[Transcript starts at 0:40]
Hello, hello, hello, my podcast people and thank you for joining me for yet another episode of my favorite online business podcast. If you are tuning in, if you are watching, if you are listening on the day that it drops, it is Monday, October 12th and y'all, it is hot, it is hot. At the time I'm recording this, which is not the 12th, that's a week ahead, it's hot.
So hopefully you can't hear the fan. I have the fan on. I can't not have it on.
I got the window open. It's just one of them, not the one in front of me at least, but it's hot, it is hot. I will take this weather over the opposite, but if I get to have my choice, I'm choosing neither.
We got temps in the mid to high 90s, actually today's only supposed to be 91, so thank you, which is crazy for here. It's absolutely insane, mainly because no one has AC. It's just not a thing.
We live three miles from the water, no houses have AC and it is very, very hot. So every fan is bumping, just on all the time. And hopefully by the time that this actually comes out, this episode, the heat will have broken, fingers crossed, and thoughts and prayers.
But that's the first life update. Second life update before we get into the main topic, which is create something meaningful. We had family come stay with us for a week and it was a lot, but it was also the fucking best.
Lex's parents came Wednesday through Sunday and then my aunt and uncle came Monday through Wednesday and like I said before, anytime someone comes to visit, we're super grateful to have this space to host them and to have the work structure that we do that we can like take the time and spend with them. And we did a little bit of work during this. I did very little work, nothing that was client facing, some email, things like that, but it was really, really nice to have them here, just really, really good, all around great trips and get to show them the places.
And every time someone comes to visit, especially when your family comes to visit and you can really spend a lot of time with them and take them around and show them all the stuff here, you just, at least for me and for Lex, we're like extra grateful for where we live. We live where people vacation. That's awesome.
Right. It is objectively the best here, objectively. It's hot right now, but it's fine.
It'll pass. And I'd rather the hot than the cold. So if you're looking for a place to move, move here.
I'm not trying to gatekeep. I know a lot of places, people are like, oh, don't tell people about it. Come move here.
It is expensive. I don't like that, but you know, I'm honestly, the main reason I don't like that is because it feels like a barrier and like not everyone can live here and that feels, I definitely have feels about that. But it is a fucking amazing here and come check it out.
I'm in the South Bay, by the way. I'm just trying to, let me get myself situated in this chair in South Bay, Southern California. It is fucking amazing.
But today's main topic is actually a challenge that I have for you. Ready for this folks? Okay. Create something that matters.
All right. Create something meaningful. Can create something that you actually care about.
It is my hope and also my belief that we are going to see a change and a shift in the online landscape. All right. As much as we like to just pretend that online isn't real life because, you know, people will say we met up in real life and I'm like, online is real life.
It's just not in person, right? Online is very much real life and it affects and impacts real life. The things that happen and the way that things can spread online stuff absolutely affects in person life. My opinion is if you do social media right, then it mirrors your in person life.
But yes, oftentimes people create that facade because you can also do that. And they share the best of their life. They share one angle and I'm not judging people for doing that.
But it is not sustainable to do that. I will say that at the big age that I'm at, 41, I know I'm using social media for as long as I've used it. It's interesting.
It's interesting looking around. And honestly, it suddenly feels like everybody's younger than me and I'm like, where did everyone my age go? Everyone's like, and I'm not talking about they're like way younger, I'm like suddenly everyone stopped at like 34 and I'm like, where's everyone that's in their 40s? Weird. But more than anything, what that shows me, because I started out with a lot of people and I'm like, where the fuck are you? To me, that feels like proof that, you know, quote unquote victory can go to the folks who simply stick around the longest.
And I'm not saying that the folks who left are not happy or victorious in whatever they're doing. Just more so like highlighting the fact that the third, well, the herd will thin as time goes on, right? The top of the mountain is typically pretty empty, right? So as it relates to staying in the game, playing that long and actually being able to stay in, you know, I put some content out recently, I don't know, two About Guys episodes ago, I don't know, about what to do if you run out of things to say, right? You run out of things to talk about. And part of that discussion was identifying why you feel like you've run out of things to talk about.
Like, what is the reason? I feel like Cardi B, what is the reason? What was the reason? But I would just like to inject a little bit more nuance into that. And there's a chance that I actually said this in the episode, but I don't remember what I said because I don't be listening to it. What's done is done.
What's said is said. So I'm going to say it for this episode. But after that episode, I put a clip on Instagram from that episode.
I had some seasoned creators comment on the post, and one of them was my guy, Matt McInnes-Watson. He's the best. He's a Plyo guy.
Definitely give him a follow. But he was just like, you know, if I don't have something to say that day, I'm not going to force it. And he's like made this a thing because he was trying for a bit and he was just like, I don't have something that I feel like, you know, passionate about saying, I'm not going to say it.
And I think that that is absolutely the right approach. Once you're established, right? Once you've been doing this thing and you know you can make content, then yeah, leaning into that can make sense. But if you're on the other side of that, you're a beginner, you're newer, or you're just trying to rebuild and reestablish the habit, then volume and quantity can and will absolutely be your friends, right? Quantity can and will absolutely, or I should say quantity can be get quality.
Once you've been in the game, though, you know, the other side of this, especially if you've been doing social media, you know, for a bit, and maybe you have fallen victim to chasing the algorithm, then yes, pulling back and only sharing when you have something, you know, that moves you. And that means something that can absolutely be be a helpful thing, right? But just to like, speak a little more of that fucking algorithm, and I've said this a million times, the algorithm can and will destroy creativity. So stop chasing it.
If you are focused on this long play, this longevity piece, stop chasing the algorithm. I think virality is one of the worst things that can happen to people in terms of their creativity, especially if it happens early in their career. I know a decent number of creators and I watched it happen, especially during COVID and like shortly after when the Instagram algorithm kind of opened up, and they went viral.
And they were like, wow, this is amazing. And then Instagram went back to doing Instagram things, and the house started winning again, right? You know, AKA not letting their patrons have a huge organic reach. And these creators really struggled.
And they were just like, what the fuck? I've been the same things. And it's like, yeah, this is the game your first time here, right? So you know, they couldn't understand. They were doing the same thing before, and they couldn't understand and like, they're not winning.
This is how the game is, right? Which is why I never wish virality on people, not early on, at least. Yeah, it can absolutely, more eyes than the correct eyes on your stuff, absolutely can be life changing and business changing. For sure.
I've seen it happen. But it needs to come with that grain of salt of I am creating in ways that feel good for me and I'm creating things that feel good for me and that mean something to me. Because if you're just chasing that algorithm, the algorithm will change.
And then you will just be like fucking floundering. It's Instagram. Instagram 101.
It's positive, intermittent positive reinforcement. I think that one of the main reasons, one of the biggest reasons that I love Instagram so much and no matter what I do, I keep fucking coming back to it and talking about it is because it's a platform where you can just truly express yourself in so many different ways. A bit longer form stuff, swipes, pictures, reels, you can do green screens and really be teaching.
You can be in your stories. You can put them together for highlights. There's just so many different ways that you can express yourself, right? And you can build and attract an audience, a really good audience behind that, right? You can build and connect with so many people and you can run and grow an entire business using this.
And I just think it's phenomenal. With that in mind, the thing that I always encourage people to do is to build that audience and attract that audience and build that business and build that brand behind something that means something to you, right? Build it behind something that you care about. Build it behind something that you stand for.
Do things in a way that are true to you and that feel good to you, right? This is also how you future-proof your business, right? I'm thinking about Carrie Manti and Danielle Pacenti. They fucking crush at this. They have built businesses behind them.
Who they really are, what they stand for, what they believe, how they coach, what their ethos is. They're not just going for the next trend or just doing things that will go viral. They're just like, this is me and I'm sharing it.
It's no secret that I think that leaning into the algorithm and trying to get the platform to pay you is a terrible idea. That algorithm fucking changes. They don't really pay that much anyway.
And then you're fucked. And even if they don't change it, you're subject to their whims. The algorithm is your boss.
You have to do it at once. That's fucking terrible. To me and what I coach, when you show up as a complete human and you provide a service and you attract a following behind being helpful and teaching something, not just entertaining, you future-proof yourself so much more.
I am not saying it's like the worst thing. It's the devil to go and try and be like, I want to be an influencer or I want to be an entertainer. And if that's where your heart's at, do that.
But it doesn't feel, it's not my zone of genius. And if you ever work with me or you're in the ecosystem, you know that I'm going to encourage you to show up on there and teach, provide a service, and then monetize your audience, let your people pay you directly. The other thing that I've seen, and sometimes it winds up, these creators end up having to ask for financial help, which isn't a bad thing to ask for help.
But these creators that do, I'm thinking about a lot of political creators, especially on team good, on the right side, the good side, I'd say the right side, the left, political left, they build an audience and they build a really loyal following and they really are just out there teaching and serving. And the platform doesn't pay much and brand deals aren't great. They are very strong for these conservative accounts, not so much on the other side.
But they build such a loyal following that if they need, they can go to their people and be like, I'm just thinking of the speech prof. He just had one because his mom is sick or someone's sick and he put up a thing. He didn't even want to even put it up. And he got help from his people and it's like, yeah, that is a thing as well.
But he didn't go into this being like, I'm going to monetize that way. I think it's really, really tough to monetize as you're not providing a direct service that people can pay you directly for. That feels very hard to me.
It feels much harder. And so what I always go to people on and like my zone of genius is obviously providing a service that people can pay you directly for, but showing up as a whole ass human and attracting that audience and building that brand. I said this earlier and I didn't really close it and so I'm closing the loop here is that I very much hope that Instagram changes over the next few years and I just kind of feel like it's going to as people get sick of the bullshit on there and the grifters and you know, AI is going to expedite this because it can just put out so much bullshit so much faster that people get over things quicker because they get exposed to it.
But a bit of a tangent here, a little bit of a side note. I personally think that anti-AI position marketing is really fucking lame. I think it's really low hanging fruit and I think it's fucking lame.
Everyone is entitled to their opinions and this is mine. Clearly, I enjoy AI and yes, it should be regulated. Is it going to be? Probably not.
I also don't think that it's the Messiah or anything like that, but I see content that's just kind of shitting on it and being like, I don't use AI and I'll never use AI. I think that, you know, they kind of missed the plot there and kind of use that as like their marketing. I do have a feeling that they will be singing a different tune or just not singing that tune at all as things move forward, whether it's that more people adopt it or they just stop caring.
Honestly, it just feels like a marketing tactic, not like an honest core value or core truth and that's what I don't like about it. Like, I'm all here. Lead with your values.
Go ahead. Share your opinions on things. But when things feel like they're just done for attention or they're just done to kind of hop on the train or they're just done in this kind of like knee-jerk fashion that's not like a true core value, I don't know, it just feels very low hanging fruit, feels kind of lame and I'm seeing things about it and I'm just like, I don't know, that ain't it.
And again, I'm not, I'm an AI realist and when I say realist, it's not like, oh, adapt or die. It's not that at all. It's just like, it is a very helpful technology and for the, one of the, and I said this, you may or may not listen to my other podcast, Prompting Curiosity, but I, one of the biggest things that I see for the people that I work with in my own space is I think it can be extremely helpful for solopreneurs.
I think it can be extremely helpful for small business owners and solo creators in just helping them with their workflow, right? It's not about offloading the creativity to Instagram, to Instagram, well, to AI. It's about offloading the redundancy. It's offloading the repetitive tasks.
It's offloading the automations to AI, you know, this way. Maybe you're in the beginning, you don't have any money. You can't afford to hire a team to do some of this stuff, but AI could help you.
And then you can get your message out to people and have more time to actually be serving your people. So I think people are kind of missing the plot with that and they're just kind of using it as a marketing tactic and just being like, I don't use AI. And so you're going to attract other people that, you know, feel that way.
I know for me, I'm kind of like, if I see someone that says that, I'm like, well, maybe you should. And I don't know if I'd want to work with you because it's more efficient when you use it. So you want to hear more thoughts that I have about AI, you can head over to the other podcast.
Sorry, I'm watching Rupert. He's like trying to bite my camera, but you can head to the other podcast, promptingcuriosity.com. We'll link that in the show notes. Thank you, Courtney.
Thank you, Jojo. I'll just link the website for that. But back to the main topic.
It is my hope that people and in general, creators in general, and it's my challenge directly to you to create content that is meaningful, create content that you care about, create content that matters to you. No, not everything going to fucking like cure cancer or anything like that, or be the deepest of thoughts. No.
Sometimes you're just going through the motions, that's fine. But in general, my ask is, share things because they mean something to you. Use your voice, speak up, talk about what you actually care about.
And no, maybe it doesn't get the same amount of likes, but it's honest and it's authentic. And that leads to longevity that attracts the best kind of people. You want longevity.
You'll have it in that format. Chasing the algorithm ain't it, man, you're chasing your tail. Just it ain't it.
All right. Look at the time. Looking at the outline here.
That is all for today. You've got your marching orders. Go create something that matters to you.
I'm going to be a bad host here and have a second CTA called to action, which is to hit me up with any topics that you'd like me to riff on. Anything at all. It doesn't have to just be online business, whatever.
Would love to hear from you. All right. Text me 310-737-2345 or shoot me a DM at movementmaestro.
Would love to hear from you. As always, my friends, endlessly, endlessly, one more time, endlessly appreciative for every single one of you. Until next time, friends, Maestro out.
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