Manifesto Quest ⚔️

Let's make writing spicy again

My life over the last year has been guided by a series of “lightning strikes.” I’m sure you know those moments—the ones where you’re struck with a seismic surge of intuition and excitement about some new path opening up in life. I had one such moment about joining the monastic co-living hub in the south of France last fall. I had one about a girl. And earlier this summer, I experienced my first vocational lightning strike in years. It feels so clear now where my professional gifts lie, and how to bring them to bear the world.

In short, I want to help people write fiery, soulful, refreshingly-human manifestos.

As our commons are inundated with generic AI fluff, I want to shepherd writing into the world that makes the hairs on our collective necks stand tall. Writing that stirs the heart, shakes loose the nihilistic cruft of modernity, and inspires newfound zest for the futures we’re building together.

I’ve been writing my own spicy manifestos for damn near a decade, and have helped a few friends and startups with theirs. It feels cliché, but this is one of those gifts that had been hiding in plain sight. Now it’s time to double down on it. I’ve seen how one piece of courageous writing can change the course of a life, a community, a company, a nation, and so on. My goal in this next chapter is to dig into that thesis, work with people and startups directly, share everything I learn, and hopefully spur a lil renaissance of manifesto writing. A world with more bold manifestos is a more enlivening world.

With that in mind, I’ve spun up a new Substack devoted to the craft and philosophy of manifestos. If you’re interested in the nuts and bolts of this craft, here’s the link to follow along.

Here’s where I’d love your help.

I’m launching two new services this week. One where I work closely with startup founders and business leaders, and ghostwrite spicy, bespoke manifestos for their organizations. And the other where I coach and consult with individuals as they write their own manifestos. And I would love your help spreading the word.

On the startup/business front, I’m looking to work with founders who genuinely give a fuck about solving hard systemic and cultural problems. I want to work with companies that exist to further the cause of human flourishing. Companies who take big swings, buck the soulless best practices of the day, and proudly do things their own way.

My belief is that a fiery manifesto can be far more than just a killer marketing asset, though it certainly is that. It’s the beating heart of a larger organism and culture. A great manifesto can attract and retain talent, help raise new rounds of funding, differentiate a company in a crowded market, and more. In a media environment increasingly saturated with generic marketing bullshit, an unmistakably human manifesto can help companies break through and connect with the right people.

As an example, I wrote a manifesto for Vibecamp earlier this summer. If you’re unfamiliar, it’s an in-person festival and cultural movement that was born out of a ragtag group of twitter friends who wanted to get together after the isolating years of covid. It’s somewhat akin to Burning Man for the digitally native generation, but it’s also totally unique. And man, it was an absolute blast to articulate their ethos.

So yeah, if you know any founders, investors, philanthropists, futurists, or institution builders who could benefit from a zesty manifesto, it’d mean the world if you could send this post along with a note of recommendation. And for anyone interested in booking a call to chat about a bespoke manifesto, here’s my new website and scheduling link.

Beyond the high-end ghostwriting service, I’m also offering manifesto consulting and coaching for individuals. The idea is to act as a guide, or midwife perhaps, and help people brainstorm and birth their personal manifestos into the world. So far, I’ve done this with a few business owners who want to spice up their marketing, but I’m excited to work with anyone who’s got a vision they want to articulate and share.

Truthfully, this area of personal manifesto writing excites me even more than the business-y/marketing angle. I see manifestos as a largely-unexplored tool for personal transformation. By clarifying your desire, articulating a hard problem, and publishing principles to live by, you raise the stakes of your daily life. You begin attracting new people and opportunities. The world begins opening up in strange, inexplicable ways to move you forward. The process of writing a manifesto sets us on a quest of becoming who we need to be to live up to our highest ideals and grandest visions. Hence the reason the domain on the new Substack is manifesto.quest.

Lastly, I’m still deeply invested in spreading 1,000 true fans, and cultivating The Forest. I see this manifesto excursion as an important ingredient in that larger body of work, because manifestos are a such a practical tool for articulating your essence and finding the others. I firmly believe that any creator/online entrepreneur who wants to buck the worst trends of the internet and build something meaningful could benefit from a manifesto. This feels like a key piece of how we make internet business more joyful and sustainable.

So yeah, that’s my big update for the summer. The tldr is I’m gonna become The Manifesto Guy™ (lmao).

Thanks for bein here, and stay cool and hydrated out there, friends. 🫡