Ish Verduzco is on a personal mission to help 1 million people from underrepresented groups achieve their goals by 2025. He’s accomplishing this through the use of scalable content, including his book, How Successful People Get Ish Done, his podcast “The Get Ish Done” show, weekly newsletter, speaking engagements, and more.
He currently serves as the Director of Growth and Marketing as a social media food startup called Crave It. He’s worked at Snapchat and LinkedIn, and he’s also launched his own company, IV3 Media.
Tell us a little bit about your background and how you ended up writing a book?
I’m from Los Angeles from a very culturally Latino background, and I’m a first-generation college student.
I ended up writing a book because I didn’t really read books growing up. In high school and college, I actually just CliffsNotes’d everything, or I would watch the documentary, watch the movie, and I’d try to get a B or a C, just to pass the class.
Then, when I got into my early 20s to mid-20s, I got into self-development and had a moment of reflection where I noticed a lot of my friends and family weren’t regularly reading and investing in their self-development, so I figured: Why not write something for them? There isn’t very much representation of Latino authors, and if I could do it right, hopefully, it would inspire an entire community of people to learn.
What do you hope your readers take away from this book?
The single thing that I want my readers to take away is that they can really achieve their dream if they put these practices into play. Success isn’t solely reserved for people who come from wealthy, educated, or well-connected backgrounds. I hope the research, tactics, and personal stories help clarify that.
What are the top three tools you are currently using to write, publish, and promote your books?
I’m a self-published author. I used Amazon KDP to publish, and I did self-publishing through Barnes & Noble.
Also, I used social media a ton to get user feedback. I would tweet out a bunch of things. I would do Instagram stories, do polls and ask people: “What color do you like better. Does this chapter sound good? Does this make sense? Need feedback here, quick.” That helped me tailor the book because my audience on social media is the audience I was writing for.
What were the top three mistakes you made publishing your book? What did you learn from them?
So many mistakes! One of the biggest mistakes that I made was trying to do it too fast, and that ended up being a mistake because the first version of the book had a bunch of errors.
I hired an editor, and that was a smart move, but I should have hired a second and a third editor because when you’re writing 42,000 words, things will fall through the cracks even if one or two people see it.
Also, I worked a full-time job, and I tried to take time off to launch the book, but I should’ve taken more time off. Launching a book is no joke, and if I would’ve given myself more time, more energy, then I would’ve done a lot better.
When will you consider your book a success?
It’s already a success. I think the moment that I got — not even the first sale — but the moment I got my first DM from somebody saying,
Hey, I just wanted to let you know, Ish, I haven’t read a book since middle school, and this is the first time I’m actually excited to read a book in my adulthood.
The person was 27 or 28 years old. That’s it. I was happy after that.
Can you share a snippet that isn’t in the blurb or excerpt?
“I researched over 400 interviews, 35 books, 20 documentaries, and countless research studies. Over five years of learning and amassing quantifiable data on what makes some of the world’s biggest tech companies tick… Not just an in-depth investigation of modern companies and their CEOs, but on the lives of people like Rockefeller and Flagler, too.”
What have been your biggest challenges and how did you overcome them?
Remaining true to myself while also being able to adapt in different settings. Like I mentioned, I’m a first-generation college grad who comes from a super humble Latino family. I also work in tech, where representation for Latinos hovers around 5%, so I’m constantly code-switching.
Now that I’m in this author space, there aren’t very many authors that look like me or come from my background who have experienced the challenges that I have. My biggest challenge is always staying true to who I am while making the absolute most with the cards that I’m dealt with.
I didn’t graduate from a prestigious university. I didn’t have the best grades throughout my schooling. I have often felt like I didn’t belong in many situations throughout my career. But I have still managed to achieve some pretty phenomenal things — most of which I credit to my upbringing and the “can-do” mindset that my parents raised me to have. I’m not sure that I would have ever landed my dream jobs at companies like LinkedIn and Snap, traveled the world as a DJ, started my own companies, or even written this book if it weren’t for that core ability to remain true to myself.
What is the one thing you wish you knew before publishing your book?
It’s a lot harder than you think. I didn’t think it was going to be the most difficult thing that I’ve ever done because I’ve done some really difficult things, like physical — pushing my body to the limit — running 100 miles in 28 days, but this was the most difficult thing by far that I’ve ever done.
Please share one thing new self-publish authors can do to gain more reviews on Amazon
A quick hack to get more reviews is Amazon KDP allows you to give away books. I think you have three different times you can give away books, so offering free books and then putting out a tweet — “Hey, I’m giving my book away today, until midnight, all I ask that you leave a review afterward.”
This is a great strategy because you aren’t asking for a 5-star review. You’re asking people to truthfully share their thoughts on the book, but by removing the barrier of having them pay for it, the likelihood that they will share a review is much higher. All you gotta do is be sure that the content is great; otherwise, this will backfire and lead to lower-star reviews.
Can you share some of the marketing techniques that have worked for you when promoting your book?
My favorite marketing technique is something called “building in public” — essentially meaning that you share the process of whatever you are building with your followers online. I showed the entire process before I published the book. The 10 months leading up to the publishing date, I showed me in the cafe, me at 3 a.m. reading the manuscript, and everything in between.
By the time I published it, I had thousands of people that were waiting to buy the book because they felt like they were a part of it, too. In the first hour of the book being published, I had already sold hundreds of books (with zero marketing budget), all thanks to building in public.
If you had the chance to start your career over again, what would you do differently?
I would have been more selective with the jobs that I applied to. Upon graduating college, I began to feel really desperate since I was being rejected by every job application that I’d submit, so I started applying to more and more jobs — most of which I wasn’t really interested in doing, but I felt pressure to get a job and start making money. If I was just a bit more patient, then I would have eventually landed something.
What helps you stay driven and motivated to finish writing your book?
The people I wrote it for — people of color, people from underrepresented groups. I wrote that in a Google Doc, and I printed it out, and I reminded myself that I’m writing this for the younger version of myself, my family members, other people who don’t have a Tim Ferriss to look up to because Tim Ferriss doesn’t relate to them.
Can you recommend one book, one podcast, and one online course for entrepreneurs and authors?
Podcast –The Tim Ferriss Show. I consider Tim to be a distant mentor. He is constantly hungry to learn more each and every day. He asks the best questions and has interviewed some of the most successful people in every domain.
Book –How I Built This by Guy Raz. Every entrepreneur needs to read this book. Guy has interviewed tons of founders and outlines some great frameworks for people to follow.
Online course –Facebook Ads free online courses. Most businesses these days leverage paid marketing to reach more people for their brand. Facebook and Instagram ads are some of the most effective tools and can be learned by anyone.
If you only had 1000 dollars to promote a new book, knowing everything you know now, how would you spend it?
Facebook Ads, for sure. I would also do Instagram ads, targeted to people that view my website, optimizing for the lowest spend.
In terms of the content itself, I’d probably do a video and use a voiceover to share why I wrote the book and who it is intended for. Great content, matched with the right audience, will prove to be effective with any type of advertising.
What’s your best piece of advice for aspiring and new authors?
Remember who you’re writing for throughout the entire process, and actually come up with the audience personas before you start writing. Otherwise, you end up identity shifting so many times, especially when others get involved in the process, like editors.
What’s a productivity tip you swear by?
Waking up early and working out before getting the day started. This gives you energy, focus, and overall, just makes you feel great throughout the day.
What are you learning now? Why is that important?
Over the last couple of months, I’ve been learning about and practicing minimalism. This is super important for me because I feel like I have had a scarcity mentality for a while, which has led to hoarding, overcommitting to things, and spreading myself too thin across too many things for a long time.
Since implementing a more minimalist mindset, I’ve felt less decision fatigue, more energy, and more happiness in several different areas of life. My relationships are deeper, my mind is less foggy, and I am more intentional with how I spend my time overall.
Who should we interview next and why?
Bomani Mintz would be a great person to interview. He is building his dream company that will impact the entire global food community. He is also one of the very few Black tech founders out there and is always trying to support his community along the way.
How can readers get in touch with you?
People can add me on Twitter @IshVerduzco. They can also visit my personal website or check out the book’s website.
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