Time to focus, not freak out

I was listening to the news over the weekend and basically, every economic forecast was some version of "the sky is falling." Now, I have no idea what's actually gonna happen in the next 12 months (that's above my pay grade)...

But I wanted to share three reasons why I believe now is the best possible time to double down on your creator business.
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1) Brands haven't forgotten 2020

When Covid first hit, April and I were working on several sponsorships (~$40K total) and they just...ground to a halt.

Obviously, we were freaking out (as was everyone else in the world)... But after just a few weeks, we got an unexpected email from one of those brands.

"Can we shift this campaign to talk about the "New Normal?" See, brands quickly realized that they couldn't just...stop advertising. So instead of demanding ads that required full production shoots (which were impossible), they turned to creators, who could churn out amazing content from their bedrooms.

Fast-forward to today? Well...I guarantee you every major brand is knee-deep in risk mitigation.

And optimizing their production budgets by working with influencers is looking mighty attractive right about now.
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2) A 9-5 job is stable... until it's not

"You're giving up a six-figure job to be a YouTuber?"

I still remember the looks my friends & family gave me when I quit my job in medical devices 8 years ago to go full-time as a creator.

I mean, I kinda get it.

On the surface, traditional jobs seem nice and secure.

Steady paycheck! Health benefits! 401(k) matching!

So you put in extra hours to make your boss happy.

You reply to emails at night and on the weekends.

You're a model employee.

Your company is surely going to remember all that when things start getting rocky...right?

......Right?

In my view, the only way to ever truly protect yourself and your family financially is to be in control of your own destiny.

And all it takes to start controlling your own destiny is to grow your revenue streams from one...to more than one.
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3) Creators who can survive...will ultimately thrive

Airbnb. Uber. Pinterest. Venmo. Slack. Square.

What do you think all those companies have in common?

No, it's not that their stocks all went down last week lol.

It's that they were all started during the great recession of 2008-9.

My point is that this should not be a time to freak out.

This is a time for you to focus and identify opportunities that others might not.

Ask yourself:

• What revenue streams can I explore that could become meaningful for me in the next 6-12 months?

• Where am I making the most money right now as a creator?

• What would it take for me to 2x that in the next few months?

• Can I lock in any sponsors right now if I offer them preferred pricing on longer-term deals?

• What things should I stop doing right now that is not contributing to my revenue or audience growth?

With all that in mind, what are the 3 changes you're going to make or new strategies you're going to explore this week?

If there's one thing I've learned over the last few years coaching hundreds of creators, it's that often...

This crazy thing we all do on the Internet can feel pretty lonely.

So, faced with an uncertain year, I hope this post helps you feel a little less alone.

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