You are reading 3Bits & Change, Joseph's email about building a direct to consumer business on the internet. Today’s email was written to the sound of the dog snoring.
Good morning,
And… we’re back from time off. We’ve all been our new selves for 17 days in this New Year. How’s it going?
Me? It’s going well. I’m enjoying the work of sharpening and the shop. We’re readying for classes. That work includes a number of finishing tasks in the physical space. It requires even more on the .com and email. And it requires getting my head on straight to merely do the work (as Godin so apply suggests).
I’m so delighted to have had the chance to ski with the family in recent weeks. And, I’m looking forward to the next steps on the biz in coming weeks.
I’ve been using a habit tracker (push notification nudge tool) for a year or so. It works for me. I went back and reviewed the habits I’ve been building. I like ‘em. Days when more habits are completed are better than when fewer are completed. These habits currently include: Morning pages. Drink water. Workout and stretch. Vivront outreach (5). 4 pieces for Vivront’s TikTok per day. Write something. Read a book. French on Duolingo. Make someone happy.
What does your habit operating system look like these days?
Bit #1 • Say Obsidian
I’ve taken a meandering route on content for Vivront on TikTok over the last year. The first aim was to build and ship 4 pieces a day. I leaned on a documentation content strategy. Then that shifted to finding what people like while also sharing what we’ve come to know about kitchen knives. In the process I’ve shifted to sharp things and did a series on safety razors which kicked up all kinds of comments about what to test on the sharpness scale
I heard a recent pod with Mark Manson where he claimed that at one point he found a cheat code for FB. I think I found a cheat code for our slice of TikTok right now… just do something with Obsidian. 602k views, 65.5k likes, 191 comments… in a week.
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Vivront has knife sharpening expertise. In this case we’re simply being interested in sharp things, like obsidian. Folks started suggesting that we test obsidian on the scale last summer. I ordered some but don’t know how to shard it to be the “sharpest.” We know how to make kitchen knives sharp, not lava rock. My curious side wants to learn how to shard this stuff. My stubborn side wants to keep making the point that the material is not what makes something sharp or even “the sharpest thing in the world that can split an atom.”
Dig the comment section tho:
More than a few folks are now simply replying to every video on the channel with the same or similar comment. :)
What do you think? Should I aquire a sharding skill too? I think I’ll simply purchase an obsidian blade so I don’t touch the sharpening/sharding side of obsidian. The only thing holding me back is the cost right now - $85 for the one I’ve found. Is $85 dollars worth a few hundred thousand impressions when it’s not about the channel’s core topic? Directly? Not likely. Indirectly and over time? Maybe.
Bit #2 • Biz Press
TCB Mag published a solid introduction piece on the Vivront. An early early version headline was something like “From screen to storefront.” When I first read that line I had a rush of energy. That’s exactly what we’ve done.
I’m stoked to keep working on a future headline being something like “From screen to storefront to produce aisle” or “From screen to storefront to meat counter.” We’re looking for grocery partners anywhere in the country that would like their customers to enjoy cutting onions, gords and more while becoming more competent and adventurous home cooks. Send all your grocery contacts our way!
Bit #3 • Classes
This is the part I need to merely do the work on. I can make excuses for why these are not listed on the .com yet. They are all fantastic. :) I just need to do the work of getting them listed now.
Sum
We have some media momentum starting this year. The residual from being on TV is now found by way of customers saying “I saw you on TV” when they come in the shop. The TCB article consistently drives a handful of people to the webpage daily. We have another media test that just started. More on that later. And, we’re back in contact with our previous cooking podcast friends while contemplating more obsidian content.
Change
Minnesota state Legislator Sydney Jordan has introduced HF 5 to amend the current statute and require all schools that participate in the federal school breakfast and lunch programs to provide breakfast and lunch at no cost to all students. This bill has a long way to go in the session but would bring MN to match the likes of California and Maine.
On Your Way
Enjoy the day. You’re living it!
Follow Vivront.com on TikTok, Instagram and Facebook.
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Order kitchen knives sharpened or give the gift of sharp at Vivront.com.