SHAWN: Tue, April 7, 2020

As André seems overly fond of mentioning, today is my — gasp — 49th birthday. (He's not too far behind at 47, btw.)

This is a perfect opportunity for a ridiculous marketing stunt.

The doors close for this first live cohort of The Traffic Engine at midnight, PST tonight and André and I could pull out the typical launch marketing playbook and engage in all kinds of stupidity.

Or, we could be a little more subtle and reveal a treasure trove of last-minute bonuses to encourage a few more sales before the doors close.

If you've been reading along since the start, you know we're not going to do that. Instead, we're going to do exactly the opposite.

Instead of telling you about all of the new bonuses for The Traffic Engine (there aren't any), I'd like to write this email for everyone who is not going to be in this first cohort.

Why?

I deeply appreciate your attention, and I know that this is not the right time for many of you to participate in a course like this for a variety of reasons.

The world feels a little upside down right now and we're all doing the best we can with it.

However, the fact that you've stayed with us this long tells me you are interested in the topics we've been discussing.

Knowing that, here's a list of resources I have found enjoyable and exceptionally valuable. Everything on this list, except for the books at the end, is 100% free.

These are among the most useful resources I've found over the years, and I've listed them in the order in which I'd recommend you engage with the material.

These are foundational concepts and principles, like Kevin Kelly's 1,000 True Fans (and Seth Godin's actionable way to start toward that goal called First, ten).

Don't just read or watch them once or twice — really study them. Engage with them. Take notes and think deeply about the lessons.

One by one these ideas build on each other. By the end of your journey through this list, you will have completed a graduate-level education in the principles of modern marketing.

I don't say that lightly.

I've been an adjunct professor of entrepreneurship at Vermont Tech for several years and this is a semester's worth of material for an advanced class.

Here's my challenge to you — over the next eight weeks, the first live cohort for The Traffic Engine will be working, week by week, on creating ‘traffic engines' for their businesses (or their clients' businesses).

The last module will be published on Friday, May 29th.

During that same period of time, are you willing to make a commitment to yourself to complete the entire list, below?

Put a stake in the ground, and then focus on the process day by day. I'm confident you can do it, and I know it'll be time well spent.

Here's the list:

• Kevin Kelly — 1,000 True Fans
• Seth Godin — First, ten
• Jay Abraham — Strategy of Preeminence
• André — Systems Thinking vs. Funnel Optimization (Dis-Solving Problems) (and an unofficial Part 2 here)
• Ash Maurya — Meta Principles I Learned from Running Lean
• Jack Born — Power Triangle: Traffic, Conversions and Economics
• Donald Miller — 7 Proven Story Formulas for Sharpening Your Marketing Message
• Louis Grenier — How Seth Godin Would Launch a New Business With $1,000 And 90 Days to Spare (Louis' interview with Seth can be found here)
• André — The Art of Email Marketing: Earn Customers & Make Superfans
• Shawn Twing — How To Build A Happy Customer Creating Engine With Paid Traffic
• Shawn & André — The Traffic Engine Manifesto, email archive, and comments.

Seth Godin's interviews with Tim Ferriss:

• How Seth Godin Manages His Life — Rules, Principles, and Obsessions
• Seth Godin on How to Think Small to Go Big
• Seth Godin on How to Say “No,” Market Like a Professional, and Win at Life

Books:

• The War of Art, Steven Pressfield
• Bird by Bird, Anne Lamott
• All Marketers are Liars, Seth Godin
• Running Lean, Ash Maurya
• Perennial Seller, Ryan Holiday
• Value Proposition Design, Alexander Osterwalder
• (Specific to agency owners / client-service professionals): The Business of Expertise, David C. Baker

I realize that's a long list but, as the saying goes, the best way to eat an elephant is one bite at a time. The hardest part is getting started — after you finish reading this email, scroll to the top of the list and start reading Kevin Kelly's 1,000 True Fans!

Thank you so much for joining André and me for this two-week journey. I am incredibly grateful for the opportunity to engage with each of you, and honored to have had your attention.