In August of last year, shortly after going full-time, I decided The Generalist needed a permanent home. Something that captured the vision for all the great things I thought would come out of this community.
I set to work.
You can hear more about building the new site in the tweets below. Of course, if you’re excited to jump straight in, and become a member, you can do so here.
Launch by the end of September. Here’s the email I sent to The Braintrust (the awesome folks that have agreed to give their advice on this little venture).
- 15K subscribers
- New site
- New membership
- New community
*How did you do?*
I failed on all four.
By the end of September, I had +11K subscribers — 15K had been a stretch, so that was good with me. But I also had no site, no membership, and no permanent community home.
*Why did it take so long?*
Fair question. Really two reasons.
1. I can be a perfectionist in the (actually) bad way. Sometimes you just need to ship.
2. I was scared. For real.
Writing for free feels like it protects you, insulates you from criticism.
*What changed?*
Two things.
1. We got the site into a place I’m really excited about. It’s not perfect, but it’s a start.
2. At a certain point, you realize that being Free is holding you back. You’re stopping yourself from making your work a sustainable business.
*How did you build it?*
With help.
I couldn’t have done this w/o @joaopaulots + @arianavmac. @theabbaspage was a great addition on design. And @jasonwbade was insanely supportive. He was answering messages at every hour to make things work.
I’m so grateful to them all.
*Ok, but what tools did you use to build it?*
- The site is built on @webflow
- The membership is managed by @tryPico
- The emails are (still) managed by @ConvertKit
- The community is built on @CircleApp
The big thing is there are now 3 tiers on The Generalist.
- Free
- Premium
- Believer
Free get 1 briefing a month, IPO reports, startup ideas + summarized interviews.
Premium gets 4 briefings a month, deeper IPO reports, extra ideas + community access.
*What about the Believers?*
The Believers are lunatics of goodwill. Those that see someone dancing, alone on a hill-top and want to be the first to join.
Believers get 5 yrs of membership at a steep discount, access to select channels + events, and unlock extra surprises ;)
*Tell me more about the community?*
This is the home for The Generalist’s most thoughtful, curious members. The place we jam on new startup ideas, discuss investment strategies, and riff on tech.
Premium and Believers unlock access via application.
*Why is there an application?*
I thought a lot about this. I take building the community, our patch of pixels, v. seriously.
Without curation + care, it could become noisy, unsuited for thoughtful discussion. I will personally review every application + add people each week.
Ok, but what’s the big vision here?
This is the beginning. What I really hope the Generalist becomes — and I believe it is becoming already — is an invisible city.
A shared space to learn, grow, and build together.
“The next big thing in 2021 is people realizing that serendipity happens more in our digital worlds...than in the analog one."
There are things we lose, certainly. But much connection can be captured virtually.
*How can I help?*
Thank you. That you’re spending time reading this already means a lot.
Though creator-businesses are low cost, they are not *no* cost. By becoming a member, you help me cover expenses, and allow me to keep pushing to make it better.
Launches are usually good days to share the word and get new people excited about something. If this resonates with you, I’d really appreciate you RT’ing and sharing with a few friends.
That is it.
I feel incredibly lucky that I get to make building The Generalist my life’s work. And I cannot wait for all the good we can do together in the days ahead.
Diller started out in the mailroom of William Morris after dropping out of UCLA. He rose through the ranks, serving as the assistant to legendary exec Elton Rule.
One of Diller's innovations was the "ABC Movie of the Week," the made-for-TV movie.
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Over time, Diller established himself as a force in the traditional entertainment industry.
He served as CEO of Paramount, producing hits like 'Taxi,' 'Grease,' and 'Indiana Jones.'
As CEO of Fox, he greenlit 'The Simpsons.' Mr Burn's appearance was based on Diller.
My most frequent (and hilarious) collaborator. Thank you for always been game to jump into the mix on some random initiative, and for bringing the heat, time after time.
The @MrBeastYT Burger phenomenon makes an opportunity very clear.
Impromptu RFS: Drop Kitchen
- Network of existing restaurants with excess capacity
- Backend plugs into consistent wholesale supply
- Distribution (solo app + via existing networks)
- Power tools for influencers
Rationale/benefit for restaurants...
- You're a local taco restaurant
- You have fixed costs
- Demand is inconsistent
- You could make a solid burger with specific instruction
Increase top-line by helping serving new demand. Could even add "prepared by X."
Rationale/benefit for creators...
- Access massive distribution (surpassing ghost kitchens)
- Collaborate with local business
- Plug into existing networks
- Added tooling specifically for creators (below)
- Insane revenue growth (+226% YTD)
- Expected valuation of $32B
- Highly-capitalized with $2.5B raised
- Exceptional management, led by Tony Xu
- Fierce competitive dynamics could cause trouble
- Concerns over market
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Beginnings.
It all starts with Tony Xu. His family emigrated from China when he was 5. His mother worked in restaurants. He gained an understanding of the business at a young age.