How To Go From 0 to 1
Article From Sunday Doughnuts 🍩
Topic of Today: 👉 Breaking through the first phase of a business start up. Otherwise known as going from zero to one
So you have a great idea... You can't control the wild thoughts as you go down the rabbit hole in your mind deeper and deeper.
You're already thinking of the ad campaign, the logos posted everywhere that the world can see. You have the script to the commercial in your head and the title of the book that you'll write. You’re even rehearsing your TED Talk. It's absolutely genius! And you wonder how it can be that you're the first to think of something as amazing as this...
The funny thing is, thats not too far off from the truth for a lot of us. The idea pops in our head and the flood gates of future thoughts open. But the harsh reality is that regardless of how incredible the idea might be and how much the world might need it, we all still have to go from zero to one (great book by the way)
As a visionary, that's not an easy thing to do. We like to live with our heads in the clouds thinking BIG and doing BIG things with our BIG ideas. But too much visionary isn't what you want nor is it what you NEED in order to be successful with the ideas you have (BIG or small). I write more about that HERE.
What then, are we suppose to do?
➡️ We start with the MVP. The Minimum Viable Product.
In a few different businesses, I'm in the MVP stage right now. Just trying to go from zero to one. In other businesses, we're past that. Maybe at 2 or even three (not sure what the scale is out of, but definitely more than 10).
This is what the 2 or 3 looks like HERE.
It's our latest storage investment. It was a heavy lift to take down, but it's ours now and were in the grind working to change over ownership, field management, build new units on the site and make sure we are adding as much value as possible to increase our NOI (net operating income). We still have a ton of work ahead of us, but we're past the zero to one phase on that facility.
Truthfully, that's the toughest part. Ideas are a dime a dozen. ACTION is what matters. But we get sucked in by the Sirens keeping us day dreaming about all the cool things we could do in phase 35 or 49 or even phase 63 of the process. But if we remember anything from Greek Mythology, the Sirens were by the rocks and lured sailers in to their demise.
DREAM BIG…
But start small.
At least at first. Don't STAY small. Just figure out what your first step is. Then your next. Then the next one after that. You don't have to see the entire staircase to walk up the stairs. Just the step in front of you.
Inspired by being deeply in the MVP grind, this weeks content dump goes right along with that theme
1️⃣ Alex Mathers simplifies the battle of just getting going as he describes his process of writing. First thing everyday he writes 500 words. Most of the time its not pretty. it's not a masterpiece, it's not even really worthy of anyone else reading it... But its all part of the process and putting deposits in the bank of skill development. MVPs don't have to be sexy. They exist to take us off the ground. THEN we can do all the fancy things we want to do after that.
There’s no pressure here, except to get the words down and to mark it down somewhere that you’ve done it. When you write in this spirit of ‘I am not fussed about what comes up and whether what I write makes any sense,’ you might surprise yourself. You’re loose and relaxed. This is where the ideas come.
2️⃣ Quake Books sends out the best freaking newsletter. Seriously. I'm a non fiction book nerd, so I know not everyone will feel the same way, but still. it's awesome. It's literally just a non fiction book and review each week. The simplicity of this newsletter is perfect. No need for anything else. It's not lengthy, its straight to the point, no fluff... exactly what I want. I open this the second it comes in because I know that I will always have the time to read it. Heres an example of a newsletter I received. Will this newsletter stay as simple as this? Or will it transform into something more like Alex and Books. Who's to say. But right now, it's brilliant. Well done.
3️⃣ Paco with The Nerdletter is definitely past the MVP stage, but is an expert in simplicity. She has built an incredible ecosystem showcasing all the value she provides. A kick ass newsletter simplifying some complicated financial topics, a successful bookkeeping business, TED speaker, Podcast host, published author... What can't she do??
What I love most about her content is that it's super helpful and valuable ALL the way through. She creates all the artwork herself in order to further break down the topic she covers. It's nearly impossible to stop reading her articles. Try it, I dare you.
4️⃣ Air Bud - 90s throwback for ya'll here. Now if you haven't watched this, either you're lying, or you need to stop what you're doing right now and flip on Disney+ and watch it right meow. In this particular clip, the new coach to the basketball team, Arthur Chaney, played by Bill Cobbs comes in and addresses his team for the first time.
Watch this clip then read through the transcript.
Arthur Chaney: You see this ball?
Larry: I don't see nothin
Arthur Chaney: I do. It's a good ball. Regulation weight, size, little worn but it still has a nice bounce to it
(Passes the imaginary basketball) Well. Don't hang on to it, Josh, pass it on.
(Josh passes the imaginary ball to Tom)
Arthur Chaney: Nice catch.
(Tom passes the imaginary ball to Larry but he didn't budge)
Arthur Chaney: Uh-oh. Fumble.
Larry: This is stupid. Let's get a real ball in here.
Arthur Chaney: A ball is nothing but rubber and air, Larry. Basketball...(Pulls out the basketball) is what you do with it. Before you play with this, you gotta learn how to play with your teammates.
👆 THIS is a visual representation of a MVP. Not everyone will get it. But build the foundation before you throw in too many variables. And when the ball is actually in play, you’ll know exactly what to do.
5️⃣ Bear Blog - The simplicity of this is outstanding... it's actually more than that. It's beautiful. I have spent far too much time and money to build out sites using other hosts in an effort to put together just the bare necessities for my blog. I wanted a central hub to post ALL of my writing, my projects, my newsletters and my story. A place that I could edit myself within seconds and customize the content with ease, whenever and wherever.
Bear Blog has hit the ball out of the park. It is EXACTLY what I was looking for. Using Markdown as a way to add in different features to each post, I get the feeling of having complete control over my content without needing to know any kind of programming.
→ Side note, I am in the process of learning JS using Head First JavaScript Programming and it's SO fascinating!
Bear blog does it right.
6️⃣ Starting A Business Is Like Growing A Mustache - As both an avid business builder AND a multi-year member of "The Mustache Club" (It's like fight club, I can't talk about it) the comparison between growing a stache and building a business are uncanny. Start small, ignore the haters and stay mission focused.
Final Note:
I spent 2 hours yesterday putting an article together for my other newsletter. I got to a good stopping point and was able to relax for a bit with my wife on the couch while our girls were still napping (yes, they both still nap and we need EVERY second of that time).
I told her all the things I did with the article and how my article flow is really coming together. She looked at me for a moment then asked "How many people are you even writing to right now?"
She wasn't being mean, she's my realist. My head is in the clouds and her feet are on the ground. I need that.
My response: Well, no one yet... but I love to write and feel that I have value to provide.
I wish I could tell you how this story ends. I wish this was one of those underdog stories of going from 0-1M subscribers and leaving my W2, making a killing from all my businesses and my newsletter and social media influence... but we're not there yet. We're in the trenches fighting the good fight.
Buckle up, my friend. We're gonna figure this out together. 💪🏻
See you next week! And remember, stay in the fight.
Kevin