Growth // Codex Newsletter
A Weekly Digest Dedicated To Helping You
Produce // Promote // Profit Better // Smarter
Welcome back, let’s cut right to the chase, this issue will be a bit… specific in that we’re exploring something critical to our thrival; thinking – critical thinking to be exact
We’re facing multiple “oh fcuks” a from all directions it seems – some are taking a stoic approach, others one of douchebaggery, and amongst many more, the dread, fear in many
Last week, we touched on our relationship with failure, based on the response by some of our peers, it seems to have delivered the message we intended, at the very least, started a conversation where we start cutting through the bs, the fluff
We all share many qualities, many traits, hell even looks (there are apparently 6 or so other people out there who look like you // you’re doppelgänger, enjoy that google search instead of scrolling through IG later)
If you missed, or simply would like to reference the first four issues
So, let’s clear the air – this writing is from the perspective, experiences, and ongoing experimentation of someone who has hit many a glass wall – over and over again, coming to the realization that if I didn’t build it, I was going to be left a spectator. Just about every single thing that I have achieved was me eventually having that moment of
“Fcuk it, I’m going to have to build my own cause these mfers are not going to let me in”
Why am i sharing this?
For quite some time, i’d find myself talking to person after person after person who would tell me if i just kept my head down, and went with the flow, then i’d eventually get my “due”
For quite some time, i’d find myself talking to and working with people who loved my ideas, but found the execution far too risky, too many unknown… and a slew of other corporate jargon that i understand makes sense
Why is this important
“I’m not saying that everything is survivable. Just that everything except the last thing is.”
Book: Paper Towns // Author: John Green
Because I learned at 17 that having hot girls be the sales agents of my kiosks would lead to having 8 locations (instead of manning them myself or begging friends to do it for half)
At first, I was warned it was too risky – “hiring? firing? management? how will you keep track that they’re actually working” a family friend asked worriedly
“Isn’t my job to learn that now that i’ve learned it’s necessary to succeed?” To me, it seemed logical
Why? Because patterns
How do you repurpose anxiety into jet fuel?
Take the image above into consideration for a second, think about your finances, your career, your life in general – what stage are you in?
From us to what we create and all in between, the patterns exist, its literally what feeds AI
Let’s explore this weeks segment on improving how we
Produce
Pro Tip:
“The biggest problem companies have is that they understand their product, but not their customers”
Observation // MonthlyReminder
Remember the cool looking cycle of patterns above? It applies to both customers and businesses alike
For years, a big chunk of my work was helping companies // brands grow, and one area that i love tackling first is improving the customer experience (also known as UX).
Time after time, meeting after meeting I’d hear how it was a waste of time, how we needed to buy ads, get big influencers, this that, and how their product was what’s best for the customer, for some reason my follow up question tends to trigger a lot of founders “how do you know that? May I see the research, experiments you did so I can avoid doing work that’s already been done”
What they deemed too risky, kinda seemed logical to me, agree to disagree I guess, because a huge element of our successful builds came from
Figuring out their problems
A lot of times, you know what they are, you hear them every day. Drowning out the noise is a real art is – it helps you focus more on the person you’re looking to serve // help.
Something as simple as emailing some of their repeat customers began solving their problems, I find it too risky not to talk to those you serve
Tunnel Vision (Get to your customer)
Ever heard that it’s easier to get a bad review than a good one? One company I sat down with wanted to change that – they wanted to find out how to remove their negative reviews from their yelp page.
This is an excellent learning opportunity, one where you get to use that critical thinking muscle. I wasn’t going to remove them, why? When this was a great opportunity to learn and improve, rather than slap a bandaid on things, or take things to the next level.
We got a dozen of those yelp lifestyle connoisseurs on the phone and talked about the birds, the bees, the meaning of why they chose to tear this business a new one, a little tenderness could’ve helped things
We learned not only what their challenges were, but, more importantly, what problem this fine company was actually solving for their customers. (spoiler alert: they weren’t in tune with their customers at all)
Some of the questions I asked them (oye, this is where you copy and paste this into your notes app)
- “What does good service look like?
- “Could you tell me a story about a time when we provided good service?”
- “If we were to shut down tomorrow, what brand would you replace your __ with?”
Simplify, why assume? When your customer is more than willing to tell you what they like, dislike, appreciate, etc. Too many folks I’ve come across miss the mark because they don’t stop and communicate.
Which takes us to the second and fun part of this segment, the part where we go over improving how you
Promote
Pro Tip: Simplify, simplify, simplify
So if you haven’t read our mission before, in a nutshell, it’s empowering creative problem solvers (Tesla’s) to win, Why? Because the old models don’t really work the way they used to, the world’s changing, we’re growing, our quality of life shouldn’t go backward, it should move forward.
After a while, the glorified middle (wo)men (Edison’s) aren’t going to be able to ignore the best talent, they’ll be submitting offers to invest, buy, or hell, maybe it’s folks like you who end up improving an industry
While we’re in the middle of testing several options and resources, one thing we’re doing is inviting more folks like us to take a few minutes every Wednesday to sit and think, strategize, and set a goal big or small – this Codex will continue to evolve with you – and the facelift in progress for the Rogue community where we tackle problems as a collective improving how and what we Produce // Promote // and Profit.
So taking our brand promise, we get to thinking,
What does a WIN // WIN // WIN look like?
One way we’re considering using is a thoughtfully curated giveaway
First thoughts:
- How do we deliver some wins to a member?
- Is there an opportunity to highlight a members progress?
- How could we deliver a little love to our people?
- What brands do we love? Use?
Must haves:
- GrowthHaxx meet its brand promise
- Speaking to the right people
Possibles:
- What could we put together something that would bring them joy?
- Is there a way to give a platform to a quality brand that’s overlooked and undervalued?
The road so far
Our first draft so far
- A SaaS
- Best Book(s) we refer to time and time again
- A cool gift from manscaped // for the ladies there’s a brand we’re currently considering
- A good bottle of booze
- rest tbd
Alrighty then, on to how to better
Profit
Pro Tip:
“Waiting is painful. Forgetting is painful. But not knowing which to do is the worst kind of suffering.”
Book: By the River Piedra I Sat Down and Wept // Author: Paulo Coelho
Do you hate more money? Wealth?
Regardless of your station in life, more money is always welcome. If there’s anything that’s worth testing right now is your money-making skills. Mostly because for some of us, a stream of income is like a lifeline, for some a toolkit.
Here’s a great example of practicing your skills and creativity
In the UK, it is legal to sell alcohol without a license, so long as the sale is completed whilst on a train in motion. WONKY right?
So in 2018, the Tapling and Meegan Gin distillery came across this wonky legality as they explored different methods of distribution and quality control.
They purchased an abandoned railway building and had drivers move the train back and forth on the track, therefore, legally selling alcohol to the passengers on board.
The experiment (a risky one) proved highly profitable because the distillery did not have to purchase the license immediately. Created a way to sell and promote their brand, all while still waiting for the official paperwork to be completed that would allow them to sell their product everywhere else
As we went over last week with your SWOT analysis,
- Know thyself
- Leverage your skills and resources
- Practice immediately
Some subscribers started implementing what was in your welcome thrival gift and started the following process:
- Pick the skills they want to learn, know already
- Practice in private
- Reach out to 2/3 people and offer to help (some charged, some didn’t)
- Are set to begin writing our their case studies
- Get ready to collect testimonials
- Start testing how it can leverage their careers // businesses
*Special Note: You’ll be getting a sneak peek at one of our member sessions where we go over how to pick, plan,and start a side hustle in a day in next weeks issue*
Alright, now off you go, test, tinker, and a weekly remember that the best place to start off is where most quit
Till next week, here’s to escaping average
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