Hey Reader!
I spent last week in Boise, where I attended Craft + Commerce, a conference that I helped launch back in 2017 with ConvertKit. It was incredible to return, this time as a workshop leader, surrounded by brilliant creators and founders. I’ll share a few personal takeaways at the end of this email.
First, a mini-essay on falling in love with the problems. Solving problems is at the core of being a CEO or leader. Learning to love problems is one of the core mindset shifts required to stay in the game long term.
Fall In Love With the Problems
In a coaching session with a founder earlier this week, we explored what it would mean to take on a new role as CEO of an existing company. This is a relatively common situation in my work — experienced founders often get tapped to join an existing company in need of new leadership.
But something about the situation was holding them back — it felt dangerous, scary, potentially even threatening to their career.
Any time I hear fear from a founder, I get curious. What’s going on there? What about this situation is threatening their sense of safety and confidence?
So we dug in.
The problems they will face in the new role feel big and emotionally heavy. They aren’t sure what the right answers are to those problems. Staying in their existing role feels safer. They can do work they know how to do, free from the weight of being the ultimate decision-maker.
I get it — I face the same kinds of fears whenever I’m at the precipice of something huge in my life or career. It’s also true that facing these kinds of problems is exactly what’s required to grow as a person and leader.
Putting in reps on real situations with real consequences allows us to build earned expertise relative to our theoretical potential.
The problems we’re most scared of facing represent the greatest possible growth as leaders (and for our businesses).
There is no role that leads to growth that is comfortable. There is no leadership position that will allow you to avoid making hard choices. There is no personal growth as a leader without actually wading through the shit that is facing and overcoming problems every single day.
This is true if you’re:
- Starting a company
- Taking a role as CEO
- Taking on a new executive role
- Deciding whether to grow your team or keep it the same size
- Deciding whether to raise money or bootstrap
- Launching a new product or line of products
- Growing revenue or staying flat
The act of leading is the act of solving problems. It is the maturity to know that no matter what you do you will always wake up to a new set of challenges. This is a feature not a bug. The very thing that makes being a founder hard is the same thing that makes it fun and worthwhile.
If you don’t want problems, don’t take on a leadership role. And certainly don’t be a founder. You have to find a way to create, maintain, and return to a peaceful inner state in the face of all that you will face in order to stay in the game long enough to win.
Fall in love with the problems. They’re the whole job when you’re in charge.
Five Takeaways from Craft + Commerce
It was fun to be at a conference where I both had plenty to contribute as a speaker (the role I’m used to) and where I had a lot to gain. Up until this past year, I didn’t have my own business to apply learnings to. Now I do.
I always enjoy seeing what my favorite thinkers, artists, entrepreneurs, and creators are thinking about and learning. If that’s you, too, then here are five things I learned at Craft + Commerce that I’ll be applying to my business.
Here’s what I learned that might spark a new thought for your business too:
- Focus on World-Class Creators: World-class creators doing $1M+ are my sweet spot. I’ve realized that startup founders rarely come to me, while talented creator-founders do. So, I’ll focus more on them moving forward.
- Tell People You Want to Work with Them: I committed to messaging every person I met at the conference who I’d like to work with. Sharing my admiration and interest has already started meaningful conversations with multiple potential clients.
- Avoid Unnecessary Objections: In a sales workshop (hosted by John Meese), I learned not to overwhelm potential clients with details they didn’t ask for. Now, I leave room for their questions and only provide information they seek. It’s already made a difference.
- Build a Group Coaching Program: Many creators doing $200k-500k in revenue aren’t ready for 1:1 coaching but could benefit from group coaching. This will help them grow and prepare for more intensive coaching later.
- Differentiate Podcast and Newsletter Audiences: My podcast caters to a broader audience focused on meaningful careers, while this newsletter targets founders and creators. I’ll tailor my content to better serve these distinct groups going forward.
I kept it to the point this week with original writing based on personal experiences and coaching sessions. I hope you enjoy it!
Much love and respect,
PS: If you didn’t catch the podcast this week, it was a really awesome deep dive into the mind and life of a founder working to transform manufacturing to make it more efficient, enjoyable, and productive. Listen here.
PPS: This is the last newsletter before my summer break. I’ll be taking the next two weeks off of writing, so you’ll hear from me again on Tuesday for the podcast and then not until after the 4th of July holiday here in the US.