The only way to control your income, and therefore your life, is to build a business.
Everyone is an entrepreneur.
Some just choose to get paid for the problems they solve in their personal life. All profitable products start as a project, whether the intention to sell is there or not.
Since the day you were born, you were taught to go to school, get a job, and save until you can retire and finally do what you want.
You were conditioned to obey authority. To learn things you don’t care about so you can work for people you don’t care about so you can eventually live a life you care about… and with a simple observation of society, that day is unlikely to ever come.
Without realizing it, you were programmed as a line of code in society to sell a product for someone else.
Your entire life has been spent building everyone’s dream but your own.
The good news is, times are changing.
The decentralization of work has begun.
There are more opportunities than ever.
Remote work is the norm. One person businesses are changing the game.
Freelance work has increased from 36% of the workforce to 46.6% since 2020.
The creator economy is projected to double from $250B to $480B by 2028.
Thanks to the internet, the power is shifting back to the individual.
Do what you want
Let's talk about digital leverage. How to do what you love.
- Do what you love.
- Do it in public.
- Attract an audience.
- Build a project.
- Turn it into a product.
- Put a price tag on it .
- Learn to persuade.
- Promote yourself.
- Iterate with feedback.
Starving artists stop at step 1.
Social media has set the scene for anyone to do what they love.
The only people who don't believe this are the pure consumers.
The people who scroll on their phones all day and build nothing with the massive information they consume. Creating more problems in their life. And the people who hoard information but never do anything with it.
Everyone is both a creator and a consumer.
You are a creator whether you do it online or not.
You text your friends, you have conversations, you write down ideas. You create every day.
You purchase products. You consume content (like we have been since the newspaper and radio). You consume every day.
You must consume to create, but if you don’t strike a balance, your mind becomes a jumbled mess of stress and anxiety that blinds you from your potential.
Social media is where the attention is right now. That may change, but the principle still remains:
If you want to take control of your life, you must create and distribute a valuable product where the attention is.
Are you a;
- business owner
- content creator
- smart and curious person
Who wants to learn how to:
- Start an online business,
- Grow your customer base,
- Make tons of money in the process?
Join the next cohort to build a profitable brand in 60 days.
You must contribute more than you take from humanity. Right now, that’s on social media, and it’s foolish to think you shouldn’t be competing in this new game.
The Value Creator
It's your job to create and distribute value by learning and building on the internet.
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Start with What You Know:
What do you already use daily? Make it better. Identify the gaps and fill them.
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Solve Personal Problems:
Think about a problem you've solved in your life. If it helped you, it can help others.
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Build What You Want to See:
Envision the change you want in the world. Be the one to bring it to life.
Creating wealth is about solving problems.
The internet is your digital playground—start learning, start building, and start distributing value.
Notice that most people are creating content around their skills and passions. They teach others what they’d learned throughout their journey, and their personalities make them unique.
Modern day slavery
You work hard every day, clocking in 8 hours to build someone else's dream.
But realize:
If you can spend 8 hours on someone else's dream, you can spend 1 hour on your own.
1 hour a day might not seem like much, but it's enough to start building your dream.
Consistent effort over time compounds. That single hour can transform into something significant.
You need 3 habits
- Reading habit
- Writing habit
- Networking
You need just 3 habits to build your business.
If you are wondering what makes a brand stand out and thrive, it comes down to a few essential habits.
1. Reading Habit
Reading keeps you informed and inspired. It broadens your perspective and equips you with the knowledge to innovate.
Build a reading routine into your day.
Either read in the morning or before going to bed. You can start with 10 mins or a page per day.
Begin with 10 minutes a day.
Pick a book that genuinely interests you and commit to reading a bit each day.
Consistency is key.
How I trick myself into reading when I don't have the strong urge to:
I tell myself I'm only going to read for 2mins. Easy enough right? After starting, by default I want to make more progress. So I end up reading for 30 minutes, an hour or for hours instead of 2 minutes.
2. Writing Habit
Writing helps you communicate your ideas clearly and effectively. It enhances your ability to connect with your audience and share your message and offers.
Learning how to grow and refine your thoughts through writing is rewarding in itself. When it comes time to monetize, it gets even better.
I use the CREATE writing framework to come up with high performing content.
This is a writing framework I created after writing hundreds of Letters
It will save you the trouble of starting from scratch.
Use the CREATE system:
Generate unique and high performing ideas by systematically building on existing ideas:
C - Connect
- Combine Related Ideas: Find common threads between different topics and merge them to create fresh content.
- Link Personal Stories: Integrate personal experiences with broader concepts to add authenticity.
R - Reframe
- Change Perspectives: Present an existing idea from a new angle to offer fresh insights.
- Alter the Context: Shift the focus of the idea to a different scenario or the place you want to take your audience.
E - Expand
- Deep Dive: Explore a brief idea in detail to provide comprehensive insights.
- Add Examples: Use real-world cases or analogies to make abstract concepts tangible.
A - Amplify
- Magnify Impact: Highlight the most critical aspects of the idea to emphasize its importance.
- Extend Reach: Adapt the idea into various formats like videos, infographics, or threads.
T - Trim
- Remove Fluff: Eliminate unnecessary details to keep content concise and impactful.
- Simplify Language: Use clear and straightforward language to enhance understanding.
E - Envision
- Project Future Scenarios: Speculate on the future implications of the idea.
- Innovate Solutions: Propose creative ways to solve related problems or capitalize on opportunities.
Example:
- Connect:
- Find an article on productivity and relate it to personal time-management hacks.
- Reframe:
- Present common productivity tips from the viewpoint of a busy parent or student.
- Expand:
- Take a one-line tip about minimizing distractions and turn it into a detailed guide.
- Amplify:
- Create an infographic that highlights the key steps to improve productivity.
This is where I usually use [text-image] combination to illustrate an idea.
- Trim:
- Edit your guide to remove redundant steps and focus on actionable advice.
- Envision:
- Discuss how future technology could further enhance productivity and time management.
By coming up with your own unique concepts, you create ideas that “stick” in people’s minds.
Your ability to stand out and thrive in the attention economy depends on finding, capturing, and curating ideas.
If you apply the lessons from this letter and iterate for 6-12 months, you’ll stand out as a unique thinker amongst the masses.
3. Networking
You need to network with other brands. Networking other brands open doors to new opportunities for collaboration. This can boost your following when your content is placed in front of audience of big brands.
Build a side hustle brand
You can hate your job. You can hate your boss. You can hate your life.
OR you can decide to do something about it.
- turn content on social media into your side hustle
- build your personal brand
- become an online coach
- build a digital product
- monetise your skills
- start a newsletter
- start a podcast
- write a book
Go and BUILD something of your own.
Put yourself out there.
You will increase the luck surface area in your life. It will give you OPTIONS and more independence.
A business gives you:
- time freedom
- location freedom
- freedom to do what you want
- freedom to choose how much to earn
This isn't something you get working at a job.
You need a way to display your value to a large audience to pay you for the value you offer.
You can no longer rely on your boss to generate attention with a marketing team that sells a product for you to get a paycheck.
Starting a business is the most accessible way to your financial freedom. All you need is an internet connection, a few ideas, and the ability to stick it in the long game.
The barrier to entry is lower than ever.
Thanks for reading.
-Patrick