Ace of One, Not Jack of All Trades
Pick the one platform you're best at, dominate it, then outsource or expand later.
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Time to result
- ~months to results
- Steps
- 4
- Confidence
- 86%
For creators overwhelmed by the pressure to be everywhere, Schaefer's advice is to lean into the single medium you like most and do best, because each platform is like a different business and you can build a sustainable one on just one. A strong long-form talker should start with podcasting; someone punchy in a minute should start with reels or TikTok; a strong writer with an eye for aesthetics might start with Instagram. Trying to do a little of everything makes you a jack of all trades and an ace of none. Master one, grow a community, and only then outsource your weaknesses (as Schaefer, a self-described poor writer, does) or add other platforms over time.
Origin
Schaefer knew he could not put three sentences together grammatically, so he never tried to be Mind Pump's email writer; he leaned into what he was good at and outsourced the rest, and turned that self-knowledge into general advice for overwhelmed founders.
Core principles
- 01Each platform is effectively a different business, so you can win on any single one.
- 02You are most likely to succeed on the platform you enjoy and are good at.
- 03Spreading thin across all platforms makes you a jack of all trades and ace of none.
- 04Master one platform first, then outsource weaknesses or learn the others over time.
How to run it
- 1
Identify your best medium
Determine which platform matches your natural strength and what you enjoy, either from self-knowledge or by trying several and observing where you shine.
Pro tip Long-form talkers suit podcasts; punchy people suit reels; visual writers suit Instagram; one-on-one camera people suit YouTube vlogs.
Watch out Podcasting will tank you fast if you are new, lack information, or cannot storytell.
- 2
Double and triple down
Hone in on the one or two things you communicate best and go deep instead of dabbling everywhere.
Watch out Spreading thin across all platforms makes you a jack of all trades and an ace of one.
- 3
Build a community on that platform
Get really good at your chosen channel and grow a community there first; you will learn a great deal in the process.
- 4
Outsource weaknesses and expand
Once established, hire people better than you at the skills you lack or learn the other platforms over time.
In the wild
Knowing he was the worst writer of the founders, Schaefer never attempted to write Mind Pump's emails or 5,000-word free documents.
→ He leaned into his strengths and later hired writers, rather than forcing himself onto a platform he was bad at.
Common mistakes
Trying to be everywhere at once
Doing a little of every platform spreads you thin and makes you a jack of all trades and an ace of none.
Is it for you?
Best for
New creator-entrepreneurs paralyzed by pressure to be on every platform.
Not ideal for
Established teams with the resources to staff multiple channels simultaneously.
From the transcript
“instead of like spreading yourself thin and trying to do a little bit of all of it and kind of being like a jack of…”
“lean into the thing that you feel most comfortable with because every one of those mediums... is like a different business for us”
From the episode
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