Stop trying to skip the steps
It's an extremely common trap to fall into - putting the cart before the horse.
What do I mean?
It's real easy to get wrapped up in the long-term vision for your biz.
You see the lifestyle influencers on the timeline talk about leverage. You hear Naval or Ferriss and they gas you up, and you start building a level 10 business, leveraged to the tiiiiits. You get bogged down in automations, and flywheels, and DIY products - you wanna 'sell while you sleep'... It's a 'be-your-own-boss' bonanza.
(FYI: All of the above has its place - don't get it twisted.)
But my tip for today is that you can't skip stages in this game.
I want you to dream big and build big, build your systems for the future... but remember that you need to go from level 1 to level 2. You can't be out here trying to jump to level 10.
One of the most common jumps I see is when people try to build an audience, an email list, etc., around a topic that they're not currently a practitioner of. I know it seems alluring... to build an email list, sell your info products, and laze about in a hammock in Tahiti.
But if you're a copywriter teaching copywriting... you'd better actually be slanging copy.
You can't teach what you don't know. You can't sell what you ain't got experience in. Which means for better or worse... you need to be in the trenches, writing for clients and making them richer. Now you might consider it a necessary evil, but it's how you gain respect in the space. It's not optional - you can't skip client work. Because otherwise all you're selling is theory - and people don't buy theory, they buy experience.
People want to know what works, not what you THINK works.
The biggest leaps in my copywriting skills have come from client work. I've been admittedly fortunate with getting to work with some serious clients early doors, but I'll be damned if I was going to waste an opportunity that fell in my lap. (I landed a 7-figure client by complimenting a prospect's 'mythical beard' and ran with it, no kidding).
If you're currently sitting on an email list that you know you could or should be doing more with, but you simply don't have the time or the know-how to really take it to the next level? I'd love to chat.
Send me an email with the phrase 'PRIVATE CLIENT', and I'll be in touch about how I can help you with almost zero effort required from you. I want to help you turn your email into a steady flow of income so you can focus on your own clients.
James Perkins
P.S. Don't have a list? Don't worry! I'll pay you a ransom reward if you put me in touch with someone who does and who I end up working with.
