Hey,

Last week I wrote about The Leap.

If you missed that issue, click here to read it.

Today, I want to share a 5-step mental framework that will help you take The Leap.

#1 - "Selling out" is bullshit

You don't need to "sell out" to make money from your craft.

The people who complain about others selling out are usually projecting their own inadequacies. It also gives these people justification for not doing the work.

"Ah well, I may not be making any money from my work but AT LEAST I'M NOT A SELLOUT."

Weak mindset.

If a YouTuber, music producer, or artist decides to take a different direction specifically because it's more lucrative, are they selling out? Or are they just being entrepreneurial?

The good news is, you likely don't need to sell out.

The internet has caused niche explosion and fragmentation. Your unique work will almost always have an audience that can support you.

Once you realize that actually, your taste and creativity can help you monetize and build a business around yourself, then the excuse that you’re avoiding making money to stay true to your art falls apart.

#2 - Planning is not work

Trying to plan everything perfectly is a sophisticated form of procrastination.

Creators fall into this trap all the time.

Especially when it comes to monetizing their work, because most of them have an aversion to selling.

But maybe they don’t want to admit it.

So they spends weeks, even months of their time planning out the business model.

How they’ll sell it, how they’ll help people, how much money they’ll make, and so forth.

As soon as they get close to actually doing something, they find a reason not to.

Some planning is important.

But give yourself a deadline, then move forward with an imperfect plan.

#3 - The only way to figure it out is by starting

Some creators don’t even get to the planning process because they “don’t know what to do.”

They tell themselves it’s too hard, too complicated, or they don’t have the knowledge and skills to make it work.

The truth is: most people don’t have the knowledge and skills to make it work. Basically no one does.

That’s why you START. You acquire the knowledge and skills as you go.

You don’t know how anything works until you start, and fail, and then restart, and fail again, and learn a bunch of stuff along the way.

Fortunately, this book will help you avoid a ton of mistakes and give you a framework, but you still need to apply it.

#4 - The downside risk is minimal, the potential upside is limitless

Let’s say you go to the casino. There’s a new game.

You put a small amount of money down. $20.

The odds are as follows:

• There’s a chance that you don’t make any money, but you can re-use the $20 to play again.
• There’s a small chance that you make a lot of money.

The downside risk here is that you just have to put in the time to keep playing.

The upside? Who knows. It’s life changing.

Also, the time you spend building a business around your creative passion is time that—even if you fail the first time around—teaches you lessons that will aid you next time.

#5 - It’s the man in the arena who counts

Many creators are afraid to take the leap because they fear criticism from their peers and fans.

This is an understandable fear, but the more you can rid yourself of it the better.

You will always have critics and haters if you’re doing something worthwhile, and especially if you’re trying to make money at the same time.

If you’re trying to make money in a scammy, unethical manner, then you probably deserve that criticism.

But if not, then it doesn’t mean anything.

Not pursuing something like a side hustle or business around your creative passion because you’re afraid of criticism is a great way to lead a life of regret.

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Hope you enjoyed this!

Have a great week ahead. Talk soon.

-Sam