Announcement!
The first episode of "Cutting Through the Fog" is now live!
Episode 1: Renée Elliott × John Stapleton
Some of the key topics me and Renée covered:
• Starting Planet Organic & building self-belief (beyond imposter syndrome)
• The High Court battle
• Men vs. women investors
• Should you have a co-founder?
• “VC doing VC things”: expansion without understanding
A huge thank you to Renée for taking the time to share her story.
Watch and Listen now!
6 Industries that always print money:
Men’s Lust - adult entertainment, dating apps, OF-style platforms.
Women’s Beauty Drive - skincare, cosmetics, fashion, fitness.
Aging & Longevity - supplements, at-home care, assisted living.
Children’s Education - tutoring, online courses, enrichment.
Wealth Protection - insurance, tax/estate planning, asset defense (the rich’s fear of loss).
Get-Rich Urge - “make money fast” (the poor’s desire to gain)
The Emotional Engine:
Lust → urgency + novelty. People chase dopamine.
Beauty/Status → belonging + admiration. “Am I desirable?”
Healthspan → fear of decline. “Don’t let me slip.”
Parental Guilt/Hope → identity. “Be a good parent.”
Loss Aversion → pain avoidance. Losing $100 hurts more than gaining $100 feels good.
Aspiration → escape velocity. “There must be a faster ladder.”
If your offer plugs directly into one of these feelings, demand compounds. If it doesn’t, you’re swimming upstream.
Turn Emotion into Revenue
Use this: Emotion → Promise → Proof → Path.
Get inside their head. Talk to 5-10 customers. Write down exact words for fears, hopes, status worries.
Choose one core emotion. Solve one pain first. Do that loudly.
Lead with the feeling. Rewrite your hook: “Worried X?” not “We offer Y.”
Give a fast win. A 10-20 min checklist/quiz/script that proves relief today.
Remove the risk. One strong de-risk: guarantee, free trial, or calculator tied to their fear.
Show receipts. Simple before/after and numbers that mirror the emotion. One clear CTA.
Bottom line: name the feeling, deliver a quick win, make the next step obvious.
People feel something about your offer, but it’s not turning into sales?
Use the FREE Startup Checklist to convert emotion into revenue:
Define the core feeling, write a one-sentence promise, price it, ship a lean MVP, and run the first-10-customers play in the next 14–21 days.
Follow the steps to turn signal into sales.
