The Best of Category Pirates 2023
See the top mini-books we've published this year, and exciting news for 2024.
Arrrrr! 🏴☠️ Welcome to a free edition of Category Pirates. Each month, we publish “mini-books” that share radically different ideas to help you design and dominate new categories. Thank you for reading. And of course, forward this mini-book to anyone who you think needs to hop aboard the Pirate ship.
Dear Friend, Subscriber, and Category Pirate,
We're raising our rum-filled glasses to celebrate 2023! To reflect on the year, here's an overview of the mini-books you loved the most—organized by topic so it’s easy to navigate and share. (This will differ from the 2022 wrap-up, where we answered your most pressing questions about category design.)
Below, you’ll find 20+ mini-books arranged into 3 categories:
Category Strategy
Marketing
Personal Category Design
You’ll see the key learnings and a standout quote for each mini-book. Then, you’ll get a summary of the year’s top paid and free mini-book. And you’ll hear a few exciting announcements for the coming year.
Before diving in, we want to celebrate a few major accomplishments.
Thousands of new readers subscribed to Category Pirates, which means the Pirate Ship is nearly 29,000 Category Designers strong (ARRR!!)
We experimented with Pirates’ Perspective videos where we talked about how AI impacts Category Kings, answered reader questions about category design, and more. (Read on for descriptions and links to each video.)
We launched the Category Design Academy, the first digital business education exclusively for Category Designers. Over 25 pirates joined the first cohort, and it's been amazing to help them establish their unique Category Superpower, refine their pricing, and start the journey to dominate their categories. In 2024, we'll continue our mission to help train 100,000 Category Designers by opening another cohort or two. (Read on to learn how to join the waitlist.)
Now, let's review the year.
The Best Mini-Books of 2023
Throughout 2023, we wrote about how to use a category design lens to manage churn, why simplicity is actually velocity, why the future of your category matters most, and much more. Here's every mini-book we published this year, organized into 3 topics.
Category Strategy Mini-Books
This mini-book collection is for people who want to elevate their category strategy. Maybe you're just learning about category design and need to run a category size of prize. Or maybe you're trying to convince the rest of your team why category design is the only thing you to focus on in 2024.
Solving for Churn: How Non-Obvious Bundles and Business Models Reduce Churn, Without Relying On Price.
“The future is not about predicting what's next—it's about creating what's next. It starts by understanding the potential that lies just beyond what you can see. The opportunities exist, if you're willing to explore the adjacent possible.”
Subscription services, especially those with binge-able content like Stranger Things, are popular among “Serial Churners”—a category of consumers who destroy customer lifetime value for subscription-based categories by binging and bailing. This mini-book is about managing serial churners and attracting Superconsumers in a Native Digital world.
You’ll learn how to:
Spot and manage a group of anti-Superconsumers called serial churners
Build Non-Obvious bundles
Create a strategy around Superconsumers, leaning into the fact that a Super of one category is a Super of nine other categories
Define your "Adjacent Possible" and use it to bolster your category positioning
For more context:
Check out what we wrote in the Harvard Business Review about ‘Serial Churners’
See how our mini-book predicted what the Wall Street Journal says is happening!
Simplicity Is Velocity: Why Less Wins When Designing Your Category, Your Products, And Your Languaging
“Simplicity is a deliberate choice to create something that is enjoyable for customers, profitable for your business, and more likely to succeed in the long run.”
In this mini-book, you’ll learn why complex categories struggle to find footing in the real world and why simplicity speeds up your company, product, and category growth.
You'll also find out how to:
Simplify your products/offerings to make it easier for people to “get”
Leverage the power of language to simplify your product/offering even further
Define and utilize the right decision-making framework (aka, the one-way door and two-way door framework)
The Annual Strategy Planning Trap: How To Stop Fighting Over Budget And Start Focusing On Category Dominance
The most important question that no one seems to be asking: “Are we winning the category?”
Most companies are stuck in annual budget battles, internal politics, and a collective loss of focus on what truly matters. This mini-book is your guide to breaking free from the Annual Strategy Planning Trap. In it, we’ll share why companies fall into the trap, explain how to escape it, and help you pivot to focus on becoming a Category Queen.
You’ll learn:
Why the Annual Strategy Planning is a trap, and why you’re better off without it
Why internal fighting over budget allocation fosters a scarcity mindset rather than an abundance mindset
Why Competition Obsession a disease that, if left untreated, can be fatal for companies
How to Frame, Name, and Claim the problem, and deliver the solution
How to leverage your category as the strategy
(You can read a shortened version in the Harvard Business Review.)
Sizing The Category Prize: How To Run A Size Of Prize Analysis To Understand Your Category’s True Potential
“It’s not about how big the category was in the past. It’s not about how big the category is today. It’s about how big the category will be in the future.”
Everyone benefits from knowing a category’s potential. But a size of prize analysis is important for Category Designers because it’s the critical catalyst for meaning market cap growth.
In this mini-book, you’ll learn:
Why Category Designers prioritize the future of a category above all else
The 4 ways a Size of Prize Analysis drives growth
How to create a directionally right category potential and market cap estimate
The pirate way to size the (category) prize
Marketing Mini-Books
This mini-book collection is for marketers who want to learn and apply category design. Forget campaigns and funnels. This is the year to focus on flywheels and results.
The 3 Marketing Metrics To Rule Them All [Part 1]: How To Prioritize What Matters, Produce Revenue-Generating Results, And Skyrocket To Category Success
“Who you are, to others and to yourself, is based on your results.”
To succeed as a category creator, it’s important to hone your focus and adopt a different marketing mindset. So, regardless of your motivations and strategies, we want to share some brass-tack ideas (Non-Obvious and a few Obvious) for driving maximum marketing outcomes.
You’ll learn:
Why your results = your reputation (and excuses mean nothing)
Why marketing that drives revenue is the only marketing that matters
How to build a Revenue Manufacturing Machine
How to leverage weird data to drive WOM
The 6 marketing tactics to consider implementing and how to master each
How to keep marketing focused on revenue and results
![The 3 Marketing Metrics To Rule Them All [Part 1]: How To Prioritize What Matters, Produce Revenue-Generating Results, And Skyrocket To Category Success](https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/w_140,h_140,c_fill,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep,g_auto/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ff8bc5844-5945-4c38-a6bf-ecb9baf3da2e_1500x1500.jpeg)
The 3 Marketing Metrics To Rule Them All [Part 2]: How To Market Category Potential, Whether You Are Creating A New Category Or Redesigning A Legacy One
“Remember, the future happens because of you. You create it. You bring it to life. And because you create it, you have a unique opportunity to educate others on its importance. Now go forth and show people what’s possible.”
Legendary marketers do not merely play a game of “catch demand.” Instead, they create demand to drive new category potential—which helps produce increasing demand for their product and the whole category. As a marketer, being the first to create that demand is crucial.
You’ll learn:
Why category potential is the single largest arbiter of your future growth
29 questions to ask yourself to develop a category potential marketing strategy
3 levers to implement a category potential marketing strategy
![The 3 Marketing Metrics To Rule Them All [Part 2]: How To Market Category Potential, Whether You Are Creating A New Category Or Redesigning A Legacy One](https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/w_140,h_140,c_fill,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep,g_auto/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F30c7f858-5eb4-47b8-b08a-7e03fc4a71e3_1500x1500.jpeg)
The 3 Marketing Metrics To Rule Them All [Part 3]: How To Attract Investor Interest, Drive Market Capitalization, And Claim Your Place As Category King
“Revenue = Category Potential = Increased Market Cap”
The number one market cap company in a category always wins. Always. (And we’re not talking about some kind of B.S. magic trick here.) To build enduring value over time, you must use marketing to drive category potential and increase the overall category size and growth rate.
You’ll learn:
The two types of investors and which one you want to attract
How to leverage language to attract the right investor
4 ways to drive category potential and increase market cap/valuation
![The 3 Marketing Metrics To Rule Them All [Part 3]: How To Attract Investor Interest, Drive Market Capitalization, And Claim Your Place As Category King](https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/w_140,h_140,c_fill,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep,g_auto/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F9a2e0030-3ee4-47e5-b9a2-c8982f266b03_1500x1500.jpeg)
Personal Category Design Mini-Books
Category design isn't just a business strategy—it can also help you design the life you want. This mini-book collection will teach you how to understand your true value, leverage the outcomes you generate for others, and stay resilient when you're up against the odds.
The Value Of Your Value: How To Elevate Your Pricing And Move From Hourly Wages To Outcome-Based Wealth
“You’re responsible for your own “worth.”
We all need somebody to help us understand our value. In this mini-book, you’ll learn how to value (and price for) the outcomes you generate. This includes:
Why legendary Category Designers are the best at valuing their offerings
Why leveling up value-wise could mean designing a new category
Why your outcomes are your value (or, why your results are your reputation)
How to start charging for outcomes instead of charging for hours or deliverables
How to deal with pricing objections and negotiations
The Power of Outcomes: How to Generate High-Impact Outcomes That Create Enduring Value For Your Company And Yourself
“By centering your career around outcomes, you’ll understand the value you create for others. You’ll never question your worth. And you’ll create your own legendary category of one.”
This mini-book is about leveraging outcomes for personal and professional agency. This will help you understand your value and radically change how you perceive your worth and communicate it to others. You’ll learn:
The key difference between charging for efforts and charging for outcomes
Why the more value you create, the more invaluable you become
How to value different types of outcomes (financial, emotional, aspirational, and organizational)
How to understand the strategic goals of an organization and connect those to the high-value outcomes you generate
Category Superpower: Why Your Greatest Strength Depends On Making A Difference For Others
“The way to build power is through your actions. Don’t find your way. Make your way.”
A Category Superpower is what you do that makes an exponential difference for others. We all have one, whether you're a hardened pirate or a shiny new category designer. To discover it, this mini-book shares:
Questions to ask yourself to discover your unique Category Superpower and create massive value for others
The difference between your POV and Category Superpower
How to navigate the Category Superpower Map Framework
Why your swagger (aka, oomph factor) matters
How to make sure your problem, outcome, POV, and swagger work in tandem to help you deliver massive outcomes for others
The “No-Sell” Sell: A Counterintuitive Approach To Make Customers Come To You, Instead of Chasing After Them
“The No-Sell Sell is about conversations, not conversions.”
In this mini-book, you’ll learn the art of the No-Sell Sell—a tactic to generate demand, attract business instead of chasing it, and prove that you, your product, or your service is incomparable. This includes:
The power of showing versus telling
5 ways to implement an “attract don’t chase” strategy
Why being able to walk away from ‘opportunity’ is your greatest strength
How to leverage the No-Sell Sell skill gap between you and the customer
A 10-question Client Compatability Checklist to make sure you and prospective customers are compatible
Radical Resilience: How To Be Mission-Driven When The Odds Are Against You
“The greatest gift you can have in life is a problem that matters to you.”
This mini-book shares how category designers hold fast, both in business and in life. It not only encourages you when the ship seems to be sinking and everyone is jumping overboard. But it also gives you practical tools to steer the ship, no matter what comes your way.
You’ll learn:
Why a “hold fast” philosophy is essential for successful Category Design
How to define, practice, and implement radical resilience
The 5 most important factors of the Hold Fast framework
Why extraordinary challenges are the way to find your different
Want to access these mini-books + our entire archive? Become a paid subscriber 👇
The Most Popular Mini-Books Of 2023
We published over 20 mini-books, ranging in topics from how to elevate your annual strategy planning to why every marketing plan must focus on increasing category potential.
In these mini-books, you saw why simplicity is velocity and why “less wins” when designing your category, products, and language. You got a breakdown of the No-Sell Sell to help you stop chasing and start attracting business. And you dove deep into the fundamental marketing metrics to focus on as a Category Designer with a three-part mini-book series.
Here's a summary of the two most popular letters:
Top Paid Mini-Book: How To Reframe The Problem & Win
“The most legendary entrepreneurs & creators are the ones who don’t spend their lives fighting over old territory someone else owns, and instead go on a mission to create net-new territories that don’t exist in the world… yet.”
This mini-book highlighted a major problem in business:
Too many companies are focused on solutions.
It's a counterintuitive thought. But it’s why businesses get stuck in a comparison game and fight for a measly 24% of the market share in a given industry. Most companies compete by trying to change the answer (the solution) and never consider the question (the problem).
Amazon made this mistake with its Fire Phone. It didn't redefine the smartphone market or solve a problem that existing smartphones weren't already addressing.
Segway made this mistake with its self-balancing two-wheel “transporter.” But it didn't solve a problem that walking, biking, or public transit wasn't already solving.
Meta made this mistake with the Metaverse and Threads. Both platforms are supposed to be part of the interoperable social networks that shape the future of the Internet. But they add another layer to the complex process of managing multiple social platforms, without offering people anything new or needed.
Until you change the problem, no one is interested in the solution.
Here’s a context to think about this:
Existing Obvious Problem = The art of speaking to what people already think and believe (catering to existing market demand).
New Non-Obvious Solution = The art of educating people on a radically different approach they haven’t previously thought about or seen. (This is damming existing market demand by saying, “You thought you wanted X, but maybe what you really need is Y.”)
Attacking an Obvious/existing problem with an Obvious solution is impossible.
Why?
Because a Category Queen already owns it (just ask Microsoft why it closed its stores, or Amazon why it stopped making Fire phones). When companies rip off the solution, they’re being Obvious and opportunistic. They often think, “I see the existing solution is going well. Let me just rip that off and stick it together in a new Obvious bundle.”
This is exactly what Threads did by copying the Instagram feed model and bundling it with the microblogging solution Twitter created.
Zuckerberg did not reframe the problem Twitter was trying to solve (free speech and fun) or offer a new Non-Obvious solution. He ripped off the existing solution. We can all agree Zuck designed the Category King of social networks, but he didn’t approach Threads from the category lens. Now, he’s stuck fighting over existing demand and competing for daily active users. Views. Likes. The “public conversations” category.
Threads made the unconscious, unquestioned, unconsidered, undiscussed decision to carry its brand into Twitter’s category to try to convince the world that its product is “better.”
Most companies and entrepreneurs make this mistake.
They enter a market that has an existing problem and a well-accepted existing solution. They then go up against the Category Queen (and everybody else) by creating an Obvious solution. They compete for a small sliver of market share. This drives the value and price of the category down, creating a race to the bottom.
The lack of understanding of Category Design economics—the winner earns 76% of the total value created in the entire category—costs companies billions. Yet many keep making this mistake. The problem with this strategy is it doesn’t put the customer's problem or perspective first.
If you want to create new and different solutions (aka, categories), you need a different approach.
The key is to reframe an existing problem and offer a new and different solution.
This is the essence of innovating existing problems through a category lens.
It starts evaluating today’s solutions to find what problems people are struggling with. Because once you know those pain points, you can think through a new, re-framed, and different solution. This process causes you to reimagine and reframe the problem, which becomes the foundational POV for your new category.
Here’s a simple 5-step framework to reframe an existing problem into a solution Superconsumers will love:
The framework assumes you know how to find Superconsumers and create FROTOs.
Identify the underlying problem the current Category King is aspiring to solve.
Find the Superconsumer for whom that problem is deeply meaningful.
Articulate the transformational outcome solving that Super’s problem would yield (the reframe).
FROM: Superconsumer’s problem that is deeply meaningful for them
TO: Transformational outcome from solving that Super’s problem
Outline the entire customer journey along the FROTO, mapping out:
Pain points the Super will experience along the way
Euphoric experiences for the Super
Prioritize and pick ONE of the pain points to solve or euphoric experiences to enhance. Make sure it is:
One that you care about deeply and personally
One that you have unique points of difference along each of the 8 category levers
One that could command a real price premium if you can deliver against it
One that ideally complements the legacy solution so that 1 + 1 = 11 for the Super
We're talking about how to notice a fairly Obvious problem that, for one reason or another, nobody's paying attention to. An existing problem is, by definition, an Obvious problem. And, most of the time, an Obvious existing problem has an Obvious known solution.
Once you notice that problem, you can create a net-new category-defining solution to solve it. Because some category designer, somewhere, is dreaming up a fix for it.
Reframe the Problem, Don’t Rip Off the Solution
Category leaders dominate because they own the problem—and when you own the problem, you become the solution.
Most companies, entrepreneurs, and creators invert this. They build and market the solution, hoping people get (and very importantly) value the problem. And that makes them vulnerable to the whims of the company that owns the problem. At a minimum, ripping off the category leader only fortifies their dominance in the market.
But people buy solutions to problems.
And the only way they change what solution they buy is if the problem changes (aka, is reframed in their minds).
You want a different solution, not a better solution. A different product, not a better product. And when you position the product as a new category for a problem, instead of a solution, you change everything.
You create something no one else has considered.
Read the full mini-book for more great examples and actionable steps.
Top Free Mini-Book: The Marketing Funnel Funeral
“Funnels provide a linear path for companies to push consumers from awareness to consideration—and ultimately to purchase. Flywheels put the customer front and center, captivating them with valuable content and experiences that speak to their deepest desires.”
Marketing is fundamentally broken, but this mini-book shares a new way of thinking about it.
Companies have forever wanted to put “brand value” on the balance sheet. But it’s impossible. Brand value doesn't show up on the balance sheet because brands don't own it. The brand’s network owns it.
Said differently: People are loyal to a brand not because they were pushed through some sort of marketing funnel, but because they feel a part of the brand’s community.
They’re attracted (to be part of something). Not captured (to buy something).
The difference is causing an irreversible change in marketing.
Funnels have been the go-to framework for an Analog world and the early days of the Internet. And there’s no doubt they’ve been effective. But they worked for reasons that are (increasingly) irrelevant in today’s Native Digital world. In the past, companies invested heavily in advertising campaigns that emphasized the “unique value propositions” of their products or services. This approach worked well—but only because people had a small network.
Today, one bad viral review can take down a company.
People are more informed, connected, and empowered than ever before. They don't want to be pushed—they want to be engaged. They want experiences that make them feel like they matter. And they spread those word-of-mouth recommendations like wildfire through social media and online reviews.
That’s why marketing flywheels are not just about attracting customers.
A marketing funnel is something we do to consumers. A marketing flywheel is something we do for customers.
Flywheels are about engaging people in meaningful conversations and building a sense of community and connection. They don’t focus on selling a product. They focus on delighting the hell out of your customers by providing personalized experiences that make them feel like they're part of something special. And guess what? Delighted Superconsumers are the best marketers.
If you want to have a conversation with consumers, your marketing must evolve from a self-serving funnel to a consumer-serving flywheel.
Flywheels solve many of the funnel’s core problems:
Flywheels are less expensive than funnels.
Flywheels get consumers talking to one another.
Flywheels are a roundabout where people share your unique POV both inside and outside the community.
In flywheels, the conversation is the product.
Flywheels let consumers lead.
We know flywheels aren't a new strategy, but they have rarely been intentional. They haven’t started with a community as the goal. It’s usually happenstance. But as Native Digitals emerge and take over, the demand for digital community naturally builds.
Here’s how to see it from a category lens.
The Category Marketing Flywheel
The Category Marketing Flywheel drives growth for a company by attracting, equipping, and delighting Superconsumers—and it uses data and generative AI tools to accelerate the outcomes.
Here’s how to get your Category Marketing Flywheel spinning.
1. Attract Supers with a unique POV. The first phase of the flywheel focuses on using your unique POV to attract Supers to your community and get them interested in what you have to offer. If you share your POV with customers—and it resonates—it’s time to invite them into your community.
2. Equip Supers to make more Supers through content and community. Once you have a community of Supers, you want to get them talking to each other. Get one Super to talk to another, and they'll talk forever. And when a potential Super overhears that conversation, then that person becomes a Super. As a marketer, you want to be able to eavesdrop on that conversation.
3. Delight multiple Supers & create A WOM factory. This phase is all about creating radical interest and driving WOM. Engagement within the community (conversations and content participation) is one way to measure WOM. This "upstream marketing signal” gives you valuable data, which you can use to inform price points, create product offerings, choose new features and upgrades, and more.
4. Leverage AI to increase velocity. AI is your accelerant—tap into it, and your flywheel starts to spin faster and faster. As the flywheel spins, your company and community create more data. This fuels the creation of more content, which engages and delights Supers, which drives WOM, which attracts more people to your community.
If you do not move your customers from the end of the funnel to the center of the flywheel, you're dead.
According to GWI, over 76% of internet users participate in some sort of digital community. That means most people using the internet today are involved in at least one digital community, and they join because they’re looking for a more personal connection. They want a space that feels less intimidating, is more trusting, and lets them be involved. So, they flock to Reddit, Discord, Twitter Spaces, Slack channels, and private branded communities.
You have to go FROM capturing customers in a funnel TO attracting customers with a flywheel and community.
Unsure about how your customers feel about you and your community?
You need to find out.
Send out a survey. Ask for testimonials. Request reviews. Conduct one-on-one interviews with your most engaged Supers. Do whatever it takes to figure out what outcomes you're driving and whether or not they'd recommend your business or invite people to join your community.
Without a sustainable, WOM-driving community, you might as well be building your category, company, and community on loosely-packed, liquefaction-prone ground.
But if you take the time to find and build on solid ground, your foundation can be worth millions.
You can read the full mini-book, get examples, and see the 3 things you have to consider when building a community here:
Pirates Perspective Videos
With the right lens, you can spot category design in everyday news and business. In these short videos, we interpret the news through a category lens and answer your category design questions.
Where is Consumer Spending Heading? Check out this video to learn more about the future of retail and delivery.
Is Twitter’s Rebrand To X a Category Design Play? Twitter’s name change was more than a “rebranding” effort. Watch this video to learn why.
How to Differentiate the Old Versus New Category Without Comparing. This video explains the most important things to keep top of mind when moving people from an old category to a new and different category, what we call a FROTO.
Why Do So Few Companies Category Design Markets? Learn the difference between shipping products and category-designing markets—and how to create the future you want through category design.
How AI is Impacting Content Creation and Category Kings. Watch this to learn about missed category opportunities and the new opportunities AI opens up for Category Creators.
Category Pirates Plans For 2024
This coming year, we’re focusing on making category design more actionable to help you get outcomes.
So, we plan to launch more Category Design courses and Category Design Academy cohorts. And we'll double down on teaching you how to get Paid to Create (Hint: The title of our upcoming book on how to design the life and career you want!)
Here's what to expect and how to get involved:
Join the Category Design Academy Waitlist
The Category Design Academy is the first digital business education created exclusively for Category Designers.
Unlike other communities and spaces, this training ground brings together entrepreneurs, executives, consultants, and creators who want to learn the art of category design and consulting to create and dominate new markets.
You’ll learn how to:
Establish your unique Category Superpower POV
Pitch, sell, and scale your services to Superconsumer clients
Apply category design principles with weekly exercises and practice prompts
It’s not a traditional education—it’s a transformative learning experience.
You can join the 2024 waitlist by filling out the application here.
The most important skill you can develop this year is leveraging your Creator Capital.
So, we’re writing a book about how to do it.
The idea came from our mini-book Paid to Create, which teaches you practical steps and gives real-life examples of how to leverage your Intellectual Capital. We’re excited to announce we’re building off of Paid to Create in 2024. The book will be a much more detailed guide to help you understand your own Creator Capital (a spin-off of Intellectual Capital), providing practical tips on moving from Knowledge Worker to Creator Capitalist and designing the career and life you want.
The book will include:
Dozens of interviews and examples from successful Creator Capitalists
Step-by-step guides to understand, market, and monetize your Creator Capital
New frameworks and templates for moving from Knowledge Worker to Creator Capitalist
From doctors to artists, writers to VCs, data scientists to farmers, Paid to Create will include dozens of stories from real Creator Capitalists defining their value and dominating their categories.
We're also planning to create a mini-course to accompany the book.
It will be a self-guided course to expand on the book information and help you practically implement the frameworks and lessons we share. Think it'd be helpful? Let us know in a comment.
And if you haven’t yet, check out our other books on Category Design.
You can learn about and buy our other books here:
The 22 Laws of Category Design: A compilation of category design fundamentals, taken from years of writing about category design. Learn how to name and claim your niche, share your POV, and move from the world from where it is to somewhere different. Perfect if you’re new to Category Design!
Snow Leopard: How Legendary Writers Create A Category of One: Perfect for learning how to leverage category design and monetize as a writer. Internalize a completely new way of framing your ideas, stories, and insights to reach and resonate with the most people possible.
The Marketer's Guide to Category Design: A must-read for marketers who want to apply category design. Learn the secrets of the Lightning Strike Strategy and how legendary marketing plans do not perpetuate the past, but create a different future.
The Category Design Toolkit: Our first book on Category Design. Discover 15 mind-altering frameworks for how to see business, life, and the way people organize information into "categories" in their minds.
Most importantly, thank you for being part of the Category Pirates crew.
We want to thank you—our readers, Category Design Academy members, and all who share our work with others.
You've helped us spread the word about category design by engaging in conversations online and in our comments, buying our books, watching our videos, and subscribing to this newsletter. You inspire us every day—and bring a smile to our faces whenever you wave the Category Pirates flag 🏴☠️
Thank you for trusting and supporting our mission to define and design Category Design and empowering other Category Designers to learn and apply this skill.
We can't wait for what’s to come in 2024.
And we’re grateful you’re here.
Arrrrrrr,
Category Pirates 🏴☠️
PS: Help others “think different.”
If our work has opened your mind to new and different thinking, share it with a friend or gift a subscription so others can learn about Category Pirates.
PPS: Have a question or pirate-y thought?
Reply to this email, or let us know in a comment.
"We're also planning to create a mini-course to accompany the book."
YES! 👆
Do it, do it.
Looking forward to it. 🏴☠️