What is it for?

I've been on a real "work smarter not harder" kick lately. It's part?puppy , part privilege, part years of hard work paying off and allowing me time and space...

I've shared over the last few weeks a few different frameworks I use for whether or not I commit to a new project?(see:?making better decisions ?and?who are you becoming? ).

This week I was reminded of another framework I use a lot:?What is it for?

I talked about it with Wes Kao on Creative Elements. Wes is the co-founder of?Maven , a platform for creators to build cohort-based courses. Before Maven, she co-founded the altMBA with Seth Godin.

Here's what she said:

"The idea of what is it for is thinking about the end result and outcome and goal of what it is that you're trying to do. A lot of times, you might see a tactic, and it's kind of like a shiny object, you see your friend doing this or a competitor doing that.?And you think, 'Oh, that's so cool, we should do something similar.'?And you don't really think about, why would we do this? And what would it get us??Like, why is this worth the time, energy, effort, resources, right?"

I fall prey to this all the time and I see a lot of creators do the same. One example is?Shiny Platform Syndrome ?–?"Oh, I should?totally?start a YouTube channel."

But if you don't think a few steps further down the path...what you'll actually create is a MASSIVE commitment without a goal or measure of success.

On Friday, one of my best friends called me to ask some questions about podcasting. I told him everything I know, answered all of his questions, and I imagine he'll be able to put together a great podcast.

But what is it for?

If you're starting a podcast because you want to?build?an audience...I'm not sure podcasting is the best solution to that problem.

If you're starting a podcast because you want to learn audio or deepen relationships with your existing fans, then it could be a great solution.

When you ask yourself what something is for, you actually need two answers:

1. What is this for (for me)?
2. What is this for (for others)?

You NEED to be clear on both so that you 1.) can measure whether you are being successful for your OWN goals and 2.) have confidence this is something people will seek out, find, and appreciate.

Just apply this to?any?project you're about to take on.

I'm building a Creative Companion membership ?? – what is that for?

Well, for me, it gives me one core offer to build my business around. It helps me simplify the journey from content consumer to customer. It's also a way that I can invest the most in the people who love my work the most.

For the member, it's a direct line of communication with me through real-time events and 1:1 conversation. It'll provide a transparent, behind-the-scenes look at my business, and it'll be a place to find people to collaborate and grow with together.

Two months ago when I began scoping out this membership, I hadn't articulated what it was for (for me). And without that answer, it was hard to get excited about the project. If I'm not excited about a project, it's not going to be sustainable.

I also hadn't?really?articulated what it was for (for others). And without that answer, it would've been hard to get others excited about joining! If I can't get others excited about the project, what's the point?

It seems obvious, but if you start to tune in to your thoughts and ideas, I'll bet you have a lot of "should" and "want" stories.?I should do this. I want to do that.

You just need to go one step deeper –?why?should you??Why?do you want to?

What is it for?

If you can articulate compelling answers, the project will be much more successful. If you can't articulate compelling answers, then I suggest you don't start until you can.

Enjoy reading Creative Companion? If so,?subscribe to my Sunday edition .

#90: Wes Kao [Rigorous Thinking] – Should you teach a cohort-based course?

Wes Kao is co-founder of?Maven , the first platform for cohort-based courses. Maven helps creators build a cohort-based course and deliver an incredible student experience at scale.

She helped build cohort-based courses for Outlier.org (from the co-founder of MasterClass), David Perell’s Write of Passage, Tiago Forte’s Build a Second Brain, Section4/Professor Scott Galloway, and Morning Brew.

Previously, Wes was the co-founder of the altMBA. Under her leadership, the altMBA grew from zero to 550 cities in 45 countries in three years.?She designed the altMBA's beloved coaching system, grew the global community, built the marketing engine, and built a team of 40 people to support rapid scaling.

In this episode, we talk about Wes’s early experiences building cohort-based courses, how you can decide whether teaching a CBC is right for you, the frameworks you can use to design your course curriculum, and why Rigorous Thinking helps her to build quickly without wasting time on failed experiments.

?? Listen to the episode

About The Author

Hey, I'm Jay Clouse! I'm a full-time creator as a writer, podcaster, and community builder.

Most of my creative energy is directed towards my podcast,?Creative Elements , and my newsletter,?Creative Companion .

I've created a number of courses and?workshops ?including my best-selling?Podcast Like The Pros ?and my?Freelancing School Course Bundle .

I previously led the Community Experience team for Pat Flynn and Smart Passive Income, designing their paid membership community and cohort-based course programs.

You can also connect with me on?Twitter ?or?Instagram .