The Problem: You Want to Stand Out

Let’s talk about you and your tech company.

You’re doing interesting things but people don’t get it. So you want to publish smart ideas that show you’re remarkable and get people talking. Maybe it’s a thinkpiece or a manifesto. Or maybe you want to profile your customers or create a fun video. Or maybe it’s time to create a newsletter or a podcast.

But you’re busy. You’re already wearing a bunch of hats and you don’t have time to write, hone, and perfect your ideas. Plus, you’re a doer not a writer. If only someone else could pick your brain, extract the best ideas, and run with them. 

The Solution: A Writer Who Gets It

Good news! Help is on the way.

My name is Matt Ruby and I’m a writer 📯 horn toot ahead 🎷 who’s written a NY Times bestselling business book, a groundbreaking business blog, a web series that’s been viewed millions of times, and a standup comedy album that went top 10 at iTunes.

My specialty is taking drab tech/business topics and making them interesting and accessible to regular people. Boredom and jargon are my enemies and creativity and plain English are my superpowers.

“So you’re a ghostwriter?”

Think of me as an embedded journalist for your company. I dislike “ghostwriter” because 1) I’m not spooky and 2) it makes this sound like some fantastical process where an otherworldly spirit goes off and invents wonderful things on your behalf. I view us more as collaborators: You’ll be the idea (wo)man, I’ll serve as translator/wordsmith, and together we’ll broadcast your ideas (in your voice) to the world.

The Specifics: How We’ll Collaborate

Don’t worry, it won’t be a chore. It’s as easy as talking on the phone (video chat or in person works too). Your good ideas already exist, we just need to surface them.

How I typically work: I record our conversation(s), transcribe them, and craft them into compelling pieces you can publish (audio/video possibities too). I repurpose everything into bite sized snippets perfect for social media posts too. You have complete creative control and own the final product (no need to put my name on it).

Send me an email and we’ll discuss it further. 

About Me: The Part Where I Brag

• Co-author of three books: REWORK (a bestseller in the US and UK, Mark Cuban said, “If given a choice between investing in someone who has read REWORK or has an MBA, I’m investing in REWORK every time. A must read for every entrepreneur.”), Getting Real, and Defensive Design for the Web.

• Employee #1 at Basecamp (formerly 37signals) and co-author of the pioneering company blog Signal vs. Noise and the 37signals Manifesto that launched the company. There, I also created podcasts, videos, web designs, and satirical projects like eNormicom, which was featured in the NY Times.

• Creator, writer, and star of Vooza, a video comic strip about the startup world (Forbes: "Comedic genius." The Next Web: "A must watch." HuffPo: "Hilarious."). The show’s 180+ episodes have been viewed millions of times and received press in publications like Vice, TechCrunch, Wired, Inc., and more. The Vooza team also creates fun videos for a wide range of clients.

• Consultant: I’ve also provided writing, creative strategy, and video production services for clients like Mailchimp, Turkish Airlines, Heartbeat, Disqus, New Relic, Ustream, VMware, AppDynamics, Twenty20, and many more. Email me for samples.

• I’m a standup comedian. My debut standup album “Hot Flashes” made the Top 10 at iTunes and is in regular rotation on SiriusXM. I’ve been filmed by Comedy Central, NBC/Seeso, Fox, and MTV and perform regularly at the Comedy Cellar in NYC and at comedy clubs across North America (and the rest of the world too).

Philosophy: 10 Things I Think

1. The worst thing you can be is boring. Let’s bring out the ideas you have that are controversial, offensive, funny, antagonistic, or surprising – anything but dull.

2. People who overuse jargon are trying to hide a lack of good ideas. Let’s speak in a way that everyone can understand.

3. It’s good to have an enemy. It helps you define what you stand for and build your tribe. Let’s take a stand.

4. Use the whole buffalo. Let’s repurpose your ideas in different forms (social media posts, blog entries, video snippets, etc.) so they have a longer shelf life/greater impact.

5. Awards are dumb ego-strokes.

6. Anyone who promises you’ll go viral is lying.

7. No one reads resumés.

8. Red tape, proposals, and negotiations are boring. Let’s figure out how to get started and actually make something. Minimal viable everything.

9. Ideas are worthless, execution is everything.

10. Don’t force it. If you’ve only got 9 things to say, screw #10.

Let’s Talk: Get in Touch

Let’s schedule a consultation. We’ll talk through the options and figure out next steps.

And feel free to shoot me an email to discuss anything. I’d love to hear from you.

Best,
Matt

P.S. You can also sign up for my newsletter. It's got jokes, videos, essays, and all kinds of groovy stuff:

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