Welcome To Man Bites Dog.
We realize that many of our new readers will have no idea who we are. So this page acts as our version of an FAQ. It will be updated periodically and remain pinned to the top of this publication. For the standard overview, check out the About Page here.
In an increasingly digital, distracted, and disconnected world, we do our best to answer three questions, right up front.
Why am I here?
Am I in the right place?
What should I do next?
So, let’s get to it.
Why are you here? Probably because you want to grow your business and you want to do it in a way that you get what you want. In other words - you want your business to make your life better, not worse.
Are you in the right place? If the above is true, absolutely!
What should you do next? Subscribe to this publication. Set aside a few minutes a week to read, study, and implement what you learn. Repeat.
One Background On The Contributors: Decades of starting, growing, and exiting companies, writing copy, marketing which led us all to the realization that collaboration is where the magic happens.
The content. To explain the content and the frequent references to the Guardian Academy, we’re going to use Lukas Resheske’s Clarity Framework1:
The correct tools for you to use, at this time, to achieve your goals are derived from sound tactics. Tactics determine tools.
The correct tactics for you to use, at this time, to achieve your goals are derived from sound strategies. Strategy determines tactics.
The correct strategies for you to use, at this time, to achieve your goals are derived from sound principles. Principles determine strategy.
What you’ll find here are strategies, tactics, and tools that have proven to be high-efficacy. They are battle-tested, in the real world. The contributors to this publication are in the arena and engaging the field every day.
The strategies, tactics, and tools are derived primarily from Guardian Academy principles. So, here you will learn the strategy, tactic, or tool and there will often be a reference to the principles it was derived from. For example, the three questions (why am I here, am I in the right place, what should I do next) come from the Guardian Academy Principle called “Allegiance Capital”. This gives you the ability to understand the principle and start to derive your unique strategies.
A Frameshift, Three Deadly Sins and Ten Man Bites Dog Commandments
Where to start? First, the only way you’re going to get better at marketing, advertising, or sales is if you are actively “engaging the field” and getting feedback. If you’re ready to make progress, start with learning how to engage the field. Second, understand the simple financial framework we operate from. Here’s the TL;DR: figure out how much you need, build a business, or increase your income to get on track to fund it, and then strategically collapse time down to fund it faster. Third, understand the three types of people you need in your corner to achieve anything. TL;DR: you’ll need technicians, mentors, and a cornerman. They are different people, it’s important no to get them confused with one another. Lastly, join us and get the next insight delivered directly to your inbox!
The Players. The key contributors to this substack, at the time of writing this. We will expand this list as more members demonstrate competence and commit to contributing.
Joseph Robertson: Makes Everyone Else Sound Good by turning great video and audio into multi-million dollar copy. Joseph is a student of the Guardian Academy and writes many of the Guardian Academy articles - which he extracts from video, audio, and in-person conversations. It’s a true superpower.
Joseph’s Website I Growing Trees
Laurel Portie: Super Duper Profitable Advertising and Video Strategy. Laurel is one of the most sought-after and copied advertising coaches in the space. Laurel has a dedicated section in this publication, The Laurel Corner.
The Laurel Corner I Laurel’s Podcast I Laurel’s YouTube Channel I Laurel’s Book
Nic Peterson: Guru. Mentor. Student. Business Growth Strategy and Sales.
Nic’s Substack I Nic’s Book I The Letter I Nic’s Website
Lukas Resheske: Not a Master. Not a Sage. Forever a Student. You’ll see us refer to Lukas and his work often, especially his clarity hierarchy.
The Clarity Hierarchy I The Letter I Lukas’ Website
To Unlock Everything Man Bites Dog has to offer, upgrade to paid. For $30 a month, or $129 year, you’ll get access to:
The Discontinued Letter Archive. The Letter was a $ 97-a-month direct mail newsletter touching on peak performance, marketing, and personal development. It was discontinued when the company was sold in 2021. In late 2023 it was revamped rebranded and relaunched. There are no digital copies of the new Letter. paid subs will get digital copies of 13 of the discounted Letters (every letter sent in 2020).
The Archive of discontinued training, books, and resources. Access our library of unlisted videos, discontinued training(s), and member-only products. Our premium content library is always growing. The premium content archive is valuable in and of itself but it’s amplified by the next unlock.
The Hidden Dialogue. As a paid subscriber you’ll get access to the comments on all of the articles. The comment section is the hidden dialogue - where the entire community goes deep and discusses concepts, principles, and insights. You also get to ask questions which our team always answers. If possible, we will go out and find a mover or a shaker more qualified to answer your question and have them answer it - everyone benefits.
Learn how to pay for years of your subscription before subscribing here. [Courtesy of the Guardian Academy]
Dedicated Sections Of This Publication
The Laurel Corner is dedicated to Laurel Porties’ Super Duper Profitable Ad strategy.
Stealth Influence: Creating content that influences people positively. How to create powerful content and turn one story into dozens of them.
Sales: Powerful sales frameworks and processes, selling from presence instead of pressure, and more.
Free Foundational Resources
We assume you are here to learn - to increase your intelligence.
This article breaks down the most useful and practical definitions of learning and intelligence we’ve ever seen. Adopting the definition in the article above will likely lead to much better results.
This free self-study resource will help you understand the foundation of everything shared here. Just bookmark it and come back to it whenever.
This free, five-day masterclass with Nic and Laurel will help you dial in your marketing and sales plan for the year. It’s five videos sent over five days, each with resources included.
Paid Resources
Laurel’s $7 ad program ($7 a month or $63 a year). Learn Laurel’s video advertising strategy.
The Guardian Academy TGA+ paid Subscription ($10 a month or $97 a year). Learn the principles and engage the field with the Guardian Academy TGA+ membership.
The Letter ($147 a month.) A direct mail letter from Nic and Lukas. There are no digital copies available. We do not recommend this if $147 is a burden on your finances.
The Success Circle (Business Mastermind and Network). Started by Nic, Laurel, and The Success Finder, The Success Circle is not built around us, instead, it’s built around YOU.
Live to learn. Give to earn.
Guardian Marketing
Our “Out Of Print” Business Development Books and Letters are available by clicking here for paid subs. A lot of marketers try and resell this stuff, just get it here.
Social Media: Check out the Guardian Academy Instagram for aesthetically pleasing stuff and exclusive video clips. Twitter (Or X) for more frequent updates and insights.
Forthcoming Guardian Event and Experience Dates can be found by clicking here. Nothing compares to being in the right room with the right people. It doesn’t have to be our room with us - just get yourself in proximity to the right people, places, and things for you.
Live to Learn by Stepping Into The Arena and Engaging The Field.
Give to Earn with the Referral Program.