The Carrot and The Rabbit Hole

You know that feeling when you’re trying to show people everything you can do…

…and instead of getting excited, they just glaze over?

It’s not because your work isn’t valuable.

It’s because too much information kills momentum.

And here’s why that happens:  

Most people have a fear of missing out.

They worry that if they don’t show everything they offer upfront, someone might miss the full value (and walk away).

So they pile it all on. Then you see things like: 

Five call-to-actions on a hero section. 

Endless benefit stacking before you even scroll.

But what they don’t realize is that by trying to show it all, they’re doing the exact opposite:

Overwhelming people, confusing them, and losing the connection altogether.

That’s where the Carrot and the Rabbit Hole comes in.

It’s a simple framework for communicating your full value in a way that’s clear, focused, and easy for your market to connect with.

Here’s how it works.

What Is the Carrot and the Rabbit Hole?

The Carrot is your simple, front-facing signal:  the thing your market can immediately understand and connect with.

The Rabbit Hole is the full depth of what you offer:  the strategic insights, the hidden benefits, the extra value that gets unlocked over time.

The mistake you’re likely to make?

Trying to explain it all upfront.  When you lead with too much information, you confuse or overwhelm your audience, and confused people don’t take action.

Instead, you position your Carrot around your core discipline; the thing you are actively mastering in your work.

Not your audience (not your niche), the real skill or service you’re building your reputation around.

From there, as people move closer, you guide them through the Rabbit Hole — revealing the deeper value as it becomes relevant to them, step by step.

Real-World Examples

After four years of spinning my wheels trying to sell the whole Rabbit Hole upfront (and getting almost no results), I finally flipped the script in 2012. 

Since then, I’ve been applying the Carrot and Rabbit Hole framework to everything I build.

Let me show you three brands I’ve built (still building) where this shift made all the difference.

1. Gravity Web Studio [Current Business]

The Carrot:

Professional Website Design for Service-Based Businesses.

Short, clear, and easy for people to latch onto.

When someone needs a website, I increase my chances of becoming the go-to referral; but only if I’ve stayed consistent and made sure I’m operating in the 4th zone of positioning (the trusted authority space).

Example:

In The Guardian Academy community, David requests a referral to help with a website.

Two guardians, Nick and Scott, jumped in and referred me (even though neither had actually hired me before).  That doesn’t happen by accident.  That’s the payoff of leading with a clear, focused Carrot, and backing it with consistent positioning.

The Rabbit Hole:

Once clients start working with me, they find out pretty quickly that it’s not just about getting a nice-looking website.  Because in order to build a site that actually works; a site that attracts, converts, and supports real business growth, there’s a lot more that needs to happen under the hood.

By the nature of the process, they also get:

• Strategic brand and messaging direction
  

• Market research and brand analysis
  

• A custom-built messaging GPT for content across all marketing channels
  

• Visual brand design assets they can use anywhere
  

• Optional graphic design support for bigger projects when needed
  

These aren’t “extras” I tack on.

They’re essential pieces that have to be developed if we’re going to build a website that actually delivers results — not just one that looks good.

If I tried to throw all that at someone upfront? I'd lose them.

Instead, I lead with the simple Carrot, and let the deeper value unfold naturally, as it becomes relevant to their journey.

2. Build With Jake [Personal Brand] 

The Carrot:
At BWJ, the Carrot is…me (and my mission)

The mission is to help creative entrepreneurs find success doing what they love without losing their love for the craft.

There’s a real trap that almost every creative entrepreneur hits at some point:

You start a business to do what you love, thinking getting paid for your craft will make it even better.  But if you’re not careful, the business side can start to overwhelm you — and instead of loving the work more, you start resenting it.

Build With Jake exists to change that.  I know this problem inside and out, because I’ve lived it.

For nearly two decades, I’ve battled through the same cycles of burnout, overwhelm, and losing the spark for the craft I once loved.  That’s why BWJ isn’t just another platform; it’s a space built by someone who understands the problem at the deepest level.

It’s designed to help creative entrepreneurs build businesses that fuel their passion, not suffocate it.

That’s the core promise.  That’s the Carrot.

The Rabbit Hole:
Once you’re inside my world, you find out it’s a lot more than just a mission statement.

It’s a full ecosystem built to help you actually achieve that outcome, including:

• Frameworks for building smarter creative businesses
  

• Methods and principles for balancing craft and entrepreneurship
  

• Tactical strategies (like the Carrot and Rabbit Hole) to position and grow your brand
  

• Private events, community workshops, and behind-the-scenes case studies
  

All of it designed to help you find success without losing the thing that made you start in the first place.

If I tried to explain everything upfront, it would sound overwhelming or abstract.  Instead, I lead with the mission, and then guide people into the deeper work and tools as they engage.

3. Lighting Professors (Former Company)

The Carrot:
Event Lighting Design for Weddings and Special Events.

Short, simple, and clear.  

Easy for people to understand. Easy for them to refer.

The Rabbit Hole:
Once clients hired us, they realized we offered much more than just lighting:

• Full design concepts for their event space
  

• On-site venue analysis and layout planning
  

• Draping, ceremonial audio setups, and some video projection work
  

But the path to that clarity wasn’t instant.

Before Lighting Professors, I spent four years offering broad event production services under a different brand; trying to be everything to everyone.

And honestly? It didn’t work.

We barely gained traction because the message was too scattered.

It wasn’t until I launched Lighting Professors — positioning us clearly around event lighting — that things finally clicked.

The Carrot became obvious.

The brand stood for something specific.

And the business took off.  I break down this case study in Part 1: Revenue. 

P.S. I exited this business in December 2020, and no longer own or serve in any part of it’s operations.

Bonus Examples with Big Corporate Brands: 

McDonalds

Even big brands use this (and yes, while small business and solopreneur marketing is different, the principle still applies).

Think about old McDonald's signs:
“McDonald's Hamburgers.”

Not:
“McDonald's Hamburgers, Fries, Shakes, Soda, and Speedy Service.”

Just hamburgers.
Simple carrot.
Once you walked inside, you discovered the rabbit hole of fries, shakes, and the full experience.

Starbucks

When Starbucks first expanded nationally, the Carrot wasn't "community" or "third place" messaging (that came later).

The original Carrot was simple:

“Premium coffee, better than you can get anywhere else.”

That’s it — better coffee.

Once you came in for a coffee, you were pulled into the Rabbit Hole:

• Upsells like pastries, sandwiches, and seasonal drinks

• Loyalty programs

• Gift cards

• Branded merchandise

• Frappacinos, teas, and other specialty drinks.
  

Starbucks didn’t try to sell you the whole experience upfront.

They led with a simple, clear product — coffee — and let you discover everything else once you became a customer.

Why Your Core Discipline Should Be the Carrot

Here’s another key point you can’t skip: Lead with your core discipline.  Your main offer.  

The skill or service you’re best known for, and the thing you're constantly working to master.

Clarity > Cleverness. Always.

When your front-end offer is simple and focused, you make it easy for people to remember you, refer you, and say yes.

If you’re not sure what your Carrot should be, the answer is simple:

It’s whatever you’re most committed to mastering.

The thing you work at daily and weekly; the foundation of your business and reputation.

For Gravity Web Studio, it’s website design for service-based businesses.

For Build With Jake, it’s helping creative entrepreneurs find success without losing their love for the craft.

For Lighting Professors, it was premium lighting design for weddings and special events.

So now the question is…

What’s it for you?

Final Thoughts: Keep It Simple, Lead Them Deeper

The Carrot and the Rabbit Hole concept is a strategic shift in how you connect with your audience.

• Start with one simple offer (the carrot).

• Let your clients discover the deeper value (the rabbit hole) as they engage.

Doing this keeps your messaging sharp, your brand sticky, and your growth consistent without falling into the trap of trying to explain everything at once. If you’re interested in diving more into this topic, check out the Valentine’s Day article by Dr. Brie-Anna Willey on Carrots and Rabbit Trails.