What I believe
Here are the 18 beliefs I hold that led me to create The Channel. They're organized into two domains, Business and Creativity, because The Channel is meant for those who want to ride the edge between those two Worlds.
The State of Business
These beliefs outline my current assessment of the coaching, expert and thought leadership industry. We're in a Golden Age of Creativity, which overlaps beautifully with the world of business. It's a New Game. Same as the Old Game, only the rules have changed.
The new game
L01
We are living in the Age of Authenticity.
AI tools have burst onto the scene. We're in the early days of the Golden Age of Creativity. Capabilities that people only dreamed of are instantly accessible. With these tools comes the new dark art of Reality Bending: convincing others that AI output is reality. Fakery, lies, deception, and manipulation are going into overdrive. The lines are blurred. People feel the treachery. And in this moment the scarce thing is now a meaningful source of Truth & Wisdom. This is the Age of Authenticity.
L02
Trustability is the new Deliverability.
For years, email marketers preached Deliverability. If your email doesn't get delivered, it doesn't matter how good the copy is. In the age of AI, people now mentally filter suspected AI content in a similar way. It doesn't matter how good your AI output is, if someone suspects it's AI-generated, it shatters trust. Once that happens, they start to disregard all your output. Especially discerning buyers. Therefore the smart play is to over-optimize for Trust. Trustability is the new Deliverability.
L03
The world will belong to Business Artists.
With the ability to create anything instantly, replication and reproduction of other people's work is more possible than ever. What will stand out now are products and services created by Business Artists. Those who create and ship Soul-Driven Work, with Products and Worldbuilding that deeply resonate with that Business Artist's True Tribe. Business Artists will win by leading with their Vision, Perspective, and Calling.
The money is still in the list.
L04
Email is still the primary money maker.
In every expert and coaching business I've operated in, email is the biggest driver of revenue. If it's not, it becomes so once the founder leans into it properly. This was true then, it is true now, and it will be true tomorrow. Attention is gathered on social. Buyers and clients buy from email.
L05
People read emails. They buy from campaigns.
The point of every email is sending something worth reading. Individual emails alone though don't convert people. Campaigns are what lead people to buy. Outstanding results come from shipping offers with campaigns that lead buyers to a decision.
L06
The best campaigns merge Art + Business.
When emails and writing only focus on selling and offers, it burns out attention. The value of a list is in the long-term relationship building. This is why the biggest, sustainable results come from merging the founder's Art + Business for superior results. This is Creative Motherf*ckery, and it's the magic overlap between the two: where the founder's Artistic Expression meets Commercial Production. Those who master this domain are untouchable in their space.
The founder is the source
L07
Founders are The Source of inspirational energy.
In every business, The Message is what converts. The founder is the ultimate source and guardian of The Message. They are the true source of Vision, ideas and inspiration. Most marketing efforts distort, dilute and defer the potency of the message. The Signal is strongest and most potent when it comes unfiltered, straight from The Source. This is what's most influential.
L08
Thought leadership is leading others with your thoughts.
The most influential Founders are thought leaders who openly and directly share their Perspective and Vision with others. They don't filter it through other people. And they share it in a way where others can observe and relate to how the founder sees the world, based on their wisdom and experience. No machine or writer can replicate this. They can imitate, but never replicate.
L09
Machines amplify the creative act. They should never replace it.
AI tools are incredibly powerful. Their best use is helping you create your most influential and impactful work and products. They're meant to amplify creative forces by minimizing the friction and Resistance that get in your way. AI should help you think faster, edit sharper, and ship sooner. The moment you hand over control of the creative process, or get it to speak on your behalf, you trade away your strongest asset.
The Laws of Creativity
I'm an engineer at heart and by training. I believe there are scientific laws that govern physics as well as creativity. And these laws shape how Founders can ship and win in the New State of Business.
The laws of generation
L10
Ideas are Energy.
Every idea has a unique charge for each individual. No two ideas inspire the same person in the same way. Each idea is a starting point, meant to put someone in motion. In a Founder-led business, everything is downstream of the momentum and energy of the Founder, and how they show up. A founder flush with high-energy ideas is one operating on a charged battery, and that inspires others to action.
L11
Your biggest ideas emerge through Flow.
The biggest and most inspirational ideas arrive as a download from The Frequency (the Muse, the Universe, God) when you are in Flow, writing and channeling. They don't always come out in the right order. But the right ideas always emerge when you sit down to engage The Work.
L12
Quantity leads to Quality.
Trying to come up with a great idea or product is impossible. Like hit songs, the winners can never be masterminded. They are revealed through a Quantity of work. Prolific Motherf*ckers who master this reality are untouchable. They understand they must generate an abundance of ideas, curate the best ones forward, and let the market/audience decide which ones are the greatest hits.
The laws of thermodynamics
L13
Ideas have a half-life.
Energizing ideas contain a charge for a moment. Their inspirational energy is meant as a starting point. If it's not acted upon, the energy moves on. This is why 6-month content planning spreadsheets don't inspire anyone: not you, and not the market. Freshness of insight and timely relevance is the lightning we aim to bottle.
L14
Copy is stored energy.
Words are power. And it's possible to retain that power across time if you capture the energy at the moment it's felt. When you write something in the moment it's felt, that energy signature persists across time. This becomes an asset. But only if the energy is captured in the moment it's felt in.
L15
Resonance is when energy is transferred.
Inspiration is when an idea strikes you and moves you. Resonance is when you articulate that idea and it moves others. This Resonance effect only happens when you share from your Natural Frequency after something (big or small) truly impacts you. When you share from this moment, it causes others with the same Natural Frequency to Resonate with your writing.
The laws of motion
L16
A founder in motion stays in motion.
Creative Inertia is a real thing. A founder in motion stays in motion. And the #1 goal of every creative founder is to stay in momentum. It makes everything easier, naturally attracting new ideas, clients, and opportunities in unexplainable ways.
L17
Friction is the enemy of Flow.
Founders are naturally creative. They are drawn to The Work. Yet, The Resistance is real. Battling it is futile. The smart Creator thinks like an engineer and identifies the underlying Friction associated with every Resistance point, then works to remove it. This is the key to Flow.
L18
Systems should serve and channel the chaos, not tame it.
Creative Founders are by definition Chaotic. They benefit from having an assistant and sidekick that's an “Orderly Manager” to fix the mess. The danger is when these Orderly Managers design systems that creep and ultimately constrain and tame the chaos. This is backwards. Systems should serve and channel the founder's chaotic brilliance. Taming it is foolish.
Essays
For deeper exploration of the ideas behind all of this.
E1
Art ♥ Biz
Why now is the time to merge art and business, and lean
into authentic expression. The uncut version, with more heat.
E2
Friction Is The Enemy
Coming soon
The physics of shipping: becoming prolific, net force, the
Dynamics of Creativity model, and before-during-after.
E3
Straight From The Source
In the drawer
E4
The Work
In the drawer
E5
On Becoming Prolific
In the drawer