The Lie Solo Writers Tell Themselves

And what you can learn from Steve Jobs's philosophy for hiring people

Steve Jobs had a simple belief: hire A-players. Then get out of their way.

Why?

Because A-players hire other A-players. They raise standards naturally.

B-players don’t. They hire C-players so they can look smart.

C-players hire D-players to feel safe. That’s how mediocrity spreads.

I’ve seen this play out in my reality too.

The moment standards drop, performance follows.

People don’t become worse at work, just the bar stopped demanding.

And this very much applies to writing online. Most writers think this is corporate BS.

“I’m solo.”

“There’s no team.”

“It’s just me and my Substack.”

“I know what I’m doing.”

Sure. But that’s the lie.

When you write alone, you are the entire hiring committee.

You hire your standards.

Your discipline.

Your tolerance for average.

And here’s the brutal truth.

If you tolerate mediocre writing from yourself, you’re acting like a C-player.

And C-players don’t build exceptional things.

I’ve heard this many times: “Don’t make it perfect, make it exist first”.

That’s valid when you’re new, but it’s mediocrity if you keep it in the long term.

A-player writers edit harder.

They delete lines they like.

They don’t publish “good enough.”

They don’t let weak thinking sneak through just because they’re tired.

They ask different questions:

What would my high-ticket client think when they read this?

Your results are never random.

They’re a reflection of the standard you allow.

So raise the bar.

Then rise to meet it.

That’s how solo creators build world-class work.

That’s how they stand out from the 99% of the rest.

With non-negotiable standards.

So have a GUT time raising your bar.

That’s how you win.

Yana

P.S. I host a FREE Masterclass about how to build your $5k/month online writing business (it’s free for a limited time).