🌐 Creation is Dead. Distribution is King. Here's What to Do...

The "content arms race" is on. And it's exhausting to watch...

Every business owner I know is creating and posting more than ever. Three LinkedIn posts a day. Daily stories. Twitter threads. Instagram carousels. Everyone's "showing up consistently" and "building their brand."

The feeds are drowning in content. The inboxes are overflowing.

And here's what nobody wants to admit: it's not working.

Creation became frictionless. AI handed everyone a megaphone. And now we're all shouting into a room where nobody's listening because everyone else is shouting too..

The game changed. But most people are still playing the old one.

In this week's Main Event, I break down why content creation became commoditized—and what actually matters now. Spoiler: it's NOT about posting more. It's about owning the channels where your audience lives…

As always, we've curated three Top Reads this week that tie into this shift: A Harvard Business Review piece on why growth systems beat growth tactics, a Kiplinger article on using your business as a wealth-building tool (not just a job), and one my all-time favorite Peak Performance hacks.

The through-line across all of it?

Systems beat tactics. Ownership beats renting. Strategy beats volume.

Let's go!

Every week, we break down the big-picture strategy behind the shifts happening in business—so you can see around corners while others are still catching up.

When everyone can create, nobody cares. 

We've all watched it happen in real time…

In 2024, content creation became frictionless. Tools like ChatGPT, Claude, and Midjourney made it possible for anyone to produce blog posts, social updates, newsletters, videos, graphics—all at professional quality. Overnight, "good enough" became effortless. And predictably, everyone started publishing.

LinkedIn turned into an AI content farm. Twitter feeds filled with suspiciously perfect threads. Email inboxes overflowed with newsletters. Everyone became a "thought leader" armed with ChatGPT and a content calendar.

But here's what most people are missing…

When everyone can create at scale, creation stops being the game.

The bottleneck shifted. And most people are still playing the old game while a small group figured out the new one.

The Commoditization Nobody Saw Coming

Here's the truth: AI didn't just make content easier to create. It made it worthless.

Not in quality—the quality actually went up across the board. But in scarcity. And in business, value follows scarcity.

Think about it: When everyone can produce professional-grade content in minutes, what's the competitive advantage in content creation? 

There isn't one.

It's like competing on having a website in 2025. Sure, you need one. But nobody wins because they have one.

That's where we are with content now.

The market is absolutely saturated. Your audience is drowning in "valuable content." Their feeds are full. Their inboxes are stuffed. Their attention is maxed out.

And here's the paradox: The easier it became to create content, the harder it became to matter.

What Everyone's Doing (And Why It's Not Working)

Walk into any business event right now and you'll hear the same strategy:

"Post every day. Build your personal brand. Be consistent. Add value. The algorithm will reward you."

So people are grinding out content. Three posts a day on LinkedIn. Daily newsletters. Twitter threads. Instagram carousels. YouTube shorts.

All high-quality. All adding value. 

All... disappearing into the noise.

Because here's what they're not telling you: Consistency without distribution is just noise production.

I see smart business owners burning 10-15 hours a week creating content. They're doing everything the gurus said to do. And they're wondering why it's not working.

The answer is simple: They're optimizing for creation when the game moved to distribution.

They're building supply when demand is the constraint.

They're focused on "what to post" when the real question is "who's actually going to see it?"

The New Scarcity: Attention, Trust, Distribution

Let me show you what shifted.

In the old game (pre-AI):

In the new game (post-AI):

The people winning right now aren't the best creators. They're the best distributors.

They have email lists of 10,000+ engaged subscribers they can reach anytime. They have communities where their audience actually congregates. They have referral networks and strategic partnerships that put their content in front of pre-qualified audiences.

They own the distribution. They're not renting it from algorithms.

And when you own distribution, content becomes leverage again. But without it? You're shouting into the void, no matter how good your content is.

The Trust Premium

But distribution alone isn't enough. Because even if you reach people, they're bombarded with AI-generated "expertise" from every direction.

So the second scarcity is trust.

Who do you believe when everyone sounds authoritative? When every post is perfectly polished? When every thread promises the secret framework?

You believe the people with track records. Distinctive voices. Proof of real-world results.

Here's what I'm seeing…

AI made it easy to sound smart. But it can't replicate genuine expertise, original thinking, or authentic voice.

The content that's breaking through right now has one or more of these elements:

Generic "how to use AI in your business" content? Dead on arrival.

But "here's the exact AI workflow that helped me close $400K in Q4 and why it worked"? That cuts through.

The trust premium rewards specificity, originality, and proof.

The Bottom Line

Content creation is now table stakes. Anyone can do it, so everyone is doing it…

But content that matters? 

That requires three things AI can't generate for you: a distinctive voice built on lived experience, owned distribution that doesn't depend on algorithms, and strategic positioning that converts attention into real business outcomes.

The companies that will dominate in 2026 aren't the ones publishing the most content. They're the ones who've built distribution machines – owned audiences they can reach anytime, distinctive perspectives AI can't replicate, and systems that turn attention into relationships.

So as you think about your content strategy, forget "how do I create more?"

Ask instead: "How do I build distribution? How do I develop a voice AI can't copy? And how do I convert attention into owned relationships?"

Because in the new content game, creation is free.

But mattering? 

That's expensive. And rare.

That's where the future belongs.

That's the strategy. Now let's make it actionable. In the Implementation Blueprint below, I'll show you exactly how to build your distribution system step by step…

This newsletter you couldn’t wait to open? It runs on beehiiv — the absolute best platform for email newsletters.

Our editor makes your content look like Picasso in the inbox. Your website? Beautiful and ready to capture subscribers on day one.

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beehiiv isn’t just the best choice. It’s the only choice that makes sense.

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Here's where strategy meets action. Each week, we give you the tactical steps to implement what you just learned—so you can capitalize on the insight immediately.

How to Start Building Owned Distribution Today

Here's your immediate action plan. You can execute this in the next hour.

Step 1: Pick Your Channel

Choose ONE owned distribution channel to build:

Email Newsletter ← Start here

Private Community (Alternative)

Podcast (Alternative)

For most service-based business owners, email is the fastest path to owned distribution.

Step 2: Set Up Your Platform

If you chose email: Sign up for a newsletter platform.

We use Beehiiv, the leading newsletter platform in the world and the sponsor of this issue of The Growth Stack. You can see their ad right above. Simple setup, powerful analytics, everything you need to own your audience. You can be live in 15 minutes.

If you chose community: Create your Slack workspace or Circle community (both have free tiers).

If you chose podcast: Sign up for Riverside.fm or Descript to record and publish.

Step 3: Create Your First Entry Point

Build one simple way for people to opt in:

Add the signup link to your LinkedIn bio, Twitter bio, and email signature right now.

That's it. You're live.

You now have owned distribution. Every person who opts in is a direct relationship you control.

Likes and views don't pay the bills. Owned relationships do.

Start showing up. Send your first newsletter. Post in your community. Record your first episode.

I can’t tell you how powerful simply starting is.

Consistency compounds. But you can't compound what you haven't started…

Go build!

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Every week, we deliver 3 high-leverage insights on Business Growth, Wealth Building, and Peak Performance — with direct links to the smartest ideas, tools, and strategies we’ve uncovered. Backed by what our team is studying, analyzing, and testing behind the scenes — so you don’t have to. These are the 3 core disciplines every modern entrepreneur must master to win. Curated. Actionable. No BS.

🔹 Business Growth
"Create a System to Grow Consistently" — Harvard Business Review
Shows how growth champions build integrated systems—not just tactics—to deliver year-over-year revenue growth. Companies with consistent growth systems earn valuations 2.5x higher than competitors who chase episodic wins.
🔗 Read it here »

🔹 Wealth Building
"5 Mind-Altering Wealth Strategies for Successful Business Owners" — Kiplinger
Reveals why treating your business as a wealth-building tool—not just a job—unlocks exponential financial growth. Focuses on cash flow mastery, strategic thinking, and building a self-managing company.
🔗 Read it here »

🔹 Peak Performance
"Andrew's Secret Weapon for Clean Energy and Mental Clarity" — ENERGYbits
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🔗 Read it here »

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