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Productizing yourself: (thread)
1/
Productization is the process of transferring your time and effort into an asset that can be sold repeatedly.
Record a song, stream it 10m times.
Write a book, print it 1m times.
Build a digital product, distribute it 100m times.
Build once, sell twice.
Productization is the process of transferring your time and effort into an asset that can be sold repeatedly.
Record a song, stream it 10m times.
Write a book, print it 1m times.
Build a digital product, distribute it 100m times.
Build once, sell twice.
2/
All good in theory, but how is it done in practice?
I think about it in four steps:
- Skill building
- Result generation
- Specialization
- Productization
These are not dogmatic rules, just me sharing some experience in hindsight that may spark a thought for you.
All good in theory, but how is it done in practice?
I think about it in four steps:
- Skill building
- Result generation
- Specialization
- Productization
These are not dogmatic rules, just me sharing some experience in hindsight that may spark a thought for you.
3/
First we have to get good at something.
For me, 10 years of iteration as a designer was the foundation for the products I'm building today.
Much of the work pictured below (+ thousands more) were entirely permissionless, just something I did to scratch a creative itch.
First we have to get good at something.
For me, 10 years of iteration as a designer was the foundation for the products I'm building today.
Much of the work pictured below (+ thousands more) were entirely permissionless, just something I did to scratch a creative itch.
4/
Second, we figure how to generate a specific result using the thing we're good at.
For me, it was applying my design skills to solve communication problems for brands as an employee of a few different design & advertising agencies over the course of 10 years.
Second, we figure how to generate a specific result using the thing we're good at.
For me, it was applying my design skills to solve communication problems for brands as an employee of a few different design & advertising agencies over the course of 10 years.
5/
This is all well and good, but does not scale beyond the hours you have to spend each day.
If you love doing it, don't stop.
I didn't, so here's what I did next:
This is all well and good, but does not scale beyond the hours you have to spend each day.
If you love doing it, don't stop.
I didn't, so here's what I did next:
6/
I took a subset of the skills I'd built in my corporate career and focused on an area I felt was massively underserved by the market:
Making the intangible tangible.
The value proposition of a complex business, or the words and ideas of great thinkers. aka @visualizevalue
I took a subset of the skills I'd built in my corporate career and focused on an area I felt was massively underserved by the market:
Making the intangible tangible.
The value proposition of a complex business, or the words and ideas of great thinkers. aka @visualizevalue
7/
To begin with, this created a much more focused offering and differentiated me from my competitors in the design world, bringing more qualified, higher quality client work.
It also helped me build an audience on the front end.
To begin with, this created a much more focused offering and differentiated me from my competitors in the design world, bringing more qualified, higher quality client work.
It also helped me build an audience on the front end.
8/
With the audience growing as a result of following a specific process, the opportunity for product became obvious.
How can I transfer this skillset to others? By building products that teach what I've learned.
How to VV: https://gumroad.com/l/mqQJL
With the audience growing as a result of following a specific process, the opportunity for product became obvious.
How can I transfer this skillset to others? By building products that teach what I've learned.
How to VV: https://gumroad.com/l/mqQJL
9/
After 3 months of figuring out how to build and promote a product that transfers my skills into a product, another product opportunity arose:
How to help people figure out how to do what I just did.
Build Once, Sell Twice: https://gumroad.com/l/mVoJy
After 3 months of figuring out how to build and promote a product that transfers my skills into a product, another product opportunity arose:
How to help people figure out how to do what I just did.
Build Once, Sell Twice: https://gumroad.com/l/mVoJy
10/
Much like the information in this thread, this entire process was done in public.
"Let the thing you're building build the audience that'll want it when it's built."
Meta, but it works.
Much like the information in this thread, this entire process was done in public.
"Let the thing you're building build the audience that'll want it when it's built."
Meta, but it works.
11/
There's plenty to cover on the mental side of this game, but like anything else with lasting upside, it's a game of reps.
Thank you for reading. I hope this gets you thinking about the opportunity that lies ahead.
There's plenty to cover on the mental side of this game, but like anything else with lasting upside, it's a game of reps.
Thank you for reading. I hope this gets you thinking about the opportunity that lies ahead.
