spreading fertilizer at 10,000 feet...

I love to read Seth Godin's blog every morning. There's such a "simpleness" to it. Almost like a moment of... "why didn't I think of that," after you've read it. I also think I like it because Seth writes in a style that makes it easy to apply to an idea I've been working on. Only, he doesn't know what I'm working on. :)


Can you be vaguely-specific?
(Daily oxymoron... check.)

I believe it's completly possible to write in a style that is broad enough to apply to many people... but can be a catalyst at the ground level for each individual project. Compare it to spreading fertilizer at 10,000 feet...

• Farmers crop-dust much closer to the ground because they only want certain plants to grow.


• Taking a 30,000 foot view (standard business POV) of a country side is too broad! It's like saying I plan to target my product to a 25-54 year old demographic.

But if you zoom to the niche level... say 10,000 feet... the fertilizer you spread will cover much more ground. And the things that grow will be much more varied! Almost like the plants that really want to grow.. will grow.

This is how I see Seth Godin's daily writings. He floats some amazing insight and ideas out there to his tribe of readers... and they cultivate some great work!

Here is Seth's post from today that hit close to home. I recommend subscribing to his daily blog here.

16 questions for free agents

1. Who are you trying to please?


2. Are you trying to make a living, make a difference, or leave a legacy?


3. How will the world be different when you've succeeded?


4. Is it more important to add new customers or to increase your interactions with existing ones?


5. Do you want a team? How big? (I know, that's two questions)


6. Would you rather have an open-ended project that's never done, or one where you hit natural end points? (How high is high enough?)


7. Are you prepared to actively sell your stuff, or are you expecting that buyers will walk in the door and ask for it?


8. Which: to invent a category or to be just like Bob/Sue, but better?


9. If you take someone else's investment, are you prepared to sell out to pay it back?


10. Are you done personally growing, or is this project going to force you to change and develop yourself?


11. Choose: teach and lead and challenge your customers, or do what they ask...


12. How long can you wait before it feels as though you're succeeding?


13. Is perfect important? (Do you feel the need to fail privately, not in public?)


14. Do you want your customers to know each other (a tribe) or is it better they be anonymous and separate?


15. How close to failure, wipe out and humiliation are you willing to fly? (And while we're on the topic, how open to criticism are you willing to be?)


16. What does busy look like?