It’s OK to do less

(2 min read) Why it's okay to leave money on the table to focus on what you really want to achieve

Author

Avi Gandhi
December 26, 2024

Was this email forwarded to you? Subscribe

Today’s article is an excerpt from last year’s interview of TikTokker Zahra Hussain.

The takeaway is centered on focus. It’s a lesson I’ve had to apply several times over the course of 2024. Focusing on what you want and making tradeoffs against other good opportunities is hard to do, as success can be its own worst enemy and draw you down unintended or unhappy paths.

As I wrote previously, in order to focus on my mission of building the Creator Middle Class, I’ve sunsetted my consulting business (worth 72% of my revenue) to focus on Creator Logic and the community I’m launching in January - The $100k Creators Club.

We bring together people who are transitioning from making to monetizing content so that we can earn more than $100,000 in income, achieve our long-term personal and financial goals, and self-actualize our happiest, most creative selves.

If that sounds like you:

I hope you all are enjoying this holiday season - a time of reflection for me and many others. Wherever you are on your Creator journey, I’m wishing you health, wealth, and happiness!

Zahra Hussain

You’ve probably noticed from the breakdown above that >99% of Zahra’s revenue is from brand deals.

She wants to change that.

I want to start doing long-form tutorials, especially ones that last longer than a minute that I could post on YouTube, and then also start using the Creativity fund - because I know that the beta program pays out really, really well and a lot of my friends who hopped on have been making their rent every single month, which is really high in Manhattan.

The blocker to moving forward on long-form?

Her own success.

She gets so many brand deals that she doesn’t have time to expand her content production into long-form.

When I take on brand deals, it often inhibits me from doing anything else but that brand deal for that amount of time.

If I'm wrapping up a brand deal, I usually get another brand deal within the next week, and so then I'm ideating and starting the process for that one.

Abundance of a single type of opportunity is a common challenge for Creators who are starting to find success. It’s one I’ve faced myself.

When I first started writing on LinkedIn, I found myself overwhelmed by trying to sign all the clients and do all the work while still maintaining a consistent posting schedule.

Zahra’s come to the same solution I did:

I think I'm gonna talk to my manager about making my rate way higher, and then that'll bring me the money that I want and also give me more time to just work on my own stuff.

I've been taking on like two brand deals a month so far, and two is enough for me to be like “Oh my schedule is kind of crazy” because it usually takes me two weeks to film, edit, and stuff.

First off, Zahra’s managers must be epic if they can bring her so many deals.

What I discovered, and Zahra is also discovering, is that there’s a tradeoff between time and opportunity (a concept known as “opportunity cost”). Every day she spends working on a brand deal comes at the cost of not spending that day working on some other opportunity - like long-form video.

I get a really good variety, brands that are like, wow, this brand is cool. I want to work with them. So I have a lot of trouble saying “No”, or that I don't want to work with these brands….And that's why I've been taking on way too many brand deals.

But, ultimately, I'm trying to step away from that.

The solution to this tradeoff is to try to make the same amount of money in less time, so you can free up that time to do the other things that you want to do - whether creative, business, or personal.

For me, it was about finding space to write this newsletter and spend time with my growing family.

For Zahra, it’s about expanding her creative horizons and breaking into a new space (long-form).

My schedule becomes so saturated with the brand ideation and creation stuff that I don't really have time to work on the creative stuff that I do want to work on, which is the ultimate dilemma for a Creator:

How do you make organic content and then also make money?

One way to make more from less is to simply raise your prices. That’s what I did, and that’s what Zahra is contemplating.

This technique doesn’t work for everyone, though.

Sometimes the market doesn’t bear the price increase you want - maybe you’re already charging at the top end of your range, or maybe your customers are just price-sensitive. That’s the discussion Zahra will have to have with her manager.

However, if you know your customer and you think it will work, this tactic might be worth a shot.

You can always drop your prices again.

You can never get your time back.

The last thing I want is to get burnt out by my own passion.

Want corporate-quality health insurance with a lower monthly premium as a Creator? Essentl is a new Creator-founded health insurance company I’m an advisor to. They’re launching soon, so get on the waitlist now.

If you found today’s article interesting or valuable, please forward this email to a friend.

For feedback, advice, consulting, sponsorships, speaking engagements, or anything else, reach out anytime - [email protected].

If you’re not already subscribed, please do - it’s free:

See you next time!

Like what you see? Subscribe Now or Partner With Us

Written by Avi Gandhi, edited by Melody Song,
powered by TheFutureParty

Reply

or to participate.