no agenda.: Recent Episodes
David Sherry
no agenda. is a look under the hood of the creative mind. Regular episodes examine and deconstruct creative blocks, anxiety, and challenge your creative output.
I also discuss the nitty-gritty details and nuance of creating great work with the webs favorite artists and creators.
A new approach to sales/marketing/copywriting that puts your customer on the same plane as you, and puts you in a position of support.
Tim Urban started Wait but Why, a popular web blog that takes difficult to understand concepts and breaks them down through thorough analysis and stick figure drawings to make it fun and engaging. I spoke with Tim about how he built his blog to millions a views a month, and how he makes a living writing and sharing these posts.
Check out his blog at waitbutwhy.com
Michael Ventura is accomplished in many areas, from running a succesful New York City agency called Sub Rosa to speaking and coaching and community building with Corvis Medicine and his retail shop Calliope. The thing that ties them all together? Empathy.
Here's the latest in my series of interviews with those I call "non-conformist empire builders".
Check out his agency below. wearesubrosa.com
I first came across Miki Agrawal at a conference called the Do Lectures in California, and I was blown away by her energy and just how many businesses and projects she had in the works. Miki owns multiple e-commerce companies, is a speaker and author and helped start a farm to table pizzeria in NYC. We discuss how to break taboos as a form of starting businesses that empower women. Check out her work and upcoming book here: http://mikiagrawal.com
I sat down with Paul Jarvis to discuss a bit about his early career, his upcoming book company of one, and how he launches courses and software products through his email list. Paul Jarvis is an accomplished freelancer, internet teacher and blogger. His Sunday dispatches are a must-read weekly email for anyone looking to improve their craft as a creative. He's got a new book on the way, "Company of One" and you can sign up for his email list here.
http://pjrvs.com
Last year I took a sales training course from an incredible teacher, speaker, author, and business coach, Matt Kimberly.
Today I have him on the show to discuss his work, and how artists should start thinking about sales. You can check out his work below and hop on his email list (one that I love to receive). http://matthewkimberley.com
Enjoy!
Alexandra Franzen is a writer, consultant, and entrepreneur based in Portland, Oregon. Her writing has been featured on websites like Time, Forbes, and Newsweek, and she’s been mentioned in places like The New York Times Small Business Blog, The Atlantic, and Inc.
We chatted about what to do when the going get's tough, and her new book - "You're Going to Survive".
It's a book about how to deal with discouraging situations in your career, and how to build more resilience and keep marching towards your goals. The book has been called "uplifting and encouraging" and "your new best friend on a bad day." It's available for pre-order now.
I had a blast with this conversation and I think you will too.
https://www.amazon.com/Youre-Going-Survive-soul-crushing-experiences-ebook/dp/B06ZXV6RPR/
A quick riff on why you don't need to pay attention too much to social media followings, email opens etc..
Today I speak with a business coach I've worked with for about 3 years. We talk in depth about some of the patterns he sees for where most people get "stuck" and blocked, and about what a good coach can do for you. I'm sure I'll have him back again sometime, so feel free to send along any future questions!
Today I riff off of a question from a listener about networking, and I supply 8 ideas for building out your network, almost all of which I've used myself.
Feel free to hit me up david@thefirst4years.com if you have any questions you want answered on air, thanks!
Joanna Galvao runs an agency that makes sites for some of our most known independent creators. Her agency, Gifs Design Studio, quickly grew to a team of 8, but like all fast growing companies, with a few hiccups along the way. We discuss some of what she learned in the early days of hiring and how to create a team that cares about you. I found her advice to be practical and spot on from the perspective of how to care for your team and build a workplace you love.
There were a few books mentioned:
Leaders eat last - Simon Sinek Radical Candor - Kim Scott
Check out her site!
http://gifdesignstudios.com
I was recently on a podcast hosted by Matte Black, and there was one section of that show I wanted to recreate and share with you on the show so you didn't miss it. It's 5 rules, and concepts that I've picked up along the way that have helped me keep making progress as a creative. Let me know your thoughts, lata!
This episode I talk about how we often make things a big deal in our minds, which leads to stress and what we can do to avoid that. I also discuss acting natural on social media and the trap we can fall into there.
Should I be on my grind? Should I allow things to present themselves in my life? Today I talk about how I approach my work, and a breakthrough I had from a quote I heard that helped me feel things out in my work the way that works best for me.
In this show I talk about how I think about building partnerships to grow the awareness of your brand. It's one of the best ways you can get traction with your company or project, but often people approach them from the wrong perspective. I share a few ideas on how I look at building partnerships. Enjoy!
Today I read a quick blog post I wrote out loud about "the journey" of the creative path and some stories from our past that help us think about it. Hoping this helps you on your way!
Here's an episode of my podcast, one wherein a long-time friend, Jay, interviews me and I share some about myself and Death to Stock.
When I was young, we’d take long car drives constantly. So, I grew up listening to radio.
Me and my 3 sisters and mom, dad, yelling for us all to get our stuff around and get in the car. We’d scramble around and pack for the trip down to Florida or out West to Denver or Texas. I was lucky that my parents liked to camp, and we weren't afraid to drive far distances.
We’d be 6 or 7 hours in, droning along through some mid-west city with nothing around but corn, driving straight for hours, and as the day drifted into night, you got used to the rhythm of the car, and we’d turn the dial for hunting for stories...
And when you’re on the road, something just feels so right about it. As the landscape passed by, it was the voices which acted as the backdrop.
Mostly it was Garrison Keiler, NPR, or muted and fuzzed country. My dad kept a CB, and sometimes he’d use it to check the traffic with truckers, or to hear the latest gossip of what their lives were like.
See, with the spoken word, you still get to use your imagination. It allows us to fill in the blanks instead of see everything.
Action movies of today want you to see it all, they want to thrill you with explosions and graphic imagery.
But what horror writers know is that it’s not about what you put in, it’s about what you leave out.
We imagine every trap that a character could fall in. When they narrowly escape, somewhere in our minds we see them fall to their doom. And it’s the creation in our minds that thrills us.
These days the radio is taking a back seat. But podcasts are picking up in importance, it’s a resurgence.
Because hearing a voice still does something for us. Still helps us with context for what we can’t see online, still get's our brain firing with creativity.
It brings warmth and humanity into our technological world.
Of course, in re-lisetning to this I felt bit vulnerable. Hearing yourself recorded is a mirror in it's own way, sort of like seeing a photo of yourself from the side, it just feels awkward.
A long-time friend, Jay, interviews me on my podcast, and I share some about myself and about Death to Stock. Here I am, being recorded for my own podcast, wherein a long-time friend, Jay.
Jay's Biz: http://unrealcollective.com
It's talked about a lot, with a lot of different opinions. I have a simple heuristic (from my coach, Chris McAlister) that helps you always see a way you can give and provide value for others in a way that makes you happy, too.
The system that we're in makes it hard, I want to shed some light on the context for why it's hard being an artist or entrepreneur. Then I share some strategies for mitigating those stresses.
I'm sick right now, so I thought I'd share a common struggle around work that happens when we don't feel great or stuff comes up in our lives. I'm using it as a reminder that focusing on the right task at hand (right now, getting better) helps us not get stressed out and instead enjoy where we're ate.
Continuing the series on mindset, I'm covering the difference between knowledge vs. ideas - and how this is a key component of building a mindset of a leader and someone who can boldly make things happen.
How can artists and creators build value into the future? This episode is about the future of work, and where to spend your time starting out as a creator today to set yourself up for tomorrow.
To start discussing stress, fears in our work, and mindset - we need to lay some groundwork principles down. The first one, is starting to think of your brain as a computer. The good news is, this means it can be changed, if we work on it the right way and develop it. If we work with it, instead of against it. I bring up this metaphor as a way for helping you understand where you might be getting stuck.
I was stressed for a really long time. And every time I was stress, I lost the moment, I didn't perform as well, I enjoyed things less, and my work was a LOT harder.
So I'm dedicating a series of episodes to mindset and stress. I think this is a really undervalued topic, and gets right at the core of why we don't reach our goals or feel our best. We're held back by patterns, unhelpful mindsets and fear. If we can break from these, we can break from where we are and get to where we want to go.
Andrew Tyree took his love for travel, his Spanish speaking ability and his skill in being a great host and turned it into a business called Coast to Costa. They provide unique, group travel experiences in Spanish speaking countries around the world. I sit down with Andrew and discuss how he was able to work full time as a modern Travel Guide.
When should you pick up a new skill? When should you double down on what you already know? I talk about this tension, and the way I think about it and how it relates to being productive. I also give a fun musical metaphor that helps showcase the point (originally from Kyle Cease).
Jay left a venture backed startup to start his own community group and business called Unreal Collective, and within months was able to pursue it full time. Jay, friend and founder(previously Tixers - acquired in 2015) and I discuss what he's working on and what he's learned along the way. We discuss what you can do to build up a network and how to test your ideas the right way.
Are you feeling like people don't get what you sell? Today I talk about how it's your job to educate your customers, regardless of what it is that you're creating. This is a simple, yet a effective way to get less frustrated if people aren't "getting" what you're selling.
When it comes down to it, business is pretty simple. Here are the two most important functions in a business, with a simple story for you to understand how they work. Hopefully they help you think about your own project or idea!
I speak with Sian Richardson about my previous show on Making what you're excited about vs. doing research. We also talk about how she left her job to freelance full time, and what her approach to taking breaks from work is.
Hilary and I discuss how she started her event company with one evening of creativity, along with discussing "what if you have too many ideas?"
"how many ideas do you have a day, and how do you resist the urge to follow them all? - I got this question as a text and wanted to answer here on the podcast. It's all about a process for capturing, and then for finding the "sweet spot" idea. What's a sweet spot idea? I answer in the show.
I also discuss this in our next show where I interview Hillary!
In this podcast, I discuss "consistency" with Charli from Charli Marie TV. We talk about Vidcon, how to get on a rhythm and get started as a youtuber. I find her insights to be applicable for anyone looking to get momentum as a blogger/creative. Check out her channel here: https://www.youtube.com/user/charlimarieTV
This episode talks about getting creatively stuck or blocked and what we can do about it. Ever been hitting the wall for about a week or two or more? Here's what I found helps me get back into it with consistency.
"So, what do you do?"
I used to hate this question. Haaaaaate it. Today I'm leaving some tips for the best way to think about how to answer it, no matter what you do.
Following up from the last episode, The Skydive vs. The Ladder, I spoke with Claire, formerly from the startup Calendly about how she jumped out from working full time at a startup to running her own freelance brand marketing and research business.
Claire offered up her ebook for TF4Y listeners. You can get it for $1 if they use the code FIRST4YEARS at checkout.
https://www.loveyourcustomers.co/product/websites-that-convert/
In this episode I talk about Chipotle and Ikea, and what their "secret sauce" might be. And how you can learn from how they see what business there in, as a way to form a competitive advantage. It's about looking deeper than the surface to see what really might be leading some companies and ideas to success.
When should you quit your job? How do you switch career paths or jump into something new? Today I talk about what is really scary to me that people do in these situations and how to take the right approach to your big pivot, and your next success.
What happens when you...just...get stuck. And you're feeling like you've lost passion or momentum in your work?
Today's episode is about how to get moving forward again and get back to that feeling of making progress and having fun with your work.
How do you find quality mentors? What's the actual process for having more experienced guidance on your journey as an entrepreneur or freelancer? Today I talk about some actionable steps to getting some wise help.
This is the first Episode of the First 4 Years where I talk some about my journey, and launching something new.