How to Productize Yourself
Naval’s advice applied to creators
Hi, I’m Michael. And this is Crypto Creatives. The best newsletter about the Crypto Creator Economy. If you’re new here, consider subscribing. 1-2 free emails a week.
Follow Your Intuition
The world is changing fast. And the only way to stay up to date is to be on the ground floor every day.
That means you have to be the one doing it. Not anyone else. Their advice won’t necessarily apply to you.
Which doesn’t mean disregard everyone else’s thoughts completely. There’s always some value. But you need to make up your mind for yourself.
There is no formula, shortcuts, or secrets. It’s all one big RPG. And everyone’s path is different.
Be the Best at What You Do
The Internet is huge. Billions and billions of people. And more people come online every single day. Whatever strange obsession you’re passionate about can become your calling in life.
A great example is Hardcore History by Dan Carlin. His podcast episodes about obscure historical topics go on for hours at a time. And the generation notorious for having a “short attention” span eats it up.
There are more opportunities than ever before. The hard part is figuring out what those opportunities are.
And the only way to figure that out is by constantly redefining what you do.
Whenever we start a new project or pick up another side hustle, we get a gut feeling. Could I become the best in the world at this? If the answer is no, then it’s time to reinvent the craft or drop it completely.
Reinvent the Craft
Every niche, platform, and format has ways it can be improved. And one of the best ways to improve it can be to zoom in.
Lex Fridman’s podcast is the perfect example. He saw Joe Rogan blowing up. But realized there was room for something else. Lex copied the Joe Rogan format but zoomed in to academics and tech professionals. And today, it’s one of the most popular podcasts in the world.
You don’t need to be a creative genius. You just need a format that works and a niche that needs you.
And if you find yourself stumped at reinventing the craft, just drop it. Your life is limited. There is absolutely no shame in dropping something that isn’t “it” for you.
Productize Yourself
Once you’ve become the best in the world, life is on easy mode. Not only will you have fulfilling work but you’ll have absolute autonomy over your working conditions. Not to mention owning the product of your labor.
At this point, it’s hard not to make money. The easiest way to monetize is advertising. But there’s always something sleazy about that. It’s much better to turn your skills into a product.
The best way to start is by offering coaching. Teach people to do what you do.
It’s easy to start and in most cases, you can find clients quickly. The only downside is that this doesn’t scale. Instead, you wanna do this.
Courses
The Internet is great at a lot of things. But since most of the content is free, a lot of it sucks. I’m sure you’ve had questions that simply don’t get answered by whatever shows up on Google.
I’ve had countless topics that I wanted to understand in depth. But that article or video didn’t exist.
I know it’s common advice to sell a course these days. But it’s common because it works.
When you achieve mastery, you’ll inevitably have lots of thoughts and theories about your craft. A course is a place to put all of that knowledge. And make a little money from it.
You are literally turning years of practical experience into a product you can sell. And that’s one of the most powerful ways you can scale yourself.
You can get a list of the Best Web3 Creator Platforms. It’s good. It’s free. And you might find the platform that changes your life. Check it out :)