September 1, 2021
YEP, IT’S POSSIBLE
Running a business isn't always glamorous. It's risky, stressful, and at times downright difficult. Not to mention that the high stakes can negatively impact your personal goals, relationships, and your health if you're not careful.
But growing a business doesn't have to be this way. Meet Russ Perry, the founder, and CEO of Design Pickle, a flat-rate creative design service company operating internationally. He's proof that work-life balance is totally possible for business owners.
In just five years, his team scaled to 500 strong across six different countries. And he found a way to run a thriving business that makes him feel "post-Thanksgiving satisfied." Here's how he did it:
While your situation may be different than Russ', the principles are the same: Get clear on what work-life balance means to you. Then, hold yourself accountable for it. Because when you get clear on what work-life balance looks like for you, creating it becomes much easier.
👉 Steal Russ' full WLB playbook.
SHOP ‘TIL YOU DROP
Now you can do more on TikTok than binge-watch videos until the sun comes up (don't worry, we're right there with you). The social app has just announced they're partnering with Shopify, so you can sell your products and make purchases directly on the app.Â
Up until now, users could only buy things on TikTok through advertisements. But, with the new partnership, businesses (big and small) can add a "Shopping" tab to their profiles and link to specific products within their posts.Â
This means that your customers can now purchase your products immediately (and sometimes, impulsively), right when their interest is sparked. And they can do it with less friction.Â
Plus, the new in-app feature will likely help content creators, small businesses, and TikTok alike to up their revenue game with this new, seamless experience. Especially because TikTok was the second-highest app for consumer spending - even before rolling out in-app purchases.
The feature isn't available to everyone quite yet. But TikTok promises that all merchants will have access to the feature later this fall.Â
So far, several companies have access to the piloted version of this feature and are giving it a whirl (like Kylie Cosmetics, for example). And the results have yet to be seen. But it's a safe guess that shopping on TikTok might be a great bet, considering the app's 2B downloads and 689M+ active users to date.Â
So, be on the lookout for when this feature hits your account! If you're ready to jump on the TikTok shopping bandwagon as a merchant, you just may see an uptick in late-night orders!
👉 Learn more about the feature.
BEHIND THE SCENES
https://youtu.be/GyDDaWYxX1k
During a few hot days in Brooklyn, we recorded a song, shot a music video, and filmed a six-part ad campaign. All with R&B icon Montell Jordan and entrepreneurial legend Daymond John.
We call this masterpiece "This Is How You Do It." But you already know that. What you probably don't know is how it all came together.Â
👉 Take a look behind the scenes.
DEAL GONE WRONG
Joe Rogan is no stranger. The comedian turned podcaster is known for schmoozing high-profile celebrities. He's debated with pseudo-politician Kanye West, smoked a joint with Elon Musk, and got personal with Miley Cyrus.
As a result, the podcaster saw 200M average monthly downloads in 2019, making him possibly the best at what he does. And just like the rest of us - Spotify took notice.Â
In May 2020, the streaming platform approached Joe with an eye-watering $100M exclusivity deal. The company hoped that the podcaster would bring his influence with him, securing their spot as the #1 podcasting platform. And the day Spotify announced the deal, their market cap jumped by roughly $4B.Â
Fast forward, and Joe has been exclusively streaming on Spotify for about a year now. And while the platform doesn't release exact data on unique listens per episode, they insist that the show is performing "above expectations" as far as bringing in new listeners is concerned.Â
But a recent Verge investigation begs to differ. Instead, they found that Rogan's influence and relevance have significantly waned since going exclusive. And it's starting to look like "a sizable portion of his audience likely didn't follow him when he made the jump," per Ashely Carman, author of the study.Â
Here's the proof:Â
Regardless of all this, Spotify isn't struggling to secure new exclusivity deals with other podcasters. Most recently, they've signed Call Her Daddy's Alex Cooper and Armchair Expert's Dax Shepard. It's yet to be seen if they’ll see the same lagging relevancy.Â
So, while we won't say good ole Joe was ripped off, we're asking: was the deal worth it? Because from where we're sitting, Joe probably could've gotten a lot more if he hadn't taken the deal. And if you're a podcaster only streaming on one platform (AKA locking yourself into an unofficial exclusivity deal) - why are you selling yourself short?
👉 Read the investigative report.
TL;DR