Indie Founder #308 - Balancing Artistic Vision and Entrepreneurship with Taylin Simmonds, Founder of Ghostlii
I had the pleasure of interviewing Taylin Simmonds, the co-founder of Ghostlii, a content marketing agency. Have you ever wondered how to find success as an entrepreneur while staying true to your artistic vision? Well, Talyn shares his incredible journey as an indie maker and entrepreneur, exploring the fascinating intersection of art and business. We dive deep into topics like finding product-market fit, thriving in saturated markets, and the power of building an audience and brand.
About Taylin
Podcast Links
Timestamps
Finding Product-Market Fit [00:02:38]
Dylan talks about the importance of finding product-market fit and how Ghostly shifted their focus from growing social media followers to building a valuable brand and audience.
Artistic Entrepreneurship [00:03:34]
Dylan discusses his perspective on the intersection of art and entrepreneurship, highlighting how entrepreneurship can be a vehicle for artistic impact and creating something incredible.
Selling Art and Managing Expectations [00:05:14]
The conversation explores the challenge of balancing artistic integrity and commercial success, with Dylan sharing insights on how musicians can find a niche that appeals to both artistic expression and market demand.
The journey to $10k per month [00:10:20]
Dylan shares how he reached $10k per month in just 30 days and discusses the importance of lead generation.
Building relationships through content [00:12:14]
Dylan explains his approach to networking by creating high-value content that attracts the attention of industry leaders.
The importance of skill stacking and failures [00:15:55]
Dylan emphasizes the importance of acquiring skills and experiencing failures before finding success in entrepreneurship.
The mindset shift after reaching success [00:18:44]
Discussion on how reaching success can challenge one's identity and mindset, causing anxiety and pressure.
The journey of building a successful business [00:19:33]
Exploration of the challenges faced in scaling a business and the personal growth required to sustain success.
Using psychedelics for personal transformation [00:23:11]
The guest shares his experience with ayahuasca and MDMA therapy as tools for personal transformation and identity change.
Psychedelic experiences and personal growth [00:25:08]
Dylan discusses how psychedelic experiences can open doors to new thoughts, states of being, and personal growth.
Imposter syndrome and embracing failure [00:27:03]
Dylan shares his thoughts on imposter syndrome and how it is a natural part of trying new things and embracing failure as a way to learn and iterate.
Goals and priorities in indie companies [00:32:05]
Dylan talks about his goals and priorities in his indie company, emphasizing the importance of viewing businesses as stepping stones for learning and growth.
Scaling as a Self-Improvement Vehicle [00:32:53]
Discussion on the benefits of scaling a business for financial and location freedom, but recognizing that it may not be the ultimate goal.
Passion for Educating and Creating [00:33:53]
Desire to transition into e-learning and decentralized education, and the challenge of being a creator and capturing attention.
Finding Clarity and Direction [00:34:49]
Importance of having clarity on the direction of one's business and being open to iterating and testing different paths.
The pursuit of growth [00:41:05]
Dylan discusses different motivations for entrepreneurship and the desire for growth in business and personal life.
The need for constant growth [00:42:09]
Dylan argues that while businesses don't always need to grow, individuals should always be growing in some domain, and for many, that domain is business.
The desire to keep pushing oneself [00:43:27]
Dylan explains how once money stops solving problems, the next challenge becomes finding fulfillment and enjoying life, which can be achieved through pushing oneself in business.
Mentions
Ayahuasca (psychedelic): Mentioned at 00:24:03
Joe Dispenza: Mentioned at 00:25:08
MDMA therapy: Mentioned at 00:25:08
Peter Levels: Mentioned at 00:28:31
"12 and 12" mindset: Mentioned at 00:28:31
Hermosa: Mentioned at 00:30:16 (unclear if it refers to a person or a concept)
Elon Musk: Mentioned at 00:31:06
Mark Zuckerberg: Mentioned at 00:31:06
Bootstrapping: Mentioned at 00:31:06
Indie hacking: Mentioned at 00:31:06
Monkey Ran: Mentioned at 00:32:05 (unclear if it refers to a person or a company)
Topic: Books and Authors
Mark Manson: Mentioned in the context of trying on different beliefs. (Timestamp: 00:36:18)
Topic: Lifestyle and Success Symbols
McDonald's: Mentioned in the context of working at a job with no leverage. (Timestamp: 00:39:31)
Topic: Education and Learning
E-learning: The speaker expresses interest in e-learning businesses and decentralized education. (Timestamp: 00:33:53)
Topic: Conversations and Interactions
Tony Dean: Mentioned as someone the speaker had a conversation with about maintaining lifestyle and freedom while growing a business. (Timestamp: 00:40:41)