Listen. Do you want to build a brand and be successful?
You got to want it more than your competitors!
You got to embrace the hustle and keep grinding!
If you’re not putting 20 pieces of content out every day and documenting your entire life, you’ve already lost!
Have you ever heard that before? Yeah, me too.
How does it make you feel when you hear it?
Inspired? Overwhelmed? Both?
If you feel inspired by it and that’s a lifestyle you can handle, I say stop reading this post and go for it. There’s no better time to start than the present, and I’ll be here rooting for you and cheering you on as you chase your dream.
But if you feel overwhelmed by it, maybe stick around because I think there’s value here for you.
What Hustle & Grind Culture Gets Right
This hustle and grind culture has gained a ton of traction on the internet, and no doubt it’s turning a lot of everyday people into absolute killers in the business world. Some people see huge returns with this approach, building massive audiences and absolutely “crushing it”—as Gary Vee would say.
But why does this approach work? Well, it works because it taps into some universal truths. Whether you’re starting a business, playing a sport, baking, or building furniture…it takes commitment to become great.
You’ll have to practice. Hone your craft. But most importantly, you’ll have to get off the sidelines and start. And marketing is no different.
That said, I think the thing that the hustle and grind culture does best is that it turns people into action takers. Granted, it leverages overly aggressive tactics that use guilt and shame to motivate you to act, but it is what it is, and apparently, there’s a place for that approach in the world.
However, getting started is half the battle. Once you turn on a camera and start talking about the things you’re doing to build a brand or a company, you can begin to refine your content strategy, messaging, and marketing tactics.
What Hustle & Grind Culture Gets Wrong
On the other hand, I think there are some holes that the hustle and grind culture fails to address.
It seems to me that the culture never really comes out and says that it only works for B2C brands. So, you end up with many entrepreneurs who aren’t selling shirts, a training course, or consumer services, believing that this is the way.
If you’re an entrepreneur selling subscription-based software solutions to other businesses, multi-million-dollar consulting services to Fortune 500 companies, industrial equipment to manufacturers, or government contracting work…do you think it’s reasonable to pitch your offer on your iPhone from the back of an Uber?
In my opinion, not really.
Not to mention that people in these types of businesses don’t have the luxury of experimentation. If they’re going to have a real shot at making some high-level sales like this, it’s critical they look like a real company—buttoned up and polished.
Secondly, I think this culture takes digital proficiency for granted. The culture makes it seem easy to take the content and amplify it everywhere it needs to go. I guess this is where the “grind” part comes in. But not everyone knows how to post on social media.
I know…crazy, right? It’s true though. Some people couldn’t tell you the difference between a ReeI and a Short, let alone how to upload a podcast to an RSS feeder and get it syndicated to Apple Podcasts and Spotify.
I recently sat in a room with some super successful real estate investors who wanted to go all-in on social media to build a brand, and some of them literally didn’t know how to publish an Instagram post.
How will someone like that reconcile the hustle and grind approach with their current worldview and limitations?
I get it. They can watch YouTube videos, google best practices, and leverage the internet to automate stuff, but I’m just saying…that’s a huge barrier to entry for a lot of people.
More than you might expect.
Lastly, the hustle and grind culture doesn’t account for people dealing with some very real circumstances that prevent them from living that life.
Maybe you’re an introverted person that needs quiet time and privacy, and you’d rather be dead than have someone following you around with a camera all day.
Maybe you consult with government contractors and can’t document your work because it would breach your NDA and threaten national security.
Maybe you’re already hustling and traveling worldwide to do sales calls. Between those and the seemingly endless meetings, you can’t seem to find an extra second in your day to create content. Not without missing out on your kid’s soccer game for the 3rd time this month.
I don’t know. Everyone has different circumstances. But for someone who can’t hustle and grind their way to a content plan, there must be a solution for them too, right?
Perhaps There’s a Different Approach
So, how do you get all the benefits of the hustle and grind without all the…you know…hustling and grinding.
Well, it takes a more planful approach. An approach that leverages and respects the time you do have to make the most of the content you create.
I’m not trying to sell you snake oil here. I’m not trying to convince you there’s an “easy button” you can press that will magically generate a content strategy that allows you to sit back as the sales roll in.
Because that’s not reality, and it should be a giant red flag when someone tells you that it is.
But what if there was a way to drop in for two hours a week, select an on-brand story or two from a backlog of topics, record some stuff, and bounce? Then, you got 20 pieces of content for social media? That would be cool.
What if, after a month of doing that, suddenly, two lead-generating eBooks emerged? That would be super cool.
What if one week you dropped in for your normal two hours and didn’t record any video? Instead, what if you spent that time answering a few questions and you had a white paper a week later? What if you still got all the social media posts, even though you didn’t record anything that week? That would be crazy, right?
As I said, I’m not selling you snake oil and telling you that you don’t have to be involved at all. But I am saying that with the right approach, you can create a content engine that doesn’t require all your time and energy to maintain.
