How to Create Something People Give a Sh*t About (Without Being a Creative Genius)

No one cares about great ideas. Sorry.

They don’t care because the world is overflowing with ideas. An idea is only good if a person has executed on it for a long time.

In my banking days, new tech startup entrepreneurs used to slap NDAs in my face. They had no revenue or customers, but they thought their idea was so valuable they had to waste time and money they didn’t have to draft up NDAs and force people to sign them.

As a joke, I used to sign their NDAs.

Then they’d reveal their big idea. The irony was it’d always be some copycat business, like Uber but for boats. I tried not to laugh although it was hard.

Eventually, I told every person who asked me to sign an NDA to find another bank.

Building stuff in the new world is different. Copyright, plagiarism, NDAs, college qualifications, “years of experience” … are all dying. I’m not saying this is a good thing but it’s reality.

People steal my writing all the time and post it under their own name. I’m done chasing them. Why? Because they have no idea how to get people to give a sh*t about their work — or even work they stole.

Making people care deeply about your creations is something I accidentally know a lot about. I’ve built cult followings on Medium, X, LinkedIn, Substack, and my email list.

I also run a 7-figure online business that is overflowing with testimonials. In the surveys I send out, people love what we do so much they tell us to double our prices.

And when we offer annual subscriptions people start trying to renew within three months of signing up. About ~75% of customers buy at least three things. This is unheard of in online business.

It’s not because I’m brilliant. It’s because I learned the subtle art of how to create stuff people give a sh*t about.

We all secretly have a dream to create something people care deeply about (even if we won’t admit it). Here’s how you can do it using my simple formula.

*Don’t* do what you love like a fairy princess

Gurus always start this conversation with “Do what you love.”

Love is a piss weak word in the eyes of the internet. Love isn’t enough. I love eating chocolate vegan cupcakes and pissing on my bad neighbor’s lawn. Doesn’t mean people are going to care enough to join my movement.

An “interest” is even weaker.

A hobby is just as bad.

A passion is even worse.

The world is full of half-interested people and most of them die at 25 and get buried at 75. I’ve never been interested or passionate. I found out last year that I’m obsessed. I eat, breathe, and sleep my obsession for writing.

While the average person is passively consuming the latest Hollywood movie on their way to work, I’m thinking about newsletter titles. Or writers I can DM. Or new ways of making old writing come to life again.

My daughter is one year old and we’re already planning her Substack launch … and she can’t even write yet (joking not joking).

This level of obsession is what attracts people to you like a magnet because it’s quite rare. And this type of obsession is deeply inspiring. People freaking love inspiration. They love to feel the energy in what you’re doing.

Yet so many things people build are lifeless and are built on a 1% battery life.

You can’t fake obsession. You’re either a crazy madman/madwoman about your creation or it’s forgotten for eternity. There’s no in-between.

Ohhh…and creating something because it could make money is the worst reason in the world. You’ll die inside.

“Number go up” is boring as hell.

Put your heart on the line

I’m a grown-ass man.

The Twitter bros think I’m some manly man. What they’d be horrified to find out is I’m a softy. I love a good cry.

I put so much emotion into what I do. I want people to feel the emotion on the other side, otherwise they won’t be moved into action. Stuff that people care about is deeply personal. Often, that means the creator has to dare to be vulnerable.

To share more than what they believe in, but also, how it makes them feel. I want the things I create to change people’s lives. I’m not interested in selling a widget and shipping it via Amazon for a profit.

When what you do is infused with emotion, strangers begin to care and they often can’t explain why. It’s a feeling instead of a detail they can pin point.

All you have to do to replicate this technique is feel what you’re doing. If there’s no feeling you should probably give up — especially if you’re a writer.

Put in the god damn effort

Things that people care about take time and effort.

***(Thank you, thank you, I know I’m a genius. Not.)*

Too many people try to create things then give up too soon. They put in 5 minutes of effort and want $5M. I spoke to a guy via email today. He wanted to make $1M online but he was prepared to spend $0 to learn.

This is what’s wrong with society. Stupidly unrealistic expectations that make no sense. Newsflash: whatever dollar figure you want to make, you’ll probably have to spend at least 10%-20% to make it.

Investments of time and money are the only things in the universe that have an ROI. Everything else is a rainbow unicorn fantasy.

If you show up for long enough and try enough, you’ll win. But trying is not what you think. Trying means you’ve got to try beyond your comfort level. It’s gotta be a level of trying that’s painful.

Now you know why 99% of people who attend gyms never build any muscle. They only do what’s comfortable, not what’s painful. If you go to the gym and you’re not grunting like a pig about to be carved up into ham, you’re not trying.

Same applies to creating stuff people care about.

Make it hard, make it painful. The rewards feel better than an orga$m when you do.

Really give a sh*t about people

Most people I meet who build stuff are selfish.

They have no empathy for the person they’re building for. They often never talk to them or understand their problems.

Everything I build I give a crap about. I reply to emails, comments, and DMs. I want people to know I care. I’m not just showing up to try and buy a Lambo, only to leave 5 minutes later.

If you put other people’s needs ahead of yours, you can achieve a helluva a lot. But most of your competition won’t which is a huge advantage. It’s why building stuff online is child’s play to me.

Quit your job to do it

Going all in is underrated.

When I launched this Substack one line that stood out to readers was this: “I quit my job to do this.” I threw it in the About Me section and didn’t think much. Still to this day it’s what stands out for readers.

There’s something about a man quitting the easy option of a 9–5 bank job to do something risky, while raising a young family, that people resonate with.

Everyone should quit their job to build sh*t online at least once in their lives to feel the difference between that and part-time.

No plan B forces you to focus, to be serious.

Raise your standards

99% of people’s standards suck.

They accept mediocrity and call it a life. They spend more time doing house chores than actually building something meaningful. Their priorities are back the front.

If you do what society does you’ll never create anything great. You must raise your standards, which isn’t hard because the bar is so low.

Make the work better than your normal creations. Get harsh feedback and don’t throw an adult baby tantrum when someone criticizes you. Consider that they might be right. Then get better.

Mental model to follow: 1% better each day

Greatness framework: become a completely different person every 12 months.

Seek out brilliant people

Building stuff by yourself is overrated.

I prefer to seek out brilliant people and add their genius over the top of what I’m building. That’s why I have a business partner.

Brilliant people are hiding everywhere you just have to dare to find them. They’re hiding in the dark corners of the internet. They often have no idea of their own awesomeness. Your job is to go where high performers are hiding.

I found my business partner in a Slack community. Your creative partner could be hiding on Reddit, X, LinkedIn, or at a local networking event.

Make it a cliche habit

The start of everything looks sh*t.

Your first creation won’t be your best creation. You’ve gotta get some runs on the board. Stack up the hours. Try things. Learn new tools. I’m not a good writer. But I’ve been writing every day for 10 years so it’s hard to suck.

Over those 10 years, I’ve done 10,000 iterations instead of just 10,000 hours.

The creative leaps forward were found inside those iterations that felt like 10,000 paper cuts to the face.

Laziness and inconsistency rarely build something people care about.

What I’ve learned is some people just fall in love with your stupidly consistent habit and that’s enough. If you showed up every day for 5 years and built one thing without losing focus, it’d be hard for you to fail.

Again, few people will so there’s no competition.

Outlive yourself and smile back from the after-life

Our creations form our legacy.

When you tie what you’re building to your mortality, it’s a gut punch that’ll knock the wind out of you.

Every day I imagine I’m dead and my one year old daughter is alive and misses her daddy. All she has is my writing (with audio narration) to remember me by. This is the vision I have whenever I sit down to create.

It forces me to try harder. It forces me to find the best ideas and communicate them well. This process overwhelms me with emotion. It’s a huge responsibility and it makes the work better.

If only you knew how soon you were going to die, you’d stop wasting time and get to work on the one thing you want to build — instead of giving your best years to a job and boss who wouldn’t even show up to your funeral if you did die tomorrow.

No more screwing around. Go build something people will give a sh*t about right now.

Tell me in the comments section below what you’re building and why.

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