Create meaningful connections in your industry by focusing on making friends, being genuinely interested in others, and being helpful. Lesson Overview: • Understand that networking is about building relationships, not just finding work. • Learn how to make a lasting impression by being social, helpful, and interested in others. • Explore the benefits of in-person networking and the impact of building genuine connections. Lesson Content: 1. Shift Your Networking Mindset: • Concept: The key to effective networking is to approach it with the mindset of making friends and being genuinely interested in others. While your goal might be to find work, your focus should be on building relationships. • Exercise: Reflect on past networking experiences. How can you shift your approach to focus more on building friendships and less on selling yourself? • Reflection: How does changing your mindset to making friends impact the way you approach networking opportunities? 2. The Power of Being Known: • Concept: A mentor once told me, “It’s not about who you know. It’s about who knows you.” The goal is to develop a network of people who think of you when opportunities arise. • Exercise: Consider how you can increase your visibility within your network. What steps can you take to ensure that people remember you and bring you up in conversations? • Reflection: How can being more social and engaged help others remember you when opportunities come up? 3. Being Social, Helpful, and Interested: • Concept: The best way to network is to be as social, helpful, and interested as possible. Engage with others by asking questions, providing thorough answers, and offering encouragement and feedback. • Exercise: Identify one online community or in-person event where you feel comfortable engaging with others. Commit to actively participating by asking questions, sharing your knowledge, and supporting others. • Reflection: How does being genuinely helpful and interested in others change the dynamics of your networking efforts?

What’s up y’all! Mike put out a really great video yesterday on some mindset shifts to make as a game dev if you want to compete in the marketplace with bigger studios. Really important (if that’s what you want) to start looking at yourself as a business rather than simply an artist or a developer. https://youtu.be/eo6caHzfYbM?si=1D8_BfFVNNHlY8RE

Clearly define your ideal customer. This will allow you to create targeted offers and effectively communicate with your audience. Lesson Overview: - Understand the importance of knowing your target market. - Learn how to create a detailed profile of your ideal customer. - Validate and refine this profile through research and real-world feedback. Lesson Content: 1. The Importance of Knowing Your Target Market: - Concept: Without a clear understanding of your target market, your offer is unlikely to succeed. Just as a hunter needs to know their prey, you need to know your ideal customer to effectively attract and serve them. - Reflection: Think about how understanding your ideal customer can help you better tailor your offer and communication strategies. 2. Creating Your Ideal Customer Profile: - Concept: Start by visualizing your ideal customer in a very detailed and abstract way, like creating a character in an RPG. Don’t worry about realism at first—focus on depth. - Exercise: Answer the following questions to build your character: • What do they do? • How old are they? • What are their motivations and fears? • What do they want to accomplish? • What is their daily life like? • What frustrates them the most? • Reflection: How does this character relate to the work you do? How can understanding them help you create an offer that truly resonates? 3. Validating Your Customer Profile: - Concept: Now that you have an abstract profile, it’s time to anchor it in reality. Validate your character by comparing it to real customers or researching customer opinions. - Exercise: - Compare your profile to your favorite past customers. How closely do they match? - Look up 2-3 star reviews of services similar to yours. What do these reviews reveal about your ideal customer’s needs and preferences? - If you’re unsure, conduct research by asking friends, posting polls, or reaching out to professionals in your field for insights. - Reflection: How accurate was your initial profile? What adjustments can you make based on this validation?

Build a content channel, grow an engaged audience, and explore affiliate marketing and sponsorship opportunities, all while staying true to their passions and values. Lesson Overview: - Understand the dual offers you make: engaging content for your audience and a relevant platform for your sponsors. - Learn how to create content that resonates with you and attracts an audience. - Explore the basics of affiliate marketing and sponsorships. - Recognize the challenges and long-term commitment involved in this model. Lesson Content: 1. Preface: Service-Focused Approach - Concept: This module is not about exploiting your audience or partners. Those who succeed in this model are passionate about their topics, love serving their audience, and genuinely believe in the products they recommend. It’s all about providing value and building trust. - Reflection: Keep in mind that your goal is to serve, educate, and entertain, not just to sell or promote. 2. Building Content Your Audience Will Love: - Concept: The foundation of a successful content channel is creating content that resonates with you and your audience. Whether it’s dev logs, educational videos, or memes, focus on what you love and what you would watch. - Exercise: Identify the type of content you enjoy creating. Write down your ideas and consider how they align with your interests and expertise. Choose one main channel to focus on (e.g., YouTube) and one or two secondary channels for repurposing content. - Reflection: Why is it important to stay true to your passions rather than chasing trends? How does focusing on what you love help you connect with your audience? 3. Exploring Affiliate Marketing and Sponsorships: - Concept: Affiliate marketing and sponsorships are simple yet effective ways to monetize your content. The key is to connect your audience with products you love and use, earning commissions or sponsorship deals as a result. - Exercise: Research affiliate programs and potential sponsors related to your content niche. Make a list of products or companies you genuinely believe in and reach out to them or sign up for their affiliate programs. - Reflection: How can partnering with brands you love enhance the value you provide to your audience? How does this model align with your goal of serving your audience?

Create a compelling coaching or educational offer by focusing on delivering clear outcomes and avoiding information overload. Lesson Overview: - Emphasize the importance of outcome-based offers. - Learn to build a clear and concise offer with a defined finish line. - Avoid overwhelming your audience with too much information. Lesson Content: 1. Focus on the Outcome, Not the “Thing”: - Concept: When crafting a coaching or educational offer, the key is to focus on the outcome you deliver, not the specific service or course content. Your offer should make the customer envision the feelings they aspire to achieve. - Exercise: Take a moment to write down the transformation you want to offer. For example, instead of “a course on how to make better 3D animations in Unreal,” try “Create AAA quality animations with confidence in just 30 days.” - Reflection: How does this outcome-driven approach change the way you think about your offer? How does it make your potential customers feel? 2. Building a Clear Finish Line: - Concept: Your offer should have a clear and tangible outcome with a defined timeline. This helps potential customers understand what they are signing up for and keeps them motivated. - Exercise: Refine your offer by setting clear expectations. For example, “14-day course to program your first walking animation from the ground up.” This gives your audience a clear understanding of what they will achieve and by when. - Reflection: Consider how a well-defined finish line makes your offer more attractive and actionable for your target audience. 3. Keeping It Clear and Concise: - Concept: Avoid overwhelming your audience by overstuffing your offer with too much information. Focus on delivering small, bite-sized transformations. - Exercise: Review your offer and identify any areas where you might be adding too much. Simplify your content to focus on one clear outcome. - Reflection: How does simplifying your offer make it more approachable and less intimidating for your potential customers?