A podcast by Aaron Bare + Forbes Shannon

Don'tDieOrdinary

Most companies don't fail. They get boring, then quietly stop. Nobody sends a notice.

Confess Something OrdinaryWhat Is This

Episode 001 — Coming Soon

Nobody chooses ordinary. It's just the default setting.

Companies rarely die loudly. They get comfortable and go quiet.

Every ordinary company was once an interesting one that stopped cutting.

This show is two operators arguing about where the line is.

The Format · Four Beats

One idea, run through four beats

  1. 01

    The Ordinary Version

    How everyone runs this play, described accurately.

    This is the part where you recognize yourself.

  2. 02

    Why It's Ordinary

    The teardown. Who benefits from you doing it this way.

    Usually a vendor. Sometimes your ego.

  3. 03

    The Extraordinary Version

    The flip, with the cost named out loud.

    It is always simpler and always more expensive socially.

  4. 04

    The Confession

    Both hosts name one ordinary thing from their own week.

    Every episode. No exceptions. It gets uncomfortable.

Fifth beat, occasionally: The Exhibit — twelve minutes with someone who actually did it

The Ordinary Test · Four Questions

The Ordinary Test

01 / 04Attention

Can you explain what your company does in one sentence a nine-year-old accepts?

The Confession

Confess Something Ordinary

Both hosts do this on every episode. Now it's your turn. Anonymous unless you say otherwise, and nobody is grading you.

The Confession Wall

Other people said it first

  • We have had the same five-year plan for seven years. Nobody has mentioned it.

    — Anonymous, $1M–$10M

  • I hired a COO so I would stop avoiding the numbers. I now avoid the COO.

    — Dana, Northsight

  • Our differentiator is that we care more. That is not a differentiator. That is a personality.

    — Anonymous, Under $1M

  • I have not removed a single meeting in two years. I have added nine.

    — Marcus, Lattice Freight

  • We rebranded instead of firing the client who was ruining the company.

    — Anonymous, $1M–$10M

  • My calendar is full and I cannot name one thing on it that a competitor would fear.

    — Anonymous, $10M+

  • I have been pre-revenue for three years. I call it research. It is hiding.

    — Priya

  • We copied a competitor's pricing page and told the team it was strategy.

    — Anonymous, Under $1M

The Hosts

Aaron Bare

WSJ bestselling author. Keynote speaker. Does stand-up, which explains a lot.

Built an agency that fires its own clients on purpose. It has never been busier.

Forbes Shannon

Operator, keynote speaker, and the other one doing open mics on a Tuesday.

Has removed more from companies than he has ever added. Charges for it.

What's Coming

  1. 001

    The Educated Minimalist

    Locked
  2. 002

    Why Are You Surprised?

    Locked
  3. 003

    Wealth Is Not Money

    Locked
  4. 004

    The Poison Of Culture

    Locked
  5. 005

    Patience. Everything Happens Fast.

    Locked
  6. 006

    Futureproof Your Brain

    Locked
  7. 007

    We're Mirrors And Projectors

    Locked
  8. 008

    The Greatest Mentor Of All Time

    Locked

Episode 001 lands. You get one email.

Soon onApple PodcastsSpotifyYouTube