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An Early Obsession
A young Japanese boy was obsessed with Western cinema. He once tricked his parents into vacationing on a remote island. Not for the beach, but because he wanted to shoot a movie there.
But growing up in Japan, there was no clear path to becoming a Hollywood director. After graduating college, he couldn’t find a way in. There was no local film scene, no studios looking for unconventional visionaries.
So he pivoted.
He took a job at a video game studio and made a quiet promise to himself: 'If I can’t make movies, I’ll make games that feel like movies.'
His first real break came in 1987 with a project called Metal Gear. For the first time, he had full creative control. He started experimenting. He added cinematic cutscenes. Complex characters. Philosophical questions. All inside a video game.
Over the next 30 years, Hideo Kojima didn’t just change the video game industry, he redefined what games could be. The Metal Gear Solid franchise is now a storytelling benchmark.
Kojima's unique storytelling fingerprint on a new medium turned him into video game industry royalty.
His games have moved me to think about the world and some of life's deepest questions in a way that most movies, books, and even people haven't. That's powerful.
Eventually, he launched his own studio. And while others compete in the crowded world of action games, Kojima plays a different game entirely.
Kojima didn’t follow his passion. He infused it into something valuable. He didn’t chase Hollywood he built his own in a different way.
That’s what happens when you stop trying to conform and start building a personal monopoly.
Specific Knowledge Is How You Become a Monopoly
We live in a world of copies, templates, and interchangeable talent. Resumes are optimized for sameness. But the people who win? They’re not the best on paper. They’re the only one who can do what they do.
This is the idea of specific knowledge: It's that rare, unteachable edge that turns you into a category of one.
But what exactly is it? And how do you build it?
Principle 1: Specific Knowledge Can’t Be Taught...But It Can Be Learned
If it can be taught, it can be commoditized. If it can be commoditized, it can be replaced by someone (or something) cheaper and faster.
Specific knowledge is different. It’s not in textbooks or certifications. It’s learned by doing. By colliding with the real world. And by applying judgment in ways that can’t be easily copied.
“If your work is easily described, it’s easily replaced.”
— Seth Godin
Take Quentin Tarantino. He didn’t go to film school. In fact, he dropped out of high school. But he was obsessed with movies. He spent five years working at a video store, watching films, studying directors, and developing his voice. And now. Well...he's Quentin Tarantino!
“When people ask if I went to film school, I say, ‘No, I went to films.’”
— Quentin Tarantino
That’s specific knowledge. Learned by action. Shaped by obsession.
Principle 2: You’re Probably Discounting Your Specific Knowledge
The funny thing about specific knowledge is that it doesn’t feel special to you. Why? Because it comes naturally.
You might be a great salesperson because you grew up in a big, competitive family where every meal was a negotiation.
Or maybe you’re an incredible artist because you love the look of someone seeing something beautiful that you’ve created.
You might be great at UX design because you’re borderline obsessed with how people make decisions.
If it feels like play to you but looks like work to others you’re probably on to something (stole this from Naval Ravikant).
That’s why most people overlook their edge. They assume value must feel difficult. But specific knowledge hides inside what you can do easily or are intrinsically motivated to pursue.
Principle 3: Specific Knowledge Must Be Married to Real-World Value
Don’t fall for the “follow your passion” BS. The starving artist followed their passion. So did Steve Jobs. The difference? Jobs built value around it.
Passion is a compass, not a business model.
The fact of the matter is that the market decides value. But you should absolutely look for ways to develop your specific knowledge and passions in conjunction with the market.
Take Dr. Andrew Huberman. He could have stayed a world-class neuroscience researcher and had a solid academic career. Instead, he applied his knowledge to the world of special ops, pro sports, and personal performance.
Then he layered on leverage: podcasts, YouTube, apps. Now he’s the science guy for optimum performance.
Principle 4: Specific Knowledge Stacks
The fancy term is combinatorial success. It means your personal monopoly usually isn’t about being the best at one thing. It’s about being good at 3-5 things where the sum is greater than the parts.
Take finance. Becoming a Chartered Financial Analyst is impressive. But it’s also teachable. Tens of thousands do it.
Now add in persuasion skills. Suddenly you’re a top-tier financial advisor.
Layer in knowledge of the entertainment business? You’re a celebrity business manager making millions a year.
Improving one skill adds. Combining three multiplies.
Scott Adams called this your skill stack. He wasn’t the funniest, the best illustrator, or the best business thinker. But he was the best guy who wrote and drew funny comics about business. And that's why he was the only one who could create the Dilbert comic.
Here’s the math: If you’re in the top 20% of three unrelated skills, the overlap puts you in the top 0.8% of the population. That’s rare. That’s a monopoly.
So, How Do You Build Specific Knowledge?
Here’s the four-step process:
Step 1: Infuse Your Passion Into Something the Market Values
Don’t reinvent the wheel. Don’t quit your job to write poetry (yet).
Start by integrating your curiosity and unique lens into something already valuable.
Example: Say you’re a marketer who dreams of writing screenplays? Start using narrative structure in your campaigns. Study the hero’s journey and apply it to product launches. Inject emotional storytelling into your brand voice.
The goal isn’t to abandon the world. It’s to reshape it through your unique view.
Step 2: Define Your Skill Stack
List 3–5 things you’re good at or want to become good at. These don’t have to be elite skills. Just enough to give you a unique edge.
Then start combining them. Look for unexpected overlaps. UX + psychology + storytelling? There’s a monopoly in there.
Examples:
Writing + Self-Experimentation + Marketing + Tech Investing = Tim Ferriss
Branding + Finance + Brutal Honesty + Media = Scott Galloway and the Prof G media brand
Step 3: Get in the Game
Specific knowledge is revealed through action not planning.
Don’t just read about the skills and practice them alone. Design mini-projects. Build in public. Get feedback.
Don’t worry about being profitable or growing quickly.
Do things that don’t scale until you’ve got it right. Then decide if you want to scale it or not.
Step 4: Leverage Your Wins
Once you see success, start to scale it through systems, media, or code.
Success is usually when you enjoy the process and the market values the output.
“Monopoly is the condition of every successful business.”
— Peter Thiel
And specific knowledge is how you turn yourself into a monopoly.
So stop building a resume and start building your edge.
A young Japanese boy was obsessed with Western cinema. He once tricked his parents into vacationing on a remote island. Not for the beach, but because he wanted to shoot a movie there.
But growing up in Japan, there was no clear path to becoming a Hollywood director. After graduating college, he couldn’t find a way in. There was no local film scene, no studios looking for unconventional visionaries.
So he pivoted.
He took a job at a video game studio and made a quiet promise to himself: 'If I can’t make movies, I’ll make games that feel like movies.'
His first real break came in 1987 with a project called Metal Gear. For the first time, he had full creative control. He started experimenting. He added cinematic cutscenes. Complex characters. Philosophical questions. All inside a video game.
Over the next 30 years, Hideo Kojima didn’t just change the video game industry, he redefined what games could be. The Metal Gear Solid franchise is now a storytelling benchmark.
Kojima's unique storytelling fingerprint on a new medium turned him into video game industry royalty.
His games have moved me to think about the world and some of life's deepest questions in a way that most movies, books, and even people haven't. That's powerful.
Eventually, he launched his own studio. And while others compete in the crowded world of action games, Kojima plays a different game entirely.
Kojima didn’t follow his passion. He infused it into something valuable. He didn’t chase Hollywood he built his own in a different way.
That’s what happens when you stop trying to conform and start building a personal monopoly.
Specific Knowledge Is How You Become a Monopoly
We live in a world of copies, templates, and interchangeable talent. Resumes are optimized for sameness. But the people who win? They’re not the best on paper. They’re the only one who can do what they do.
This is the idea of specific knowledge: It's that rare, unteachable edge that turns you into a category of one.
But what exactly is it? And how do you build it?
Principle 1: Specific Knowledge Can’t Be Taught...But It Can Be Learned
If it can be taught, it can be commoditized. If it can be commoditized, it can be replaced by someone (or something) cheaper and faster.
Specific knowledge is different. It’s not in textbooks or certifications. It’s learned by doing. By colliding with the real world. And by applying judgment in ways that can’t be easily copied.
“If your work is easily described, it’s easily replaced.”
— Seth Godin
Take Quentin Tarantino. He didn’t go to film school. In fact, he dropped out of high school. But he was obsessed with movies. He spent five years working at a video store, watching films, studying directors, and developing his voice. And now. Well...he's Quentin Tarantino!
“When people ask if I went to film school, I say, ‘No, I went to films.’”
— Quentin Tarantino
That’s specific knowledge. Learned by action. Shaped by obsession.
Principle 2: You’re Probably Discounting Your Specific Knowledge
The funny thing about specific knowledge is that it doesn’t feel special to you. Why? Because it comes naturally.
You might be a great salesperson because you grew up in a big, competitive family where every meal was a negotiation.
Or maybe you’re an incredible artist because you love the look of someone seeing something beautiful that you’ve created.
You might be great at UX design because you’re borderline obsessed with how people make decisions.
If it feels like play to you but looks like work to others you’re probably on to something (stole this from Naval Ravikant).
That’s why most people overlook their edge. They assume value must feel difficult. But specific knowledge hides inside what you can do easily or are intrinsically motivated to pursue.
Principle 3: Specific Knowledge Must Be Married to Real-World Value
Don’t fall for the “follow your passion” BS. The starving artist followed their passion. So did Steve Jobs. The difference? Jobs built value around it.
Passion is a compass, not a business model.
The fact of the matter is that the market decides value. But you should absolutely look for ways to develop your specific knowledge and passions in conjunction with the market.
Take Dr. Andrew Huberman. He could have stayed a world-class neuroscience researcher and had a solid academic career. Instead, he applied his knowledge to the world of special ops, pro sports, and personal performance.
Then he layered on leverage: podcasts, YouTube, apps. Now he’s the science guy for optimum performance.
Principle 4: Specific Knowledge Stacks
The fancy term is combinatorial success. It means your personal monopoly usually isn’t about being the best at one thing. It’s about being good at 3-5 things where the sum is greater than the parts.
Take finance. Becoming a Chartered Financial Analyst is impressive. But it’s also teachable. Tens of thousands do it.
Now add in persuasion skills. Suddenly you’re a top-tier financial advisor.
Layer in knowledge of the entertainment business? You’re a celebrity business manager making millions a year.
Improving one skill adds. Combining three multiplies.
Scott Adams called this your skill stack. He wasn’t the funniest, the best illustrator, or the best business thinker. But he was the best guy who wrote and drew funny comics about business. And that's why he was the only one who could create the Dilbert comic.
Here’s the math: If you’re in the top 20% of three unrelated skills, the overlap puts you in the top 0.8% of the population. That’s rare. That’s a monopoly.
So, How Do You Build Specific Knowledge?
Here’s the four-step process:
Step 1: Infuse Your Passion Into Something the Market Values
Don’t reinvent the wheel. Don’t quit your job to write poetry (yet).
Start by integrating your curiosity and unique lens into something already valuable.
Example: Say you’re a marketer who dreams of writing screenplays? Start using narrative structure in your campaigns. Study the hero’s journey and apply it to product launches. Inject emotional storytelling into your brand voice.
The goal isn’t to abandon the world. It’s to reshape it through your unique view.
Step 2: Define Your Skill Stack
List 3–5 things you’re good at or want to become good at. These don’t have to be elite skills. Just enough to give you a unique edge.
Then start combining them. Look for unexpected overlaps. UX + psychology + storytelling? There’s a monopoly in there.
Examples:
Writing + Self-Experimentation + Marketing + Tech Investing = Tim Ferriss
Branding + Finance + Brutal Honesty + Media = Scott Galloway and the Prof G media brand
Step 3: Get in the Game
Specific knowledge is revealed through action not planning.
Don’t just read about the skills and practice them alone. Design mini-projects. Build in public. Get feedback.
Don’t worry about being profitable or growing quickly.
Do things that don’t scale until you’ve got it right. Then decide if you want to scale it or not.
Step 4: Leverage Your Wins
Once you see success, start to scale it through systems, media, or code.
Success is usually when you enjoy the process and the market values the output.
“Monopoly is the condition of every successful business.”
— Peter Thiel
And specific knowledge is how you turn yourself into a monopoly.
So stop building a resume and start building your edge.
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