Hey 👋 - Matt here.

I’m writing you from Montauk, New York.

Last week my little business empire crossed $350K in monthly revenue.

I ran zero paid ads, built a community of 14 million and operate at a 60%+ margin.

Here are the 8 steps to own your niche and be a category pirate.

Today’s issue takes about 2.5 minutes to read.

Enjoy.

What is a Category Pirate?

A category pirate is a company that owns a category.

Tesla owns electric cars.

Amazon owns ecommerce.

Herb owns cannabis marketing.

When in doubt, be a pirate.

How I Dominated Cannabis Marketing

In 2013, the cannabis industry was a sea of sketchy websites.

I created Herb to change the way the world views cannabis.

We now dominate our category and are growing 262% year-over-year.

Here is how we did it:

1. Created Tons of Content

We made 12 pieces of content a day at Herb.

We found what worked and doubled down.

We grew organically to 10.5M likes on Facebook and 1.4M followers on Instagram.

We focused on education and entertainment (how-tos, guides).

2. Trusted the Data

We analyzed the top 20% of content and doubled down.

I saw what bombed and did less.

I put in the reps and focused on providing value.

3. Built a Category-Defining Brand

We built Herb into the leader in cannabis-marketing-as-a-service (CMaaS).

We invented a category and owned it.

We now work with 126 of the best cannabis brands in the world.

4. Built a Personal Brand

I used my experience building Herb and Bitmaker to build my personal brand (Twitter, LinkedIn, personal website).

My mission is to inspire 1 million entrepreneurs to live their dreams.

I help entrepreneurs with content strategy, community building, and growth.

5. Implemented a $10k Monthly Minimum at Herb

No one does cannabis marketing better than Herb.

I implemented a $10k monthly minimum.

We have seen revenue double year over year.

6. Stayed Determined

Every day I wake up at 5 am.

The previous night I prepare a list of 10 things I need to get done.

I get them done. Every day.

No excuses.

It's that simple.

7. Focused on My Health

Something really interesting happened.

As I focused more on sobriety, health, and mindfulness my cash flow grew.

I became more focused, aggressive, and determined.

I had more energy and clarity to dedicate to my empire and experiments.

8. Built a Community

We had organically grown Herb to 14 million people.

I applied the same principles to build my brand and help fellow entrepreneurs.

As my community grew, my surface area for luck increased 1000x.

65% of my business is inbound. 76% of people I hire are inbound.

They come to us because they believe in our mission.

They want to be part of something special.

Marketing Engine Masterclass

One last note of potential interest 👇

I launch the Marketing Engine Masterclass in 4 days to help people build the perfect marketing engine. 

I'd love to see you there.

I’ll show you how to:

• 10x your revenue

• Build your personal brand

• Create a content flywheel

• Grow a profitable business

• Choose your niche and win

• Drive revenue through organic strategies

• Create a system for growth and revenue

• Generate 100x more organic leads

• Leverage repeatable frameworks

• Build your brand and community

• Dial-in peak performance

• Get to financial freedom

Here is more info.

There is a money-back guarantee so you have nothing to lose.

That’s it.

If you enjoyed this newsletter please forward it to one person you think would benefit from it.

My mission is to inspire 1 million entrepreneurs to live their dreams.

See you again next week.

Much love ❤️

P.S. I love hearing from you.

Find me on LinkedIn, Twitter, and Instagram.