#11 Dollars & Sense

Time since launch: 13 months
$ invested: 995K+
Current challenge: product timelines

I wrote a different version of this email but my business partner wasn’t into it. I’d paraphrased too much from too many friends. And while that was the whole point, he also had one — the email wasn’t very me.

I have a thing for metaphors. They’re the quickest way for me to understand just about anything, and the easiest way for people to communicate with me/articulate their idea. Recently I got obsessed with likening my experiences at Fluff, and the pursuit of scale, with learning how to surf.

I spoke to countless friends (especially those who can actually surf) who contributed their thoughts and feelings to email V1. It felt nice. Until I realised I can’t fucking surf. Who was I kidding?

So I have written this email instead.

Somehow I missed that Fluff turned 1 in June. At times it’s felt like Fluff (or I) am 100. At other times it feels like this is a newborn baby. But every day I am challenged by this idea around dollars and sense:

What we should do for the business, and what we should do for the brand.

What our investors want and what we know our customers want.

What our cashflow says we should do, and what my gut says I should do.

Dollars tell me not to order our next product.
Sense tells me I can’t not.

Dollars tell me we’re running out of time.
Sense tells me things of quality are timeless.

Metaphorical dollars are what make me paddle around frantically as the sun goes down, looking for the right wave to catch: the thing/person/event that will drive Fluff’s awareness and scale our message.

Sense is what makes me slow down and enjoy the water.

Dollars are exciting but interfere with my focus. They also pull me away from my friends, my family, and time on my own — which are actually so important to fuelling my drive at work.

Sense is scary. It’s sitting with uncertainty. Putting yourself on the line, patience, and persistence.

Dollars are what I think about when I think about frank body.

Sense is what I talk about when I talk about Fluff.

The broader context/metaphor is that frank body was a freak wave. Most people (businesses/brands) never even see such a wave, let alone catch it. And unfortunately, social media has perpetuated this idea that these freak waves are commonplace. That it’s really easy to surf. Fluff’s reality is that there is swell, but that expecting a freak wave (anytime soon) is never a good idea.

It’s really hard to know what to do sometimes. Money is not my sole driver, but I’d be lying if I said it wasn’t important. It’s the very thing that allows us to keep going, to spread our message.

Sometimes I feel crazy. And recently one of my investors told me I was. Luckily he is too. But crazy is what my senses tell me is right — it’s made me do what I know no one else would. It’s pushed me to the edge and allowed me to see and experience what’s on the other side.

Dollars can mean never starting.
Sense means taking risks.

Dollars can mean stopping.
Sense means enduring.

Dollars seek reward.
Sense seeks success. Even if that success is learning from failure, getting up, and starting again.

The journey at Fluff is a mix of both dollars and sense. I’ve learned that I can’t surf, but I’m fucking good at jumping in the water, even if it’s freezing. I can definitely spot a wave; I just need to remind myself it’s better to wait than to waste too much energy on the shit sets. When the time comes, I know I can paddle harder than most. And until then, I can float, look up, and enjoy the view.