I've started lots of things.

In the CliftonStrengths, my 2nd strength is Activator. I like to start things and dive into them.

Since I was in high school, I liked to start things.
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• Bands. Not just playing in them, but the whole marketing side of music.
• Had a bootstrapped production company in college. I put on live music and promoted it like crazy around whatever town I lived in. Before email marketing was a thing we were communicating with 3k people through a hotmail account and managing it all manually.
• I started writing online in 2001 because I realized it had the ability to increase other things I was passionate about. See the above fascination with music and the business side of it all.
• Other weird ways to make money. Once, while working at a Boy Scout Camp, I managed to make a few hundred bucks a week selling hemp necklaces. Made more money selling those than I made at the camp that summer.
• I was part of a group producing short films and hosting film nights, complete with live music as well.

All of that was in my teenage years and early 20's!

In my adult life, it meant starting my first podcast in 2005, creating new ministry, and planting a church at 35.

You can say I like starting things!

Herein lies one of the reasons I believe in self-publishing as a new tool in 2025. I had a conversation with a friend yesterday about it. He has a few great ideas but was hesitant about self-publishing because of what it meant in years past. Some would say the only people who self-published were the ones who couldn't get a traditional publishing deal. People even used the term "vanity publishing" to describe it.

But the game has all changed. In previous emails I shared what I've learned from Nicholas Cole and his conversation with Ali Abdaal focuses on the high points. It isn't about writing that one special book, but realizing the low barrier for entry with Amazon KDP allows writers to publish multiple books deeply focused on a single idea.

My book Is My Church Healthy is only 70 pages, and is a walk through of a single idea I use with local churches in my day job. It is the first book in a larger series focused on normal-sized church vitality.

Here is the concept. Modern self publishing allows writers and creators to do. Rather than a book being some stand alone idea, it is simple a bi-product of a larger loop of ideas. Digital Writing (on places like X and Substack), podcasts, YouTube, and email lists are all part of the same economy of ideas. Books just let you go deep into an idea.

I truly think we are going to see this concept explode in the next 5 years. That is why I am committing to it long term. This strategy isn't focused on notoriety, but idea sharing. Books have a specific role to play in it.

On sticking with it.​
I am a serial experimentor. I typically start things way before they get big. Once I figured out how to do it, I end up moving on to the next idea. Now in my mid-40's, I want to do it differently. I want to ride self publishing past this point of new innovation and continue learning and iterating until it becomes a fairly standard thing in the digital landscape.

If you have ideas, I think you should do the same thing.

Start and Stick.

Chad

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PS. About Is My Church Heathy. I have finished up the manuscript. This week I am focusing on getting it uploaded to Amazon and prepping it for launch. Hopefully, you'll be able to get your copy in the next few weeks. Thanks for coming along for the ride.