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Grow your business by changing how you create content

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Featured Post

The Hidden Downside of Giving Away Too Much Value

Hi Reader, Want to fix a toilet, cook a roast dinner, or start a blog? Google “How to…” Or YouTube it. The net gives away a lot of stuff we take for granted. When building my writing website, I invested hours and dollars in producing explainers, tutorials, guides, and how-to articles. Topics people type into Google or YouTube when they’re stuck. A lot of this content crushed it (traffic-wise). Some examples of high-traffic value posts? How to Use Scrivener for Blogging The Ultimate Guide to...

A silver sports car driving down a road

Hi Reader, My oldest son learned how to drive this year. Like any new driver, he struggled with using the car’s gearstick. With some practice, he figured out when to shift gears: up to go faster and down to stabilize. The same approach applies to growing a coaching business. Start with a clear offer that converts. In other words, you need a car to help you take clients safely from A to B. Once they’re inside the car, shift gears as and when you need to. The easiest gear to shift is pricing,...

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Hi Reader, I was a niche website publisher for a few years. It’s a popular online business model to make money and online gurus praise it as profitable and passive. If you’re unfamiliar with niche website publishing, here’s how it works. Pick a topic you know or can stomach creating content about for a few months. Hobbies like brewing coffee, quilting, or yoga work great. Think of your niche website as an online magazine that people enjoy reading. Use a keyword research tool like AHREFS or...

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Hi Reader, I considered myself a writer for years. Now, I run from labels. I blame Steven Pressfield. A few years ago, I read his classic book The War of Art. He wrote: “Are you a born writer? Were you put on earth to be a painter, a scientist, an apostle of peace? In the end, the question can only be answered by action. Do it or don’t do it." I read that book with tunnel vision. For a few years, “doing it” meant sitting at my desk every morning and hitting a word count or a deadline. His...

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Hi Reader, I worked as an in-house copywriter for an FTSE 100 SaaS company for a few years. I sat alongside a big team of software developers and wrote sales copy about the product they were building. And do you know what they hated? Spaghetti code. This unstructured code doesn’t follow any rules or logical order, much like a messy bowl of overcooked pasta. These black-t-wearing developers preferred clean, well-written, and organized code. They priced for finding and fixing bugs quickly. They...

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Hi Reader, For years, I struggled with bad habits. Habits like staying up at night binging Netflix, scoffing Dairy Milk chocolate, and doom-scrolling on Twitter. One likes drinking too much Guinness at the weekend and sleeping in late with a hangover the next morning. Some of my personal bad habits were holding me back. I could tell you what I did to fix them, but I don’t write about personal development. You’ve got James Clear if you want to read about turning yourself into a jacked...

A black and white chess board with white pieces

Hi Reader, I’m going to build in public more. For a few years, I ran a content publishing business. I employed a team of writers and editors, and we published hundreds of articles every month. This year, I changed my model to coaching and consulting. I let go of my entire editorial team. Now, I’m helping creators and business owners increase their revenue by $10k with the right content strategy. Building in public means documenting how I’m scaling my business. • I’ll share my wins• I’ll share...

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Hi Reader, My business was bloated. So, this year, I canceled half a dozen SaaS subscriptions. How I loathe bloated software! I also let my team of writers and editors go. Now, I keep things simple. I run my business using a few affordable tools and a virtual assistant’s help. I write emails in plain text files on my computer, so I’m not locked into any one writing app. I use ConvertKit to manage my daily newsletter because it hooks me up with sponsors. I use WordPress to manage my website...

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Hi Reader, I run a daily newsletter. I earn four figures a month from it. If I can do it, so can you. Why should you rely on an algo. When you can write and sell directly over email. That's what I do. And my story isn't unique. Crafting a daily email is a good form of writing practice. I can touch on multiple topics, like marketing, creating offers, and writing online. Sending a daily email unlocks more opportunities for connecting with readers. I hear from subscribers every week who want to...

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Hi Reader, Screenwriter and director Brian Koppelman wrote his first screenplay, Rounders, while working a day job. He worked on his manuscript for two hours each morning before work. Years later, he told aspiring screenwriters: "Don’t quit your job because the pressure will be so great that the anxiety will be thwarting. Instead, build your routine.” I built a routine like Koppelman’s when I’d a corporate gig as a six-figure copywriting job. I worked on my business for an hour or two before...