James Hoffman talking with Ali Abdaal on Deep Dive with Ali Abdaal:
Ultimately, it’s the same as Youtube metrics. Like, subscriber counts are deeply unsatisfying. Hitting a million subscribers isn’t rewarding in any way. Not a single way. You know it’s coming, deep down, when it happens. And then you’re like, ‘Oh yeah, but it really doesn’t feel like anything.’
And it’s the same sort of thing for me — in business, it’s the same sort of thing. Like, a big fat balance sheet at the end of it, sure. Good. Fine. Whatever — it’s an indicator the same as an audience. You can do something with it if you want to, but it’s what you’re going to do with it that’s more interesting and more satisfying than the accrual of the number.
Always great to see experienced creators address this.
Once it’s clear your channel’s a hit, it’s super easy to fall into the ‘number go up’ trap.
Months, then years of uploads go by before a lot of creators figure something out: continuous tap dancing for a supper of views and subscribers gets old.
You make your creator life unnecessarily difficult when you keep uploading without a deliberate, meaningful plan for where you’re going to take your audience.
Welcome to Platform Owner, btw.
Every smart digital creator deserves to own their influence. It’s my hope with all things Platform Owner to help you fully own yours.
— Tang
(I’m 100% human, btw. 🙂)
James Hoffmann’s owned platforms are: Square Mile Coffee and JamesHoffmann.co.uk.
Ali Abdaal’s owned platforms are: Feel Good Productivity and AliAbdaal.com.
