Howdy Reader!

You probably know Scott Adams from his hugely successful popular cartoon Dilbert.

(And if you didn’t know that the Dilbert guy’s name is Scott Adams, you’re welcome.)

What you may not know about Adams, though, is that he also is the author of several non-fiction books on topics related to self-improvement.

In How to Fail at Almost Everything and Still Win Big, he points to his “talent stack” – his unique combination of skills and experiences – as crucial to his success.

His talent stack enabled Dilbert to become a household name, and later opened doors for other ventures like his Coffee with Scott Adams.

His list in his own phrasing, from How to Fail:

• poor art skills
• mediocre business skills
• good but not great writing talent
• early knowledge of the internet
• people management
• contract negotiations
• project management
• public speaking
• (plus a dozen+ others)

Now, it’s true that lots of people have one or even a few of these skills, and probably do them better than Adams.

(Who in their right mind would put “mediocre business skills” on a resume, anyway?)

But the entire list was uniquely his.

That was his competitive advantage, and it’s why he thrived.

It enabled him to carve out a space that no one else could fill.

So … what about you?

You’re probably not set up to be the next Scott Adams.

But you’re far better off being the next You.

Try this exercise now:

List everything that you can do. Spend at least a half-hour squeezing out a long list.

Look for themes in what you’ve written down. For example, if you’ve written down Facebook Marketplace, eBay, and craft shows, those all involve selling / flipping.

Once you have a few themes, consider how you can combine them.

This is a first cut at how you apply your talent stack to carve out your You Space.

You can start your road to success exactly from where you are, knowing what you know.

Embrace your uniqueness. No one else does it better than you do!

Let's grow together!

~ John

​

When you're up for it, here are some other ways I can help you:

• ​Follow me on Threads and tag me there with a question about building your online presence
• Check out my other writing on my blog or on Medium​
• Learn from my current side hustle challenges on Substack

Note: Some links in this email may be affiliate links, and I may earn a commission at no additional cost to you. Just so you know ;)