Building Leverage On The Internet [Sep 13th edition]

Hi there,

Hope you’ve had a great week. Saying hello from Atlanta where it seems like we finally said goodbye to summer and welcomed the rains. I don’t trust it however, Atlanta is notorious for its extended summers.

Ever since my 32nd birthday, I had been thinking about my finances a lot and coming to the awakening of how naive habits of my 20s (high credit card usage and lack of investments in asset classes) are catching up with me now in 30s. Without dwelling too long in shame/guilt, I recently decided to make practical changes.

I also started reading the classic Think and Grow Rich by Napolean Hill. (It’s been on my list for a long time!) It is fascinating (despite sounding a bit cheesy occasionally) and helping me get a grasp of the power of having a “definite desire”. Have you read it? Has it made an interesting impact on you in any form? (Reply or DM me so we can chat about it)

I also wanted to share an exciting news with you. Last week, I received a piece of paper called an EAD in the mail (which means I won’t be needing a visa in the U.S. anymore). This is a huge deal to me and my wife as we continue to build our family here. I outline the full story here. I’m pumped and grateful! 🙏🏼 🎉

Anyway, since the last week, this newsletter subscriber count has gone up from 210 to 231 (10% increase!) people so join me in welcoming the new readers :) 👋

Let’s get rolling with this edition:

䷉ TOP ESSAY ON MY RADAR:

The 4 rules of a billion dollar audience

Rule #1: Build more than a personal brand 

When Mark Sisson started his blog, Mark’s Daily Apple, in 2006 he didn’t think he was taking the first steps towards a $200 million business. At time when blogs were mostly considered hobbies, Mark was about to build an empire. 

As his blog grew, Mark earned a great living through all the traditional methods: paid products, sponsorships, and advertising. He continued to scale with a bestselling book and more products.

Then in 2015 Mark launched Primal Kitchen, a company selling paleo-friendly mayonnaise, dressing, and other sauces. They started just online, but then were able to get distribution in Whole Foods and other retail stores. Just two years later food-giant Kraft acquired Primal Kitchen for $200 million. 

Jessica Alba has more name recognition than any blogger ever will. Despite that fame, her wealth doesn’t come from her name or movies, but instead from The Honest Company, a multi-billion dollar consumer goods company she founded.

In every example I looked at I found that personal brands are great for getting started, but this next level nearly always involves moving beyond a personal brand. Creators like Michael Hyatt and Marie Forleo will always be held back by their desire to build a brand around their own name.

That doesn’t mean creators aren’t a figure-head or their name isn’t a part of it—Air Jordan or Kylie Cosmetics come to mind—but the company or product brand is #1.

Read the rest of the essay here.

[Source: Nathan Barry]

🐦 TOP TWEETS ON MY RADAR:

Greg Isenberg @gregisenberg

Observation: if you turn a boring product into a fun product in a big market, you'll win big Example: Robinhood transformed stock trading into a video game Prediction: many boring industries are about to get Robinhood-ified Question: what industries are ready to be more fun?

Lenny Rachitsky @lennysan

Nerding out on @Bessemer's Seed/Series A memos. Some takeaways: 1. All companies had competition 2. Many had middling growth rates BUT it all came from organic/WOM 3. All had great differentiated products More in thread 👇 bvp.com/memos

bvp.comMemosLike the knight’s sword, the firefighter’s hose, and the lumberjack’s ax, venture capitalists courageously wield the memo.

Toby ☕️ @tobydoyhowell

Treat every tweet like an experiment, not a masterpiece it’ll take the pressure off hitting that send button

Shreyas Doshi @shreyas

What I learned in my 30s—the game of life, in 1 tweet: 1⃣ I accept this 2⃣ I know this is temporary 3⃣ I take responsibility 4⃣ I have the power 5⃣ I have much to learn 6⃣ I am not my thoughts 7⃣ I love my self 8⃣ I am present 9⃣ I am insignificant 🔟 I am perishable by design

💰 TOP RESOURCES ON MY RADAR:

• How to Say No, templates to help you say no in any situation.

• Meme templates by Kapwing

👀 HIGHLIGHTS OF THE WEEK:

• In the classic #buildinpublic fashion, I’ve taken my new job search in the same vein of #applyinpublic detailing stories and insights on Twitter on where I’m applying and what I’m looking for. I’ve been getting encouraging replies and DMs and landed 4 high-profile job matches in the last 2 days. Grateful for my Twitter community!

• Thanks to Twitter and Cuppa, last week I made wonderful new connections and enjoyed virtual coffees with the following people over Zoom (Abhineet, Patricia, Austin)

• Dalton Mabery who’s a fantastic Youtube creator has invited me for an interview on his new show “Square One”. I had a blast chatting with him about my story, the habits that helped me, the book I love and my heroes. Asking questions is not as easy as it seems and he did an admirable job as a host. Here’s the full interview on Youtube. Below is a short clip:

  Dalton @daltonmabery

  It's not about the goals. It's about identity. - @thisiskp_

  

That’s all for now. Thanks for reading. Hope you have a fantastic week!

I always love sharing my playbooks openly and answering any specific questions about building in public or building an audience so feel free to DM me anytime.