Start Simple First

A simple but effective growth strategy that focuses on basic solutions before pursuing complex strategies. The key insight is to start with obvious, straightforward approaches before moving to sophisticated solutions.

Core Philosophy

• Start with the "stupid simple stuff" before complex strategies
• Focus on clear, measurable impact rather than theoretical solutions
• Don't overcomplicate solutions when simple ones haven't been tried

Implementation Example (Podcast Growth)

• Identified core metric: iTunes subscribe button clicks
• Simple ask strategy:
  • Directly asked listeners to subscribe
  • Made sincere, intense requests for reviews
  • Resulted in 800 new reviews from a single ask
  • Moved ranking from #80-100 to #20 in business category

Why People Avoid Simple Solutions

• Fear of rejection
• Fear of appearing salesy
• Overthinking and overcomplicating
• Looking for sophisticated strategies prematurely

Measuring Success

• Look for clear, visible impact
• Need step changes (10%, 30%, 50%) not 1% improvements
• Should see obvious before/after differences in metrics
• If impact isn't clearly visible, it probably wasn't significant enough

Time Investment

• Takes about 2 weeks to:
  • Talk to people
  • Analyze numbers
  • Identify core drivers
  • Determine simple solutions

Key Lesson

• Don't skip basic solutions in search of complexity
• Execute simple strategies with high intensity
• Measure results clearly and adjust based on data