The Parable of the Small Creator

This post was inspired by a fascinating podcast conversation with Ali Abdaal and Paul Millerd. They had the idea so thought I would create it and share with the world.

The Parable of the Small Creator

A big influencer was in his large apartment in the chaotic city of London when a small creator scheduled a Zoom call. The small creator had a newsletter with a few thousand readers. The influencer complimented the small creator on the success of building a following and asked how he managed to do it.

The small creator replied “it wasn’t too difficult.”

The influencer asked why he didn’t want to increase his followers by spending more time creating online.

The small creator said this amount allowed him to pursue his interests and live the life he wanted.

The influencer then asked “but what do you do with the rest of your time?”

The small creator said “I get to run my own schedule, read a little, create stuff that matters to me, and plenty of time to stay fit and healthy and hang with friends. I have a full and busy life.”

The influencer scoffed “I have multiple sources of passive income, and can help you” he said. “You should start to share your content across different platforms, and with the bigger reach you could create an online course. With the proceeds from this you can start to delegate your time by hiring a team. Instead of giving away all your content for free you could create some pay-walled content. Eventually you would be able to write a book, get on the New York Times Bestsellers List and travel the world on a lucrative speaking tour. Of course, you would need to leave your life, and you’ll spend most of your time on planes and in hotels.”

The small creator asked, “But, how long will this all take?”

To which the influencer replied, “Oh, 15 to 20 years or so.”

“But what then?” asked the creator.

The influencer laughed and said, “That’s the best part. When the time is right, you would sell your business and content and outsource everything. You would make millions!”

“Millions – then what?”

The influencer said, “Then you could retire. Get to run your own schedule, read a little, create stuff that matters to you, and plenty of time to stay fit and healthy and hang with friends.”

This is based off the The Parable of the Mexican Fisherman:

An American investment banker was at the pier of a small coastal Mexican village when a small boat with just one fisherman docked. Inside the small boat were several large yellowfin tuna. The American complimented the Mexican on the quality of his fish and asked how long it took to catch them.

The Mexican replied, “only a little while.”

The American then asked why didn’t he stay out longer and catch more fish?

The Mexican said he had enough to support his family’s immediate needs.

The American then asked, “but what do you do with the rest of your time?”

The Mexican fisherman said, “I sleep late, fish a little, play with my children, take siestas with my wife, Maria, and stroll into the village each evening where I sip wine, and play guitar with my amigos. I have a full and busy life.”

The American scoffed. “I have an MBA from Harvard, and can help you,” he said. “You should spend more time fishing, and with the proceeds, buy a bigger boat. With the proceeds from the bigger boat, you could buy several boats, and eventually you would have a fleet of fishing boats. Instead of selling your catch to a middle-man, you could sell directly to the processor, eventually opening up your own cannery. You could control the product, processing, and distribution,” he said. “Of course, you would need to leave this small coastal fishing village and move to Mexico City, then Los Angeles, and eventually to New York City, where you will run your expanding enterprise.”

The Mexican fisherman asked, “But, how long will this all take?”

To which the American replied, “Oh, 15 to 20 years or so.”

“But what then?” asked the Mexican.

The American laughed and said, “That’s the best part. When the time was right, you would announce an IPO, and sell your company stock to the public and become very rich. You would make millions!”

“Millions – then what?”

The American said, “Then you could retire. Move to a small coastal fishing village where you could sleep late, fish a little, play with your kids, take siestas with your wife, and stroll to the village in the evenings where you could sip wine and play guitar with your amigos.”