Why do people like this guy? Because he’s like all of us.
He’s like us, and that’s why we like him.
YouTube can be a horrible place. People can be cruel and harsh to creators.
That’s why I was struck today when I noticed a video I was watching had 7,500 likes and less than 60 👎. (Now it’s up to 10K likes with still less than 100 👎’s.)
JackSucksAtLife is an average guy living an average life, except he lives it in front of people, millions of people.
If YouTube is such a harsh place it seems an unlikely place for a scrawny Englishman with crooked teeth and a cracking voice. For the record I too have crooked teeth and a cracking voice but without the cool English accent.
Jack has a 99.993% like to unlike percentage because he’s just like you and I, and maybe a little worse. He’s awkward at times. He’s never intimidating, and almost always self-effacing.
So why do so many people support his new car purchase? Why are his comments overwhelmingly positive? How does he make a living being himself?
Jack has mastered something great creators all master.
Jack is unique.
He is himself. No one can duplicate Jack. No one will ever “out-Jack” Jack.
There are tactics for growing your platform but beneath all of them is a fundamental truth.
Being original, and we are all originals, is the best way to avoid competition.
Jack’s competition isn’t someone else. Your competition isn’t someone else.
Jack’s competition is his ability to be true to his own uniqueness. Your competition is your ability to be true to your uniqueness.
What are you competing with? Who are you competing with? Maybe you’re fighting the wrong fight. The fight is with yourself.
Ship it. Imperfect, stuttering, poorly assembled, not on brand, full of fear, it’ll never be that bad again, version 1.0 at best and .01 at worst.
The most important part of starting is the moment when what’s been inside of you meets the world around you.
Everything else is a distraction.
The logo.
The website.
The team structure.
The URL.
The pricing.
Serving size.
There’s preparation and there’s execution. By all means, prepare.
By all means, execute.
Hit publish.
Unlock the doors for your “soft opening”.
List items for sale on whatever platform you’re selling on.
The most important thing when you’re starting is for your ideas to live outside of you. Do that, then do it again, and again, and again. Then you’ll stop admiring your heroes so much and become your own hero.