I would have said I was a Spotlighter (and that's what the quiz said) but based on yesterday's response, I think I might actually be an Evangelist. I think I resonate with the idea of a Spotlighter because I deeply aspire to create a well-considered body of work over time and to be known for in-depth thinking on certain topics, but at the same time, I'm very multipassionate and have trouble integrating all of my interests into a single cohesive personal brand. So that's where the Evangelist thing comes in -- the people who really resonate with my work and way of thinking are happy to hear from me on a variety of topics, even things they thought they weren't interested in, because they resonate with how I think or how I talk about things. I think I didn't see myself as an Evangelist because I don't really do social media, especially these days, and because I struggle to experience myself as having a cohesive personal brand that people resonate with, even if, now that I think about it, I guess that's true. So now I'm wondering if I've been feeling stuck because I am really an Evangelist but was thinking I was a Spotlighter.
This is a huge unlock for people. We'll talk about it late in the week, but your ECOSYSTEM might be Grassland and your SCALE path might be Evangelist, and often if you can align both things with your path of least friction, you can make everything amplify each other.
Everything is designed to fulfill an intention, and now that you know about this heavy evangelist streak, you can look back and say "Is the main growth I get from people sharing my work and vouching for me, or is it in being the biggest figure in my niche?"
You're probably splitting between the two, but one will give you more ROE than others, and if you take the energy from one and invest it into your biggest growth path, you will likely get more return.
My gut says Spotlight, though I can hardly say that my ideas ripple through the industry. Maybe they wash gently against the shore of my rather small pond. I also like connecting with my community, so is there some Evangelist? But the quiz came out firmly as Spotlight. (This fits with earlier readings of Forest, which seems to be another version of the same idea in your Author Ecosystems. Am I right?)
So my path would be to focus on essays, my blog/newsletter, my books, getting onto podcasts and - I suppose - finding those rippling ideas. That’s where I would appeal for help. I’m currently writing fiction, rather than non-fiction, and my blog has concentrated on reviewing books, and occasionally interviewing authors, in my genre, which is literary crime. But should I be focusing on the ideas in my novels? Instead? As well?
I am without a doubt a Spotlighter. I wouldn't have guessed that about myself, but after reading (and then re-reading, multiple times!), I don't even question it now. The funny thing is, in the Day 2 email you mentioned how much negativity people have been heaping on themselves (myself 100% included in that!) -- but it was the "negative" struggle parts of the Spotlighter that made me go: "Wow, ouch... yeah, this really is me." Especially the part about: "Spotlighters don’t often crash, they stall…and that stall is deadly." Yep. Exactly that. I have so much content / backlist that I have under-promoted and rarely asked for the sale for (and all the rest of the Spotlighter struggles too!)
What's interesting though, is in going through a major author-career (and life) rebuilding and rebranding this year, I've been struggling to find my "routine" again... and reading through the what's needed to stay healthy part was like taking a long, deep breath after being underwater for too long. Cliché sounding? Definitely - but hey, I'm a writer, I take creative liberties! LOL
I learned through enneagrams that the easiest way to find somebody's path is to look at what they do in stress. We can grow and hide as we get more success, but generally we revert to the same things in stress.
I love all this. One of the things we recommend for Spotlighters is that they grow beyond their original niche instead of abandon it completely. Here's an example of that:
It might not be possible, but if you can grow your specialities to encompass more people, these things become easier. You might not be able to, but if you CAN, it can super help, and then you can use that SME to trade into your new niche and get shown in more places.
According to the quiz, I am an Evangelist. When I first read the list, I wasn't sure where I fit. But after reading more about Evangelists, that's where I belong. I like the personal connection with fans, and I am a connector. I think I hesitated because I don't think I rally superfans, brand advocates, influencers, customers, and ambassadors who spread my message faster than ads. I rely on ads a lot. But thinking about it, maybe I do more evangelizing than I think. Or maybe I should do more of it. Something to ponder. 🤔
Day 2 - busy work at work - I think I'm #5 (and Evangelist). I do all of my marketing via social media in a way that doesn't feel salesy to me. I like to do unexpected things, post quotes from books, do trivia questions regarding content from my books for prizes, etc. I always give the first few chapters away. And the thing I love about this is I get to be myself. I have my own sense of humour/fun and my fans respond to that and it makes marketing enjoyable for me too. It's almost like not marketing at all (except that it results in sales ;)
Amazing. I would ask if that is where you get the most ROE, though? You seem to clearly be a Forest ecosystem, but if you're not getting the most ROE from evangelism, then your SCALE path could be different. We used to keep both of those things together, but I've separated them. SCALE paths are about maximizing your Return on Energy Spend, while your ecosystem is your operating system. Does that make sense? They are related things, but they are not the same.
Amazing. Now the question is how can you deepen that, right? If you want people to perform the action, you need to design the product for the action to be performed. You're already doing that, maybe unintentionally, but how can you make that more intentional?
I think I might have a similar Spotlight/Evangelist issue - but feel I might be more Forest as I get most buzz from directly engaging with readers. Any advice?
Okay. I think I figured it out. I have a Tundra operating system, because it's a way of thinking and acting that feels natural to my personality, life systems, and process. But I have a collaboration SCALE path, because that's where almost ALL of my growth has ever come from, no matter how much effort I put into other areas. 😆 And I have a ton of fun partnering with other people.
It also scares the heck out of me, though.
But I think that fear might be an issue better addressed by enneagram and Clifton Strengths. I'm a perfectionist who always wants to get it right and be perceived as good (enneagram 1) and some of my top strengths a Intellection, Input, and Learner, so I hate going into anything feeling like I don't know what's going on, or feeling unprepared, or not know exactly what to do or say beforehand... And partnerships require giving up a lot of those certainties and relying on trust and... well collaboration. Building things TOGETHER instead of having it all figured out beforehand.
Luckily, I also have Connectedness, Developer, and Empathy in my top 5 strengths, so I think that helps me a lot with building partnerships despite the fear. :)
Have you read The Perfectionist's Guide to Losing Control yet? The problem is not perfectionism. It's in using punishment to fuel it instead of self compassion. You have been punishing yourself a long time, my love. I wish you would stop being mean to somebody I love so dearly.
Also... I'm not positive I'm fully Tundra for my operating system. I'm already questioning that as I think about my kid and teenage years and how I've had collaboration built into my mindset ever since forever. I wonder if I adopted the Tundra way of life ever since having kids because it's the only way I can still comfortably make running a business work? I'll need to think on this more. I think it's more important that I've figured out my SCALE path anyway. And that's definitely all about collaboration. :)
This is a great question. Currently, what's working is creating an awesome experience for them that they want to share with other people. It hasn't been anything formal, but, obviously, that can change!
I definitely feel like an Evangelist, which is interesting to me because I lean more introvert. Yesterday, I mentioned how I've gone through a lot of growth these past two years. Prior to this, I used social media and newsletters as ways to connect with my audience, but I wasn't being authentic. And I disliked it. Even though I knew that I wanted to focus on my newsletter over social media and ads, I struggled. I won't say they're easier now and I'm flying through creating them, lol, I now see that once I shake off the nerves, it truly is the place I feel most comfortable.
I'm already published with paranormal cozy mysteries. I have one more book to finish my series, and I'm turning to darker, supernatural thrillers/suspense. I planning (hoping) to take a few of my already fans over to the dark side. ;) I've revamped my newsletter recently. Went from "OMG, what am I doing?" to "Okay, let's chat." I'm active on Bluesky in a personal, semi-author way. More life and fiction I watch/read then my books. Once I have an indie product I hope to build an ARC team. It's funny because just this weekend I started thinking about one day (not now) doing a vlog-style YouTube channel, and then I just read that in your Evangelist articles. lol
This is to start. Some of this scares me, tbh, so I'll take it slowish at the start.
I thought I was a Spotlighter (I even took the quiz last week and it agreed), but now I am thinking that I am an Evangelist. I really do want to make those connections with my readers and to thrill THEM specifically (plus, I just simply cannot write in one genre lol).
Like someone else said here, I didn't think this was for me because I HATE social media. I would rather light my hair on fire than talk about myself for the whole world to see. On the other hand, I would gladly talk about my life in my newsletter or in person (even to a group), which I think does still fit with Evangelist. Thoughts on how to get that flywheel moving without social media would be appreciated.
PS No fair starting your daily emails making me cry.
lol. It had to be done. Y'all are so great and you should not be undercutting yourself. You stop and I'll stop :)
So, I think we have a lot of people in this group who are base Ecosystem Forests, but SCALE path Spotlighters.
They are closely related, but the question is really whether your path of least friction is doubling down on building a referral network, ARC teams, and ambassadors/influencers who can drive people back to your brand, or whether YOU are the brand and you being front and center is going to shine the light back to your home base.
My ecosystem is Forest for sure, and my SCALE path is Evangelist (but need not be confined to that, I think, just focused on that). I would think that Spotlighters would naturally be either Tundra or Grasslands or Aquatic ecosystems, shining the warmth of attention and enthusiasm on their latest launch, or their oeuvre, or their growing assortment of related things...
Russell, do you see patterns in the connections between ecosystem and SCALE paths, or are they getting more random as the sample size grows? I know there was logical (but unsupported by evidence) pairing between ecosystems and paths for a little while there, and that's been cleared up. But there must be interesting patterns coming into focus!
Did you read the ecosystems article? There is a scale path for each ecosystem, and they are usually aligned. However, forests tend to be chaos, as always .
Erm... I've read a lot of ecosystems articles... I'm trying to catch up on Hapitalist right now, so I'll probably get to it! I did read the article in which you explained away some confusion between ecosystems and SCALE paths, and that was helpful. That's the one I had in mind just now
All my "Other" responses were exactly because "I hate social media!" So you're definitely not alone. I also enjoy talking about my life in like newsletter / blog / conversation formats. <3
You guessed I am a Spotlighter yesterday (I read the article and strongly connected to it), and it aligns with my Human Design type, Projector. "Thought leadership", slow growth and deep conversations jive with me! The one topic I "own": embodiment of the divine feminine.
When I took the quiz, it said Evangelist. This doesn't 100% algin with how I feel/where I think I'm at. Do you have any clarifying questions to narrow it down? Go with my gut?
You gave several good pointers already for a Spotlighter:
- Most authors have an author facing blog.
- Identify the genre/topic you're going to spend the next 3-5 years talking about, and then get into BOOK CLUBS, READER GROUPS, reader focused-communities, anthologies.
- Anthologies, lit mags, and readers groups are totally Spotlighter strategies.
I'm curious about reader groups and reader-focused communities. Most of my Substack subscribers who engage with my work are other authors. I've had a hard time understanding how to engage with my audience, or get any impressions/comments/emails from them. With 100 subscribers (yay!), I have about a 30% open rate.
I'm part of one anthology right now. I've taken time this year (with help from Claire Venus!) to finetune my navigation bar in Substack, create a Welcome page with links to tags/topics I write about, and the action I consistently point folks to is to subscribe (I don't have any products or services yet). I have a podcast linked to my Substack publication and a few upcoming collaborations planned. I'm excited to dive into other areas next year!
So, one of the things I'm seeing today are a lot of Spotlighter SCALE paths with base ecosystem Forest.
We haven't talked about ecosystems yet, but they are your "operating system" and what you're trying to do with your brand.
However, your SCALE path is how you grow. So, the question is whether you grow more having OTHER PEOPLE grow your brand through being ambassadors and influencers to drive growth back to you, or if YOU are the brand who needs to get out and shine a light on your home base.
Does that make sense? Here's more info on ecosystems. We won't get into it for a couple days, but it's really a question of who's driving your brand growth.
I did the ROI exercise. It was the first time I did any type of analysis with my statistics. I grew from 9 subscribers to 100 subscribers in the last year! That was cool to see. While 17 new subscribers came from posts I wrote in the last year, 45 new subscribers came from Notes I wrote or replied to, or comments I made on other people's posts. That's crazy to me! And that's only the last 90 days! I'm still a Spotlighter at heart, and likely, I'll still post as inspired. But I can see that I get much better traction when I'm engaging on Notes.
Well that makes sense, because you're showing YOUR expertise on THEIR notes, right? This is a very spotlighter way to do NOTES, as opposed to going viral, or blowing up with a big super thread post. That's the thing with SCALE paths. They influence everything. You look at what you're doing that's working and say, "Okay, how can I do this in a way that aligns with how I naturally grow". Does that make sense?
This is the power of this system. It's systematizing doing stuff your own way. Then, when you bring this to the group in Hapitalist, they can help you plot and scheme, as can the Russellbot. So, you are looking at everything through that frame.
My gut says Spotlight, though I can hardly say that my ideas ripple through the industry. Maybe they wash gently against the shore of my rather small pond. I also like connecting with my community, but the quiz came out firmly as Spotlight. (This fits with earlier readings of Forest, which seems to be another version of the same idea in your Author Ecosystems. Am I right?)
So my path would be to focus on essays, my blog/newsletter, my books, getting onto podcasts and - I suppose - finding those rippling ideas. That’s where I would appeal for help. I’m currently writing fiction, rather than non-fiction, and my blog has concentrated on reviewing books, and occasionally interviewing authors, in my genre, which is literary crime. But should I be focusing on the ideas in my novels? Instead? As well?
That sounds like a great plan. If you're interviewing people in your genre about things that readers in that genre care about, then I think you're doing things right, but I suspect you probably don't have a reader focused blog. Most authors have an author facing blog.
Instead, what is the genre/topic you're going to spend the next 3-5 years talking about in your fiction, and then you should be trying to get into BOOK CLUBS, READER GROUPS, reader focused-communities, anthologies.
WHERE can your fiction live? There are billions of literary journals and fiction substacks that can host stories by you. It's not a different strategy for non-fiction or fiction, we just think it is because it doesn't feel like it should be the same.
Anthologies, lit mags, and readers groups are totally Spotlighter strategies.
You would want to pick ONE that will give you the highest ROE, but there are lots of ways that could play out. You might be a base Ecosystem Forest, or Grassland, and then the opposite growth path.
This is not about what sounds the best to you, unfortunately. The question is which gives you the MOST growth with the LEAST effort.
I'm not too bad on the branding stuff I don't think. I want to do better and I think I know some of the issues.
I have to watch myself because I want to do all the things and I've had to cut stuff this year and I've failed (ok not the right word but I didn't achieve what I wanted and ok I bounce okish generally) more than once.
I can lose enthusiasm but I can get lost in the flow.
I can work to a plan as in tasks for the day or week.
But I can struggle to plan longer than that and I can be unrealistic in what I think I can achieve.
I can be tempted to do stuff that interests me and I love a challenge or an insight that helps me learn something. I am an eternal student. Every days a school day.
Whether it is for you or not, there is something in you that will lead to the most growth with the least effort. I don't really care what you call it, but it exists outside of this challenge.
If you learn what that is, embrace it, and then spend all your effort optimizing for it, then your growth will be easier, better, and more joyful.
If you are having the growth you want, and everything is amazing, then yeah, I guess you don't need anything, but you probably are here because something isn't working as well as you want.
If it was working, then it would be working. So, chaos is great. I love chaos, and having good chaos working in your business is amazing, but if you can't direct it where you want it, then it's not a very effective way to grow.
As you suggested yesterday, I seem to fit best with Spotlight. I like to share different perspectives on things people take for granted. (Having said that, I don't share as much as this description would imply. I think about sharing more than I share. 🤓)
Yes, so if your a Spotlighter, then really think about how you can get in front of other audiences, what audiences they would be, and how you would bring them back into your ecosystem, with some sort of free lead magnet/cheat sheet, etc. It's also important that if you use a format, that you offer a similar format as the audience. So, if you're on a bunch of podcasts, you probably want at least an audio course. If you're on a bunch of Youtube shows, you should probably have a channel.
But everything falls around those aspects, and as you invest energy in them, they should amplify your results.
I for real LOL-d when I started considering whether I'm a collaborator or not after you suggested it yesterday.
Because, DUH. I was a theater kid and theater major who still directs community theater. I did Bella Andre and Melissa Foster's kindle worlds. I got my USA Today with a Christmas book anthology. I do catering and floral gig work with friends for fun. I end up becoming a supervisor/manager at every retail job I've ever had. I'm the mom/stepmom of five kids. I managed a shared world with a group of author friends.
I nearly posted that as my positive thing yesterday, but it was kind of a bust because we all write different heat levels. But it was FUN.
I very much enjoy creating small towns and the businesses, festivals, holiday markets, occurrences in them. However, I usually get bored after three books and leave several potential stories on the table.
I have a new town/series launching at the end of 2026. Feels like plenty of time to bring other authors into the world? Releases throughout 2027 and early 2028?
I can feel my biggest block is that no one will want to do this with me because I'm not well known. I have been well known adjacent for 15 years. Will have to work this bit out in the next Hapitalist meeting. 😉
Yes, I talk about this a lot with people. People think a good brand is a big brand, but really it's just a STRONG brand, which you have if people want to live in your town. You don't have to only think about authors, either. Is there a coffee roaster in your town that could make a special brew? Is there a soap person who could do something? Can you make your work real like that? Scroll this article. https://www.frictionlessgrowth.com/p/how-each-scale-path-responds-to-trends
However, there are also people in the same place as you, or earlier in their career, and you can ALWAYS work with bigger brands if you agree to do much of the work.
I built most of my success using the spotlight path. But I'm an evangelist. The biggest issue for me right now is how to cultivate the space and the shared language for my readers to feel like they belong. I have two communities, but both have been built on spotlight principles.
So, usually it requires a new something to activate evangelists in your community. For us, it was the original Author Ecosystems, which was designed specifically to resonate with forests and be carried. Take this challenge, it was literally built to teach people the shared language of Hapitalist, and EVERYTHING was designed around making that happen. So, what are you doing that's in the same idea?
I have an idea to design a Russian fairy tale character archetype quiz, which I think people would absolutely love. People love it when I tell stories live. People love my stories. But whenever I try to set up something for them to talk about them, they don't do it. The kinds of things that have worked in the past (but haven't lately) are zoom get togethers (virtual pub) and book clubs. My enjoyment factor (me being an introvert) are not high for those two, and I have been self-sabotaging.
Sure, but you have made a classic blunder. People don't care about talking about things unless it's about THEM. None of that is about them. It's either about YOU, or static stories.
The quiz is great if it brings with it IDENTITY. People will learn about themselves for days. If you haven't studied the Enneagram 4, it's like the archetype for Evangelists.
In other words, find that golden spot between what I love and what they love, then give them the opportunity to talk about it? And maybe shine some kind of light on that golden spot that they hadn't thought about before? Are we talking about shared enjoyment here?
That can be part of it, but that's not identity. People embed stories into themselves when it creates memories or anecdotes for why they exist, how they exist. If you want people to connect, you have to connect it with your identity. Look at you. How many times have we talked about being a Forest, and now evangelist. They are only relevant to YOU because they can quickly broadcast who you are to people, and I can then show you how to know yourself better.
Yes, there is an entertainment factor, but what differentiates things people enjoy and ones they care about is how closely tied to their identity it is, which is where shared language comes from.
The angle you're taking on this is flawed, which is why you're not getting the results you want.
yesterday's post had like 150+ comments because I asked people to reveal something about themselves, and then used that to help them understand themselves better, not because they particularly liked that memory.
Does that make sense? Maybe it's something to talk about on the next call.
This is definitely my biggest block :) Good to know what I need to work on. Can I try out an idea, to see if I'm starting to get this? There's a default position in some Christian circles that says that fiction is evil because it's literally "lying" and therefore damaging to you because it's forcing you into false versions of reality. I've always railed against this, instead telling people that good stories (as in both objectively good and subjectively enjoyable) are not just good, they're necessary. Showing people how that's true and in fact good for them--could that be the basis for a shared language and community?
Day 2: While I really like Collaborator (I've had growth and successes there) and Tactician/Arbitrager (I've had a couple of successes there, quite exciting, not repeated), I suppose my most natural SCALE path is *Evangelist.* An evangelist who would love to grow into being a Spotlighter. Those who have worked closely with me in the past consider me an insightful thinker, but I just don't write and publish my thinking very much. I make curriculum out of it instead. (Yes yes, I know, publish the curriculum, or adapt it into books; great idea, I'm confident that I could, but it's one of the least easeful paths I can imagine right now)
I would have said I was a Spotlighter (and that's what the quiz said) but based on yesterday's response, I think I might actually be an Evangelist. I think I resonate with the idea of a Spotlighter because I deeply aspire to create a well-considered body of work over time and to be known for in-depth thinking on certain topics, but at the same time, I'm very multipassionate and have trouble integrating all of my interests into a single cohesive personal brand. So that's where the Evangelist thing comes in -- the people who really resonate with my work and way of thinking are happy to hear from me on a variety of topics, even things they thought they weren't interested in, because they resonate with how I think or how I talk about things. I think I didn't see myself as an Evangelist because I don't really do social media, especially these days, and because I struggle to experience myself as having a cohesive personal brand that people resonate with, even if, now that I think about it, I guess that's true. So now I'm wondering if I've been feeling stuck because I am really an Evangelist but was thinking I was a Spotlighter.
This is a huge unlock for people. We'll talk about it late in the week, but your ECOSYSTEM might be Grassland and your SCALE path might be Evangelist, and often if you can align both things with your path of least friction, you can make everything amplify each other.
Everything is designed to fulfill an intention, and now that you know about this heavy evangelist streak, you can look back and say "Is the main growth I get from people sharing my work and vouching for me, or is it in being the biggest figure in my niche?"
You're probably splitting between the two, but one will give you more ROE than others, and if you take the energy from one and invest it into your biggest growth path, you will likely get more return.
My gut says Spotlight, though I can hardly say that my ideas ripple through the industry. Maybe they wash gently against the shore of my rather small pond. I also like connecting with my community, so is there some Evangelist? But the quiz came out firmly as Spotlight. (This fits with earlier readings of Forest, which seems to be another version of the same idea in your Author Ecosystems. Am I right?)
So my path would be to focus on essays, my blog/newsletter, my books, getting onto podcasts and - I suppose - finding those rippling ideas. That’s where I would appeal for help. I’m currently writing fiction, rather than non-fiction, and my blog has concentrated on reviewing books, and occasionally interviewing authors, in my genre, which is literary crime. But should I be focusing on the ideas in my novels? Instead? As well?
I am without a doubt a Spotlighter. I wouldn't have guessed that about myself, but after reading (and then re-reading, multiple times!), I don't even question it now. The funny thing is, in the Day 2 email you mentioned how much negativity people have been heaping on themselves (myself 100% included in that!) -- but it was the "negative" struggle parts of the Spotlighter that made me go: "Wow, ouch... yeah, this really is me." Especially the part about: "Spotlighters don’t often crash, they stall…and that stall is deadly." Yep. Exactly that. I have so much content / backlist that I have under-promoted and rarely asked for the sale for (and all the rest of the Spotlighter struggles too!)
What's interesting though, is in going through a major author-career (and life) rebuilding and rebranding this year, I've been struggling to find my "routine" again... and reading through the what's needed to stay healthy part was like taking a long, deep breath after being underwater for too long. Cliché sounding? Definitely - but hey, I'm a writer, I take creative liberties! LOL
I learned through enneagrams that the easiest way to find somebody's path is to look at what they do in stress. We can grow and hide as we get more success, but generally we revert to the same things in stress.
I love all this. One of the things we recommend for Spotlighters is that they grow beyond their original niche instead of abandon it completely. Here's an example of that:
https://www.theauthorstack.com/p/the-bullseye-method-for-growing-an?utm_source=publication-search
It might not be possible, but if you can grow your specialities to encompass more people, these things become easier. You might not be able to, but if you CAN, it can super help, and then you can use that SME to trade into your new niche and get shown in more places.
According to the quiz, I am an Evangelist. When I first read the list, I wasn't sure where I fit. But after reading more about Evangelists, that's where I belong. I like the personal connection with fans, and I am a connector. I think I hesitated because I don't think I rally superfans, brand advocates, influencers, customers, and ambassadors who spread my message faster than ads. I rely on ads a lot. But thinking about it, maybe I do more evangelizing than I think. Or maybe I should do more of it. Something to ponder. 🤔
Hey! That's the point of the challenge right? What can you naturally do more of to amplify your business. I love it.
Day 2 - busy work at work - I think I'm #5 (and Evangelist). I do all of my marketing via social media in a way that doesn't feel salesy to me. I like to do unexpected things, post quotes from books, do trivia questions regarding content from my books for prizes, etc. I always give the first few chapters away. And the thing I love about this is I get to be myself. I have my own sense of humour/fun and my fans respond to that and it makes marketing enjoyable for me too. It's almost like not marketing at all (except that it results in sales ;)
Amazing. I would ask if that is where you get the most ROE, though? You seem to clearly be a Forest ecosystem, but if you're not getting the most ROE from evangelism, then your SCALE path could be different. We used to keep both of those things together, but I've separated them. SCALE paths are about maximizing your Return on Energy Spend, while your ecosystem is your operating system. Does that make sense? They are related things, but they are not the same.
I think that's where most of my sales come from. My fan-base and then referrals
Amazing. Now the question is how can you deepen that, right? If you want people to perform the action, you need to design the product for the action to be performed. You're already doing that, maybe unintentionally, but how can you make that more intentional?
Will think on that
I think I might have a similar Spotlight/Evangelist issue - but feel I might be more Forest as I get most buzz from directly engaging with readers. Any advice?
Okay. I think I figured it out. I have a Tundra operating system, because it's a way of thinking and acting that feels natural to my personality, life systems, and process. But I have a collaboration SCALE path, because that's where almost ALL of my growth has ever come from, no matter how much effort I put into other areas. 😆 And I have a ton of fun partnering with other people.
It also scares the heck out of me, though.
But I think that fear might be an issue better addressed by enneagram and Clifton Strengths. I'm a perfectionist who always wants to get it right and be perceived as good (enneagram 1) and some of my top strengths a Intellection, Input, and Learner, so I hate going into anything feeling like I don't know what's going on, or feeling unprepared, or not know exactly what to do or say beforehand... And partnerships require giving up a lot of those certainties and relying on trust and... well collaboration. Building things TOGETHER instead of having it all figured out beforehand.
Luckily, I also have Connectedness, Developer, and Empathy in my top 5 strengths, so I think that helps me a lot with building partnerships despite the fear. :)
Have you read The Perfectionist's Guide to Losing Control yet? The problem is not perfectionism. It's in using punishment to fuel it instead of self compassion. You have been punishing yourself a long time, my love. I wish you would stop being mean to somebody I love so dearly.
Also... I'm not positive I'm fully Tundra for my operating system. I'm already questioning that as I think about my kid and teenage years and how I've had collaboration built into my mindset ever since forever. I wonder if I adopted the Tundra way of life ever since having kids because it's the only way I can still comfortably make running a business work? I'll need to think on this more. I think it's more important that I've figured out my SCALE path anyway. And that's definitely all about collaboration. :)
Yes! I love it. I think you're right too. Makes sense to me.
Evangelist for me (thanks for the quiz!). I love building community and connecting with my people.
Amazing. So, how are people already working to refer people? What's already working.
This is a great question. Currently, what's working is creating an awesome experience for them that they want to share with other people. It hasn't been anything formal, but, obviously, that can change!
If it’s working, then maybe it makes sense to add some of the other evangelist strategies and try to turn it from a pathway into an engine of growth.
I definitely feel like an Evangelist, which is interesting to me because I lean more introvert. Yesterday, I mentioned how I've gone through a lot of growth these past two years. Prior to this, I used social media and newsletters as ways to connect with my audience, but I wasn't being authentic. And I disliked it. Even though I knew that I wanted to focus on my newsletter over social media and ads, I struggled. I won't say they're easier now and I'm flying through creating them, lol, I now see that once I shake off the nerves, it truly is the place I feel most comfortable.
Wonderful! So any thoughts on how to build and deploy your legion of ambassadors?
I'm already published with paranormal cozy mysteries. I have one more book to finish my series, and I'm turning to darker, supernatural thrillers/suspense. I planning (hoping) to take a few of my already fans over to the dark side. ;) I've revamped my newsletter recently. Went from "OMG, what am I doing?" to "Okay, let's chat." I'm active on Bluesky in a personal, semi-author way. More life and fiction I watch/read then my books. Once I have an indie product I hope to build an ARC team. It's funny because just this weekend I started thinking about one day (not now) doing a vlog-style YouTube channel, and then I just read that in your Evangelist articles. lol
This is to start. Some of this scares me, tbh, so I'll take it slowish at the start.
Amazing.
I thought I was a Spotlighter (I even took the quiz last week and it agreed), but now I am thinking that I am an Evangelist. I really do want to make those connections with my readers and to thrill THEM specifically (plus, I just simply cannot write in one genre lol).
Like someone else said here, I didn't think this was for me because I HATE social media. I would rather light my hair on fire than talk about myself for the whole world to see. On the other hand, I would gladly talk about my life in my newsletter or in person (even to a group), which I think does still fit with Evangelist. Thoughts on how to get that flywheel moving without social media would be appreciated.
PS No fair starting your daily emails making me cry.
lol. It had to be done. Y'all are so great and you should not be undercutting yourself. You stop and I'll stop :)
So, I think we have a lot of people in this group who are base Ecosystem Forests, but SCALE path Spotlighters.
They are closely related, but the question is really whether your path of least friction is doubling down on building a referral network, ARC teams, and ambassadors/influencers who can drive people back to your brand, or whether YOU are the brand and you being front and center is going to shine the light back to your home base.
Does that make sense?
My ecosystem is Forest for sure, and my SCALE path is Evangelist (but need not be confined to that, I think, just focused on that). I would think that Spotlighters would naturally be either Tundra or Grasslands or Aquatic ecosystems, shining the warmth of attention and enthusiasm on their latest launch, or their oeuvre, or their growing assortment of related things...
Russell, do you see patterns in the connections between ecosystem and SCALE paths, or are they getting more random as the sample size grows? I know there was logical (but unsupported by evidence) pairing between ecosystems and paths for a little while there, and that's been cleared up. But there must be interesting patterns coming into focus!
Did you read the ecosystems article? There is a scale path for each ecosystem, and they are usually aligned. However, forests tend to be chaos, as always .
Erm... I've read a lot of ecosystems articles... I'm trying to catch up on Hapitalist right now, so I'll probably get to it! I did read the article in which you explained away some confusion between ecosystems and SCALE paths, and that was helpful. That's the one I had in mind just now
This one about scale path ecosystems talks about the crossover. https://www.frictionlessgrowth.com/p/scale-path-ecosystems
All my "Other" responses were exactly because "I hate social media!" So you're definitely not alone. I also enjoy talking about my life in like newsletter / blog / conversation formats. <3
You guessed I am a Spotlighter yesterday (I read the article and strongly connected to it), and it aligns with my Human Design type, Projector. "Thought leadership", slow growth and deep conversations jive with me! The one topic I "own": embodiment of the divine feminine.
When I took the quiz, it said Evangelist. This doesn't 100% algin with how I feel/where I think I'm at. Do you have any clarifying questions to narrow it down? Go with my gut?
You gave several good pointers already for a Spotlighter:
- Most authors have an author facing blog.
- Identify the genre/topic you're going to spend the next 3-5 years talking about, and then get into BOOK CLUBS, READER GROUPS, reader focused-communities, anthologies.
- Anthologies, lit mags, and readers groups are totally Spotlighter strategies.
I'm curious about reader groups and reader-focused communities. Most of my Substack subscribers who engage with my work are other authors. I've had a hard time understanding how to engage with my audience, or get any impressions/comments/emails from them. With 100 subscribers (yay!), I have about a 30% open rate.
I'm part of one anthology right now. I've taken time this year (with help from Claire Venus!) to finetune my navigation bar in Substack, create a Welcome page with links to tags/topics I write about, and the action I consistently point folks to is to subscribe (I don't have any products or services yet). I have a podcast linked to my Substack publication and a few upcoming collaborations planned. I'm excited to dive into other areas next year!
So, one of the things I'm seeing today are a lot of Spotlighter SCALE paths with base ecosystem Forest.
We haven't talked about ecosystems yet, but they are your "operating system" and what you're trying to do with your brand.
However, your SCALE path is how you grow. So, the question is whether you grow more having OTHER PEOPLE grow your brand through being ambassadors and influencers to drive growth back to you, or if YOU are the brand who needs to get out and shine a light on your home base.
Does that make sense? Here's more info on ecosystems. We won't get into it for a couple days, but it's really a question of who's driving your brand growth.
https://www.frictionlessgrowth.com/p/scale-path-ecosystems
I did the ROI exercise. It was the first time I did any type of analysis with my statistics. I grew from 9 subscribers to 100 subscribers in the last year! That was cool to see. While 17 new subscribers came from posts I wrote in the last year, 45 new subscribers came from Notes I wrote or replied to, or comments I made on other people's posts. That's crazy to me! And that's only the last 90 days! I'm still a Spotlighter at heart, and likely, I'll still post as inspired. But I can see that I get much better traction when I'm engaging on Notes.
Well that makes sense, because you're showing YOUR expertise on THEIR notes, right? This is a very spotlighter way to do NOTES, as opposed to going viral, or blowing up with a big super thread post. That's the thing with SCALE paths. They influence everything. You look at what you're doing that's working and say, "Okay, how can I do this in a way that aligns with how I naturally grow". Does that make sense?
Great point! I had categorized Notes as a Evangelist SCALE path, but HOW I do the Notes can be in a Spotlighter way. Very interesting!!!
This is the power of this system. It's systematizing doing stuff your own way. Then, when you bring this to the group in Hapitalist, they can help you plot and scheme, as can the Russellbot. So, you are looking at everything through that frame.
My gut says Spotlight, though I can hardly say that my ideas ripple through the industry. Maybe they wash gently against the shore of my rather small pond. I also like connecting with my community, but the quiz came out firmly as Spotlight. (This fits with earlier readings of Forest, which seems to be another version of the same idea in your Author Ecosystems. Am I right?)
So my path would be to focus on essays, my blog/newsletter, my books, getting onto podcasts and - I suppose - finding those rippling ideas. That’s where I would appeal for help. I’m currently writing fiction, rather than non-fiction, and my blog has concentrated on reviewing books, and occasionally interviewing authors, in my genre, which is literary crime. But should I be focusing on the ideas in my novels? Instead? As well?
That sounds like a great plan. If you're interviewing people in your genre about things that readers in that genre care about, then I think you're doing things right, but I suspect you probably don't have a reader focused blog. Most authors have an author facing blog.
Instead, what is the genre/topic you're going to spend the next 3-5 years talking about in your fiction, and then you should be trying to get into BOOK CLUBS, READER GROUPS, reader focused-communities, anthologies.
WHERE can your fiction live? There are billions of literary journals and fiction substacks that can host stories by you. It's not a different strategy for non-fiction or fiction, we just think it is because it doesn't feel like it should be the same.
Anthologies, lit mags, and readers groups are totally Spotlighter strategies.
Thank you. Looking at Evangelist, I feel I have some of this too. How might that fit in?
You would want to pick ONE that will give you the highest ROE, but there are lots of ways that could play out. You might be a base Ecosystem Forest, or Grassland, and then the opposite growth path.
This is not about what sounds the best to you, unfortunately. The question is which gives you the MOST growth with the LEAST effort.
You can learn more about that here. https://www.frictionlessgrowth.com/p/stop-confusing-hard-work-with-smart
Maybe I'm an evangelist.
I write across 4 genres.
My connections have always been 'varied'.
My latest book comes out tomorrow.
I always have ideas.
I'm not too bad on the branding stuff I don't think. I want to do better and I think I know some of the issues.
I have to watch myself because I want to do all the things and I've had to cut stuff this year and I've failed (ok not the right word but I didn't achieve what I wanted and ok I bounce okish generally) more than once.
I can lose enthusiasm but I can get lost in the flow.
I can work to a plan as in tasks for the day or week.
But I can struggle to plan longer than that and I can be unrealistic in what I think I can achieve.
I can be tempted to do stuff that interests me and I love a challenge or an insight that helps me learn something. I am an eternal student. Every days a school day.
I need to be authentic but I am easy going.
I feel all of this post in my soul. <3
thank you
Okay. Most of this is not about SCALE paths. It's a lot about writing, but which one do you use to grow.
Also, none of this is about evangelists, who are the people who power an Evangelist business. I recommend you read this article. https://www.frictionlessgrowth.com/p/evangelists
I honestly don't know.
I don't have a growth method - where I have grown followers it's sort of organic or a mixed bag of stuff I think.
I'm not sure this SCALE stuff is for me but I will stick with it for the 7 days.
I know I will learn stuff whatever the outcome.
Whether it is for you or not, there is something in you that will lead to the most growth with the least effort. I don't really care what you call it, but it exists outside of this challenge.
If you learn what that is, embrace it, and then spend all your effort optimizing for it, then your growth will be easier, better, and more joyful.
If you are having the growth you want, and everything is amazing, then yeah, I guess you don't need anything, but you probably are here because something isn't working as well as you want.
If it was working, then it would be working. So, chaos is great. I love chaos, and having good chaos working in your business is amazing, but if you can't direct it where you want it, then it's not a very effective way to grow.
As you suggested yesterday, I seem to fit best with Spotlight. I like to share different perspectives on things people take for granted. (Having said that, I don't share as much as this description would imply. I think about sharing more than I share. 🤓)
Yes, so if your a Spotlighter, then really think about how you can get in front of other audiences, what audiences they would be, and how you would bring them back into your ecosystem, with some sort of free lead magnet/cheat sheet, etc. It's also important that if you use a format, that you offer a similar format as the audience. So, if you're on a bunch of podcasts, you probably want at least an audio course. If you're on a bunch of Youtube shows, you should probably have a channel.
But everything falls around those aspects, and as you invest energy in them, they should amplify your results.
I for real LOL-d when I started considering whether I'm a collaborator or not after you suggested it yesterday.
Because, DUH. I was a theater kid and theater major who still directs community theater. I did Bella Andre and Melissa Foster's kindle worlds. I got my USA Today with a Christmas book anthology. I do catering and floral gig work with friends for fun. I end up becoming a supervisor/manager at every retail job I've ever had. I'm the mom/stepmom of five kids. I managed a shared world with a group of author friends.
I nearly posted that as my positive thing yesterday, but it was kind of a bust because we all write different heat levels. But it was FUN.
I very much enjoy creating small towns and the businesses, festivals, holiday markets, occurrences in them. However, I usually get bored after three books and leave several potential stories on the table.
I have a new town/series launching at the end of 2026. Feels like plenty of time to bring other authors into the world? Releases throughout 2027 and early 2028?
I can feel my biggest block is that no one will want to do this with me because I'm not well known. I have been well known adjacent for 15 years. Will have to work this bit out in the next Hapitalist meeting. 😉
Yes, I talk about this a lot with people. People think a good brand is a big brand, but really it's just a STRONG brand, which you have if people want to live in your town. You don't have to only think about authors, either. Is there a coffee roaster in your town that could make a special brew? Is there a soap person who could do something? Can you make your work real like that? Scroll this article. https://www.frictionlessgrowth.com/p/how-each-scale-path-responds-to-trends
However, there are also people in the same place as you, or earlier in their career, and you can ALWAYS work with bigger brands if you agree to do much of the work.
I built most of my success using the spotlight path. But I'm an evangelist. The biggest issue for me right now is how to cultivate the space and the shared language for my readers to feel like they belong. I have two communities, but both have been built on spotlight principles.
So, usually it requires a new something to activate evangelists in your community. For us, it was the original Author Ecosystems, which was designed specifically to resonate with forests and be carried. Take this challenge, it was literally built to teach people the shared language of Hapitalist, and EVERYTHING was designed around making that happen. So, what are you doing that's in the same idea?
I have an idea to design a Russian fairy tale character archetype quiz, which I think people would absolutely love. People love it when I tell stories live. People love my stories. But whenever I try to set up something for them to talk about them, they don't do it. The kinds of things that have worked in the past (but haven't lately) are zoom get togethers (virtual pub) and book clubs. My enjoyment factor (me being an introvert) are not high for those two, and I have been self-sabotaging.
Sure, but you have made a classic blunder. People don't care about talking about things unless it's about THEM. None of that is about them. It's either about YOU, or static stories.
The quiz is great if it brings with it IDENTITY. People will learn about themselves for days. If you haven't studied the Enneagram 4, it's like the archetype for Evangelists.
In other words, find that golden spot between what I love and what they love, then give them the opportunity to talk about it? And maybe shine some kind of light on that golden spot that they hadn't thought about before? Are we talking about shared enjoyment here?
That can be part of it, but that's not identity. People embed stories into themselves when it creates memories or anecdotes for why they exist, how they exist. If you want people to connect, you have to connect it with your identity. Look at you. How many times have we talked about being a Forest, and now evangelist. They are only relevant to YOU because they can quickly broadcast who you are to people, and I can then show you how to know yourself better.
Yes, there is an entertainment factor, but what differentiates things people enjoy and ones they care about is how closely tied to their identity it is, which is where shared language comes from.
The angle you're taking on this is flawed, which is why you're not getting the results you want.
yesterday's post had like 150+ comments because I asked people to reveal something about themselves, and then used that to help them understand themselves better, not because they particularly liked that memory.
Does that make sense? Maybe it's something to talk about on the next call.
This is definitely my biggest block :) Good to know what I need to work on. Can I try out an idea, to see if I'm starting to get this? There's a default position in some Christian circles that says that fiction is evil because it's literally "lying" and therefore damaging to you because it's forcing you into false versions of reality. I've always railed against this, instead telling people that good stories (as in both objectively good and subjectively enjoyable) are not just good, they're necessary. Showing people how that's true and in fact good for them--could that be the basis for a shared language and community?
My gut said collaborator, and the quiz confirmed it. I'm excited to find other people with similar goals and interests!
Nice! Love it!
Day 2: While I really like Collaborator (I've had growth and successes there) and Tactician/Arbitrager (I've had a couple of successes there, quite exciting, not repeated), I suppose my most natural SCALE path is *Evangelist.* An evangelist who would love to grow into being a Spotlighter. Those who have worked closely with me in the past consider me an insightful thinker, but I just don't write and publish my thinking very much. I make curriculum out of it instead. (Yes yes, I know, publish the curriculum, or adapt it into books; great idea, I'm confident that I could, but it's one of the least easeful paths I can imagine right now)