Nicolas Cole, Digital Writer at Digital Press, Co-Founder of Ship 30 for 30, Co-Creator of Category Pirates
Nicolas Cole is one of the most-read writers on the Internet, with more than 100 million views on his work. He is the author of five books, including best-sellers: The Art & Business of Online writing.
He is also a writing entrepreneur: co-founder of Ship 30 for 30, one of the fastest-growing cohort-based digital writing courses on the Internet.
Category Pirates, the authority paid newsletter on Category Creation & Category Design.
And Digital Press, the leading thought leadership ghostwriting agency for founders, executives, investors, and industry leaders.
What is your favourite social media platform, and why?
Twitter. This answer changes every one or two years depending on whose algorithm is best optimized for reach and connectivity and which platform is most heavily invested in their creators. These days, Twitter is the best digital writing platform by a mile - because of its unique ability to distribute the right content to the right readers in a sticky, meaningful way.
Tell us about you and your current role or area of interest.
I am a digital writer and writing entrepreneur. I am passionate about writing online, teaching others how to get started writing online, and building digital writing-related businesses.
What do you like about your career or area of focus?
I believe now has never been a better time to be a writer, as long as you are a digital writer. However, I feel like we are at an inflexion point where millions of people are realizing the power of writing online, but unfortunately, have no idea how to start - and legacy educational systems don't have the experience (or the digital knowledge) to provide accurate and effective information.
I have been writing online since 2007 and have written thousands of articles online. As one of the most-read digital writers ever, I feel an immense duty to pass along what I've learned and help people of all ages learn how to overcome their self-doubt and start sharing their stories, insights, and perspectives on the Internet. I write about the importance of writing online, and I build businesses that help people learn how and get started.
What is the best advice you have ever received?
You can't steer a stationary ship. This means: don't sit in the harbour overthinking and strategizing. Just start sailing and figure it out as you go along.
What inspires you, motivates you, or helps you to move forward?
The desire for mastery drives me. I have mastered many things in my life, and there is no greater feeling. I played classical piano for 20 years and, for a long time, I wanted to make music my life. I was also one of the highest-ranked World of Warcraft players in North America as a teenager, and for many years thought I would spend my entire life being a professional gamer.
Then, I got into bodybuilding for seven years and thought I wanted to spend my entire life lifting weights, training, and maybe even competing. It took me many different chapters to realize my true love was writing (which I'd been doing since 4th grade), and I wake up every day determined to become the greatest writer to ever live. That's just who I am. Everything I do, I want to be the best.
What are you proud of in your life so far?
I'm proud of my ability to be so ruthlessly obsessed with achievement and simultaneously grounded enough to realize achievement, in itself, is never enough. I know it's a flawed pursuit in life. Being "the best," even when you get there, is never the pinnacle you think it is.
But it's a fun game for me to play, and I enjoy it. But I know it's not the true meaning of life, and what matters is knowing yourself, deepening the relationship you have with it all, and the relationships you build along the way (and what you learn about yourself and others as a result).
What is your preferred way to meet new people/network?
Organically. My best friends have always been people who happened to be on the same path as me at that precise moment in time.
What skills or qualities do you feel have helped you?
Discipline above all else. I grew up playing classical piano and hockey, both of which instilled in me a strong work ethic and a high threshold for pain. I also spent my entire high school experience as a competitive gamer, and so I learned at a very young age how to set my mind to something and sit there (for an uncomfortable amount of hours) to achieve it.
What do you wish you had known when you started out?
That it's better to do something slowly but right, than quickly and wrong.
Who do you most admire in business, academic or creative circles and why?
I admire people who are relentless at practising their craft. I love studying for a master and people who are willing to do the "boring" thing day after day after day just to improve 1% more.
Outside of your professional/work area, what hobbies or interests do you have or what other areas of your life are of real importance to you?
My friends and I often joke about how I don't have hobbies. It's very difficult for me to do something and not immediately attach it to my identity and want to become "the best" at it. However, lately, I've been getting into going to the farmer's market, picking fresh vegetables, fish, and meats, and cooking. This might be my first hobby ever.
Has the pandemic had a positive or a negative effect on you and/or your business, and how have you managed it?
Positive. I have written more and launched an even more successful business in the pandemic. Obviously, the pandemic has been hard, and I miss certain elements of "life before," but all things considered, it has been a positive experience for me—and for that, I am grateful because that was not the case for many others.
Do you have a mentor, or have you ever mentored anyone?
I have had multiple mentors in my life. I have a knack for seeking them out. I had a mentor when I was a pro gamer as a teenager, and I attribute my rampant growth as a player to his teaching me how to play the game. I had a mentor during my bodybuilding years, and I attribute a significant amount of my growth and mindset to our training together.
I had a mentor right after college who taught me my foundation of knowledge about entrepreneurship. And I had a mentor when I moved to Los Angeles to build my ghostwriting company and pursue my life as a writer, who taught me a tremendous amount about the art of writing and keeping people's attention.
What advice would you have for someone looking to get into the same area of work or interests?
Start writing online. I say it constantly because I believe in it so much. Writing online changed my life. It allowed me to live my passion, work for myself, meet so many interesting people, and unlock an incredible amount of autonomy and freedom. Everyone has something valuable to share. All they have to do is hit publish.
What do you feel is the most common reason for people failing or giving up?
They do not believe in themselves. Everyone starts at zero. Everyone begins with zero followers. Everyone thinks "they're never going to get anywhere" on day one. But, if you can stick with it, if you can give yourself a year of real effort and practice, you'll be amazed at your growth. I have gone through this process so many times, with so many different crafts and passions. I learned that I could not judge the first year of anything.
You're learning. You're getting your bearings. You're figuring out what works for you and what doesn't. Don't quit after a few weeks or even a few months. With everything, give yourself at least a year (doing "the thing" every single day) to figure it out.
Is there a phrase, quote or a saying that you really like?
"You can't steer a stationary ship."
What companies, brands, or institutions do you like or do you think are getting it right?
I'm building it: Ship 30 for 30.
How do you define success, and what lessons have you learned so far that you could share with our audience/readership?
There is no right definition of success. That's what so many people misunderstand about the game of life. So, you have to create your own definition. Otherwise, you'll live your whole life unsatisfied and trapped in someone else's definition.
Instead, I encourage people to measure success based on habits and commitment to the craft. Forget external achievements. They're all temporary, and what you think you so-badly-want one day, you'll completely forget even mattered to you the next.
Success is about showing up and engaging in the practice day after day. What it's not about is getting "somewhere."