I've been a fan of Billy Eichner for over a decade. And yes, I know I'm in the minority.

He's a polarizing comedian and actor, best known for his 'Billy on the Street' web series where he ambushes strangers on the sidewalks of NYC, yelling at them to answer inane questions and aggressive hypotheticals.

E.g. "Sir, for a dollar, do gays care about John Oliver?"

His high-octane persona is typically what turns people off.

But it's also his comfort zone. And what brings him his most loyal fans.

So, it caught my eye when I saw Billy released a memoir last month, Billy on Billy, but in peculiar fashion.

It's *only* available in audio.

Contrary to typical publishing, there's no physical book. No Kindle.

Just an audiobook.

The popular format most authors dread or even kick over to a paid narrator.

This spoke to me as an example of not only knowing your genius zone, but also being willing to stick to it when conventional advice tells you otherwise.

In our context, that could mean disregarding common "thought leadership" norms, like you've gotta start a newsletter or video shorts are the only way to break through on LinkedIn.

Both of those suggestions would be terrible advice for someone who hates writing, or can't stand to see themselves on camera, respectively.

In my own context, my penchant for writing is what led me down the path to start The Lightbulb instead of a YouTube channel or podcast. My affinity for the medium is what allowed me to keep up with the frequency those first couple years.

Even further, in writing my book, I knew that 'just another consulting book' probably wouldn't create many waves, so I decided, let me fill it with a few dozen original illustrations to drive home the key concepts.

It's risky -- none of the other consulting best-sellers look like that -- but it pulled me even deeper into my genius zone: frameworks and visualizations.

And the few people I've shown the physical copies of my book (on sale next week) -- guess where their eyes go first as they flip through it. The visuals.

So yes, the common advice of sticking to your strong suit holds true. But it's doing so against common convention that Billy demonstrates for us here.

That can often point us to that delightful win-win of different-from-others and easiest-for-you.

💡

-Wes

P.S. I'm hosting a small, informal "happy half-hour" on Zoom this Monday, the eve of Tuesday's release.

If you'd like to hear a bit more about The Expert's Privilege and my hopes for it, grab a bevvie and stop on by. Details and RSVP here. I'd love to see you there.