ERIC KIM

HECK YES—let’s zoom out and design Eric Kim’s big‑vision roadmap so every next move is bold, joyful, and on‑brand. I’ll give you a crisp North Star, 3 winning brand options (with a recommended pick), a 12‑month rollout, an offer ladder, metrics, guardrails, and “do‑this‑today” actions.

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🌟 North Star (why Eric exists)

Make Joy Visible.

Eric helps people see (and live) more courage, play, and human connection—on the street, in the gym, and in everyday life.

Values: Joy • Courage • Generosity • Autonomy

Tone: Energetic, candid, human, no‑gatekeeping.

🧭 Positioning (what lane he owns)

“The Street‑Smart Humanist.”

A creator‑teacher who turns cities into classrooms and everyday life into art—mixing street photography, travel, and mindset with the same generous, hype‑energy Eric’s known for.

🎨 Brand architecture (keep it simple)

  • ERIC KIM STUDIO (umbrella)
    • EK PHOTO – street craft, city playbooks, tools.
    • EK JOY – mindset, habits, philosophy, money/sovereignty.
    • EK LIFT – performance and vitality as practice (story‑driven; safety‑aware).

Keep one site, one newsletter, three clear sections. This preserves focus while letting Eric play.

🥇 Three big directions (pick 1 primary, 1 secondary)

  1. Master Teacher 2.0 (Primary – Recommended)
    • Be the modern street‑photo educator again—updated formats, city playbooks, live field workshops.
  3. Joy Across Domains (Secondary)
    • Tie lifting, travel, money to the practice of seeing. Not separate niches—one philosophy.
  5. Long‑Form Author & Documentarian (Optional)
    • A yearly flagship: book + photo show + docu‑style video series (“100 Cities of Joy”).

My recommendation: #1 as the engine (trust + revenue), #2 as spice (differentiation). Bring #3 in once cadence is stable.

🧱 Content pillars (clear and consistent)

  • Street Craft: composition, courage drills, critiques, gear minimalism.
  • City Playbooks: walk routes, light/timing, local etiquette, micro‑challenges.
  • Practice & Mindset: creative systems, solo travel, money autonomy, confidence.
  • Studio Diary: behind‑the‑scenes, experiments, lifting as metaphor (no extreme how‑to).

💰 Offer ladder (free → premium)

  • Free: weekly newsletter, blog, short “walk & talk” videos.
  • Entry ($29–$99): digital zines, city cheat‑sheets, mini‑courses.
  • Core ($299–$499): “Street Craft Live” 3‑week cohort course (Zoom + critique).
  • Flagship ($1,999–$3,500): 2‑day City Field Workshop (small cohort, premium).
  • Mentorship ($5k): 8‑week 1:1 portfolio and project coaching (limited seats).
  • Selective Sponsors: camera/travel brand collabs that align with “Make Joy Visible.”

📆 12‑month rollout (starting 

Aug 20, 2025

)

Now → Sep 30, 2025 (Foundation)

  • Consolidate site into EK PHOTO / EK JOY / EK LIFT.
  • Launch weekly newsletter (every Friday 9am PT): one actionable idea + one city/photo prompt.
  • Draft City Playbook #1: Singapore (PDF + landing page).
  • Announce Fall Workshop Interest List (LA & Singapore). Pre‑sell with refundable deposits.

Oct–Dec 2025 (Momentum)

  • Publish 2 playbooks (LA, Singapore).
  • Run two sold‑out LA field workshops; film tasteful BTS for YouTube.
  • Start YouTube Weekly (8–10 min): “Walk With Me: [Neighborhood] + 3 micro‑drills.”
  • Release Zine: “Seeing Joy” (entry‑level paid).

Jan–Mar 2026 (Scale the teaching)

  • Launch Street Craft Live (cohort online, 2 runs).
  • City Playbooks #3–#4 (Tokyo, Seoul).
  • Pilot Mentorship (5 seats).
  • Newsletter to 25k+ (target; see metrics below).

Apr–Jun 2026 (Flagship & book)

  • International workshops (Tokyo, Seoul; then Singapore encore).
  • Announce book project: “Make Joy Visible” (essays + photos).
  • One pop‑up gallery night per city (community + sales).

Jul–Aug 2026 (Consolidate & celebrate)

  • “Joy Summit” weekend in LA: photowalks, talks, mini‑exhibit.
  • Book preorders; city show #2.
  • Review data → double‑down where demand screams.

🔢 Metrics that matter (SMART targets)

  • Newsletter: 10k by Dec 31, 2025 → 25k by Mar 31, 2026 → 40k by Aug 31, 2026.
  • Revenue mix: 60% workshops/cohorts, 30% digital, 10% sponsorships.
  • Workshop KPI: 10–14 seats, 90%+ fill rate, NPS ≥ 70.
  • YouTube: 100k monthly views by Mar 2026; 200k by Aug 2026.
  • Flagship health metric: 4 deep‑work days/week (protects creativity & longevity).

🧪 Experiments (prove demand fast)

  • A/B: “City Playbook” vs. “Street Mini‑Course”—which sells better at the same price point?
  • Price discovery: raise workshop price 15% each sold‑out cohort until waitlist drop‑off.
  • Lead magnet: “7‑Day Fearless Street Sprint” → track opt‑in rate and workshop conversion.

🚧 Guardrails (credibility & safety)

  • Keep lifting content story‑first, not instruction‑first; add safety disclaimers and avoid extreme claims as marketing.
  • Separate opinion vs. evidence labeling in JOY/sovereignty posts.
  • Sponsors only if they reinforce less gear, more seeing.
  • Maintain an editorial code (no shaming, no gear snobbery, celebrate beginners).

👥 Lightweight team (part‑time, project‑based)

  • Managing Editor (10–15 hrs/wk): cadence, headlines, CTA hygiene.
  • Video Editor (per‑episode): punchy cuts, captions, reusable shorts.
  • Ops Producer (per‑workshop): logistics, customer comms, on‑site safety.
  • CPA/Legal (quarterly): protect the brand, tidy the books.

🏛️ Legacy play (3–5 years)

  • Eric Kim Foundation: “Street Joy Fund.” Micro‑grants for youth photo projects + yearly open‑air group exhibit in LA.
  • Annual “Make Joy Visible” Festival: talks, walks, pop‑up galleries, city clean‑ups.

⚡ Do‑this‑today list (one week, zero excuses)

  1. Write the About in one line: “I help you make joy visible—on the street and in life.”
  2. Rename site nav to PHOTO / JOY / LIFT; add a Start Here page with 3 best posts + email opt‑in.
  3. Announce LA Field Workshop interest list (two dates in Nov).
  4. Outline City Playbook #1 (intro, 3 mapped walks, light/timing, etiquette, drills, safety).
  5. Ship one 8–10 min “Walk With Me” video this week.
  6. Draft the 7‑Day Fearless Street Sprint lead magnet (one email/day, one drill/day).
  7. Book a designer for a simple zine template you can reuse forever.
  8. Set Friday newsletter cadence; write the next 4 issues today as skeletons.
  9. Create a sponsor one‑pager (mission, audience, deliverables, rate card).
  10. Put workshop safety SOP in writing (meet spots, waivers, hydration, buddy rules).

Rallying mantra

“Less fear, more seeing. Make joy visible.”

If you want, I’ll spin this into a 90‑day execution board (calendar + backlog + metrics sheet) and draft the City Playbook #1 outline so Eric can launch in days, not months.

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