There has never been a better time to become a creator.
If you want to be a writer, musician, podcaster, YouTuber, startup, designer, artist, gamer, or even invent your own creator category, there will never be a better time for you to start than today.
Here are 11 reasons why.
1. The sooner you start the better.
Ask any successful creator what regrets they have and you’ll likely hear:
I wish I started earlier, or
I wish I started an email list sooner.
Your actions compound.
Every follower, like, subscriber, customer, backlink you earn cumulates. Every day that you are creating, promoting, networking, and learning, helps you improve as a creator and grow your audience.
Get started as soon as you can. Your future self will thank you.
2. It’s easier and cheaper than ever to start.
The costs to become any type of creator are almost zero.
All the barriers to entry have been eliminated. It costs practically nothing to build a web presence, create and sell products and services, and reach a global audience. None of this existed just a few decades ago.
It’s hard to overstate this opportunity.
Think back to what it meant to publish videos, record music, write articles, or start a business just 20 or 30 years ago. It was nearly impossible for the average person to publish any form of content to a broad audience.
Now, any smartphone can record video and podcasts, take photos, and can update social media accounts.
You don’t need to set up your own web servers, develop custom applications to host content, or maintain your own system for collecting payments.
There are tools, apps, and services that simplify every aspect of publishing and editing content online and they are essentially free.
3. You no longer need to be chosen.
Just a few decades ago there were powerful gatekeepers you had to impress to get your shot.
- If you wanted to be a professional musician, you needed to be discovered by a record company.
- If you wanted to be an author, you needed to impress a book publisher.
- If you wanted to be on TV or on film, you needed to audition and be chosen by a director.
None of that matters anymore. Whatever you want to do, you can just start.
- Publish articles on your own newsletter or website.
- Upload your songs to Spotify or YouTube.
- Self-publish your books and distribute them on Amazon.
- Record videos and upload them to YouTube or TikTok
- Sell your art on Etsy or through Shopify.
- Get inexpensive custom-made products from Alibaba and dropship them around the world.
None of those opportunities existed a few decades ago. We live in amazing times.
4. There are more ways to get paid than ever.
Creators can earn income through:
- ebooks and books,
- courses,
- advertising,
- affiliate commissions,
- paid communities
- creating their own physical products
- consulting,
- services,
- licensing deals,
- public speaking,
- NFTs, and more.
Most creators have multiple income streams and will continue to find new ways to monetize as their audience grows.
5. The price of creator products keeps increasing.
The days of the $9.99 ebook are long past. A popular cohort-based course can now sell for several thousand dollars. Consumers are willing to pay a lot more to support their favorite creators.
6. Audiences are much bigger than they were in the past.
A decade ago, a popular creator might have 10 or 20 thousand subscribers. Now top creators like James Clear or MrBeast can have over a million subscribers.
The potential market size of your creator business is much bigger and it continues to grow.
7. Creating improves the way you think.
The act of articulating your ideas for an article, video, or podcast clarifies your thoughts and improves your understanding of a topic.
The best way to learn is to teach.
– Frank Oppenheimer
8. Creating is a great way to connect with like-minded people.
Creating will help you find your tribe.
No one creates in a vacuum. You’ll need to connect with others to get your content to spread. Others will reach out to you because of the content you create.
It’s not limited to the internet. Host your own events. Sell your art at weekend markets. Speak at conferences. All forms of public creation connect you to more people.
Your network is a superpower that can help you promote your work and lead to other opportunities.
9. You’ll level up your skills.
Creators have to master a wide variety of communication, design, marketing, and technology skills to be successful. Those skills will always be in high-demand.
Creators are practitioners of SEO, copywriting, social media, presentation skills, graphic design, web design, list building, landing pages, video editing, networking, and more.
Every business needs those skills.
10. Publishing content online is an opportunity engine.
Creating online and off will help you find new and better business and career opportunities.
The projects you shipped, the content you created, and the size of your audience are much more important than the jobs you’ve had. The best resume is a record of consistent creation.
Creating online builds your network, grows your audience, helps you master new skills, and will inevitably lead to more opportunities. That’s why we play The Creator Game.
People who consistently do interesting things, get to do more interesting things.
11. If not now, then when?
If you don’t get started now, then when will be a better time?
It’s definitely not going to be easier or less competitive in the future. This is the best it’s going to get.
Creating is difficult. It takes time to build an audience. You’re going to hit lots of plateaus and you’re going to want to quit.
Almost everyone quits.
If you accept all that and still have a need to create, start today. The best time is now.