One is Greater than Zero

It baffles me to see how many people think they are bigger than they actually are.

People will ask me questions like “How do I get into the New York Times?” or “How do I get a meeting with that CEO?”

My reply? One is better than zero.

You need to be thinking about the steps it takes to actually get to the biggest places in the world. Before you get that meeting with Zuckerberg or Mark Cuban, or whoever you want to meet with, you need to have a lot of little meetings. You have to build up your cadence.

I’ve been on Conan. Ellen. The Today Show.

But I also did a thousand interviews that got one or nineteen or 137 views on YouTube. Max. Why did I do blog posts for so long that only had six readers? Why do I guest on shows with a smaller audience base than my own? Because I’m all about depth over width. I want to go deeper with my community. I want to give back to people who support me.

Even today, when I have more leverage than I did three years ago, I still live under the motto of one is greater than zero. To me, doing these interviews or guest posts is about the process of the work. Too many people are impatient and not willing to do that work. When you’re still making the climb, when you haven’t made your name known yet, you need to put in that work. I did those 119 and 137 view videos day in and day out. And I continue to.

You might make a video with 89 views. But one of those viewers could be a producer at CNN. Undervaluing just that one view is a huge mistake.

It’s about having the humility. It’s about not saying no. Even when you’ve made it. You’re never too big. One is bigger than zero.