On this episode of The Productivityist Podcast, Joey Cofone, the co-founder and CEO of Baron Fig, joins the show. Baron Fig is a company that started as a Kickstarter project which has evolved into a brand that designs and offers inspiring products to thinkers such as writers, illustrators, and entrepreneurs around the world.
I just talked with James Clear on the previous episode, and now Joey Cofone is here! I’ve been wanting to chat with Joey for a while and on this episode, I finally got the chance. I had a great time discussing a range of topics from my well-documented affinity for Baron Fig, their collaboration with James Clear, what it’s like to create physical products, and how he builds a team that’s crafting these products.
Talking Points
Point, don’t plan: How to set goals, let them go, and keeping impostor syndrome and comparison at bay
The Beginnings of Baron Fig: From a notebook idea at a Thai restaurant to selling nearly 10,000 notebooks in 30 days and now taking over my life
Creating a design-oriented notebook and building a thinker company
Digital vs Analog: What is the best tool for the job and why is a notebook still the best tool for thinking
The freedom and restriction that apps tend to bring
Rooting for digital tools and integrating new styles in paper products
Guided editions including James Clear’s The Clear Habit Journal: the next evolutionary step for people intimidated by the blank page
Balancing digital and analog tools in developing ideas simultaneously
Why Joey supplanted the Nomad sticky notes with the Strategist note cards
Good ideas come from anywhere: Talking to 500 thinkers around the world for feedback
Quote
“Design is integrated into everything that I do and how I look at the world. And I don’t think it was something that I chose, it’s how I grew up, being very nitpicky and detail-oriented. And in design, it just seem that that is what I should do with this. So, when we started Baron Fig, we’re very much design-oriented.”
Relevant Links
Baron Fig
Horizontal Themes: Maintaining Time, Making Time, and Musing Time
Notion App
Patrick Rhone’s Sensible Defaults
James Clear’s Clear Habit Journal
Why You Need Atomic Habits with James Clear
How Did This Get Made?
Eureka
Michael Hyatt
Adam Kornfield
How I Built This with Guy Raz
SCOTTeVEST
Nomad Sticky Notes
Strategist Dot Grid Index Cards
Joey Cofone’s Website
@joeycofone on Twitter
@joeycofone on Instagram
Joey Cofone on Facebook
I had a (fittingly) productive discussion with Joey and I trust you’ll enjoy our chat as much as I did.
Want to discover some of the books mentioned on the podcast? Check out Scribd, my reading app of choice.
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