What CaboPress has to do with Cartography

Recently I found myself thinking about early Cartographers and how they managed to create accurate maps. They’d use rudimentary tools, landmarks, and their own observations.

In-fact, distances were often estimates due to lack of accurate measuring tools. That caused a lot of problems for travelers, would rely on those distances and measurements to get to where they wanted to go.

As we know today, being slightly off over a long distance could land you in a dramatically different place. Just ask Christopher Columbus.

Today, of-course, we don’t have that problem. With most of the world mapped out, and those maps accessible at any moment with real time directions, accurate maps are commonplace. Modern cartographers are focused on creating advanced, interactive digital maps.

It’s not that simple when you’re starting your own business. Sure, you might have a rudimentary map. But there’s no set of directions you can follow to have a successful business…despite what Twitter bros tell you.

That’s why you need a great cartographer for your business — someone (or a group of someones) who can use their observations and experience to help you create the map that will get you to where you need to be in your business.

Chris Lema, CaboPress, and all the great people I’ve connected with there have been those cartographers for me.

My First CaboPress: Moving in the Wrong Direction

At my first CaboPress, I was moving in the wrong direction — but much like a ship adrift at sea, I had no idea. I thought offering online WordPress courses was the thing for me because…well…I was following someone else’s map.

But I learned something crucial — and that was to gather more information about my customers.

This would be a recurring theme throughout future CaboPresses, but it was most impactful in year one because it’s not something I had even considered doing.

That year, I learned I needed to completely redraw my map.

The Next Three

Over the next 3 CaboPresses (and 4 years, thanks to a pandemic break), I’d continue to redraw my map, learning:

1. I needed to focus my efforts to build trust and communicate the right value proposition for potential customers, not just the features of what I was offering.
2. How to tell better stories, and how to leverage those to show my potential customers I understand them.
3. When to let go of what’s not working, and how to focus on the right stuff.

These crucial lessons got me to where I am today: no longer in web development, not even really offering self-paced courses, and fully focusing on helping podcasters in a way I’m uniquely positioned to.

I finally have the right map to work off of.

If you want to read my full, still fresh in my memory write-ups, you can go here.

CaboPress 2023: Continuing to Draw the Map

That brings us to this year’s CaboPress.

Just like modern cartographers building on the works of the map makers before them, this year I wanted to make my map even better.

There were a number of great speakers there to help, from my friends Jen Bourn and Shawn Hesketh, to Brennan Dunn, Joanna Wiebe, and Claire and Gia from Forget the Funnel.

They gave me the tools I need to draw the best map possible.

I learned I need to ask more questions of people who sign up for my membership and newsletter. Getting insights from folks who are most invested in my work can help me write better copy to attract more folks like them, and even guide the direction of my offerings.

Those insights are going to help, as Joanna told us landing page designs don’t convert, copy does. So I’m going to worry less about how the page looks, and more about what it says. This is the flag I’m flying, and people need to be super clear about who I am, and I how I can help them.

Along with that, case studies matter. They are the proof that I do what I say I can do. I’ve been sleeping on these, but I definitely need to do them.

These, are all shaping how I’m going to grow my business in 2024.

Like I said earlier, I can’t use someone else’s map — but these people are good cartographers. So I can use the tools they’ve provided me.

As a quick aside, Shawn mentioned during his talk that he wants to make a podcast people listen to on 1x. It really stuck with me, and I know it’s going to inform my own work in the podcasting space. We’ll call it a constallation.

What I Need to do Next

So analogies aside, what do I need to do?

When it comes to case studies and testimonials, I definitely need to keep better notes on “nice things people say” during the process — whether it’s coaching or some piece of content I create, I need to log that and ask for permission to use those things publicly.

I’ll be adding a better way to illicit testimonials into my process.

Using this language, I’ll be able to hone my messaging, improve my offer, and create more social proof.

I also realized I need to write my next book. Aside from building authority, it puts your flag in the ground. All of my books have been about web development so far — and I’m moving in a different direction now.

If I want to be the guy people go to for podcast systems, I need to finish my book about podcast systems and efficiency.

All-in-all, and as usual, I’m coming home more energized and excited to move my business forward — I’m ready to draw my best map yet.