Finding your place

Positioning + force = leverage.

Most founders have a goldmine of knowledge and ideas in their heads. Yet they're too busy to share them with the world.

Chances are, you know what it's like running between meetings. Always repeating your message to investors to try and raise money. Spending thousands on marketing campaigns.

You're burnt out. The chart isn’t going up and to the right as quickly as you hoped. You’re running out of runway. You’ve exhausted your list of contacts.

You question the mission and wonder if it’s time to jump ship.

You’re ready to quit.

Don't worry, most have been there.

Luckily, there’s an easier way to do business.

Instead of going out the to world, you can have the world come to you.

Your skill and experience mean nothing if no one knows about it.

Specific knowledge + discovery = extreme wealth.

So how can you achieve this?

First, let me tell you a story.

I spent 2 years building a real estate portfolio and management company. It was brutal.

I still have nightmares about assembling Ikea furniture hours before we had viewings.

But it changed my life. I acquired 50 units and travelled the world at age 25. It gave me the freedom to think and try new things. Read the full story here.

One day on a beach in Cape Town, I discovered someone called Naval Ravikant. I'm sure you’ve heard of him.

I was hooked. His wisdom spoke to me. It made perfect sense.

I listened to every podcast, and read every book and article over and over.

The key lesson which stuck out: Leverage.

It dawned on me that everyone has the same amount of hours in a week. Time only goes so far as a lever to pull.

So there must be a missing piece.

Leverage was the piece I was missing.

 “Give me a firm place to stand and a lever and I can move the earth.” – Archimedes

Leverage isn't just how much force you're applying. It's where you're standing.

If you're reading this, chances are you're already familiar with some forms of leverage. Technology, capital and people.

The highest form of leverage which Naval talks about:

Media.

Why? It's easy to replicate across the Internet at little cost.

I couldn't unsee this. All the creators and podcasts I followed, they've all cracked this.

Tim Ferris. James Clear. Naval himself.

They have a loyal, cult-like following online. All because their specific knowledge is out there on blast. They've been able to attract thousands of loyal fans.

The result?

• Higher status.

• Bigger network.

• More opportunities.

• Business on easy mode.

Need to raise? Send some DM's.

New product to launch? Write a Tweet.

Having a loyal audience is the best asset you can own.

Chances are, there’s someone you follow online who you always find time to consume their content. Maybe you've even bought their product.

We're still early.

Most don't realize that we're still early in the Internet days. It allows you to post something and get seen by people across the world.

The Internet doesn't care about geography.

You go to a networking event. You meet 20 people over a couple of hours. Tell them your story. What you've done and what you're working on now.

You follow up with a few for a coffee. Maybe one turns into an investor or client.

Now imagine doing that in a room with over a billion people.

That's the number of people on LinkedIn alone.

No more repeating yourself to someone new every time. No more interrupting conversations to jump in and swap business cards.

Just you, your keyboard and sharing your story online.

Switching to building my digital real estate was the best decision I ever made.

• I found my tribe.

• I work with interesting people.

• I quickly replaced my rental income.

• I follow my curiosity and work on what truly brings me joy.

How does this help your start-up?

Digital leverage gives you:

• Free distribution for your companies

• Access to industry leaders

• Increased deal flow

It's the most leveraged way to scale your message and build a brand.

But I know what you’re thinking. You’re already strapped for time. You’re probably thinking:

• I don’t have the time

• I don’t know how to write

• I can’t see this having an ROI

• No one is interested in my story

• I don’t see how this helps my company

I used to think the same way.

Until I noticed Ryan Renolds, who leveraged his brand name to create massive wealth through business ventures. He bought a stake in Mint Mobile back in 2019 which valued the company at $600m. T-Mobile then bought the company for $1.35B in 2023. 

That’s the power of personal brand.

The best part? You don't need permission to start.

But how?

The Internet is a big place. Without constraints, you can easily get lost and distracted. It also takes a lot of time, something busy founders don't have.

Here's the playbook:

Building a Loyal Audience 101

Let's start by adjusting your mindset.

You don't need to be the next Tim Ferris with 1.5million newsletter subscribers.

What you do need: 1,000 true fans.

Not millions. 1,000.

A loyal fan is someone who follows you everywhere and buys anything you're selling.

That sounds much more achievable.

Next:

Being known well > Being well known.

When most start writing online, they think about going viral on day one. Sure, that can happen. And it can be useful.

But going viral isn't always useful. There are plenty of creators who have a large audience but haven't monetized it well.

This is because they have the wrong type of audience.

A better goal is to become known well by the right people.

It's better to be known by 100 top founders or investors, than 10,000 random people who don't align with you.

This mindset from the start will make your journey a lot easier. You won't get caught up on vanity metrics.

Building an audience requires two things:

1. Discovery platform: social media

2. Relationship platform: email list

The best discovery platform will depend on whether you prefer writing or video.

The goal is to move as many people to your email list. The only two things you own on the Internet:

1. Your domain

2. Your email list

I suggest Twitter & LinkedIn as the place to start for most. Then funnel that traffic to your newsletter. Head here for a full guide on how to run a successful newsletter. 

The audience-building process:

To grow your digital real estate, you'll need to figure out:

1. 3 content topics

2. A different category

3. Writing frameworks

4. Who you're writing for

5. Discovery platforms (social)

6. Relationship platforms (email)

Your goal is to become a prolific writer: saying 1 message a thousand ways. This means putting your story on blast. Audiences need to hear your message over and over.

Don't overthink these.

To begin, I suggest writing about:

1. Your start-up/industry

2. Personal interests you love

3. Skills and experiences which complement the above

The format of content you post should be a mixture of:

• Your personal stories

• What you've achieved

• What do you aspire of

• What you're working on now

• Frameworks, lessons and mistakes

Always tie your message back to the reader. How does this help them? 

A data-driven approach

• At first, make some noise.

• Next: look back at your analytics

• You don’t become a prolific writer overnight

• The sweet spot is the overlap of what’s in your mind and what the audience wants

How to action this:

1. Post 3 times a day for 30 days straight

2. Review your analytics after 30 days

3. Double down on what's working

Writing routine

Ideally, you want to set aside at least 90 minutes a day.

Find an overlap of when you’re most creative and least likely to be interrupted. Book it into your calendar and show up.

There are entire books on writing and creativity. A simple routine to get started:

• Keep an open notes page for fresh ideas

• Outline rough drafts as you go

• Sit down to edit and schedule

If you wait around for creativity to strike, you won’t get much done. The best writers understand the importance of a routine and sitting in the chair every day.

The best ideas will start to flow after you start writing.

Finding inspiration

Final words

Building your digital real estate is a journey. It’s also the best decision you’ll make. Having an online audience is like steroids.

Resources

📣 Want to tell your story online but don’t have the time? I’ll ghostwrite your content for you. Let’s chat.

✍🏻 Tim Ferriss just celebrated the 10th anniversary of his podcast. Here’s a recap of his most famous book.

🎥 One of Naval’s best interviews.

Thank you for reading Tom’s Letter. I hope you find it valuable. If you did then forward it to a friend or share it on social. If you were a lucky one who had this forwarded to you, subscribe here.

Have a great week,

Tom ✌️

P.S. What did you think..