I’ve Done Enough
This video from Jim Carrey made a real impact on me. If you go to the four-minute mark, watch the next 60 seconds.
Carrey, after an illustrious film and comedy career, says, “I have enough. I’ve done enough. I am enough.”
Life is short. Make the decisions that make sense for your life now. Don’t wait.
Thank you, Jim.
Turning Your Passion into a Business
Last week I got on a zoom call with my friend Jay Baer to talk through his upcoming Creator Economy Expo speech.
For those of you who don’t know Jay, he’s been in marketing for over 30 years, has written a New York Times bestselling book, has run a number of multi-million-dollar businesses, and is in the National Association of Speakers Hall of Fame.
But his passion is tequila.
Last year he started a content business around his love for tequila, with the goal to make at least a dollar.
Before he started his content journey, he had one amazing realization. Most of the tequila influencers out there were speaking to other tequila “nerds” or experts. But who was speaking to the casual tequila drinker who wanted to be a bit more sophisticated about their tequila? There weren’t many, and thus the opportunity.
Tequila Jay Baer was born. 4 short videos per week on TikTok and Instagram, and six months later Jay has become the #2 non-celebrity influencer in the world with millions of views and 200,000+ followers.
What’s amazing to me is that Jay has been incredibly successful in marketing for the past three decades. One of THE most successful marketers on the planet.
And in less than a year he has, perhaps, created his very best business opportunity ever.
Jay himself said “I know more than most about Tequila, but not that much. So many are afraid to start because they don’t have the knowledge. That’s almost never true for anyone creating content.”
The truth is, no one knows enough when they start. The key is choosing the right audience, niche, and platform, and then simply doing the work.
Is there a business around your passion? Perhaps. And perhaps now is the time to think about doing something about it.
Jay will be telling this story in detail with a keynote presentation CEX on May 2nd in Cleveland. If you can, I hope you can make it to see this speech.
In Love with Hadestown
Two weeks ago, I saw the musical Hadestown.
Going in I had no expectations. I knew absolutely nothing about the plot or the songs.
Well, it was a true experience unlike most others.
The last time I felt this way about a musical was seeing In the Heights from Lin-Manuel Miranda (his musical before he created Hamilton).
It’s not often that a musical keeps me engrossed from beginning to end. This one did.
Hadestown is a version of the Greek myth including Orpheus and Eurydice…a love story reimagined by the incredibly talented Anaïs Mitchell.
Now get this…let’s talk about patience.
The original version of Hadestown was performed in Vermont in 2006.
The concept album came out in 2010.
Mitchell reworked the musical in 2012 and took four years preparing it for an off-Broadway performance in 2016.
The show premiered on Broadway in 2019.
That’s 13 years folks.
Hadestown won Best Musical in 2019, along with seven other Tony Awards.
I’ve said it a million times…the most important virtue for a content creator is patience.
I am in awe of what Mitchell accomplished.
Who’s Your Favorite Creator?
I’m looking for content entrepreneurs who deserve more recognition. Do you know any?
If so, please nominate a content creator here.
Finalists will be honored at CEX in May. Thanks for your help.
Here Comes the Middle Class
Rolling Stone put out an interesting article on the rise of middle-class of content creators. What’s the “middle-class of content creators” you say?
This basically means everyone outside of the MrBeasts of the world. Regular business owners trying to make their way with a content-first approach.
I like this line from the article:
“Not every creator is poised to build a billion-dollar burger franchise, but despite the economic backdrop, creators who succeed at building a niche audience are better positioned than ever to monetize their online relationships both on and off the platforms.”
In my opinion, this group of people will have the most opportunities for financial success in the next decade. Once you build an audience, you can generate revenue in many different ways. And for a long time.
Shhhh….
Don’t say it too loud, but my favorite digital currency (Bitcoin) is up 50 percent this year (as I write this).
Actually, someone asked me the other day my thoughts on “crypto” in general. To me, there is Bitcoin and Ethereum. Those are the only two I’m interested in right now. If I miss out on other opportunities because of this focus, so be it.
And this is not financial advice of any kind.