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.
Why to say no more often
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Hey Reader, Do you find it hard to say no to new opportunities? Every day, you face a stream of requests, new ideas, and potential projects. If you’re not careful, you’ll say yes to all of them. But there’s a Warren Buffett quote I love:
“The difference between successful people and really successful people is that really successful people say no to almost everything.”
In the early days of Kit, we tried to serve everyone. Our product roadmap was filled with features to make every type of customer happy. It nearly killed the company. Everything changed when we narrowed our focus to “email marketing for professional bloggers.” By saying no to being everything for everyone, our growth exploded. When people asked for things like community features, it seemed like the expansion would be justified. But saying no to feature creep led to us building an App Store that allows anyone to extend the functionality of Kit, enabling us to stayed focused on the core product. This principle applies to more than just product features: I say no to most podcast requests so I can focus on running the company. I turn down speaking opportunities to spend time with my family and work on high-impact projects. I don’t join every new social platform that pops up. I pass on partnerships that don’t perfectly align with our mission. I reject good candidates and wait for great ones when hiring. Early in your career, saying yes to everything makes sense. You need experience and connections, and it’s a great way to learn about yourself and see what you like. But as you grow, narrowing your focus becomes increasingly important. The shift from saying yes to almost everything to saying no to almost everything is difficult. But every time you say yes to something, you’re saying no to a thousand other things by default—often the work that would have significant impact in your business. Jason Friedman talks about how yes is a blunt instrument and no is a precise instrument (like a surgeon’s scalpel). Your time and attention are your most valuable assets. They deserve to be protected. What opportunities are you saying yes to that you should be turning down? What would happen if you focused on fewer, more impactful projects? PODCASTBuild a $25K/Month Software Business (Full Strategy)Feeling stuck trying to grow your SaaS business? We cover how to:
Learn why concierge migrations can be a secret weapon, how to choose the right community integrations, and why narrowing your audience often leads to better results. Watch or listen to episode » KIT FEATUREEasily find and recommend creators on the riseThe Creator Network is the fastest way to grow your email list on autpilot. And now we've made it easier to discover and connect with fast-growing creators—as well as get recognized when you're growing too. Now when you visit the Discover page, you’ll see:
The Growing Fast status helps you quickly find creators experiencing momentum so you can recommend newsletters that resonate with your audience and get discovered when you're growing, too. Click here to see which creators are trending. Don’t have an account yet? Walking around the worldIt’s been two years since Alexander Campbell set off on foot from his hometown in Sydney, Australi on his mission to walk around the world. Right now he’s working his way through Pakistan. It’s incredible to see such impressive scenery and parts of the world you’d otherwise never see. He’s raising money to help prevent avoidable blindness. You can follow his journey on Instagram @alexander_campbell or check out his website: 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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