Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in personal development but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Brian Morgan, President of Think Deeply, Write Clearly, located in New York City, NY, USA.

What's your business, and who are your customers?

We teach a critical thinking approach to writing, which is used by corporations in their reporting and by many entrepreneurs in their thought leadership and content marketing.

Tell us about yourself

I was the managing editor of New York City's premier planning and environmental firm for 16+ years, where we worked on just about every major project in New York for a generation, including The World Trade Center and Moynihan Station; many of the sentences we printed had a billion dollar price-tag, and we were not executing well enough, early enough, in the drafting process and it was a massive burden on management. Eventually, I edited less and taught more, and we implemented a system for more efficient drafts and more curated writing.

Shortly after starting my own business to do the same thing, we were highly successful on LinkedIn quickly-- even with very few followers. Eventually, entrepreneurs asked if we would teach them what we were doing-- we did. Highly credible writing worked for them, too-- far more efficiently than most manipulative marketing advice. Suddenly we were in the marketing game-- but I don't think of it that way-- we're in the credibility and human comprehension game-- and the principles are the same across all avenues-- reporting, thought leadership, content marketing, and sales calls. Credible information only works one way.

What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?

The hardest thing was to break down critical thinking-- we think it's unteachable-- it's quite teachable, but it's not immediately obvious that we are constantly in a battle against ourselves for clarity: we are built to act, often, before we think it through, and to prioritize things that do not benefit readers or listeners but benefit us in one way or another. Breaking down that process (it's an ongoing passion for me) is the most difficult part of this work and also the most deeply rewarding.

What's one of the hardest things that come with being a business owner?

I absolutely love owning my business, but I would say the most difficult aspect is the loneliness that accompanies the first few years in business-- I've gotten much more selective on friendships, acquaintances, and prioritization of time.

What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?

I work a lot with business owners now, and this is something I think a lot about. Here are the biggest pain points I see:

  1. There is a general market understanding of your product-- if your understanding is equal to that market understanding and you're selling services (life coaching, business consulting, etc.), you will have a very tough time distinguishing yourself from the noise. Therefore, what drives success in business, particularly early, is often misunderstood in business culture: ambition is less important than curiosity. Curious people speak at a different level, and the market reacts to that. Ambitious people often speak at the level of noise.
  2. If you are an intelligent business owner, understand that 90% of the marketing advice you hear will come from people who are not as deeply curious or insightful as you are-- that advice, unfortunately, makes people target the wrong avatar (a desperate, unintelligent client) and force language to be manipulative not credibility building. The largest market no one is speaking to is the market the marketers often miss: the intelligent buyer. You might have to ignore all your marketing advice in order to speak to the client you actually want.
  3. The trick to good writing is the trick to good business relationships, marketing, and sales: let your colleagues know early that you can be trusted with their time and their money-- this often means knowing how to reframe the conversation around the insight you have that they haven't heard before. That-- not your funnels, not your videos--, not your view counts on LinkedIn-- is the most effective tool for quick credibility, relationships, and efficient sales. Don't seek "personal branding"; that's nonsense. Seek to serve and let them know that you have insights that matter.

Is there anything else you'd like to share?

If any of this is interesting to anyone, and they're interested in getting some of our further thoughts on the matters, I'm happy to offer a free trial of one of our most popular courses (it takes only 5-10 mins per week) here: https://think-deeply-write-clearly.mykajabi.com/new-basics-intro-1.

Where can people find you and your business?

Website: https://www.thinkdeeplywriteclearly.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100030922193777
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thinkdeeplywriteclearly/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brianmorganthinkdeeplywriteclearly/

If you like what you've read here and have your own story as a solo or small business entrepreneur that you'd like to share, then please answer these interview questions. We'd love to feature your journey on these pages.

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