Hey friends,
Been feeling the weight of building this business this week. Tbh, some days - it all gets a bit too much and I feel like I'm going nowhere at the same time. So, while I was in the middle of crippling self-doubt I looked for a book that could help me navigate these rough waters. The book of choice - Seth Godin's, The Dip. It's been on my read list for a while and I could use a fresh perspective.
“A woodpecker can tap twenty times on a thousand trees and get nowhere, but stay busy. Or he can tap twenty-thousand times on one tree and get dinner.”
― Seth Godin, The Dip: A Little Book That Teaches You When to Quit
It's a small book but it's got some great insights. The 1 that stood out for me was Zipf's law. I know - sounds like something out of Hitch Hikers Guide but it's a super interesting concept.
As a quick summary of Zipf's law - we, as a society, are kinda obsessed with the best. So much so, we give much more to the no.1 thing vs the no.10 etc. So the current chart-topping song? It gets a whopping 10x more airtime than the one in 10th place.
Okay, interesting and novel maybe but so why is this important in regards to The Dip?
If you're stepping into the game, you have to be the best. Not like "the next Elon Musk" level, but more in the "master of your own domain" sense. If you're not going to rock that top spot, might be worth re-evaluating. And 'best' is all about perspective. Maybe it's being the top seller of blueberry muffins in your town, or being the go-to expert in vintage candle holders.
So for me navigating my own journey to building online businesses, Godin’s thoughts have me wondering: where do I stand? Where can I be the best? If I am in a dip is it time to quit or to lean into knowing that the rewards are higher on the other side?
I hope this gives you some food for thought too.
🤔
“Quit or be exceptional. Average is for losers.”
― Seth Godin, The Dip: A Little Book That Teaches You When to Quit
Here are a few things that I've found interesting this week.
1. SEO Optimisation and MetaLabs
Diving deep into marketing for MetaLabs, I'm looking for various strategies to increase our visibility. Getting users directly from Google is interesting, so I'm betting on SEO to lead the charge. The thing is, SEO isn't a 'set and forget' deal—it's an evolving game of tweaks and timely analysis.
So in order to stay on top of things - I'm currently trialling multiple software tools to see the one that fits best with our needs. Ahrefs stands out—it's often touted as one of "the best". They have a lesser-known free plan I'm playing around with. But the real magic lies in their premium features. The only thing is that their pricing starts at a steep £89pm.
So, I'm juggling four other option, aiming to find that sweet spot between cost and capability. Will update what I find out over the next few weeks
But that's it for this week folks. Thanks for reading have a great week ahead and I'll catch you next week.
Matt
xx