This Week:
- How I spent 4 days in the Phoenix area!
- My new self image. Is it working?
- Views from camping in the Arizona desert.
November 2024
| Su | M | T | W | Th | F | S |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 | 11/1 | 2 |
| 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 |
| 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 |
| 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 |
| 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 |
Where In The World Was I?
- 🇺🇸 Phoenix, Arizona
Metrics From The Week
Business Progress Update
This week I spent most of my time in Skool communities. On the bright side, I got 7 new reach outs and 3 new users onboarded. I also put together a list of ~150 creators with YouTube channels, but ended up hitting the 10 DM/week limit on Skool.
Additionally I posted my first lead magnet skool post. Though, it was less of a lead magnet and more of a value post for validation. I analyzed a bunch of videos that had been outperforming in the last couple months, found repeated formats that outperformed, collected all their data, analyzed the hooks of the video and the comments to see what resonated, and put it all into a post with actionable tips on how you could leverage it.
I thought it would get me a lot of DMs because the skool I posted it in has a LOT of my target customers, but my “DM me” blurb burried in the P.S. section at the very end of my post flagged it to moderators as self-promotion and they deleted it 😬 So I reposted without that section. It got some good engagement and validation but not the flood of DMs I was envisioning haha.
In order to research and create this lead magnet, I added a new source button to my Video Explorer page with a new query that specifically fetches videos that well-outperformed their averages specifically from niche channels. It’s gotten some decent results, though I still need to do a lot of combing through the results. I also added a ton of new creators to my software to analyze to find more videos like these.
4 Days In Phoenix
Well, technically 2 in Scottsdale, 1 in Tempe, and 1 in Phoenix.
I was honestly surprised by downtown Scottsdale. I was expecting the Phoenix area to be extremely car-centric (and it is), but the downtown area is great! For a U.S. city, super walkable and I love the architecture. In How travel changed my narrow-minded mindset I talked about how I’ve actually really enjoyed the landscape down here and on my roadtrip and how much of a change in perspective that was from my mindset just a couple years ago.
The other fun/funny thing is that I almost immediately knew where to find parking overnight here. I’ve done urban camping long enough to know what types of buildings and areas to look for 😄
Breaking Social Barriers
As you read last week, I came to Phoenix with a new mindset and self-image.
Well I can say it’s been going well so far. I won’t list all the moments here but I’ve been a lot more receptive to little exchanges with people in day to day life and have started a couple exchanges as well.
I just feel a lot more positive with and to people.
It’s quite an interesting feeling to act counter to what you had previously thought wasn’t possible. It’s liberating, but it’s also destabilizing because you sort of lose your sense of self.
What was previously expected is no longer expected. This creates tension, but it also creates release when you do something that caused fear.
So anyways, things are going well! I’ve accumulated a good amount of evidence for my new self. And then for some reason I decided to head back to isolation 😂🤪
Off To The Desert 🌵🏜️
After a couple days of exploring coffee shops and areas, I decided it was time to get back to camping and lock in. I had focused back in on what I needed to get done next with my software launch.
And it’s pretty much just as good as I had imagined. The weather is outstanding (mid 40s overnight, mid 70s and sunny during the day), tons of sunshine (except 2 partly cloudy days), great cell signal, and it’s SO beautiful out here.
Back to the grind 💪
Thoughts From The Week
Much of my focus this week has been getting back dialed-in on getting user feedback and testimonials for my software.
And honestly, I feel like I’m busy doing a lot but not really doing a lot.
I’ve been working Skool communities a lot, leaving comments, posting things, finding good quality leads to DM, and sending DMs, but I’m now realizing it’s not NEARLY enough volume.
My thinking was, just work Skool DMs enough to get some representative user feedback, testimonials, and recurring users, THEN go more public with DMs on other platforms, content, etc. However, it’s just been a lot slower than I envisioned. Skool limits you to 10 DMs per WEEK. So, that’s why I’ve been a lot more active commenting and posting. I have gotten some leads from doing that, but I’m starting to question if this is the most effective right now.
It was around Nov 7th that I started focusing on lead generation and I just don’t think I’m doing enough of the right things to be still on this private launch 3 weeks in.
It reminds me of one evening in Budapest, I was sitting on my bed with my laptop responding to some people on Skool and listening to the guy in the room next to me sending voice message DMs to 50 people on Instagram who recently followed him.
He came out after and I said “you do that ever day?”
“Yep.”
So anyways, I feel a little like I’m in this in-between phase that I think I’m almost out of. I just can’t quite tell if I need to stick it through or change methods.
I can’t tell if how much of this is limiting beliefs, wanting to make things perfect, fearing rejection from people. Whatever the answer, I just feel like I need to move more quickly. Maybe in doing so it’ll reveal what’s holding me back in my own mind.
Ahhh good ol’ cloudy uncertainty. I can’t wait to reread this in 5 years with all the knowledge and experience I will have gained and just… smile 🙂
What’s Next?
Gratitude for the warm sunshine and desert sunsets 🏜️☀️