Build For Substance, Not Speed... Creating Space Lets Your Work Speak For Itself
10 thoughts, ideas & creative finds on million dollar partnerships, creating more space for your work, and not relying on credentials but experience
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The Rundown 20: You Can Make a Good Living From a Traditional Path, Or You Can Make an Exceptional One Following Your Intuition
The Rundown 21: Build Something So Real, So True, That It Demands to Be Remembered
The Rundown 22: The World Might Not Be Watching Now, But They’ll Notice What You’ve Built
Hey Everyone,
Before I begin this week’s Rundown…
**I’m currently developing an All-in-One Notion Dashboard to help you streamline your creativity, productivity and income — so you can manage the technical, creative and financial aspect of your work easier. it's not just another project management tool or content calendar, but a complete operating system for the modern creative professional who needs to be both artistically fulfilled and commercially successful. You can join the waitlist here.
Now, back to our regularly scheduled program…
The Rundown — Here’s what I found over the course of this week that has helped me, inspired me or gave me some creative pushes…
On not being in a rush to build a vision no one else can see but you — “Don’t be in a rush, don’t worry about other people’s timelines, don’t worry about how it all looks in the beginning. Build… just build and the pieces will come together… as well as the provision, the people and the purpose. Play in decades… you’ll remove the pressure of comparison while activating the diligence of moving at the speed of purpose” (—) — Your most meaningful work unfolds on its own timeline, not according to the world's expectations or pressures. When you commit to building consistently while thinking in decades rather than quarters, you create space for your vision to emerge organically. This long-term perspective removes the anxiety of comparison and immediate results, allowing you to move at the authentic speed of purpose rather than the frantic pace of validation.
On not relying on credentials & titles but community & iteration — "It's easy to get caught up in people's pedigree and the places that they worked, but if they haven't worked at the size and scale of the company you are building, they may not be the best fit. The second perspective that I thought was interesting came from the CEO of Whoop. He said, 'In consumer hardware, the V1 shouldn't be a splashy launch. Build a small audience, don't spend too much, get feedback and then go build a V2.'" (—Ashwinn) — I've witnessed this countless times in the Venture Capital (VC) world and with people from big brands. Unless you've built something from the ground up—with minimal resources, building an audience, iterating products, and being maximally creative with marketing—you're likely to over-produce, over-perfect, and disconnect from the very market you intend to serve. Employ humility, show your process, and take people along for the journey. You'll save time and money while earning more of both.
On the future of personal brands and building leverage — "Federer made more money from owning a piece of this little shoe company than he did from 103 singles titles. This Swiss shoe company, On Running, had a cult following in Switzerland for runners, but they were having trouble breaking out of Switzerland. Federer was already a fan of their shoes wearing them casually before reaching out to the company to express his interest in collaborating. He said, all right, I'll take 3% of the company, I'll try to help advise you and he used his platform to help them become a globally known brand." (—Matt Schnuck) — No matter how many times I say it, I'll always repeat myself: People buy from people they trust. With the transparency of the Internet, it's easier to see who people trust. The future of what we consume will be heavily dictated by personal brands who've built ecosystems that contribute value in multiple ways while inviting you into their way of thinking, creating and consuming. We will see countless multi-million and billion dollar personal brands emerge from this new paradigm.
On building a really great audience from your interests instead of baiting them — "My mindset on YouTube is that, yes, I'm probably losing the monkey brain people that need stimulation every 2.5 seconds, but I'd rather build an audience of people that are willing to click on my video and sit and watch it than a group of people that need to be tricked to watch the entire video... because the kind of people that need to be tricked are probably not going to buy your products. At the expense of growing real quick right now, you want to focus on building a really good audience around something that's reasonably easy to make. What would your dream business look like?" (—Tom Noske) — Don't make your online growth about popularity. Make it about substance, deep connection and contribution. This approach builds the right audience—people with real problems or desires you can help solve—while preserving your soul and creating an incredible living.
On discipline — “Discipline is doing what you hate to do, but doing it like you love it.” (—Mike Tyson) — On a recent podcast, I spoke about how discipline is a form of loving yourself, seeing obstacles as opportunities, how your identity becomes shaped by your disciplines, excellence lives in repetition, why “boring” routines are the best routines, creating more choices for yourself and more — My latest podcast on this can be found here (APPLE, SPOTIFY)
On creating more space for your work or offerings to speak for themselves — "Space allows us to perceive a brand confident enough to speak for itself without overwhelming information." (—Conversion.Doc on Instagram) — Whatever you're trying to convey—through writing, design, marketing or sales—simple is always better. The goal is to deliver maximum information, positive emotion, and soulful connection with minimal elements and words. As both a writer and entrepreneur, I apply this process consistently. I aim to simplify concepts to bring clarity to your world, while understanding them to the deepest possible level in mine. Einstein captured this perfectly: "If you can't explain it to a 4th grader, you don't know it well enough." Keep it simple... simple scales... and let the details of your work speak for themselves.
On understanding what users truly want — "What's the simplest way to identify 'what users want'? To be one." (—Paul Graham) — This profound simplicity cuts through all the market research complexities. The most valuable insights often come not from surveys or focus groups, but from experiencing the problem firsthand. When you're genuinely part of the audience you're creating for, you intuitively understand pain points that others might miss. This is why the most successful founders often build products to solve their own problems first. They don't need extensive validation because they're already living the proof. Your own frustrations become your most reliable roadmap.
On ways to make everyone love your work — "Dear Artists, ways to make everyone love your art... you can't." (—Joseph Awuah Darko) — You're not here for everyone to love your work... you're here to contribute to those waiting to receive what only you can offer. Pleasing everyone is the fastest way to please no one—including yourself. The true path isn't endless approval-seeking but allowing your authentic work to flow through you and into the world... over and over and over again. The right people will find your voice precisely because it doesn't try to speak to everyone. Your unique vision, unburdened by universal approval, creates a gravitational pull toward those who need exactly what you create. From there, the world will open up its grace and opportunities in ways far more meaningful than generic appreciation ever could.
On making a change only you can perform — "Nobody else at the moment has the power to change you unless you have that initial spark and say, 'I must do something. I don't want this anymore.'" (—Shi Heng Yi) — Change is inevitable, yet it remains a major point of resistance for many. I can tell you without a shadow of doubt that all my significant changes came from one of two catalysts: either moments where I'd had enough of my current situation, or from being so deeply connected to my purpose that embracing uncertainty became the only way forward. Both paths lead to profound self-discovery and soul alignment. As Goggins bluntly puts it, "it sucks," but eventually it not only stops sucking—you'll reach a point where you can't imagine a life where you didn't face change head-on. (Video via @elevatestart on Instagram)
Playlist — Smooth & Groovy Jazz House DJ Mix - Coffee Shop Vibes — A great playlist from RE:TAPE Studios on YouTube @retapestudios of Chill House to work to… great for creating, designing, writing, computer work.
Build For Substance, Not Speed... Creating Space Lets Your Work Speak For Itself
Real impact comes from building on your own timeline, not the world's schedule.
From creating space that lets your work speak for itself… to being the user you're serving, and embracing changes that align you with your deepest purpose.
What these diverse insights share is a fundamental truth…
authentic creation isn't about validation, it's about contribution — it's not about speed, but substance — not about universal appeal, but meaningful connection with those who truly resonate with your vision.
The future belongs to those who build ecosystems of trust rather than monuments to ego — who prioritize deep connection over mass consumption, and create from within rather than reacting to what's without.
Your timeline. Your audience. Your process. Your transformation.
These aren't just elements of creation — they're the foundation of work that matters, work that lasts, work that creates its own gravity.
Now go build it.
Until next week,
– Matt
P.S. If you found value in this week's insights, consider sharing this post with someone who might need this reminder about the power of individuality. ↙️
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