Craig Shoemaker

There's money hiding in your education business. I help you go get it.

[Craig Shoemaker @craigshoemaker]

Could this be the very moment @GeorgeBlackman_ was referring to?

[George Blackman @GeorgeBlackman_]

Craig breaks my brain (in the best possible way) every week!

Some of the best $ I've ever spent as a solopreneur 🤓

[Craig Shoemaker @craigshoemaker]

Earn before you learn

This is a philosophy I'm trying hard to put into practice

I can spend hours learning about new technology, how to be a better coach, and all about improving my business

But in a world of "productive distraction", focusing on what drives the business forward is what I really need.

...ooh... and look at that new AI video...

😉

[Craig Shoemaker @craigshoemaker]

Spent this morning customizing a series of agents for the business.

Instead of trying to build individual agents to do specific things I used Squad* to build out a team for me.

I have a couple different research agents, a writer agent, an agent that handles managing tasks, a project manager, and a strategic advisor.

The key to piecing all this together is to make sure each agent maintains a learning log.

After the agents recognize patterns in the learning log, they propose changes to my logic each time they run.

It’s been well worth it.

* https://t.co/JYh19C8Bhx

[Craig Shoemaker @craigshoemaker]

Love this story - actually I love all of your stories Sam!

There’s something really hard about approaching strangers in public, even if it’s at an event that welcomes this type of interaction

All I know is that once you kind of break the steel of approaching a few people it gets easier

But the bottom line is congratulations to both of you for this achievement!

[Craig Shoemaker @craigshoemaker]

@jacobflowchat @thejustinwelsh Looking forward to it, Jacob!

[Craig Shoemaker @craigshoemaker]

@jacobflowchat @thejustinwelsh Good question

That's what that second part in my reply was about...

When I find people that I respect as a person and their work, then moving forward is a no-brainer

[Craig Shoemaker @craigshoemaker]

@jacobflowchat @thejustinwelsh I get to know them from afar first.

If I like who they are and respect their work, then it's never a bad investment

Even when the person doesn't end up checking out what I sent or doesn't respond

[Craig Shoemaker @craigshoemaker]

@jacobflowchat @thejustinwelsh Optimizing for relationship. I was intentional about the networking influence in giving without a direct CTA.

[Craig Shoemaker @craigshoemaker]

@gregisenberg It's not about to stop either

The more we use AI to develop software, the faster the pace is coming

I guess we're just going to have to have a keener eye for what is actually good rather than what's just new

[Craig Shoemaker @craigshoemaker]

Nothing beats customer conversations

Especially now when there's so many things to "AI"

When a client want to start something new or make a big change, I drive them back to talking to real people.

Education businesses are weird because you often have an arms-length relationship with your customers

But it doesn't have to be like this.

Here's what I say...

"Re-read the first three chapters of The Mom Test and then send out 5 to 10 invites."

Not only is the time worth it to build relationships, but the insights are striking

Every single time

[Craig Shoemaker @craigshoemaker]

I am incredibly grateful I have specific skills that are in high demand

[Craig Shoemaker @craigshoemaker]

I met with a leader this morning who has earned nearly half a million dollars in her coaching business.

She serves high-level visionary thinkers who need help untangling the seemingly endless list of decisions and trade-offs they face every day

When she meets with them, true change happens, not just for them as individuals but in the organizations they lead.

So what's the problem?

She can't do for herself what she's brilliantly skilled at doing for others.

This right here is a fundamental paradox of running a business:

You can't see your own blind spots

That sounds like a cliche but think about it...

A blind spot is an area in your vision where you literally cannot see.

That's what makes her so effective with her clients, and what makes me be able to serve my clients so powerfully.

So in a short period of time we walked away with:

→ ICP clarity
A thinking model for to clearly define her ICP By intentionally combining through the people she has already served.

→ Productization
A system to package her custom coaching into a product She can sell that meets the immediate needs of who she serves all without having to do an in-person call.

→ Outreach
A framework to evaluate how she can do targeted outreach that strikes at the heart of who she best serves.

And this was all just in an hour call.

[Craig Shoemaker @craigshoemaker]

Helping my clients wade through uncertainty is probably the most difficult thing I do.

Here's what I see a lot: People get stuck in business model analysis paralysis while their current model generates revenue.

Which normally is a sign that there's something in the business being overemphasized that shouldn't be.

BUT...

We're at this weird place in history where the increasing competence of AI is creating more uncertainty than normal.

While none of us can tell the future, there is a turn coming around the bend that is inevitable.

So here's what I'm having my clients do right now:

→ Brainstorm how to create more personal experiences
→ Run the math between a few different compelling options
→ And anticipate how your business might change in light of these two exercises in the coming months or year

The bottom line is this:

→ The experience needs to be worth it
→ the math needs to work

Rather than mindlessly responding to a knee-jerk reaction and change everything overnight, we're building thought-out contingency plans.

And right now the strategy is this:

Stick with what works (for now), but know where to go next.

[Craig Shoemaker @craigshoemaker]

"It's costing you $10K to build, but what happens if he gets hit by a bus?"

I was talking to one of my clients last week about a custom AI product he's building.

Why custom? Because off-the-shelf solutions don't meet his specific needs.

It's a smart move, but my first instinct was to point out a few things he wasn't initially thinking about.

Too many people treat custom software development like hiring a contractor to build a deck. You pay, they build, you're sort of done...

But software isn't construction. It needs ongoing maintenance, updates, and evolution.

Here's the issues I pointed out to him:

1. Intellectual Property Protection: Ensure the agreement states that he gets complete ownership of code and data

2. Technical Documentation: Require plain-English documentation of system architecture. You can generate from source code if you know how to approach it correctly.

3. Version Control Access: Make sure you maintain access to GitHub repository (where most code in the world is kept and maintained) with full change history

4. Transition Planning: Establish handoff procedures for future developers

All this is important because of what I call the "call-in rich problem".

You never know when a contractor or a developer might step away from a project because they decide to move on or their rich uncle left them a huge inheritance.

Treat software projects with the respect they deserve - especially when you're new to this arena.

[Andrew Ellis - the course trailer guy @IamAndrewEllis]

A great reminder was told to me today:

Clarity only comes in hindsight.

I’ve been chasing clarity. But it’s the wrong thing to chase.

It comes from conversations and is constantly evolving.

It’s the testing that I need to be chasing more.

Thanks for the reminder @craigshoemaker

[Craig Shoemaker @craigshoemaker]

@IamAndrewEllis It was a great time chatting with you, Andrew!

[Craig Shoemaker @craigshoemaker]

@IamAndrewEllis Danny lives on in our hearts!

Glad you worked it out so well, Andrew 👊🏻

[Craig Shoemaker @craigshoemaker]

@thesamocean This was really fun seeing you not only find the area of distinction but explaining why it’s important

Thanks for sharing!

[Craig Shoemaker @craigshoemaker]

Just re-recorded a mini course for an upcoming promotion for the third time 😅