My goal is to help you become what I call a “full-stack” creator – but what does that mean?
The term “full-stack” comes from software engineering, i.e. coders. It means that an engineer can work on a range of programming languages. They’re in very high demand because they are so versatile.
In the creator economy I think of it in a similar way. The full-stack creator is someone who understands content publishing, marketing distribution, product development, team building, and much more.
The full-stack creator understands each level of her or his business. It means nothing can slow you down 🚀
The most important principle of the full-stack Creator is that simplicity rules… especially early in your journey.
This is important. Too many early-stage creators weigh themselves down with lots of apps, services, strategies, funnels, and unrealistic expectations.
If I can impart one piece of wisdom for you, it is simply to keep it simple. There, I’ve said it three times for effect.
First Principles of the Creator
👑 Content is King & Queen: the best practice you can have is one that creates content. It sounds simple and obvious, but many creators spend their time on everything except making more of what their audience wants – be that videos, podcasts, or newsletters.
🚢 Shipping (publishing) is Distribution: you need to share what you’ve created to build an audience and understand what works. Kick perfectionism aside (as terrifying as that is) and start publishing what you created on a public platform.
🤖 Tech is Our Friend: there is an ocean of options available for creators to publish and monetize their work – and that’s great for us! What we need to guard against is the getting overwhelmed by trying too many options and/or making those options too complicated.
💰 Selling is Sharing: this is a big one for many people, myself included! Selling can be seen as pushy or greedy, but what if you switched your mindset to sharing your expertise? You have an obligation to do that – and yes there is a price on products and services, but we’ll cover that in future essays.
I have so many other principles and mental models to share with you in the coming days and weeks, but these are the fundamentals. When you’re stuck, frustrated, or trying to figure out what’s next, remember these four principles to get back on track.