How much will the wrong message cost you?

100s of 1000s of $$$. And more....

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This is a story every founder should know.

A story about how much "winging" strategy will cost you. 

A story about sunk money, energy, time, and reputation. All the things a founder dearly needs, but doesn't have.

And a story of how it can be avoided. Or, let's keep it real, at least be mitigated.

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It's a story about the YouTuber and founder Ali Abdaal.

About his attempt to build a new business. A new brand. A new future.

And how he failed (for now).

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Background:

I remember Ali from a few years ago. He's a doctor who runs a YouTube channel about productivity. He is great. Informative. Aesthetic. Friendly.

He grew his channel to an audience of 5.5 million viewers. 

5.5 million fans, warm leads, potential customers.

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What happened?

Ali was thinking about his future. A future where his income would always be tied to his face on a screen. No face on screen, no future.

His persona, financial security, and independent future: inseperable.

He had an idea. A good idea: diversify. Create a brand that isn't tied to his face. With products that don't carry his name.

In short: branch out to secure his future wellbeing. Admirable and smart.

How?

He decided to sell physical things. First product: a mechanical keyboard.

Why? Why not.

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So they invested $400,000, built one, and released it about 6 months ago.
They brought a good quality, aesthetically pleasing product to market.

Kudos.

And then?

It got torn to shreds:
- negative reviews
- minuscule sales
- huge loss (so far)

Ali made an exceptionally transparent and informative video describing the situation (full video in the comments).

Why does he think this happened?
- wrong positioning
- wrong message
- rushed marketing
- not in line with his brand

Why do I think that happened?
- what he said

(Ok, disclaimer: there are a couple of other contributing factors. This is condensed to get a message across. But the MAIN issues are as described.)

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Now what?

They pick themselves up and continue.

His team now has a dedicated product manager.

AND they'll:

- redo their strategy.
- reposition their brand.
- revise their messaging.
- rewrite their website copy.
- reshoot all their marketing videos.

Reboot the business he has spent over a year building. 
And repair his brand he's spent over 7 years creating.

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At the end of his video he asks: "What is one thing that you're taking away from this?"

My answer: "Above all else, get your message right."

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Hi, I'm Christoph. I run Otherstate.com where we help founders, entrepreneurs, and small teams get their message right. In 5 days and for a startup budget.

So customers understand what you're selling. 
And investors get what you're pitching.

Not sure if this is for you? Just send me a quick DM.