I'm a designer who turned into a writer who turned into a startup CEO. My mission is to help creators earn a living. Subscribe for essays on building an audience and earning a living as a creator.
Where is your best effort going?
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Hey Reader, I was thinking about this story I remember Alex Hormozi shared on the My First Million podcast a few years ago. He said that Russell Brunson had given him some key advice that changed his career. Alex was running six successful gyms, sleeping on the gym floor, generating incredible returns on his marketing. But Russell told him: "You're in a level 2 opportunity with a level 10 skill set." Alex was applying world-class execution to a business model with limited upside. Russell suggested he teach other gym owners his system instead. Alex took the advice, pivoted to licensing his model, and did $26 million in year two. But I think there’s an additional metric to consider: effort. It's not just skill and opportunity. It's opportunity, skill, and effort. I often see clear opportunities where Kit could grow faster, or where my personal brand could have more impact. But in the places where I may be only bringing a 5/10 effort to these opportunities, it can be frustrating. Most often, it's simply that I'm trying to do too many things. Every project in your business sits somewhere on three scales:
Creators tend to be strong on skill. They're good at what they do. Many have identified real opportunities. But they're spreading their effort across too many things. Look at how you spent your time last week. For each major activity, rate yourself on opportunity, skill, and effort using a scale of 1 to 10. Multiply those three numbers. Your highest scores are probably where you should double down. Your lowest scores are what you should eliminate. I often find myself in situations where I can see a great opportunity, I have the skills to execute well, but I'm not bringing the effort needed because I'm juggling other priorities. The assessment isn't the hard part. The hard part is saying no to everything else once you know where to focus. For any problem you have, map where you were six months ago, where you are now, and what 10/10 would look like in each dimension. Then make the choice about what deserves your full effort. I had the opportunity to do some really interesting speaking engagements recently. They would have been fun, valuable for building my personal brand, and I genuinely wanted to do them. But I said no because this quarter needed to be about focusing on Kit's revenue goals. That's where my highest opportunity, biggest skill, and focused effort can create the most value. Find your 10/10 opportunity in an area where you have skill, and bring 10/10 effort to match it. PODCASTThe Harsh Truth About Online Courses (And What Works Now)After 15 years designing training for IKEA, Google, and Amazon, Erin Green developed her Hook to Habit framework—a method for turning expertise into learning that sticks with people. In this episode, we get into what makes a course actually work and how to build a practice-feedback loop that helps people develop skills quickly. You’ll learn:
VIDEOWe simulated if you can really reach anyone in 6 stepsI love this Veritasium video. Derek takes the six degrees of separation concept and simulates it to see if it actually holds up. The part that really stood out to me was how he breaks down the role of hubs and super connectors in networks. It's one of those things that completely shifts how you think about audience growth and how ideas spread. THE NATHAN BARRY SHOWWant to come on my podcast in December?I have a few spots left for our December podcast recording event. We'll have a group come to Boise to batch record episodes with me over two days at Kit Studios. Whether you want to share your story in an interview format or have me help coach you through a business challenge up on the board, it's a chance to create something useful while getting direct time with me. You can also record any other content you want at Kit Studios while you're here. Have a great week! —Nathan |
Nathan Barry
I'm a designer who turned into a writer who turned into a startup CEO. My mission is to help creators earn a living. Subscribe for essays on building an audience and earning a living as a creator.
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