The $100 Startup: Reinvent the Way You Make a Living, Do What You Love, and Create a New Future

What Is Hustling?
 
This  chapter  is  all  about  hustling,  or  how  to  get  the  word  out  about  a
project. What does hustling mean? There are a few ways to look at it, but I
like the approach in this poster by Joey Roth:
 
The  distinction  between  the  three  icons  represents  the  difference  (and  the
likely success or lack of success) of a person or business hoping to promote
something  for  sale.  A  charlatan  is  all  talk,  with  nothing  to  back  up  their
claims. A martyr is all action with plenty of good work to talk about, but
remains unable or unwilling to do the talking. A hustler represents the ideal
combination: work and talk fused together.
Being  willing  to  promote  in  an  authentic,  non-sleazy  manner  is  a  core
attribute  of  microbusiness  success.  As  Elizabeth’s  story  illustrates,
sometimes the best hustling lies in creating a great offer and getting people
to talk about it. In other cases, you want to have as many of the right kind of
customers  as  possible,  so  there’s  nothing  wrong  with  putting  yourself
forward.
In my work, the hustler image on the right is pretty much what I try to do
every  day  as  a  writer  and  entrepreneur:  lots  of  creating  and  lots  of
connecting. The connecting (i.e., the talk) isn’t always directly related to the
work at hand—sometimes I’m supporting other people with their hustling—
but on a good day, there’s plenty of creating and plenty of connecting.

---

Another way to look at it is
Style without substance = flash
 
 
(Also, no one respects these people.)
Substance without style = unknown
 
 
(Everyone who knows these people respects them, but not many people
know them.)
Style with substance = impact
 
 
(This is the goal.)
When  you’re  first  getting  started  with  a  project,  how  do  you  go  from
martyr  to  hustler?  It’s  simple.  First  things  first:  Take  the  time  to  make
something  worth  talking  about—don’t  be  a  charlatan.  But  then  start  with
everyone  you  know  and  ask  for  their  help.  Make  a  list  of  at  least  fifty
people  and  divide  them  into  categories  (colleagues  from  a  former  job,
college friends, acquaintances, etc.). As soon as the project is good to go, at
least  in  beta  form,  touch  base  by  sending  them  a  quick  note.  Here’s  a
sample message:
Hi [name],
I wanted to quickly let you know about a new project I’m working
on.
It’s  called  [name  of  business  or  project],  and  the  goal  is  to  [main
benefit]. We hope to [big goal, improvement, or idea].
Don’t  worry,  I  haven’t  added  you  to  any  lists  and  I  won’t  be
spamming  you,  but  if  you  like  the  idea  and  would  like  to  help  out,
here’s what you can do:
[Action Point 1]
[Action Point 2]

---

Thanks again for your time.
 
Note that you’re not sending mass messages or sharing anyone’s private
info  with  the  world;  each  message  is  personal,  although  the  content  is
largely  the  same.  You’re  also  not  “selling”  anyone  on  the  project;  you’re
just letting people know what you’re up to and inviting them to participate
further  if  they’d  like  to.  The  action  points  can  vary,  but  they  should
probably relate to joining a contact list (this way you have their permission
to  touch  base  with  them  further)  and  letting  other  people  know  about  the
project.
The next step is to incorporate hustling into your ongoing regular work.