#FtheHUSTLE ~ 084 – If You Have to Force It

Earlier this week I sent an email about a well-known writer/creator who wrote something on Medium that felt like he wasn’t even trying (an article that had nothing to do with his business or the type of content he created to grow his audience).

This resonated with a lot of you.

Here was one of my favorite responses (I appreciate all who responded) – and thanks Alex, I laughed out loud 🤣:

The need (argument?) to constantly be creating can ruin the creation.

Not to mention robbing us of the actual pleasure and joy that comes from doing good work.

It would be great if everything we published hit right out of the gate, but that’s not going to happen. And obviously, the more you create the better you become at creating.

Because we live in a “creator economy” that is based on engagement and algorithms, it’s easy to get caught up in finding a way to “game the system” so-to-speak.

The article I shared is a perfect example of when it’s time to take a step back and assess things.

First, are you creating with your values in mind?

Not creating for the sake of “providing value” – but what are YOUR values? What type of business are you growing? How do you want to be thought of?

Second, who does this serve?

Not everything you create needs to “provide value” for your audience (which may seem contrary to my first point).

It can be of value to YOU.

Are you being called to create? Sometimes that opens doors that you never saw in the first place.

We don’t talk enough about doing things that “feel right”… and we should.

The article I was referring to felt like the author was saying “people will read anything I write… watch this.”

My guess is I’m not the only person unsubscribing from his content and newsletters (his content has felt forced for a while).

It’s O.K. to step back, take a break, and regroup.

You’re the only one that knows if you need a break or if you’re procrastinating.

Let things percolate…

Shift gears for a hot minute and have some fun.

You’ll be surprised at what shows up when you allow for a little space to get the juices flowing again!

A Little Brainpower 🧠

Speaking of values, Blake Emal shared this quick video on Twitter. It’s a short 7-minutes from Steve Jobs on marketing. So worth watching. Watch the 7-minute masterclass on marketing here.​

Related: The Crazy Ones​

You know how I feel about email marketing and newsletters (#love). If you’re looking for some growth strategies, here are 33 tips on growing by Jose Rosado.

Related: Adding 4k subscribers in 9-weeks 

Tool Time  🛠

• Subscriptions: I grabbed this immediately (a free account or $19 a year for the paid acct.). Track & manage all your subscriptions in one place. Check out Subly here.
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• Audio & Video editor: This is version 2.0 of this tool. Now you can edit audio & video in your browser. Check out TypeStudio.co here.
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• Content Creation: I haven’t tried this (yet), but it looks pretty powerful and there’s a free account too! Try Narrato.io here.
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• Doodles/Sketchnoting: Not really a tool, but a great collection of resources! Checkout out 50+ Awesome Resources for Visual Notes, Graphic Recordings, & Sketchnotes here.

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A Couple New Finds 🧐

Created by my friend, Nathan Rodgers: Get a 5-minute breakdown every Saturday morning on a client-getting strategy, straight to your inbox! Sign up for “Client Getting” here.​

I’ve signed up for this August cohort now that I’m incorporating more doodles & visuals. Does anyone want to doodle along with me? Check out Pencil Pirates here.

All You Need is Love 🥰

Next week I’ll be kicking off my first Email Marketing cohort challenge! It’s a 30-day challenge with weekly live training to get you sending those emails!

I hope your summer is off to a great start. We’ve had a lot of rain lately and it was nice to see some sunshine today.

Have a fantastic day my friends,
Kim