Jon Acuff

Jon Acuff is the author of six New York Times Bestselling books including his most recent, Finish: Give yourself the gift of done. He's also a sought-out speaker, a podcast host, and an interesting person to follow on Twitter.

Q: What was the initial tipping point for you that helped you start really growing your ethos and seeing big success?

A: Starting a blog in 2007 was really the kickoff point. It was the first time I publicly shared ideas and started growing an audience in a meaningful way. It opened me up to a ton of opportunities.

Q: I see that you worked as a copywriter for Chik-Fil-A...what's the most interesting thing you learned while writing for them?

A: I learned about empathy. I saw so many examples of employees going out of their way to have empathy for the people they were serving.

Q: You help big brands tell stories. What's one general storytelling tip that you've found effective for almost any brand or individual?

A: Brands get things backwards. They think the first thing to ask is: "What are our strengths?" or "What makes us unique?" That's the wrong thing to start with. Instead, you should ask, "What do people need?" Then you create from there.

Q: You're quite active on Twitter. Has this platform played a role in your success? Or is it more of an interesting "watercooler" type environment you just enjoy participating in?

A: I think it's definitely helped, but it's not nearly as effective as email marketing. Twitter is fun and connects me to people, but nothing moves books like email.

Q: If there was one thing you could change about your writing career or a piece of advice you'd give your younger self about writing, what would it be?

A: I would have found a mentor a lot sooner. I was young and thought I knew everything.