I Learned How To Build A Fire. Now I Know How To Build A Subscriber List.
This is a pretty darn useful skill for solopreneurs to have.
We lit our first fire of the autumnal season in September.
The first half of the month was unnaturally warm (hot, even), but that quickly gave way to the typically cold, stormy weather we’ve come to expect here in Northern Ireland around this time of year.
In fairness, the weather’s pretty bad most of the time round these parts.
But the drop-off from I-Can’t-Believe-I’m-Still-In-Shorts to Holy-Smokes-It’s-Baltic! seemed to happen overnight. Christine and I were soon bundling ourselves up in blankets and checking the hot water bottles for leaks.
And before I knew it, I was setting the fire again.
A Lesson from Logs
We’re a few dozen fires in now (cleaning the dang thing out the next morning’s always a real chore, right?) and I’ve noticed something. Maybe it’s because I’m writing articles most days and my creative eye won’t stop a-roamin’, but I seem to spot analogies in everything lately.
This time round, it was about how I build the fire.
It’s not something I’ve ever given much thought to. I just do it. I know the structure I use works, so there’s little or no deviation involved.
Once that match is struck and its tiny flame licks into the kindling, I know for [pretty much] certain the fire will light. “They’ve done studies, you know. Sixty percent of the time, it works every time.”
Anchorman, in case you’re wondering.
Anyway, I’m fairly adept at building a fire that’s almost guaranteed to become a blazing furnace within, say, fifteen minutes. And I think there’s a nice parallel in there. The connection isn’t even all that tenuous, for a change.
It’s about the subscriber pathway. And here’s how it goes.
To read the rest of this article (and unlock full access to my entire catalogue, along with some juicy extras) just upgrade to my paid plan - it costs about as much as one fancy coffee per month. Your support would make my day!