The 10% Edge
Ali Abdaal
???? Doctor-turned-Entrepreneur + Productivity Expert + YouTuber (6M subs) ?? Author of Feel-Good Productivity: How to Do More of What Matters to You
Hey friends,
This week I listened to the audiobook ‘Two Weeks Notice’ by Amy Porterfield. The book is a step-by-step guide to starting an online business that lets you quit your day job. Amy’s podcast?Online Marketing Made Easyis excellent, and was one of of my most binged podcasts around 2019 when I used to drive an hour to and from work each day.
The book ‘Two Weeks Notice’ is mostly aimed at beginners to the game of online business, and it’s great for that audience. But even as someone who’s been doing the online business thing for 8 years, I found that there were lots of moments where Amy’s explanation of something made me think “huh that’s a really good way of putting it” and felt like I’d ‘upgraded’ my brain’s firmware when it comes to thinking about online business.
One of the ideas that most resonated with me was The 10% Edge.
The 10% Edge
When you’re trying to come up with business (or content) ideas, you ideally want to find something that’s in the sweet spot where (a) you’re good at the thing, (b) there’s a market for the thing, (c) there’s profit potential with the thing, and (d) you actually enjoy the thing.
But it’s that first factor - being?good?at the thing - that holds a lot of people back. It’s easy to feel like you have to be a certified expert in your field?before?you’re ‘allowed’ to make videos about it, or build a business around it. This is often the biggest thing that holds people back from starting their YouTube channel, or their business - the feeling that they’re not quite “good enough” yet to be taken seriously.
But, the crucial point Amy makes is that being ‘good at’ something, doesn’t mean you need to be an expert at it. It just means you need to have a?10% Edge?compared to your audience.
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If you’re 10% more experienced at doing the thing than the people you’re targeting, you’re absolutely allowed to help people with it.
This to me was very liberating.
Even having been in this YouTube game since 2017, I still feel imposter syndrome and worry about making content on stuff where I’m not an ‘expert’.
But, I’m pretty confident that I’ve got at least a 10% Edge over most of my audience in all those areas where my imposter syndrome is holding me back. Sure, the content may be fairly basic, and not be that relevant to the aficionados in the thing I’m talking about, but basic information is what 99% of people need.
Another reason I like the idea of the 10% Edge is because in our Part-Time YouTuber Academy (which is still open for enrolment:?academy.aliabdaal.com???), loads of beginners are held back because they don’t think anyone will care about what they have to say if they’re not already an expert. But, if they don’t actually start creating content, they won’t get all the great benefits that come with being a YouTuber.
So, if you’ve been held back by any form of business, content creation or even starting a YouTube channel, then consider whether you’re falling into the trap of perfectionism. And consider whether, by lowering your bar to just needing to have that 10% Edge, you might get over your fear of not being good enough, and you might be able to get started.
Have a great week!
Ali xx
Designs that engage; Words that captivate | Author | Graphic designing; Content writing; Digital marketing
5 个月I totally agree with this concept Ali. As I have personally had this perfectionism mentality which was holding me back in my education, relationships and as well as my business. I have created 3 youtube channels and the main reason that I failed was this. When I started, I thought that I should do everything perfectly from the beginning. So, I procrastinated creating contents till I am able to accomplish all the needed requirements for the video. So, I only uploaded like 10 videos in each channels for 2 or more years. This made me lack of consistent, self confidence and Procrastination. Same thing happened in my Businesses that I have tried. I have tried affiliate marketing, dropshipping and a few other ones. But I had a belief that I must have a whole organized system such as a website, an automated system for the business. But I couldn't as I haven't even generated the needed revenue to afford them. So, I waited and waited but could not see any results. So, I thought that this is not the right thing to and started a graphic designing part time business besides my studies and did ignored the perfectionist mindset. Now, thank god! I'm doing this well. Never wait until getting perfect. Just start up and go on. You will succeed
Voice & Communication Coach | Let your passion and expertise shine through.
1 年Ali, you are reading my mind! Or maybe I'm reading yours. I just posted about how releasing perfectionism is often what helps my clients grow as English communicators. Releasing the need for "perfect English" frees them to communicate. Ali, you also model the humility of the person who is still learning... and sharing what he learns. It's beautiful and that's one of the huge reasons we have so much affection for you. ??
video creator, storyteller
1 年Thanks ali abdal it's great idea 10 % edge.
Visual Consultant & Founder | Transforming Communication with Kommunikative ??
1 年Hello Ali Abdaal , I made some sketch notes of your videos and podcast I would like to show you! What is the best place to do so?
A 22 year old tech nerd. Data Enthusiast. Hardcore economist. Obsessed with sales and trading. Loves simplifying commercial processes and very experienced with commercial applications.
1 年Very interesting book! I've read it before. You don't have to be absolutely perfect to start something. This is a fact a lot of youngsters who always been judged on their scores at school struggling with. However, I believe that being consistent is more important of an edge than anything else. Continuously learning, continously improving, continuously putting yourself out there and leaving your comfort zone. Ya know, keeping the curtains up always. Anyways, Thanks ??