#261: Before you do that new thing [Voice Memo]

Summary

Creator Science Podcast Episode #261: "Before You Do That New Thing" [Voice Memo]

Release Date: July 5, 2025
Host: Jay Clouse

In Episode #261 of Creator Science, host Jay Clouse delves into a critical aspect of content creation and business growth: the repercussions of constantly adding new elements to your creative endeavors. Through an engaging monologue, Jay draws parallels between managing a growing home and scaling a business, offering valuable insights for creators striving for sustainable growth.

Introduction: The Creator's Dilemma

Jay opens the episode by addressing a common challenge faced by creators: the frequent decision-making process about embarking on new projects or ventures. He observes that creators, driven by their inherent creativity, often seek advice on whether to pursue new ideas when they feel stagnant or overwhelmed.

“Pretty often when I'm speaking with a creator, the advice they are seeking is kind of a go, no go decision on some new thing they want to do.” — Jay Clouse [00:01]

The Allure of New Ventures

Creators naturally gravitate toward initiating new projects as a solution to boredom or frustration with existing endeavors. Jay acknowledges that while experimenting with new ideas can sometimes lead to improvement, it's essential to understand the broader implications of such decisions.

“We are creative people. It's built into the identity of being a creator. And often when we get bored with something or we have feelings of this is hard, our solution is, well, let's try something new.” — Jay Clouse [00:45]

The Cost of Complexity: A Home Upgrade Metaphor

To illustrate the hidden costs of expanding a business, Jay shares a personal story about upgrading his home. Initially, purchasing a larger house with more amenities seemed advantageous, mirroring the allure creators feel when adding new projects. However, the increased space brought unforeseen maintenance responsibilities, demonstrating that growth often comes with additional burdens.

“What I didn't quite appreciate at the time when we made that decision was... the more large and complex the home has become, the more moving parts there are that can break at any given time and need some form of attention.” — Jay Clouse [02:30]

This metaphor serves as a foundation for his argument that scaling a business by adding more components can lead to heightened complexity and maintenance challenges.

Applying the Metaphor to Business Growth

Jay extends the home analogy to business, emphasizing his pursuit of elegance—defined as the simplest and most scalable form of his business with minimal moving parts. He highlights the pitfalls of overcomplicating business operations by continuously adding new systems, products, and processes.

“What I am in pursuit of more and more as a business owner is elegance. I really am looking for what is the simplest, most pure form of this business that has the fewest moving parts, that has the highest possibility of scale.” — Jay Clouse [05:00]

He enumerates the various elements that contribute to business complexity, such as managing multiple email sequences, optimizing numerous sales pages, updating outdated courses, and addressing technical issues. Each addition, while potentially beneficial, demands ongoing attention and resources.

Personal Business Journey: Simplify or Expand?

Facing the natural growth of his business, Jay finds himself at a crossroads: simplify and reduce complexity or continue expanding by hiring more support. He recounts a conversation with a successful entrepreneur who advises against further hiring due to the accompanying complexities.

“She looked me in the face and said, I wouldn't hire if I was you because of again, all of the complexity that she has experienced coming with that and has since had to deal with.” — Jay Clouse [08:15]

This interaction prompts Jay to re-evaluate his strategy, considering whether embracing a more entrepreneurial role with a larger team is sustainable or if honing a more elegant, streamlined business model is the wiser path.

Advice to Creators: Embrace Elegance and Simplicity

Jay offers a thoughtful message to fellow creators contemplating new projects or expansions. He urges them to assess the elegance and simplicity of their current operations before committing to additional ventures.

“I just want to encourage you to think about elegance, simplicity. What are the maintenance costs and the ongoing cost of creating this new wing? This new addition to your home may not be worth it in the end.” — Jay Clouse [10:50]

By weighing the long-term maintenance and resource allocation required for new projects, creators can make more informed decisions that support sustainable growth rather than fleeting expansions.

Conclusion: Balancing Growth and Sustainability

Jay concludes the episode by reiterating his commitment to maintaining a balanced and manageable business model. He expresses his dedication to the "forever home" metaphor, emphasizing the importance of not overburdening oneself with excessive responsibilities.

“I love our home, by the way. I'm not going anywhere. I hope that this is our forever home, but I can't. I can't overstate what happens when you just increase the amount of stuff that you are responsible for.” — Jay Clouse [13:20]

Final Thoughts

Episode #261 of Creator Science serves as a poignant reminder for creators to prioritize elegance and simplicity in their business models. By thoughtfully considering the implications of adding new projects, creators can avoid the pitfalls of unnecessary complexity and ensure long-term, scalable growth. Jay Clouse's insightful analogy and personal reflections offer a valuable blueprint for sustainable success in the ever-evolving landscape of content creation.

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Note: All timestamps are approximate and correspond to the key points discussed in the transcript provided.

Transcript

[A]

Pretty often when I'm speaking with a creator, the advice they are seeking is kind of a go, no go decision on some new thing they want to do. It makes sense. We are creative people. It's built into the identity of being a creator. And often when we get bored with something or we have feelings of this is hard, our solution is, well, let's try something new. Maybe that will be easier, maybe that will work better. And sometimes maybe that is true. I've spoken a lot in the past of the more better new framework for saying yes to things. That is an Alex Hormozi thing. But what I wanted to talk about today is the consequences of saying yes. It's not just that you're splitting your time between this thing and that thing. Although that is true, it kind of feels like when you upgrade your home. Okay, stick with me. My wife and I bought our first home together in 2021, I want to say. And it was an amazing home, kind of small. The lot was small, only had two bedrooms. And two years ago, we upgraded to a larger home on a full acre. We have three bedrooms now. We just finished the basement, so we have three whole floors. And what I didn't quite appreciate at the time when we made that decision was, yes, we have more space now. We have a pool. There are so many great, amazing, wonderful things about this home that were exactly what they thought they would. We thought they would be. But then there's this sort of hidden maintenance cost that comes with it. And I don't even mean pure cost of money. What I mean is the more large and complex the home has become, the more moving parts there are that can break at any given time and need some form of attention. Could be as simple as, hey, the basement needs cleaned. We haven't actually swept down there in a couple of weeks because we've been focusing on keeping the. The first floor or the second floor clean. When you have three floors, that's a whole new floor that you need to clean. Okay, so let's bring this back to your business. What I am in pursuit of more and more as a business owner is elegance. I really am looking for what is the simplest, most pure form of this business that has the fewest moving parts, that has the highest possibility of scale. Because I think I fell into the trap that a lot of people do, which is just adding on more bedrooms, more wings, more, you know, areas of the home that is my business. And the maintenance of just keeping up with all of that, whether it's checking in on email sequences, we Have a bunch of these. Now I should probably check and see how the analytics look so I can update headlines and the body of these emails. You know what, I should probably try to optimize the sales messages in these emails too to try to increase conversion. And when I'm done with that, I can go to one of my eight different sales pages for my eight different products and optimize that for conversion as well. And you know what, I should actually probably just rerecord that this course over here because it's a few years old and by the time that's done, maybe I'll rerecord this other course over here because that's a few years old. Oh, I got an email from Zapier that this automation is broken now because this third party app that's in the automation has updated its version. Now I need to go and fix that. Oh, it looks like I have some support emails from a student in this course about this. Y, X, Y and Z. You know, there are just so many aspects of your business that as you make it more complex, there is this maintenance that goes with it. And I'll kind of end with the story, which is at Craft and Commerce earlier in June. I've been at this crossroads for a while of, you know, the business is a little bit topped out in terms of our capacity and what we can do. I either need to simplify and change what we're doing so that it has fewer moving parts, or I need to continue hiring to support all of the different moving parts. And I spoke with a friend of mine who has a business that's probably three or four times as large as mine and she's done a bunch of hiring and she looked me in the face and said, I wouldn't hire if I was you because of again, all of the complexity that she has experienced coming with that and has since had to deal with. And so I was starting to lean into, you know what, maybe I do want to be more of an entrepreneur. Maybe I want to be more of a business builder. Maybe I want to build a team and hire more. But this has given me some serious pause and I'm re reanalyzing and thinking about, okay, what can I do to make this business more elegant? What can I do to simplify and you know, downsize, quote unquote, so that we need less maintenance, we can make the core stronger and stronger and in so doing actually create more ability to scale the core of the business. So that's what I'm thinking through. I thought maybe it would resonate with you. Because knowing that you are a creator, I would imagine right now you're thinking about some new thing that seems glorious and perfect and will change your life and business if you get it right. And I just want to encourage you to think about elegance, simplicity. What are the maintenance costs and the ongoing cost of creating this new wing? This new addition to your home may not be worth it in the end. I love our home, by the way. I'm not going anywhere. I hope that this is our forever home, but I can't. I can't overstate what happens when you just increase the amount of stuff that you are responsible for. I hope you're having a great weekend. I will talk to you on Tuesday.