EDITOR’S NOTE:

I asked Ramli John to share some wisdom: 

“What do you know about your work now that you wish you’d known when you first started?” I said. 

“Next to time,” Ramli said, “energy is the most valuable resource you have. Guard it at all costs and identify things that give you energy. (For me, it’s usually creative work.) And at the same time, pinpoint the tasks that take away energy. (For me that's writing SOPs or figuring out how to tweak the CSS of a website.) Ideally, you want to eliminate or delegate as much as possible any tasks that take energy away from you and double down on the stuff that gives you energy.”

Ramli is a growth marketer, author, podcaster, and the managing director at ProductLed. He’s also exceedingly generous with his hard-earned knowledge, which is why I asked him to do a Micro-Interview for VGC. 

In just 684 words, Ramli shares: 

• The time he walked away from a great salary, benefits, and equity…

• How to get more done by becoming a “magnifying glass” at work…

• The book he’s reread every year since graduating from college…

And much more… 

Enjoy!

Thank you, Ramli.

Let’s get started. 

1) “What’s your work routine?”

I start every morning journaling what I'm thankful for the previous day. It sets the right atmosphere for me to be productive in the morning. Then, I meditate for 5 to 10 minutes. Meditating in the morning helps me zoom out of my day-to-day and gives me a fresh perspective on things, especially if I've had a bad day.

After that, I write my 3 big "rocks" of the day. These are things that must get done to achieve my weekly, monthly, or quarterly goals. 

Then the first two hours of my morning is when I'm most creative. I reserve that for creative work such as writing, filming, creating presentations, or just working through what the future of ProductLed looks like. This is usually when I complete my 3 big rocks. As much as possible, I don't take any meetings in the morning; it’s "sacred" time for me. 

The rest of the day varies. I could be meeting customers, running workshops, or brainstorming with my team.

I wrap up my day by doing something that gives me energy—playing guitar or composing a new song.

2) “What do you know about your work now that you wish you’d known when you first started?”

Next to time, energy is the most valuable resource you have. 

Guard it at all costs and identify things that give you energy. (For me, it’s usually creative work.) At the same time, pinpoint the tasks that take away energy. (For me, it’s writing SOPs or figuring out how to tweak the CSS of a website.)

Ideally, you want to eliminate or delegate as much as possible any tasks that take energy away from you and double down on the stuff that gives you energy.

3) “What did your biggest professional failure teach you?”

Several years ago, I was hired to lead the marketing team of a fast-growing startup. During the interview process, the CEO pitched this big vision to me. On top of a good salary, he offered some equity in the company.

I got caught up with the hype because I missed red flags about the leadership team. The first red flag was when I saw the CEO start screaming at his co-founder in front of an open-concept office with 100+ people.

"It'll be fine," I thought. "I just have to keep my head down and work hard."

I was wrong.

A few weeks later, he wasn’t happy with the email copy I created for the onboarding sequence. He started screaming at me, asking why it took so long to come up with crap. 

I quit a few weeks later.

Working with smart, humble, happy people is more important than salary, equity, or benefits.

4) “What’s the #1 thing that has helped you shorten your craft’s learning curve?”

Focus on one thing at a time.

I tend to try to do too many things. The problem with that is I often end up doing things half-assed.

When you focus your energy, time, and resources on one thing, you become like a magnifying glass. It's more effective than a scattershot approach.

Same with reading books. Eddie told me he's reread The Adweek Copywriting Handbook many times. Too often, young copywriters try to consume way too many books, when focusing on just one good point over and over again is key.

I'd end with a quote from one of my mentors, Bruce Lee: "I fear not the man who has practiced 10,000 kicks once, but I fear the man who has practiced one kick 10,000 times."

5) “What book has helped you the most over your career?”

I've reread How to Win Friends and Influence People every year since I graduated from college. 

It's a great book on building relationships. And marketing is about building relationships at scale.

6) “And your parting piece of advice?”

Write on Twitter or LinkedIn. It’s a great way to stress test your writing. 

People have very short attention spans there, so it's a great way to test which ideas and concepts resonate most with your audience.