Daily Content Machine

We are simplifying everything at seanwes.

We're shifting our model from one of ownership to one of access (think Netflix vs DVDs).

But there's so much more going on behind the scenes…

I just got back from a mastermind retreat, and I'm feeling clarity unlike what I have in years.

We are simplifying what we're doing significantly at seanwes.

The feedback I received helped me realize just how complicated things are and how confusing it can be for someone looking for solutions.

Unification. Everything is going to be simplified and clear.

People who don't pay us money are going to get more value. People who pay us money are going to get even more value. The people who have paid us the most money will get the very best value.

Finally, we as a team will have a simpler model, less stress, and greater focus.

I'm incredibly excited to share what we're working on in today's show.

In full disclosure, I actually was not planning to share any of this today. It's all still very fresh and in progress.

However, I want to go back to our roots at seanwes. I want to iterate in public, document, and share the process. We're taking you along the journey. The things I talk about today are not yet a reality. There is much work to do! But I thought you might appreciate getting a behind-the-scenes peek at what's going on.

Jump to 14:45 for the start of our t-shirt conversation.

The first half of our conversation centers around marketing your business on social media. This sets the stage for the second conversation about using t-shirts to promote your brand.

How do you sell t-shirts? What should you price t-shirts at?

Can a t-shirt business be profitable?

First of all, yes, a t-shirt business can be profitable, but it's not easy. For a business that is focused on selling some other kind of product or service, I recommend looking at t-shirts as a way to build brand loyalty rather than a way to make profits.

Unless you're operating in very large volume, it's difficult to make much money from shirts because the margins are often slim. However, using t-shirts as a way to strengthen the connection you have with your audience is an effective strategy.

As you're not losing money on the t-shirts, it can be a great addition to your brand—one that is welcomed by your audience.

Overlap is a book I wrote for anyone wanting to start a business while working a full-time job.

This weekly lecture series features my commentary on the book, one chapter at a time. It differs from the audiobook in that it's not merely a reading of the book.

The way I'm approaching this series is by thinking of it in terms of how I would deliver the book to you in my own words if we were speaking together personally.

It's not easy to make videos as an introvert.

While many people think being an introvert must mean we don't like people, it's really just that we get energy in a different way than extroverts.

Extroverts get energy by being around other people.

Introverts get energy by being alone.

Does that mean extroverts don't need alone time? Of course not.

Does that mean introverts never want to be around people? Of course not.

It simply means that when it comes to being "on" (like when you need to talk to people or make videos), that is something that takes energy for us introverts.

So how do you make videos consistently when you just don't feel like it?

I cover 5 tips in this video for making more videos if you're introverted:

1. Schedule it

2. Speak to one person

3. Charge up first

4. Make a list

5. Focus on the people you'll help

Cory is trying to finish his side project, Vlogology, but now there's another side project that is stealing some of his attention.

This is very common. You have something you start because you're excited and then you get Shiny Object Syndrome. Something catches your eye and takes your attention away from what you were originally doing.

It's the allure of "the first 50%". The first 50% of a project is fun and exciting. The second half... not so much.

It's much easier to start something than it is to finish it.

What's the first rule of side projects? Focus on one at a time.

If you want to do a second project, you have to finish the first. The fastest way to get to work on the second project is to finish the first project.

You're not always going to be motivated to work on your side project. You may be procrastinating. You may not feel motivation.

But you can't start with motivation. Motivation is not a source, it's a result. It's a result of showing up. Make a commitment to show up.

Commit to a scheduled block of time. Carve out dedicated time to work on your side project. This is very different from simply implementing a deadline.

Deadlines are making you procrastinate. They're making you wait until the last minute.

Remove choice from the equation by scheduling blocks of time where you are committing to work on your side project.

Sometimes things don't go according to plan.

People cancel, mistakes happen, or unexpected events occur.

What do you do when life gives you lemons? Make lemonade.

Specifically, I talk about how to stay productive when things don't go according to plan.

When cancelations happen, you often end up wasting the extra time.

You need to have a list of tasks ready to go that take only a few minutes to do. That way, when you have unexpected openings in your schedule due to the unexpected, you can insert appropriate tasks into the time slots you have available.

Never show up to the blank page with anxiety again.

Ryan wants to write more music. He wants to write music lyrics as well as write musical compositions.

He's wondering how to create a process for writing music. I asked him if he's ever successfully written an entire song that he's happy with. He said no.

I told him the first step is to just write a song. Once you have an example of a song you wrote that you like, then we can create a process from that.

Rather than start with process, just do. Make. Create. Once you have something you're happy with, then we can reverse engineer success. We can derive a process from a result you're happy with.

We also discuss what I call The Focus Triangle: using device, location, and time in combination to create extreme focus and maximize your productive output.

Gary Vaynerchuk has put forth this idea of "documenting vs. creating". His advice is to think less in terms of "needing to create" and more in terms of documenting your journey.

Just share the process.

Don't overthink it, just document it!

Capture your journey. Show people what you're working on and how you work. Take people behind the scenes.

What does your day look like?

One common objection to this idea of documenting is, "But my life is boring. People wouldn't be interested."

But you don't get to decide what is valuable. What's mundane into you is interesting to someone else.

It's not your job to judge the value of your documentation. Just put it out there and let others decide.

Besides, even if there is no current audience for your documentation, you should do it anyway for your future self. You're creating a record of your history.

You're demonstrating that what you do is not magic, there's a process to it. Documenting is a great way to build your brand without getting caught up in overthinking.

Here's our challenge for you today: grab your phone and make a video. Stop overthinking. Start recording yourself and talk about something you're working on today. Upload the video and leave a comment describing your video with a link to it.

Cameron and Anthony discuss their plans for opening up a storefront location for their coffee bar business.

I also had the opportunity to visit them recently while they were set up at a local market. We talk about what happened at that event and how I helped quickly make a hand-drawn sign to capture passing foot traffic.

We also talk about growing an email list with customers so they have a way to reach out in the future and inform them of things like their storefront launch.

Overlap is a book I wrote for anyone wanting to start a business while working a full-time job.

This weekly lecture series features my commentary on the book, one chapter at a time. It differs from the audiobook in that it's not merely a reading of the book.

The way I'm approaching this series is by thinking of it in terms of how I would deliver the book to you in my own words if we were speaking together personally.