What game are you playing?

In a recent interview with Justin Welsh, we talked about how (and why) business can be thought of as a game. This week, we're digging deeper...  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ [Creator Science]( Presented by [ConvertKit]() Hello my friend! In a recent interview with Justin Welsh, we spent a good amount of time talking about how (and why) business can be thought of as a game. Here's a short clip from Justin: "I love the game of business. Like, to me, it's like a video game. Right? You unlock levels and, and you figure out new things. And I think the most interesting thing is it's not just a one player game, it's a multiplayer game. And I think the best players who are playing that game have unlocked sort of that multiplayer, you know, way of playing." [Justin Welsh on Creative Elements](​ I really appreciated Justin’s willingness to go there with me – a lot of people (even if they feel this way) wouldn’t admit they are “playing” a game. Because “playing” sounds like you’re doing something for fun. Games have scoreboards – and the obvious scoreboard in the game of business is money. Money comes from people. Some people see money as a very personal thing and buying something as a personal, even high-stakes decision. …so you can see why admitting that we’re playing a game could come across the wrong way. But there are a lot of apt comparisons to gameplay. Mike Whelan (an incredibly thoughtful and kind member of [The Lab]()) made several [on Twitter](): [Mike Whelan on Twitter](​ ​ But business is not a single universal game that we either opt into or out of. Like a child with a big imagination, you create your OWN game. You define your own object of the game, you choose the rules that are important to you, the stakes, who you play the game with, and as Mike said, which resource(s) you start with. “Gamifying” business is a mechanism that helps you reach goals and enjoy the process. And in this week's essay, I'm helping you design your OWN game (and make some crucial decisions) that will help you succeed. [Keep reading (12 min) ↗]( ​ ​ ​ [Sponsor Image]() PRESENTED BY CONVERTKIT Looking for a new email marketing platform? You know that I love ConvertKit. It's one of the best tools for professional creators to earn a living online. Let me tell you about Dylan Redekop – writer of one of my favorite newsletters, Growth Currency, and member of The Lab! While he initially used Substack to easily get his thoughts into newsletter form, Dylan quickly realized it wasn’t enough to build a sustainable business while earning sponsorships and affiliate commissions. Six months into his newsletter, he made the switch to ConvertKit and saw a 58% open rate, up from his average of 42% on Substack. “If you have anything at all you want to share with the world, get a ConvertKit account and start sharing.” See how Dylan’s switch to ConvertKit grew his newsletter to +1000 subscribers. [Read the case study]() ​ ​ CLICK WORTHY 🔥 Check these out 🐦 [Matt Damon on the evolution of movies](=) – A short clip from Hot Ones with Matt Damon explaining some of the economics behind producing a movie and why they have changed over time. (2 mins) --------------------------------------------------------------- 📹 [YouTube launches a dedicated page for podcasts]( – This was a big story at Podcast Movement this week. YouTube is beginning to (explicitly) enter into the podcasting space. I asked the head of YouTube Podcasts (Kai Chuk) how podcasters like me can be indexed for this discovery page, but there is not yet any mechanism beyond making your channel SEEM like a podcast. Stay tuned! ​ LISTEN ON CREATIVE ELEMENTS #114: Kat Norton aka Miss Excel [Messy Action] Engineering virality & earning more than $100,000 in a single day [Creative Elements Cover Art]( Kat Norton energetically teaches Microsoft Excel to individuals, businesses, and educational institutions. Since launching Miss Excel in June 2020, she has grown a community of over 1,000,000 people on TikTok & Instagram (@miss.excel) through viral Excel trick videos infused with creativity, music, and dance. Kat was recently awarded the Microsoft MVP Award and has been featured in Business Insider, CNBC, and Entrepreneur Magazine as a pioneer in the "Excel Influencer" space. Kat was also named one of the Top Influencers of 2021 by Forbes. In this episode, we talk about how Kat overcome her fear and began posting on TikTok, how she thinks about energy management, how she earned $100,000 in a single day, and why all of her progress can be attributed to taking what she calls “Messy Action.” [Play episode]( [Apple Podcasts]( [Spotify]( [Stitcher]() [YouTube](=) New to the show? Start with a [curated playlist](). ​ ​ LAST WORD 👋 Thanks for reading! We hit some major milestones this week! The Creative Elements YouTube channel broke 1,000 subscribers and this newsletter hit 14,000 subscribers. I'm told that the average YouTube channel takes 2 years and more than 100 videos to reach 1,000 subscribers – so to hit that threshold in under two months with a handful of video interviews feels like a very good sign. I spent the week at Podcast Movement 22 as a speaker. Things went pretty well! ​ ​ I was able to meetup with several members of The Lab, and several other internet friends that I've never met IRL. In talking with some of those folks (especially members of The Lab like Jeremy Enns, I decided that the time has come to raise prices for The Lab. Members have been telling me all year that I should charge more for the amount of work and programming I put into the community, and we're now at 110 members. Here are the highlights: [Pricing changes for The Lab]()​ Zero pressure or expectation from me, I just wanted to give you a heads up about this upcoming change so you can take advantage of current pricing if you're in a position to. ​[Learn more or join The Lab](=) ↗ This is just ONE product that I offer and it's for more advanced creators. If you're feeling like you're not able to budget that cost, that's OK! Maybe sometime down the road. Thanks for supporting my work and I'll talk to you next week! Cheers, Jay --------------------------------------------------------------- [Photo of Jay Clouse]( Jay Clouse [Say hi 👋 on Twitter]() or [Instagram]( ☎️ [Book a 1:1 call with me]( Thanks for subscribing! 📬 Reply to this email or [contact me]() anytime. [Edit your profile]( or [unsubscribe here](. This email was sent with [ConvertKit]() and designed using [Palladio](=). Want to say thank you? ❤️ ☕️ [Buy Me A Coffee]() or send a note to P.O. BOX 797, Worthington, OH 43085. 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