Visibility and Storytelling Drive Disproportionate Business Growth

This conversation with Jon Cheney reveals a powerful, counter-intuitive truth: the most effective growth strategies often stem from embracing public visibility and the discomfort it brings, rather than seeking the safety of obscurity. Cheney demonstrates how a willingness to be seen, to tell compelling stories, and to engage with the world openly can unlock disproportionate rewards, transforming mundane efforts into significant revenue streams and establishing undeniable credibility. This insight is crucial for any entrepreneur or business owner struggling to gain traction, offering a roadmap to cut through the noise and attract customers by making themselves undeniably interesting. Anyone looking to accelerate their business growth and build a strong personal brand will find immense value in understanding how to leverage public platforms and strategic storytelling.

The Unseen Momentum: How Visibility Becomes Your Strongest Asset

The core challenge for many entrepreneurs isn't a lack of good ideas, but a profound struggle with customer acquisition. Jon Cheney, in his conversation with Chris Koerner, cuts through the conventional wisdom by highlighting a potent, often overlooked strategy: mastering the art of making noise and becoming a visible, compelling presence. This isn't about shouting the loudest, but about strategically weaving narratives that capture attention and build credibility, turning potential customers into active prospects without the need for traditional, often expensive, marketing. The underlying system at play is one where consistent, authentic public engagement creates a gravitational pull, drawing opportunities and customers to you.

The Local News Gambit: Turning a Simple Story into a Revenue Flood

Cheney's experience with local news outlets offers a stark illustration of how a well-crafted, human-interest story can bypass traditional sales funnels and generate immediate, high-value leads. His initial pitch, "I built a business in a weekend with AI," was not a boast, but a narrative hook designed to pique curiosity. The downstream effect was immediate: media coverage led to a surge of inbound interest, translating into six-figure deals. This wasn't just about getting his name out there; it was about leveraging the inherent credibility of a news segment to validate his expertise and attract clients who were actively seeking solutions. The conventional approach might involve cold calling or extensive ad campaigns, but Cheney’s strategy tapped into a more organic, trust-building mechanism.

"Be a good storyteller, right? I mean, that's something that everybody knows is an awesome way to make money if you're a good storyteller. So be a good storyteller and reach out to these local news stations."

The critical insight here is that media outlets are hungry for stories, and by providing a compelling angle that offers value or inspiration to their audience, entrepreneurs can secure valuable publicity. The pitch itself needs to be framed not as a sales pitch, but as a story with a hook, a reason for the audience to care. This initial success then snowballed. A follow-up story, detailing his business's growth from $180,000 to $1 million in six months, further amplified his credibility and attracted even more significant opportunities, including a partnership with BYU Athletics. This demonstrates a compounding effect: initial visibility breeds further opportunities for visibility, each layer adding more weight and attracting a higher caliber of engagement.

The Press Release Pipeline: Building Credibility Through Strategic Partnerships

Beyond direct media pitches, Cheney outlines a sophisticated approach to leveraging partnerships for amplified reach and credibility. By orchestrating collaborations--like the one with BYU and Replit--he created a narrative that was inherently newsworthy. The subsequent press release, distributed through services like PR Newswire, acted as a powerful signal to a wider audience, including potential clients and industry players. This strategy doesn't just generate noise; it generates credible noise. The press release, in this context, becomes a tool to package a story of collaboration and innovation, attracting backlinks and mentions from major publications like Yahoo News and MSNBC.

The cost of a press release, while seemingly an expense, is framed as a strategic investment. For Cheney, the $1,000 spent on PR Newswire for a significant announcement was justified by the potential for widespread pickup and the establishment of powerful backlinks, which also have SEO benefits. This highlights a key systems-thinking principle: an upfront investment in a strategic communication tool can yield long-term dividends in brand authority and customer attraction, far exceeding the initial cost. The conventional wisdom might be to save money on marketing, but Cheney’s approach emphasizes spending strategically to generate earned media and build an authoritative presence.

The "Full Person" Persona: Connecting Through Authenticity on Social Media

Cheney's advocacy for "building in public" and being a "full person" on social media challenges the notion of maintaining a strictly professional facade. He argues that sharing aspects of one's personal life--hobbies, family, beliefs--humanizes the entrepreneur and fosters deeper connections. This approach is not about vanity; it's about building trust. When potential clients see the person behind the business, they are more likely to engage. This is particularly effective in the current media landscape, which is shifting from a social graph to an interest graph. By posting consistently across various platforms about diverse interests, individuals increase the probability that their content will reach relevant audiences, even if those audiences don't personally know them.

"People want to do business with people, and people are, are more than one thing, right? And so don't be afraid. ... Don't be afraid to be a full person on every platform. Post about your life, post about your family, post about your beliefs."

The "jab, jab, jab, hook" strategy, popularized by Gary Vaynerchuk, is a fundamental principle here. Consistently providing value--sharing insights, reviewing tools, offering advice--builds an audience. The "hook," or the ask, becomes far more effective when it follows a sustained period of genuine value-giving. This creates a positive feedback loop: consistent posting leads to audience growth, which leads to more opportunities, which can then be leveraged for further visibility. The discipline of daily posting, even on seemingly mundane topics like gratitude, builds habits that are crucial for sustained engagement and audience development. The underlying system is one of consistent contribution leading to eventual recognition and opportunity.

The Asymmetric Bet: Embracing Failure as a Catalyst

Perhaps the most profound insight is Cheney's reframing of failure. He posits that the true fear isn't of failure itself, but of the perception of failure. By flipping this switch, the focus shifts from avoiding mistakes to learning from them and, critically, to acting despite the risk. His examples, from the Buckee's story leading to millions in sales from a single email, to Garrett Gee's persistence in getting his QR code app noticed, underscore the power of asymmetric bets: small, often uncomfortable actions that have the potential for massive, life-changing returns.

The "gratitude challenge" amendment--posting about a failure and being grateful for it--is a direct application of this principle. It forces a confrontation with discomfort and transforms potential setbacks into learning opportunities, publicly demonstrating resilience and a growth mindset. This willingness to be vulnerable and to share lessons learned from mistakes is, paradoxically, a powerful way to build trust and attract those who value authenticity and perseverance. The system here is one where embracing vulnerability and learning from setbacks creates a unique advantage, allowing individuals to take bolder actions and ultimately achieve greater success.

Key Action Items

• Immediate Actions (Within the next month):

  • Identify 2-3 local news outlets or relevant industry publications and brainstorm a compelling story angle about your business or a recent success. Draft a concise pitch.
  • Identify a potential strategic partner (another business, an organization) with whom you could collaborate on a project or announcement. Explore potential synergies.
  • Commit to posting on at least one social media platform daily for 30 days. Focus on providing value or sharing authentic aspects of your professional or personal journey.
  • Select one past "failure" or significant learning experience and draft a social media post or short article expressing gratitude for the lesson learned.

• Medium-Term Investments (1-6 months):

  • Develop a consistent press release strategy for significant company milestones or partnerships. Research cost-effective distribution services.
  • Actively engage with content from industry leaders and potential clients on social media, aiming to provide thoughtful commentary and value beyond simple likes.
  • Experiment with "building in public" by sharing early-stage ideas, progress updates, or challenges related to a new project.

• Longer-Term Investments (6-18 months):

  • Cultivate relationships with key media contacts or influencers in your industry through consistent, valuable engagement.
  • Systematically analyze the impact of your public visibility efforts on lead generation and customer acquisition, refining your strategy based on data.
  • Embrace larger, asymmetric bets by reaching out to high-profile individuals or organizations with bold proposals, understanding that even a "no" can be a valuable learning experience.