What the Most Successful Entrepreneurs and Creators Have in Common: Lessons from 30+ Studies

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Happy Tuesday!

Just wanted to give you a quick update. I used to send out this newsletter every Sunday, but I recently did some research and found that Tuesdays actually are better for open rates and engagement.

So, from now on, Tuesdays will be the new Sundays in the Not So Glamorous world.

A couple of months ago, I wrote about the Expanders Framework, a framework I came up with last year to identify and research all of the expanders I look up to.

The concept of expanders is one that I first encountered while going through Lacy Phillips’s To Be Magnetic course back in January 2022.

Expanders, as Lacy explains, are people who have created or achieved something in their life that we desire to also have or create. They’re people that we can look at and think to ourselves, “If they did it, then so can I.”

Feeling inspired, I set out to identify over 30 entrepreneurs and creators I admired and research everything I could find about them: where they grew up, where they went to school, what their career trajectory looked like, their “big breaks,” and the things they did to achieve the success they have today.

My list is made up of a mix of people.

On my list are creators like Sahil Bloom, Graham Stephan, Miss Excel, YourRichBFF, Vanessa Lau, and Pamela Reif.

There are also plenty of entrepreneurs (mostly female)—Sara Blakely, the founder of Spanx, Nancy Twine, the founder of haircare brand Briogeo, and Katrina Lake, the founder of Stitchfix, amongst others.

Once I had finalized my list of entrepreneurs and creators for my expanders list, I began conducting my research.

In total, the research took approximately 40 hours, spread out over several weeks.

I spent countless hours reading biographies, news articles, Twitter threads, and watching YouTube videos until I felt I had gathered all the information I needed.

As I began reviewing my findings, I started noticing recurring themes. Many of the entrepreneurs and creators on my list shared similar qualities and followed similar paths to achieve their current success.

Realizing this, I decided to put together a list of the three overarching recurring themes and compile what these 30+ entrepreneurs and creators had in common.

So, without further ado, let's dive in and explore the common traits that contribute to the success of these individuals.

Theme 1: In 2023, content is king.

1. Produce high-quality content, products, and services consistently.

Okay, so here's the deal: if you want to be successful, you have to make sure your stuff is always top-notch. That means that content, products, and services should always be on point. Not only will this give you a solid reputation, but it'll also keep your audience and customers happy and coming back for more.

Consistency is key, and if you can consistently deliver high-quality work, you'll establish yourself as a reliable and trustworthy source in your industry.

Moreover, the importance of customer satisfaction cannot be overstated. It's not just about delivering a product or service; it's about creating an exceptional experience. Putting in the extra effort to ensure that your customers are happy will go a long way in building a loyal customer base. Additionally, satisfied customers are more likely to refer you to their friends and family, which can lead to new business opportunities.

It's worth looking at the example of Katrina Lake, a successful entrepreneur and one of the expanders on my list. When she was building Stitchfix at Harvard Business School, she personally selected outfits for her first customers and shipped them herself. This ensured that the initial customers had a positive experience with the service, and it set the foundation for the company's early success.

By going above and beyond to provide a great customer experience, Katrina was able to differentiate her business from competitors and build a loyal following.

2. Build trust with your audience, users, and clients.

Building trust is super important in any business. You’ve got to make a strong connection with your audience, users, and clients.

How?

By being honest and upfront with them.

Try to add value to their lives at every possible opportunity and be responsive to their needs and concerns when those are brought up.

Since the pandemic hit in 2020, I’ve been religiously following Pamela Reif’s YouTube workouts. They’re fun, challenging, and helped me get into the best shape of my life.

Previously, I didn't believe I could achieve my fitness goals without a gym or trainer. However, by consistently providing high-quality workout videos and plans to follow, Pamela gained my trust as a follower. I have since completed nearly all of her workouts and even purchased her Puma collaboration leggings, as well as several snack boxes from her food brand.

Without the trust Pamela built over many months and years, I doubt I would have made the purchases I did. Her proven track record with effective content gave me confidence that the goods she sold would also deliver results.

3. Embrace the things that make you happy, that you know well and enjoy talking about.

Be true to yourself and show your personality in what you do.

Whether it's a hobby, an interest, or a skill, pursuing something that you know well and enjoy talking about can bring a sense of purpose and satisfaction to your life.

By being true to yourself and showing your personality in what you do, you can create a unique and meaningful contribution to the world around you.

I have been following Nischa on YouTube for about 6 months now. Initially, she created videos on real estate investment because she thought it was what her viewers wanted. However, as she began discussing personal finance and investing, topics she enjoyed and excelled at, she found a surge in new subscribers. As a CPA (certified public accountant) and investment banker, finance was a subject that was right up her alley. After producing more videos on this topic, she gained a following and exploded in popularity in December 2022.

4. Be a good storyteller.

Pretty much every successful entrepreneur and creator on my list has utilized storytelling to captivate and engage their audience. By telling stories, they were able to connect with their audience on a deeper level and convey their message in a way that is more memorable and impactful.

Whether it's through personal anecdotes, metaphors, or case studies, storytelling is an effective way to communicate with your audience and build a loyal following.

To witness this in action, listen to Whitney Wolfe Herd's interview on the NPR podcast "How I Built This." Although the interview was recorded in 2016 and Whitney Wolfe Herd’s company, Bumble, has since gone on to achieve incredible success, the story she shares about how Bumble was founded is both creative and brave, and her storytelling skills are impressive. It's clear from listening to the episode that Whitney has been able to leverage this strength in her business from the very beginning.

5. Being creative in your work can improve it and bring new perspectives.

To infuse creativity, try thinking outside the box. Explore different mediums, try new approaches, or collaborate with others. You can also incorporate exercises such as brainstorming, mind mapping, or free-writing.

Cultivate a spirit of curiosity and exploration to tap into your inner creativity and bring fresh perspectives to everything you do.

Miss Excel, a popular Excel educator, and creator, is a great example of someone who infuses creativity into their work. She is able to take a seemingly boring subject like Excel and teach it in a fun and engaging way. By doing so, she is able to connect with her audience and make learning more enjoyable.

If you want to be more creative in your work, take a page out of Miss Excel's book and find ways to infuse creativity into everything you do.

6. Back up your content and products with evidence and credibility.

If you want people to trust and engage with you, you've got to show them that you know what you're talking about.

Luckily, there are many ways to do this!

You can give them numbers, facts, expert opinions, reviews, and testimonials.

By doing so, you're not only demonstrating that your content, product, or service is worth their time and money but also that you've done your research and have proof to back it up.

Bonus: it'll make you look better than competitors who may not have any evidence to back up their claims.

Theme 2: Doing ordinary things for an extraordinary amount of time.

1. Start early and be consistent.

Success takes time and repetition. No one just wakes up one day and launches a thriving project. Pretty much every entrepreneur and creator had to make a lot of mistakes to get to where they are today. You’re not going to be perfect in the beginning. But if you stay consistent, over time you’ll improve and the quality of your work will improve with it.

Just check out one of Nischa’s early YouTube videos. She’s said that she’s explicitly kept it up to show how far she’s come as a YouTuber and to help others see that perfect, high-quality content is not produced on day 1.

2. Sustainable and consistent growth is better than fast, furious, and failed.

This is because sustainable growth is more likely to provide long-term benefits while fast growth may be unsustainable and can lead to eventual failure.

In order to achieve sustainable growth, businesses need to focus on building strong foundations, creating a loyal customer base, and consistently delivering high-quality products or services.

By prioritizing these elements, businesses can establish themselves in the market and maintain their success over time.

3. Discipline is more important than motivation.

While motivation can give you a short-term boost, it is discipline that will help you achieve long-term success.

By being disciplined, you can make a consistent effort to work towards your goals, even when you don't feel motivated.

It's about developing a routine and sticking to it, even when life gets in the way.

It means pushing through the hard times and not giving up.

When you are disciplined, you build habits that will serve you well in all areas of your life, not just in achieving your goals. You're in control of your actions and are better able to make decisions that will benefit you in the long run. So while motivation is important, it's discipline that will truly help you succeed.

Theme 3: The right mindset is everything.

1. Visualize the future you want, not the future you don't want.

Instead of imagining negative worst-case scenarios, visualize the best possible outcomes.

About 80% of worst-case scenarios never come to pass. Your body reacts to whatever you think, so don't focus on a future that makes you sad or anxious.

Instead, draw energy from a future that you do want.

When thinking about the future, it's easy to get caught up in negativity. You may worry about the worst possible outcomes and imagine all the ways things could go wrong. However, research has shown that when we focus on negative outcomes, we actually increase our likelihood of experiencing them. This is because our bodies react to our thoughts and emotions in real ways.

When we constantly visualize negative scenarios, we tell our bodies to prepare for the worst, leading to anxiety and stress.

Instead of negativity, focus on positive outcomes. Visualize the best possible scenarios and imagine all the ways things could go right. This sends a signal to your body that you're excited and energized about the future, reducing anxiety and increasing overall well-being.

2. Ignore the spotlight effect and stop worrying about what other people think of you.

Everyone is too busy thinking about themselves to worry about you!

In most cases, people are focused on their own lives and aren't overly concerned with the actions or behavior of others. It's easy to feel self-conscious or anxious about how others perceive us, but it's important to remember that everyone goes through their own experiences and challenges.

By recognizing this, we can shift our focus away from ourselves and towards empathy and understanding for others. Building stronger relationships and a more positive sense of self is possible through this lens.

While it may seem like others are too busy to worry about us, we're all in this together and can support one another through life's ups and downs.

3. Don't be afraid to ask for what you want or reach out to well-known people.

You never know what opportunities may arise just by asking. Instead of thinking, "This person will never agree to this. I'll just embarrass myself by doing it," have the mindset of, "If this person agrees to this, how awesome could it be? What could it lead to?"

While I was interning at Rocket Mortgage in Detroit back in 2016, I attended a talk hosted by the company's CEO, billionaire, and owner of the Cleveland Cavaliers, Dan Gilbert. At the end of his presentation, Dan Gilbert put his email address up on the screen and encouraged interns, like myself, to reach out to him if they had any questions or anything they wanted to talk about.

Taking him up on the offer, I wrote him an email inviting him to come to speak at my college, Berkeley, since I was a member of the Berkeley Forum, a non-profit organization that hosted influential speakers on campus. Two days later, Dan's executive assistant wrote back saying that Dan had read my email and was interested in coming to campus.

I was over the moon!

Dan had read my email and was interested in my proposition.

When I told my boss I had written Dan an email, he was shocked. He couldn't believe that I had actually written to our CEO. He was even more shocked that Dan had responded back.

My boss would have never done something like that. But I did. And it led to something great! What's the worst that could have happened? If Dan hadn't responded back, I would have been in the same spot as before. I wasn't losing anything by putting myself out there.

While the Expanders Framework may have been the starting point, the real treasure lies in the unique actions and mindsets of each entrepreneur and creator on the list.

From producing high-quality content to being a good storyteller, from starting early and being consistent to incorporating gratitude into every aspect of life, there's something to learn from each of them.

I’ll be incorporating the lessons I’ve gathered from this exercise in every part of my life. And I’m curious—was there something specific that resonated with you? What will you be doing differently with the things you are building?

Hit reply back and let me know!

Until next time,

Sabrina

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🌊 Dive Deeper

1. My friend Emily, just launched a Substack called One Woman Army. She brings together successful female entrepreneurs in all industries to share free resources for solopreneurs on business planning, work-life balance, and more. If you have dreams, plans, and no time for BS, One Woman Army is for you.

2. How Spotify Built a $20 Billion Business by Changing How People Listen to Music. If you like Spotify and a good success story, then this article is a must-read.