Business Tao with George Kao George Kao

You don't need to prove yourself as #1 in your field, or best selling author or any kind of puffery. All those tactics will feed your "fixed mindset". Instead, demonstrate your real expertise by showing up consistently to talk about about what's working for you now, and what you're learning. When people see that you are consistently in the practice of improving in your field, you naturally gain trust.


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Years ago, I championed the idea that all knowledge should be freely available online, aiming to accelerate humanity's progress. When I actually tried it, I learned two valuable lessons -- (1) free courses resulted in lower engagement and commitment from participants, and (2) my motivation waned without the reciprocal energy of paid exchanges. This experience, coupled with the disappointing experiment in using Patreon, gradually shifted my perspective. I now seek a middle way. I hope to integrate generosity and sustainability. I now advocate for (fair) pricing of courses. It's important for boundaries, self-worth, and the support of small creators.


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My gentle launches are simple: Early bird for 1 week, then regular price for 1 week before the course begins :)


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Watch/listen to this episode first…
Follow-up question I received:
"So let's say we have an offer like with your example, 3 're-works' over 6 weeks... once you've got the most response from whichever one... when would you actually then launch what you'd been talking about? Would that be your next offering? Or would it be a few months out? What do you typically do? "
My response:
I would go ahead and launch (as the very next thing) the offer test that did the best. Basically, sell it while it's hot 😄 because it could be something in the culture or timing that's making your audience more interested in that one right now compared to the others, so... don't wait, assuming it'll be hot later (or that you'll be interested later!)


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This principle has been essential to my success.
How do I make great content? By making more content, and observing what spreads.
How do I improve my skills? By working with more clients, and noticing who grows the most.
True learning comes from action — we build muscles by doing things, not just reading about them. It takes *quantity* of action to develop quality of results.


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how to feel ready to put your work out there?
begin, explore, publish, repeat.


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