Back in the Fight
Thailand, Muay Thai, OP4, and getting my reps in again.
Welcome to 🔥” The Slap” 🔥, where we dive into what it takes to build category-defining brands that slap! Visit my website | Read My Mini-Book | Schedule a call
To the Underdogs, MisFits, and Category Creators,
Good morning,
It’s (always) a great day to be alive.
I know I’ve been quiet for a while. Believe it or not, I was in Thailand for five and a half weeks training at Lionheart Muay Thai, a camp located on the beautiful island of Koh Samui. There’s so much I could write and share about my experience, but for now, I just want to let you know I’m back in the fight, category design wise.
I recently updated my personal mission statement:
Help veterans, make money, and do epic sh*t. Whether that’s trekking to Everest Base Camp in Nepal, running the NYC Marathon, or, more recently, going off the grid to train Muay Thai in Thailand. We only have one life to live, and I’m doing my best to make the most of it.
While in Thailand, I also decided to rebrand The MisFits as OP4. I love building brands, and I think OP4 slaps. I’ve teased it out for a while, and already have a strong portfolio of clients under the umbrella, but now it’s time to make it official.
OP4 is military shorthand for Opposing Force, a unit designed to think and act like the enemy in order to sharpen strategy, readiness, and execution. Over the years, whenever I’d meet with a Founder & CEO to discuss their startup, I’d often find myself saying:
“If I were to OP4 this, here’s how I’d attack the problem set, from a category, storytelling,and branding perspective.”
I’ve been tinkering with the idea behind the scenes for a while and finally decided to pull the trigger.
As for The Slap, it’s business as usual. I like keeping things playful here while riffing on category design, branding, entrepreneurship, and whatever else is on my mind. Since I haven’t written or published in over a month, I’ve got some catching up to do. So bear with me while I rebuild my momentum.
For now, I’m going to publish whenever I have something to say.
Partly to get my thoughts out. Partly to get the reps in again. Partly to find my voice in this season of life.
I also have a monster mini-book dropping any day now.
I just need to give it one final review and hit the publish button. Appreciate all of y’all for sticking with me this far. I’m also excited to hear what you’ve all been up to, so don’t be a stranger. Hit reply and let me know what you’re working on.
—“IRON” Mike
The Category Whisperer
P.S. If you’re struggling to get investors or customers across the line and are open to having a second set of eyes, I would love to chat.
Be sure to read my flagship piece below. It’s part manifesto, part field manual, and part MBA for the 0.01% of veterans who aspire to build category-defining brands.
Additional Resources:
The Category Design Reading Lists
You were never out of the fight my man!! Glad to have you back