I'm the most capable

of doing this when you can say that and

it's real and it's truthful it means

you're hiring lower quality Talent this

is where where guy Kawasaki talks about

this he says a players hire a players b

players hire C players they hire people

worse than them because they don't want

to be shown up and so they just inherit

more work or the third thing is you just

don't pay enough money so you're not

really attracting the right kinds of

people and the last one is a mindset

thing which is do you truly believe

given any specific task you are the only

and the best person in the world to do

this probably not my designer friends

struggle with this concept like you're a

good designer are you saying there's no

designer that is better than you well

I'm not saying that well you're good at

illustrating are you saying you're the

best no I'm not saying that either but

you act like it so why don't you go out

there and find the best designers and

illustrators to work with who don't want

to take on the risk of Entrepreneurship

don't have that drive but are excellent

and have and have Mastery over their

skill why don't you hire them give them

a great paying job treat them well give

them a lot of autonomy and everybody

wins in that way yeah you bring up an

interesting aspect that I think a lot of

people struggle with too which is you

know use it maybe a specific example you

know we all want to go and hire the best

you know and we want to go and hire

those a players early on though when

you're just getting started oftentimes

it's difficult to hire that caliber of

person so for example you know you may

be starting off you're building your

business you're seeing all these amazing

Brands being created by baby some of

your favorite branding agencies and

you're like that's the kind of brand I

want to have and I know the kind of

people I want to do that but I got 20K

in the bank right I'm curious you know

what that specific example of you know

you want this kind of high-end brand but

you're at where you're at with only 20K

in the bank how do you kind of navigate

that decision given your resources there

are two options that you can do if

you're a good practitioner and you're a

good teacher and entrepreneur what you

do is you hire someone who has a lot of

potential but is raw and unrefined and

they're like that diamond in the rough

and you bring them in then you coach

them up so together you can do something

that's really good they'll get you 70 of

the way there and through coaching or

just you getting your hands in the work

itself you can get it to 100 let's take

copywriting for example you can say you

know what we need to write

um we need to create a campaign to

Market this company I want you to go

back and I want you to write up a

hundred headlines and I want you to

write a couple different strategies and

just go through that you give them

feedback and say okay I love these none

of these are working let's try again you

know until you get to that a place where

you both can see like wow that's really

good we love that so that you only have

to step in and intervene at very

specific points in time and allow that

person to explore and come up with ideas

the two of you can work together if

you're strapped for cash I recommend

doing it that way there's a different

way to do this though which is to say as

the entrepreneur you're supposed to take

all the risk because as Peter Drucker

has said all profit comes from risk so

what I would do in some instances I

would say I need to hire that company

they're going to make more money on this

job than me in fact I might not even

make any money at all because I'm just

going to buy the talent and people will

say well that's irresponsible as an

entrepreneur you're supposed to run

every job profitably I don't think so

especially when you're starting out if

you hire that company or that person

that can do this work at a very high

level and it's a gamble keep in mind

they hot they knock it out of the park

for you you got two things going for you

now you have definitive proof that your

studio your company your agency has been

able to do work at that a level which

you've always admired you just bought

the talent for for a very affordable

price at this point and you get to say

especially if it's a name brand person

we got Jane Smith to work on this you

know like we have that reach and we can

pull out the best artists in the world

to work with us the best writers the

best editors and the composers to work

with that's the kind of talent pool I'm

working with and so those become tools

or things within Your Arsenal to be able

to go out and sell better and if you

continue to do this what you're doing

what you're going to do is you're going

to continue to trade up until you can

work with the Nikes of the world and be

able to have a serious conversation with

them and show that we have ample

evidence and proof that we can do this

and play at the highest levels yeah I

love that way of looking at it I mean

yeah at the end of the day the profits

come from you know taking risk and every

decision you make as a Founder is a bet

and our job is to you know you make

those bets and uh you know sometimes you

know you just need to be bold and and

stared in the face and kind of make

those bets that you believe in to kind

of level up I'm curious as you've been

building the future and I really really

resonate uh with this vision of helping

a billion people find you know what they

love to do and make a living from it

what are maybe you know one of those

bets that stand out over the last few

years that's been a bit of you know

something that kind of you know made you

shake in your boots maybe a little bit

but you know you made the BET and it was

a bit of an inflection point or

something that really paid off you know

every time we have a flat gear where we

look at a revenue preview again compared

it to the previous year and we're not

really growing by much those are times

in which you're going to see me make

some big moves right so what happens is

and I learned this from my business

coach is that we think Business and

Entrepreneurship is kind of a linear

graph that if you just keep doing what

you do you're just going to keep going

up but in truth it looks something like

you're going to have a little bit of

like that hockey stick growth and then

it's going to Flatline for a while and

what gets you to the next level isn't

doing the same thing over and over again

as that expression goes what got you

here won't get you there and this is the

mistake that a lot of entrepreneurs make

they just tried to grind and squeeze out

every single thing that they keep doing

well to see if they can get to that very

next level you can't it's a whole nother

game different levels of competition you

need to hire different teams you need to

think and behave differently so we have

had many moments where we go like this

and we Flatline and then we would try

something else and then we have another

growth I'll give you a couple of

examples let's talk about content for a

second I remember my friend my internet

friend at that time Brian Elliott he and

I were talking he has a channel called

behind the brand he goes Chris you know

you should really be utilizing shorts

right now I'm like yeah I see them

popping up is this the thing he goes yes

and you need to do X Y and Z and you got

very like tactical with me like this is

what you need to do after the call I

called up my team say everybody I want

for the next month for us to just pump

out shorts and here's what you need to

do and I gave them the exact same thing

that Brian told me to do on my team

keeps working on this and I said stop

doing whatever else you're doing just

work on short and they do it they don't

believe in it because it's like vertical

video that's stupid it's a minute long

how do we tell the story how do we teach

anything and then keep doing it and

doing it and we're not going anywhere I

don't remember about 21 days into it

we're having a meeting and then Chris do

you still want to keep doing this should

we abandon ship and go somewhere else he

said yeah keep doing it let's see what

happens I swear to you two or three days

later a mo who's on the channel quite a

bit he's like Yo dude are you seeing

this video I'm like what video this

video does taking enough like no and I

keep looking for it and I'm like I only

see this other video that's got 400 000

views the one that you said has 200 000

I can't find I wonder what's wrong it's

because in the time in which he decided

to call me and when I looked at the

video again it had grown by 200 000

views we've never had anything grow that

fast it was our first bona fide viral

hit and then I am so excited I'm like

calling the team like you see everybody

you want to quit you want to quit before

it gets good and what we have to do is

say we have to believe enough in our

plan that there's an opportunity here

and instead of quitting when things

don't work we have to figure out what we

need to do to make it work and in that

year we grew by almost a million

subscribers mostly due to shorts and

that's just one example and there are

many many examples like this I'll give

you another example from a business

point of view I told my operating

officer Ben we need to switch over from

monthly enrollment to quarterly

enrollment and we're going to close down

the times in which people can enroll in

our coaching program it's like okay so

like on the eve of us flipping the

switch he's like Chris I need you to

look at some data

and he's going through line by line he's

very good at doing this he's like you

know here's the churn rate for everybody

that joins us on a monthly basis 25 of

them stay on and they stay on for four

months my fear is if you force people to

join on a quarterly basis and you close

down the enrollment period to a week the

first week of every month we're not

going to have any business and they said

to them Ben I hear you you make a lot of

sense this is really strong stuff that

you're saying here but let's just roll

the dice let's see if it works and he's

like okay and you know what we sold more

enrollments than we ever had in that

period and he called me up right away

he's like I was wrong I was wrong boss

I'm like cool so this is what I'm

talking about like when you need to make

some big Innovative move in order to

grow your company to the next level

you're gonna have to try lots of weird

things that are not going to work we

have this explicit agreement with each

other we want to make a lot of small

bets and I'm willing for seven or eight

out of ten of them to fail totally we

just need two ideas to work and so we're

not sitting there thinking we'll never

try a new idea because we're afraid of

failure in fact we Embrace failure as

part of it and we say you know it could

blow up on our face it'll be okay but we

we have to be willing to try to be brave

enough to try yeah no I have a similar

story that really influenced my approach

to building things you know when you

look at the first mission to the moon

and you look at the line of when people

when they took off from Earth and then

when they made it to the moon people

think that it was just this kind of

straight line there but when you

actually looked at the trajectory of it

it's just a wobbly line that's up and

down up and down up and down thousands

of times all the way to the moon and the

mission was successful and it wasn't

because you know they calculated it

perfectly and they went from A to B as

efficiently as possible the reason why I

was successful is because of Correction

you know constantly kind of like when

the moments were down they corrected it

to get it back on track and when they

went off track back to on track and this

kind of continual process of of

correcting things and getting things

back on track letting things break and

then fixing them is oftentimes an

overlooked part of the whole sort of

founder Journey one thing you've touched

on a lot too which I think is another

thing that people lose track of or

they're they struggle with is this

concept of Storytelling I think that

Founders are oftentimes building a brand

and then when they think about their own

personal story their personal brand

they're not sure how these two things

connect and are interwoven and from a

lot of the talks and the content that

I've consumed from you Chris you know

I've learned a lot about things like you

know defining traits enemies friends and

you know how this these are kind of

defining elements of a story and I know

you know as a younger man you're you've

kind of grew up with this passion for

for comic books Marvel and curious kind

of how you look at like the founder

journey and weaving that into your brand

I think I was talking to one of my uh

friends Tim molini who's like uh the

chief strategy director for one of these

large multinational conglomerates and he

said you know Brands aren't created

they're found and they're the word found

is very important because in the word

found as Founders you know it's like

they're connected so when people are

like we're going to create a brand

brands are not created we have to go

back and figure out why this company

exists in the very beginning so if you

go back in time you say at some point

somebody found a problem and they wanted

to provide a solution and they were very

passionate and they made this their

thing to solve and they worked on this

and as they became more successful they

would hire more people it would start to

grow and grow and to such a point the

founder doesn't even know who works

there anymore they're no longer

connected and if you just do this over

years and decades eventually we forget

who the founder was really and what

their story was about and they lose

their way they literally lose their way

and the people who grew with that brand

say like this no longer reflects what's

going on like this car company no longer

stands for excellence in engineering it

no longer stands for this kind of

performance and they then grow out of

love they fall out of love with the

brand and they lose their customers then

they lose their way and then you'll see

for a period of time the financial

reports will be great they'll Flatline

and they'll go and Decline and that's

when they start to freak out so they

bring in external Consultants to come in

and help them to ReDiscover the

Founder's story to point them back in

the correct direction then they'll trim

their product line they'll change their

messaging they might go out with open

hands and say we're sorry we messed up

we've lost our way we're going to find

our way back and thank you for sticking

in there with us there was a great

campaign the Domino's Pizza did to bring

back their customers they had heard so

many complaints about their crappy Pizza

that they spent an incredible amount of

time energy and money to re-engineer the

pizza so that they think it's good and

what they did and they did this pretty

cool they would go to a bunch of

influencers they're like we're just

going to give you pizza if you love or

hate it let us know and they started to

change people's mind about this and so

like Domino's lost their way they became

more about efficiency and getting you a

pizza that tasted like cardboard and

today you know like I'm not ashamed to

say it like I actually like dominoes now

you know they fix some problems the best

pizza in the world no it's not but it's

a vast improvement over the way it used

to be made and that's getting in touch

with that now when we talk about

branding it's a buzzword it's

misunderstood and I'm trying to find a

fun way to explain very complex Concepts

in a way that people can it's like yeah

I can relate to I understand that and so

I find all these parallels between

comics and this way they're structured

and in the development and the telling

of a personal brand lots of parallels

I'll give you a couple I know you know

some of them but since giving that talk

it's evolved several iterations okay the

first thing that you need to know is the

most popular characters in pop culture

and media and in comics have an

incredible cast of villains some would

say the villains have to be better than

the hero because it gives us something

to root for the better the villains the

deeper our connection with the hero and

so many of us on social say like well

I'm all for this sunshine in kittens and

love and peace well you're saying things

that are true but pretty useless and the

rear boring so it's a much better

strategy to say like I'm for this but

I'm really against this to identify who

the villains are and we need to find our

arch nemesis the exact mirror and polar

opposite of who we are so if you stand

for sustainability you need to look at

companies who are truly destroying the

planet and call them out by name there's

a gentleman his name is Andrew Tate you

don't have to like him but you have to

respect his ability to command attention

and focus for a period of time there he

became the most searched person on the

internet and here's something that's

brilliant about what he's done whenever

he gets into a little bit of trouble he

says it's the Matrix and it's code word

for all of us like we're like are we

living in The Matrix are we being

controlled and manipulated and he Taps

into something without explaining to us

what it is and whenever he's asked in an

interview what is the Matrix he goes the

Matrix is everywhere he's like literally

repeating lines from the film it's all

around us and nobody wants to be

imprisoned especially in America where

we value and change Champion freedom and

free will you just have to see the

Matrix and we have a reaction so every

time something bad happens to him he's

like the Matrix try to shut me up the

Matrix tried to cancel me and they could

not do it so he's tapping into something

right and other companies have done this

really well take for example Dr Squatch

you know Dr Squatch is Soap Company yep

okay Dr Squatch came out with his viral

ad and the one that got me involved in

in terms of becoming a customer was like

you know you're a man you're not a dish

I'm like what and you throw a dish

against a rock you're like you know

there's big soap and they're full of

detergents and chemicals and you're not

a dish and so they created an enemy out

of nothing like there was no such thing

as big soap are you kidding me so they

used language that we're familiar with

big tobacco Big Oil right and as as an

independent person who championed small

Brands and and like loving the rebel

Spirit we hate anything that's big so

all you have to do is call it Big and

you're done and again they trigger a

response in us and I'm like you know

what I don't know if I need a new bar of

soap but I'm against big soap for sure I

am it's not going by the soap and I've

been a subscriber for years now sold

um no I love that quote too of you know

brands are found and I agree our job as

Founders is to get in touch with that

story and and to get in touch with the

essence of Our Brands

um Chris this has been a ton of fun I've

learned a ton and I appreciate you

sharing all these stories these systems

these tools with the community

um folks if you're interested in

learning more from Chris you be sure to

check out his YouTube channel be sure to

check out the future and also his book

Pocketful of dough

um Chris uh thank you so much for being

here today it's been a ton of fun and

I'm super grateful for you and all your

contributing to the world it means a lot

to me and I know my team is a massive

fan as well so thank you so much thanks

Matt keep doing what you're doing I

think you're trying to help a lot of

people as well and say hi to the team

for me awesome thanks Chris