The Future Belongs to Creators

In today’s Q&A Friday, we talk about our audio setup, tools for writing, building a SaaS company, books, how to read an article, hobbies, and more!

Q: What is your audio set up?

We use the MixPre 3 since it has three audio inputs. We also like that it can use batteries and an SD card. It makes it very portable and can be used without a computer if you have to go out to grab an interview with someone. For mics, we use the Audio Technica AT875R. It’s a great shotgun mic that works well in spaces that aren’t acoustically treated. Finally, we use Sony MDR7506 headphones.

Q: What tool do you use to draft your writing?

We use tools like Ulysses for a pure writing experience. It has a great “table of contents” style organization. We also use Notion for long-form and collaborative writing.

Q: What’s one thing you learned about building a SaaS company that you think is a valuable lesson for creators?

The first thing that comes to mind is that it will take a lot longer than you think. You’ve got to make sure you keep at it and have the mindset of showing up every day for years. 

Q: Which books about writing non-fiction would you recommend?

Nathan recommends Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott. Barrett recommends The Golden Book on Writing by David Lambuth, Zen and the Art of Writing by Ray Bradbury, On Speaking Well by Peggy Noonan, The Pyramid Principle by Barbara Minto, and On Writing by Steven King.

Q: When you read articles, do you read the entire article, or just skim for highlights?

We usually read the entire thing. If we’re thinking of giving up on an article, then we start skimming to give it more of a chance.

Q: Are you expecting a decrease in your customer base from people who have gone out of business?

We’ve seen a little bit of that, but we’ve actually seen more growth as businesses try to increase their online presence.

Q: What are your hobbies?

Nathan - playing outside with his kids, practicing soccer by himself, woodworking, and reading books. Barrett - reading and writing, hiking, skiing, camping, and fly-fishing. 

Q: What are your priorities for revenue as your business increases?

We’ll invest heavily in the product. We’ve added team members recently and we’ve put more money into advertising. We want to be able to serve a larger group of creators while maintaining the notion that existing customers are more important than getting new customers. Our success is creator success.

Creators of the day 

•  Anne Beiler
•  Prince McClinton

Resources of the day

• Embossed stationery from Crane.com
• Osmo Pocket

Thought of the day

Links

• MixPre 3
• Audio Technica AT875R
• Sony MDR7506
• The Podcaster’s High Quality Microphone Shootout
• Ulysses
• Notion
• Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott
• The Golden Book on Writing by David Lambuth
•  Zen and the Art of Writing by Ray Bradbury
• On Speaking Well by  Peggy Noonan
• The Pyramid Principle by Barbara Minto
• On Writing  by Steven King 

Stay in touch

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We greatly underestimate what can be accomplished in 72 hours. With the right mindset, it’s possible to create and launch something others will be happy to support.

When doing something this fast, it’s critical to focus only on the essentials. If there are details to add that aren’t absolutely necessary, they can be added later. The main point is to launch.

You will continue to iterate and add detail over time. Don’t let perfect be the enemy of done. 

Main takeaways

• Create a content outline. You won’t have enough time to focus on a script. Plot out headlining points and be able to riff on them briefly.
• When filming, leave the camera running regardless of any errors you make. Have a visual or audio cue that lets you know where to make edits later. This will save you valuable time in the long run.  
• Edit the course to convey only what is necessary. It doesn’t need to be perfect. It might also help to edit backward to see your best takes first. Save all the polishing for later.
• 90 minutes is the perfect amount of time for a paid course. If you’re making a free course, 30 minutes is more than enough.
• Promote the course to your email list and on the social media channels with which you’re most familiar.

Creators of the day 

• Andrea Bemis
• David Latimer

Resources of the day

• Kindle Paperwhite
• Hanabi

Thought of the day

Links

• Wistia
• Teachable
• Thinkific
• Podia

Stay in touch

• Start building your audience for free!
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COVID-19 has forced businesses to change almost overnight. But this isn’t just about our current circumstances. Adaptability is always important.

This means understanding how to be accessible despite new hurdles. It’s about being flexible and nimble as a business so you’re ready and capable when rapid changes occur.

Main takeaways

• Try new things. Restaurants have switched their model overnight. Many offer curbside pickup or free delivery where they previously didn’t. Menus have also been modified to cut costs while maintaining quality.
• Prioritize the changes you want to make, so you can make them at your own pace. Many businesses have moved online. While some were already planning to do this, others have been forced to before they were ready. Changing at your own pace is always better than having it forced upon you.
• Learn to adapt quickly. Event companies have had to change their model entirely. They’ve had to learn how to operate with new dynamics at an incredible pace. Those who can’t adapt, or do so slowly, will struggle to get their businesses back on track. 

Creators of the day 

• OPC Kicks
• Levi Allen

Resources of the day

• Audible
• Libby

Thought of the day

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Yes, new businesses are popping up online every day. But that doesn’t mean everything’s been done, or that the market is saturated. In fact, there are lots of creative ways to get started with a business that may be easier than you think. 

Don’t let a lack of ideas stop you from starting a business. Here are eight creative ideas for businesses we'd start today (if we weren’t currently running ConvertKit). 

1. Sign-making
2. Sustainable and fashionable clothing
3. A tiny house hotel
4. Electronic music production for YouTube/podcasting/etc.
5. An X-Carv CNC community
6. Detailed online fly-fishing guide for Central Oregon
7. Redo Living For Monday
8. Teaching design

Take notes, jot down ideas, or just let the creative juices start flowing. Let’s get creative with how and what we can start creating today. 

Main takeaways

• Using the skills or resources you already have access to is a great place to start when starting a new business.
• Timing is key. A great strategy is to look at movements that are starting today and figure out how to get ahead of the competition. 
• A business that allows you to document the process is awesome for customer engagement. If you do it well, it’s a great marketing tool that allows for lead generation. 
• Start small or get very specific and build a community around it. More business will always follow and new ideas will come from that niche. 
• Revisit topics or ideas that you had (or even tried) years ago, but could do now with much more experience and expertise. 

Creators of the day 

• Eric Friedensohn

Resources of the day

• The Wisdom of the Enneagram

Thought of the day

Lost by David Wagoner

Links

• Craft & Commerce Talks
• Sean McCabe
• Ugmonk
• Tinkering Monkey on Instagram
• Musicbed
• X-Carv CNC
• Ramit Sethi’s Finding Your Dream Job

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• Start building your audience for free!
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The Ladders of Wealth Creation is an idea that came from an article Nathan wrote in 2019 called, “The ladders of wealth creation: a step-by-step roadmap to building wealth”. It’s worth discussing here given the surge in people wanting to take control of their career trajectory. 

In short, the four ladders are:

1. Time for money
2. Your own service business
3. Productized services
4. Selling products

In this episode, Barrett puts Nathan in the hot seat and gets at why these concepts are both timeless and timely. 

Main takeaways

• Trading time for money, while often viewed as the least desirable category to be in, should not always have a negative connotation. In fact, it’s almost always necessary at the beginning of your journey of wealth creation. 
• While it’s possible to jump around on the ladder, the more skills you acquire that align with running a business, the easier the transition to being a full-time business owner will be. 
• A productized service business is likely ready when people start asking for a similar service to what you already offer, or a lightweight (cheaper) version of what you’re offering. 
• Ask yourself how much momentum your projects or products have, after putting them out there. Will they continue to add value to your business even if you leave them alone?

Creators of the day 

• Dann Petty
• Paul Nicklen

Resources of the day

• The Snowball: Warren Buffett and the Business of Life by Alice Schroeder
• The Ship It Journal by Seth Godin

Thought of the day

Links

• The ladders of wealth creation: a step-by-step roadmap to building wealth
• Design Kit for Figma by Rafal Tomal
• Transitioning from Clients to Products by Jason Zook

Stay in touch

• Start building your audience for free!
• Twitter
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It’s our first Q&A Friday! Instead of our usual segments, each Friday we’re going to take your questions and do our best to give thorough and thoughtful answers.

If you listened to our episode on building an audience, you’ll know that part of staying engaged is listening to your audience’s pain points and finding ways to help. This is our way of doing that during these challenging times.

Q: Do you “get ready” when working from home as though you’d be going to the office?

It’s important to get dressed for work every single day. When you shower and get dressed, you shift your mindset into a work zone, instead of just rolling out of bed and opening up your computer. Nathan doesn’t always follow the same process but sees the value in it. 

Q: How do you stay inspired to create every day? 

A great way to create every day is to make it a habit or set goals to do it every day. Barrett encourages not to rely on inspiration, because it can wane or be interrupted, but to rely on habits or schedules. Keeping a list of ideas when you’re inspired is a great resource to come back to when you have the time to create. 

Q: I’m trying to decide between creating this weekend (writing my newsletter that has lapsed) and needing to disconnect completely for a few days. How do I decide what’s most important?

Do both. Turn off your wifi, find a new location, and set a timer and finish the newsletter. Once you’re done with that, close the computer and disconnect. 

Q: Do you have any advice for content and messaging right now? There's an opportunity to connect with a captive audience but I want to be thoughtful and respectful. 

Being transparent can help take the scariness out of the current situation (COVID-19 Pandemic) and help get your message across. A lot of people are ready to talk about something else, so new messaging might be welcome. 

Q: Regarding the ladders of wealth creation, I’m having a hard time stepping away from spending 40+ hours per week working with freelance/consulting clients to actually write/podcast/create a product. Help!

Good news! We’re going to do an entire episode on the ladders of wealth creation in Episode 5. Check out that episode for a more in-depth answer to your question. 

Q: Do you guys use any self-organization/note-taking methodologies (E.g. second brain, getting things done, etc.)? What do you find helps you stay organized or productive?

Nathan uses the Notes app for Apple products, which isn’t necessarily recommended. It doesn’t matter which tools you use, but you should use and rely on your personal rituals to stay on top of things. 

Q: Which is better, bootstrapping vs taking advantage of the small business loans that are becoming available? What financial steps would you take in this uncertain time?

Take aggressive action. That looks different from businesses to business, but now is the time to move forward with purpose. 

Creators of the day 

• Maria Popova

Resources of the day

• The Ride of a Lifetime: Lessons Learned from 15 Years as CEO of the Walt Disney Company by Bob Iger
• The Imagineering Story

Thought of the day

“I can’t wait for a years time, when all of this is a distant memory and there is a corona baby boom because all the lovers were lovin.

And there is a rise in small business because all the entrepreneurs had a moment of stillness and creativity.

And all the children remember nothing but a time when all the mums and dads were at home and drawing and playing board games and we remember it as the time we all got to stop and be present. 

We will remember the time our health was our first priority and people learnt new ways to use fresh produce to feed their families and we were all forced to think outside the box and dream up new things, and reinvent old ways and for once even amongst the chaos there was community, there was a global rise in togetherness and the streets were quiet but our homes were bustlin with love and laughter.

That time is coming… soon just like other crisis before it this will all be a distant memory, a thing we soon listen to our children discuss in classrooms, a once was; that we share with our grand babies. So to you - I know it’s unsettling but focus on the silver lining, we are in this together and there’s so much beauty to see.” ~ @leilastead

Links

• Ladders of Wealth Creation
• Leila Stead on Instagram

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Feeling productive is getting harder and harder. As most of us find ourselves working from home, how can we cultivate a new kind of productivity that fits with our current circumstances? How can we feel like we’re still making progress even when things aren’t normal?

The most important thing to remember is that it’s ok to not feel as productive as we would in our normal work settings. We need to reset our expectations for what productivity means and create a plan for getting back on track.

Main takeaways

• Create work-life boundaries. It may be tempting to work at the kitchen table or wander from room to room, but it’s important to have a dedicated space so you can focus during your work hours and leave it when you’re done.
• Communication is key. Make sure you’re communicating with your family about your work hours, when you’re on calls, and setting expectations with your colleagues or clients. 
• Create a to-do list at the end of each day. This ensures that when you start working the next day, you can jump right in and make the most of your time. 
• Block your time each day for work, meetings, and creativity. This helps when trying to coordinate schedules and gives you more freedom in your day. 
• Avoid task-switching and distractions. Put your phone across the room. Don’t check your email constantly. Try to stay focused on one task at a time so that you can check it off and move on rather than having it loom over your head all day.

Creators of the day 

• Dr. Joy
• Jeremy Collins

Resources of the day

• GoodNotes
• Figma

Thought of the day

“Fear, uncertainty, and doubt can be fuel for brilliance. This is an important message for us today with what we’re going through as creators, and as a society. If you can find a way to channel all of the fear and anxiety you’re feeling right now into creating, then you’re going to come out of this stronger than you came in.” ~ @BarrettABrooks

Links

• Uncertainty: Turning Fear and Doubt into Fuel for Brilliance by Jonathan Fields
• Jack Dorsey

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There’s never been a better time to build your audience. They are the people who will cheer you on and champion your work. It’s essentially a ‘cheat code’ for your business, ensuring that you’ll have people there to support you as you create and grow.

But if you’ve never built an audience before, it can seem daunting. Where do you find the people who want to hear from you and would miss you if you didn’t show up?

As usual, getting started is the hardest part. Here are a few tips and reminders that will help.

Main takeaways

• The most direct metric for how many people have decided to actively engage with you is your number of email subscribers. 
• If you can get 1,000 people to engage with you and be there to swarm the next thing you create, you don’t need to charge that much to make a good living. 
• Getting your first subscriber is important because it shows that it is, indeed, possible to create an audience from scratch. 
• Building an audience is not sexy. It takes time, it takes a lot of asks, and it pushes you out of your comfort zone. 
• Once you build an audience, you have to show up consistently. Maintaining your audience is all about showing up and sharing with them. 

Creators of the day 

• Emily Mills
• Tanna Ross

Resources of the day

• Forest App
• Headspace App

Thought of the day

“When you ask yourself, “where in my body do I feel stress?”, you can start to distance yourself a bit from the stress itself. It goes from ‘I am stressed’ to ‘I feel stress’ and that’s much easier to find ways to deal with.” ~ @nathanbarry

Links

• Kevin Kelly’s 1,000 True Fans

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We believe the future belongs to creators. What started as an idea at Craft + Commerce, has since become an ever-increasing part of our mindset. 

Being a creator means taking ownership of your destiny. When we look at the world, it’s easy to feel like we are just along for the ride. But being a creator means we take control, we create outcomes, we take full responsibility for what happens in our lives. 

This mindset helps you “future-proof” yourself.  Now is the time to start owning your path. 

Main takeaways

• Lean into what you want to share with the world. Now is the perfect time to put your work in front of people and build a captive audience. 
• Keep sharing and working in public. This will help you build an audience that cares about what you’re doing and will be there to support you in the future.
• Make 2020 your year for connecting with your audience and building trust. People will still buy your stuff because people buy stuff from people they like. 

Creators of the day 

• Balaji Srinivasan
• James Clear

Resources of the day

• The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho
• Antifragile by Nassim Taleb

Thought of the day

Links

• Craft + Commerce
• Antifragile by Nassim Taleb
• The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho
• Baron Fig
• Annual Meeting of the World Economic Forum
• Creator Fund
• Sean McCabe

Stay in touch

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