B.J. Novak and Opposite Thinking
Austin L. Church
Founder of Freelance Cake — Coaching, coworking, and community for advanced freelancers who want the growth without the burnout | Details in About ↓
At CEX in 2024, Ann Handley interviewed B.J. Novak, who is an American actor, comedian, and writer.
Novak and his fellow writers and producers received five consecutive Emmy nominations for Outstanding Comedy Series for The Office (the American version) from 2007 to 2011.
Novak talked about one of his principles for creativity which he framed as a question: “What’s the obvious, hidden-in-plain-view opportunity?”
He was referring to inversion, a turning inside out of conventions and ideas, tropes and expectations. You have to understand them before you can break them in a way that some people find delightful and satisfying.
I’ll share three of Novak's examples before I delve into how Opposite Thinking is exactly what solopreneurs need for their next breakthrough.
Are you making six figures but working too much?
I’ve been hard at work on a new signature training with this working title: “Get Your Life Back - 5 Steps to Having a Record Year While Working 30 Hours a Week or Less.”
I put it together specifically for freelancers, consultants, and agency owners who are making decent money—$8K, $12K, $18K+ per month—but wondering, “What’s the point of all that extra money if you’re too busy to enjoy it?”
The strategy that gets most of past $100K+ the first time isn’t really a strategy: feed more and more of your hours into the business machine.
If we want more unscheduled time without a significant drop in income, we need a different strategy.
领英推荐
That’s the one I’m going to share with you this Friday, May 17, at 12:30pm ET.
Register here: https://bit.ly/4ajYyzB. →
(If you can’t make it, I’ll send you the replay afterward.)
About Austin L. Church
Hi, I'm Austin L. Church, a writer, marketing consultant, and business coach.
I started freelancing in 2009 after finishing my M.A. in Literature and getting laid off from a marketing agency. Freelancing led to a portfolio of mobile apps, tech startup, children's book, branding studio, and consulting practice.
Over the last 15 years, I've made north of $1.8 million as a creative entrepreneur, and looking back, I see so many missed opportunities.
That's why I'm so passionate about stacking up specific advantages and teaching freelancers, consultants, and creators how to do the same.
I want more of us to find our income-lifestyle sweet spot.
You can learn more at FreelanceCake.com.
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10 个月A picture book with no pictures . . . That's thinking outside the box. ?? I like the word "inversion" here. I try to live inside out with my values guiding my behavior and actions. I believe my business aligns with this, but reading this makes me pause to reflect . . . and to see if there's anything that needs to change.