The 1% Rule
A Conversation About Authenticity in Modern Business
It's a sunny Thursday afternoon when I connect with Ant over Google Meet.
As a personal branding coach based in Melbourne, Ant has made a name for himself by helping founders and professionals find their authentic voice in the digital noise.
What strikes you immediately is his disarming honesty about his own journey.
It's this same authenticity that has become both his method and his message, turning traditional marketing wisdom on its head.
I found myself sharing (perhaps a bit too openly) about closing the books on my previous venture, Revontulet and launching this newsletter.
Going solo into content creation feels a bit like what I imagine skydiving to feel like, terrifying, but oddly liberating.
That vulnerability set the tone for our conversation about authenticity in business. When Instagram feels like everyone's highlight reel, Ant's approach is refreshingly different.
His goal for 2025 sounds quite simple.
"Each day, how can I just be 1% more honest in one interaction?"
“Even in the slightest things when a client is like 'how are you?' and immediately you just go 'yeah good, man.' But it's like what if I'm not good at that moment, how can I just be more honest?"
Ant’s approach isn't a fancy business strategy he cooked up in a boardroom.
It's the result of his journey from traditional agency work to coaching, complete with what he cheerfully calls "public failures."
Reflecting on his agency days, he admits, "There is no personal transformation that you're facilitating. It's more so you pay me x amount of dollars. Here's the deliverable. Are you happy?"
Ant's a self-proclaimed storytelling geek (his words, not mine).
As a kid he was unknowingly analysing character arcs, particularly drawn to Spider-Man.
There's something quite special about finding business inspiration in a teenager swinging through New York trying to balance ordinary life with extraordinary powers.
The transition wasn't exactly smooth sailing. Like many of us who've ventured into content creation, Ant experimented extensively.
"I think in total I did 12 lead magnets. Maybe half of them didn't get downloads."
Instead of sweeping these 'failures' under the rug, he used them as stepping stones. "Then the next one's 36 sales, the next one's 53 sales."
His enthusiasm is contagious, even through the slightly pixelated call.
"The person who's two steps ahead of someone is way more versed to give that person advice than someone who might be ten steps ahead."
It's like saying you don't need to be Gordon Ramsay to run a decent sandwich shop, and thank goodness for that.
"We're in the business of people" Ant reminds me repeatedly throughout our chat.
When we’re living in a world of carefully curated online personas, there's something incredibly refreshing about honesty.
Success, as Ant sees it, isn't about being the best.
It's about being genuinely helpful and transparent about the journey.
And perhaps that's the most valuable lesson, aim to be 1% more honest tomorrow than you were today.
It's not revolutionary advice, but then again, maybe that's exactly what makes it work.