The Big Beautiful Bill's Silver Lining for Creators

For most Americans, the Big Beautiful Bill is destructionist legislation. But, I started to to look at it like any small business owner, entrepreneur should.  There is a silver lining for creators. Congress has just passed one of the biggest tax packages in recent history, billions in adjustments.  And there are four key areas that are critically important for content creators. 20% Qualified Business Income Deduction (QBI) No Tax on Tips (up to $25,000) No Tax on Overtime (within limits) 100% Bonus Depreciation This bill is a giant flashing neon sign that says: “We reward people who own things.” ------- Like this episode? SUBSCRIBE on Apple, Spotify or Google. See all Content Inc episodes at the Content Inc. podcast home. Get my personal newsletter today and receive my free goal-setting guide today.

If I am you, and I have a job working for someone else, I’d start moving plan B to plan A right now. Build something that only you can do. That’s your Tilt. Communicate that Tilt out in a regular way. Start building even a handful of followers. At some point, you’ll be able to make a living off of that. If you want to build IP for someone else, go do that…but why? Why not build something that leads to complete and total freedom. We talk about freedom in this country, but most of us don’t actually have it for many reasons. What’s your reason? Could it be self inflicted? ------- Like this episode? SUBSCRIBE on Apple, Spotify or Google. See all Content Inc episodes at the Content Inc. podcast home. Get my personal newsletter today and receive my free goal-setting guide today.

We think we need to keep reinventing the wheel. New idea. New angle. New take. But the truth is… if you’re doing it right, you’ll feel like a broken record. Repeating yourself as a creator is a necessary strategy for success. ------- Like this episode? SUBSCRIBE on Apple, Spotify or Google. See all Content Inc episodes at the Content Inc. podcast home. Get my personal newsletter today and receive my free goal-setting guide today.

When we talk about creator content strategy, we usually cover audience building, monetization, consistency. But today, I want to talk about something rarely discussed in the creator world: silence. Not the dramatic kind. Not the “quitting social media forever” kind, although that has merits for sure. I mean intentional, strategic silence. Creative whitespace if you will. Here’s a question for you: when was the last time you sat in a room without a screen, a podcast, or a notification... and just let your brain drift? In a noisy world, clarity belongs to the ones who dare to unplug. Silence isn’t the opposite of content—it’s part of the process. ------- Like this episode? SUBSCRIBE on Apple, Spotify or Google. See all Content Inc episodes at the Content Inc. podcast home. Get my personal newsletter today and receive my free goal-setting guide today.

A very special episode of Content Inc. - #500. In this episode Joe discusses the Content Inc. podcast origin story from 2014, why he stopped in 2017, and how he restarted in 2020. Joe goes into detail about two key issues: Four key thoughts from the previous 499 episodes. What went right and what went wrong. Four additional areas about content creation that changed Joe's thinking. This is an important listen for any podcaster or content creator. You don't want to miss this very special episode. Key Links: The Content Inc. Book - Second Edition Content Entrepreneur Expo (CEX) - August 24-26, 2025 ------- Like this episode? SUBSCRIBE on Apple, Spotify or Google. See all Content Inc episodes at the Content Inc. podcast home. Get my personal newsletter today and receive my free goal-setting guide today.

If I lost everything – the audience, the money, the reputation – and had to start over, here’s what I’d do. Step 0: Take Inventory What do I still have? My skills. My story. My scars. Just because the list is gone doesn’t mean the asset is. This helps frame that even starting from “nothing” isn’t truly nothing. Step 1: Cry I’d spend at least a week screaming into the void. “Why me Oh Lord, why me?” Then I would get down to business. I’d remind myself: “There’s never been a better time to start over. The tools are free. The gatekeepers are gone. The only thing missing is your plan.” Step 2: Pick a weirdly specific niche I’d need to spend time to really find my purpose…my Tilt. As Warren Buffett and Simon Sinek discuss, every successful person is really good at one thing. What am I really good at or know something about to truly differentiate? And it’s not about being louder or flashier. It’s about being more specific, more real, and more essential to a group of people who need exactly what I have. I’d need to work on it, but things like: ·         Helping laid-off corporate marketers build a business around one weekly email. ·         Guiding former agency owners to repurpose their network into a publishing-driven business. ·         Helping Midwest Gen Xers who want to escape the job ladder and own something by 50. ·         Coaching marketers over 40 to build businesses that don’t require social media. ·         Teaching people with 1,000 email subscribers how to make a full-time income. ·         Helping podcast hosts averaging over 10,000 downloads per month turn their show into a live event, a book, and a revenue flywheel. I’d obsess over a tiny group of people with a burning problem. I’d need to remind myself that you can’t be too niche. The more specific the better. I’m already thinking that a number of the ones I listed are not specific enough. Step 3: Define Success What will success look like? I’d spend some time visualizing what that could be. Family life? Money needs? Living situation? Career goals? Basically, what do I really want here? What’s the dream? Then, I would write that statement down in my journal and review it every day. Something like: We are the leading event education resource for podcast hosts and sell the company for two million dollars in 2028. Something like that. Step 4: Start an email newsletter. Twice Per Week. Non-negotiable. I’d write one useful, entertaining email two times per week. No fluff. No templates. Just my honest take. This would be the home base for everything. The email list is the new land. Social is just rented space. Even though I really like using Kit (how you received this email), I probably would opt for Substack, where you get the benefit of the direct connection (email) with a little more help from a network (social media). Step 5: Spread the Word I would create a list of 15-20 places where I believe my audience is hanging out, mostly other newsletters and podcasts. I would reach out and form relationships with these people to do guest articles and serve as podcast guests. I would also prepare a few sample speeches and start submitting to relevant in-person events. Step 6: Write the Book As I create my newsletter I would start thinking about how I can take these newsletters and put it into a print, ebook and audiobook for sale. This will, ultimately, become my greatest marketing vehicle…the business card everyone wishes they had. Of course, I would use Tilt Publishing. Step 7: Launch a product before I feel ready By month 2, I’d offer something—a digital guide, a paid workshop, a 1-hour consult. Not to make money at first. But to get skin in the game and test what people will pay for. Revenue doesn’t come from a viral moment. It comes from consistent service to a small, loyal group. Step 8: Build in public I’d document every win, fail, and lesson. Why? Because people don’t follow perfection. They follow momentum. I’d most likely include my own creation strategies in every newsletter. Step 9: Stack assets By month 6, I’d package my best content into a course I could sell forever. Not for viral growth. For long-term leverage. Step 10: Diversify into second channel By six to nine months, I should have a small but growing email newsletter following, a newly published book, a speaking event here or there, some podcast appearances, a couple small consulting clients and a newly launched course. If the small wins are there, I’d diversify into a second channel, most likely a podcast, which could also be a YouTube show. More than anything, this would be marketing for the main channel, the email newsletter. Register for Content Entreprenuer Expo at CEX.events today. ------- Like this episode? SUBSCRIBE on Apple, Spotify or Google. See all Content Inc episodes at the Content Inc. podcast home. Get my personal newsletter today and receive my free goal-setting guide today.  

As difficult as it is, you must believe you are where you are because of the decisions you have made. You will get to where you are going based upon the decisions you will make. If we blame someone or something for our lot in life, then we make it true. If we do that, we lose our agency. If we lose our agency, we lose our souls. What you are about to undertake is hard. This is good news. If it was easy, everyone would do it. And it’s the journey you’ll remember in the end. “Whatever the mind can conceive and believe, it can achieve.” – Napoleon Hill Register for Content Entreprenuer Expo at CEX.events today. ------- Like this episode? SUBSCRIBE on Apple, Spotify or Google. See all Content Inc episodes at the Content Inc. podcast home. Get my personal newsletter today and receive my free goal-setting guide today.

You don’t build a business alone. You can try. And for a while, it might work. But the moment things get hard—and they always do—you’ll either have people to lean on… or you’ll collapse under the weight of your own ambition. Who you surround yourself with is one of the biggest factors in whether you grow, or burn out. ------- Like this episode? SUBSCRIBE on Apple, Spotify or Google. See all Content Inc episodes at the Content Inc. podcast home. Get my personal newsletter today and receive my free goal-setting guide today.

Before you find your Tilt, activities will dart around you like they have no specific purpose. But if you lean into all these different activities, they’ll start to make sense to you, and you’ll begin to realize your true purpose. Once you accept this, you’ll be more open to who you can and will become. ------- Like this episode? SUBSCRIBE on Apple, Spotify or Google. See all Content Inc episodes at the Content Inc. podcast home. Get my personal newsletter today and receive my free goal-setting guide today.

 Why do we fail? Most people don't fail because they're lazy. They fail because they're leaking energy in a thousand directions. Every half finished idea, every shiny new opportunity, every unread email and open tab, it all adds up. It chips away at your time and your clarity and your willpower.  Creators, especially content entrepreneurs fall into a trap.  ------- Like this episode? SUBSCRIBE on Apple, Spotify or Google. See all Content Inc episodes at the Content Inc. podcast home. Get my personal newsletter today and receive my free goal-setting guide today.