Knowledge Marketplace
My First Million

My First Million

The best business ideas come from noticing what's working and doing it better, faster, or for a different audience.

Back to Mental Models

Content as Business Elevator vs Treadmill

Content creation can either be an elevator that rapidly advances your business or a treadmill that keeps you busy without progress

Decision Rule

Content becomes an elevator when it builds transferable assets (trust, audience, skills) rather than just consuming time

How It Works

Elevator content compounds over time and creates leverage; treadmill content requires constant input without building lasting value

Failure Modes

Creating content without clear business objective

Focusing on metrics that don't translate to business value

Not developing systems to convert content to business outcomes

Example Decision

A barber choosing to create content about his journey building a business (elevator) vs just posting finished haircuts (treadmill)