This blog post is just a collection of recent things that I feel were of note. They might be physical products, articles, or even a new way of thinking that I'm interested in.
The only requirement to make this list is if any of the following statements are true:
- Did it have some impact on my life?
- Did it have some impact on my business?
- Did it make me happy or even just grab my interest?
I will say, in advance, that this list is subjective to my own personality, needs and interests. Some things might be deep and powerful while others might be insanely basic like "what shows I'm enjoying".
Things to Keep in Mind When Reading My "Stuff" Lists
I'm an entrepreneur who is hyper fixated on what I do. I over analyze nearly everything in my business and life, which is a gift (I can share insights others miss) and a curse (I can share insights that no one cares about or are unnecessarily deep for the topic).
Things I use and recommend here are also just things that I subjectively enjoy. They aren't perfect for everyone. I try my best to keep the average reader in mind and stay in touch with you the people that make this all possible. I want to help you all have a life that is as enjoyable, interesting, productive, and fulfilling as possible. Just like the life that I'm trying to have.
So, even though I do my best to ensure I'm not sharing any blatantly bad or dangerous advice, keep in mind that I am writing all this from my own opinions, and just because I mention something, assume that I am not an expert in that topic. That isn't the point of this list.
The things I write here are also NEVER to be construed as professional health advice. Like I said before, I'm just an average guy who is sharing things I find interesting. Do not consider anything I say in here as professional or medical advice.
Please do keep me honest and roast me in the comments if you think I've shared something idiotic here or step too far outside of my areas of expertise!
#1 [Software] AI Doodles
Folks, let's talk about SketchWow. It's my go-to software for creating doodle style graphics for my content. Almost every blog post on this site has at least one graphic I made with SketchWow.
Yes, I know I've been raving about it for a couple of years now and you might have already heard me recommend it. Heck, I just found out I'm on the sales page!
But, it has gotten even better recently!
They just added an AI feature that allows you to automatically generate graphics from prompts. Like this flowchart explaining the Dunning-Kruger effect.
Now, it's still very early in beta, so don't expect it to move mountains just yet. The cool part is that we can use AI to start the doodle and we can then tweak it in the editor.
It runs very well for established concepts like the example above of the Dunning Kruger effect. However, it isn't quite as capable for less common concepts.
Tip: Don't Pay Monthly for SketchWow!
If you just type in SketchWow.com, you'll see an option for $39/month or $69/month. Do not pay that!
You can get SketchWow for a one time payment of $49, that gives you lifetime access. Just google "SketchWow" and click on the ad that should appear at the top.
Act fast! Sketchwow is getting more popular every day and this monthly billing could become the only option soon.
Oh, and I should also mention that I'm not an affiliate for SketchWow or compensated for endorsing them. It's just a critical part of my workflow and I want you to enjoy it as well.
I recorded a video demoing SketchWow here if you're interested in checking that out.
#2 [Concept] Price/Benefits Matrix
This graphic was, of course, made with SketchWow 🙂
The green regions show pricing options that are ideal.
- Provide more of something but charge more
- Provide more of something but charge the same
- Provide more of something but charge less
- Provide the same amount of something but charge less
- Provide less of something but charge much less
The other areas in red and yellow are not conducive to success.
When you analyze it, much of it feels like common sense. For example, you can't expect to give fewer benefits, yet charge more and then expect the business model to succeed. That being said, I love this matrix because it really showcases what proper pricing looks like.
I've written at much greater lengths about pricing your offers correctly here.
#3 [Method] I’m Doing This to React Less Online
Whenever I encounter a troll online It reminds me of this clip from the TV show "What We Do In the Shadows", a comedy about a group of Vampires.
Here is the clip. The next time you see a troll, just imagine it's this vampire trying to eat your "energy".
#4 [Productivity] Phone Charger Challenge
This isn't a ground breaking, original concept, but I love the idea of moving your phone charger out of your bedroom at night. I can't tell you how many times I've wasted precious sleep time mindlessly scrolling through my phone.
The creator of the concept writes about it at length here.
#5 [Software] BuzzStream for Link Building at Scale
Although Google claims they have reduced the impact backlinks have on page rankings, it's obvious they're still very important.
I've focused a great deal of energy lately on systematizing my link outreach and the tool that I've landed on to clean everything up is called BuzzStream.
#6 [Concept] Promise Pricing
This is a bold method that is not for the faint of heart. It's extremely straightforward but works like gangbusters.
It goes something like this, "You will get (x result) or you don't pay."
That's it. You put your money where your mouth is. This is an absolutely brilliant method and benefits both the buyer and seller.
The seller gets dramatically increased conversion rates and the buyer gets the benefit of guaranteed results.
Want to spice it up even more?
"You will get (x result) or you don't pay AND we will pay you (x amount of money) for wasting your time."
We do this on all of our courses and it absolutely boosts conversion rates.
You might be wondering, "What if people just buy to get the bonus! I'll go broke!"
Yes, a small handful of folks will do this, but people are generally ethical and if your product is good, you should be fine.
Our experience has been that maybe 1 or 2 people seemed to game the system just for the bonus refund but the boosted conversion rates more than make up for that.
Also, most people who have asked for refunds end up declining the additional payment when we offer it. People are really cool, believe it or not, and anyone who had to refund because of reasons beyond the quality of the program more often than not says something like, "I realized the program isn't a good fit for me right now, it's clearly really great though. Just do the refund, I don't need the bonus."
Not making that up either. We get that email at least a handful of times each launch.
Another variation,
"You don't pay until you get (x result)."
Do you have the guts to do this? If so, go for it. It works.
#7 [Mental Model] Track, Review, Kill or Redo
Combining two of my favorite quotes gets this fun little concept flow diagram. This is how I go about my testing and modifying process for everything to do with my business.
#8 [Tip] The Problem with Sean Kelly
I love doing podcasts and speaking at events. Although I only do ones that I'm invited to (I don't pay to play), there is enough value in the exposure that it could be profitable to pay to be on a popular show. I know several people whose businesses exploded after appearing on quality, popular shows like "Smart Passive Income" or "Entrepreneur on Fire".
So, when I got this message, I was interested.
I appreciated that Amy didn't pretend to be Sean (a common "cold call" tactic that rubs me the wrong way). She sent me a form to fill out, and I did...but the last question kept me from submitting.
Bruh... LEAD WITH THE $7500 FEE!
I've always said though that spending is relative. I'll pay you $1,000,000 (if I could) if you are able to turn it into a $100,000 profit for me quickly (all things being equal).
So, after laughing internally, I did a little research. I thought to myself "Hey, maybe there is an ROI potential here."
What I found made me even more mad. This guy is clearly, at best, over-inflating his value.
Look, he's not the first person to buy followers, but he is in an elite club of people who use that bot following as leverage to overcharge people.
Sorry man, if I want to talk to bots, I'll stick to doing it on my $20/month ChatGPT account.
The lesson here is to do your research. Use a tool like SocialBlade.com to vet the followings of people who charge for appearances.
#9 [Software] Why I'm Switching to CapCut
I've been a Screenflow user for years. It fits the style of videos I create, which are mostly screenshare tutorial type videos.
However, I couldn't resist the siren's call of CapCut. I always thought it was just a fun little tool for TikTokers with lots of templates and cool (but often corny) animations.
It's much, much more than that. Especially when you leverage the CapCut desktop app and a pro account (although the free version is by far the best free video editor I've ever used).
The only drawback to it is that it doesn't support screen recordings, so I'll continue to use Screenflow for that.
#10 [Health] The World's Greatest Nutrition Method
Disclaimer: I am not a Doctor, always consult a doctor before making any health related decisions.
There are thousands of diets, and most of them work in one way or another. However, there is one universal approach that I think every person should do regardless of the diet.
Track their calories meticulously in an app like MyFitnessPal for 30 days.
Although it's a nightmare (and not my recommended long term solution) tracking calories for just 30 days will provide some amazing insights into how much we're eating. These insights will then pay dividends forever since they'll boost your general mindfulness in terms of portion control, timing and more.
Studies show that tracking calories objectively works as well.
I write at length about this over on Medium. Click here to read it.
#11 [Software] Create Stunning Animations of the World with Google Earth Studio
Have you ever wondered how YouTubers create those awesome videos showing overhead views of places? Did you assume, like I did, that they were just brilliant and probably had access to a drone?
Well many of them are using Google Earth Studio. It's UNREAL!
Check it out here and watch the video below for a really cool demo.
#12 [Concept] Learning from People Who Get More with Less
If my favorite YouTuber, Mr. Ballen, published a video today and it got only 55,000 views, it would be mind boggling.
A real “time to panic,” moment.
But if someone’s first video gets 55k (legitimate, not purchased) views in just 4 days, that’s something we need to pay attention to.
As much as I love Mr. Ballen, and emulating him is great, there are lessons that he can’t teach me. Like “how do I go viral on my first video.”
He made hundreds of long form videos and only after a really long grind, his channel took off.
This guy however, is the type of outlier that I get excited about.
This is NOT normal. Anyone who has ever made a YouTube channel knows this.
His first and only video appeared on my YouTube timeline, and my goodness, it’s an outlier.
It’s under 5 minutes long and has already led to 1.67k subscribers to the channel since it was published.
Wow.
The lesson here isn't about growing on YouTube (although studying what Oracle did is something we can learn from). The lesson is that we can gain tremendous insights into what works not just by the outliers who have seen results at scale, but also from people who are lesser known but hit home runs.
In many ways, the insights from these lesser seasoned people are more valuable if you're also brand new. If they can do it, maybe you can to? It's worth looking deeply into these sorts of folks. I go out of my way to try and find outliers like this to learn from.
#13 [Gadget] ULANZI Crab Pod Mount
This is one of the most versatile camera gadgets I've bought in awhile, and I've bought a lot!
It works as a tripod, selfie stick and can be mounted to any other 1/4" thread mounts do cool things like get overhead shots.
#14 How to Get Your Customers to Think You Care About Them
Come closer...closer...here's the secret.
....
....
...
Actually care about them.
That’s the "secret".
Even if it’s not rooted in altruism, genuinely caring about your customers is the best way to build a thriving business.
These are people who are supporting and trusting you. Caring for them should come quite easily when you really understand that they are the driving force that helps you live the life you want.
If you are finding it impossible to care for your customers, ask yourself the following questions…
#1 Do I feel like I’m truly helping them? If you aren’t, you might be quietly insecure and distancing yourself from them. You can’t care about them because you started the relationship without their best interest in mind.
#2 Do you feel the offer isn’t a fair exchange? Did you undercharge and over deliver? This can cause resentment. You might feel like you don’t need to go the extra mile for a customer because you already over delivered in the offer. This will come off as cold and uncaring. Raise your prices or change your offer. You owe it to yourself, your customer and your brand image.
#3 Do you dislike the product or offer? I've seen (and experienced first hand) the conundrum of having something that makes money but you've lose interest in. For this, you have three realistic options.
- You can move on to something else (not always feasible).
- You can bring someone on board who is passionate about it and let them take over.
- You can try to reignite your interest (also not always possible).
Caring is a true growth hack. Find a way to make it happen.