Do you want to grow a profitable content business? If so, join 25,000 readers. I share daily insights about personal brand building, writing online and growing a profitable business. It's for creators, coaches and business owners.
Why I chose pain over a Porsche
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Hi Reader, My mid-life crisis is in full swing. I took part in an Ironman in Cascais, Portugal, last month. It’s an insane event. 2.4 miles of swimming. 112 miles of cycling. And a 26.2-mile run. I clocked a personal best for the race–that’s 12 hours and 15 minutes for those keeping score! The race wasn’t the hardest part, though. You see, racing is a reward for training. And to train for an Ironman, I spent upwards of 15 hours a week swimming, cycling, and running. That’s before factoring in time spent getting ready for a session, driving to the pool, stretching, and recovering. Two of my kids are teenagers, and my business works when I take time off. So I’ve time for longer training sessions. A friend asked me, “Why are you putting yourself through this?” “My mid-life crisis is full-swing.” My mid-life crisis didn’t cost as much as a Porsche but it wasn’t cheap. A race entry costs about $500, and I spent much more on energy gels, running shoes, a wet suit, and a bike. I also hired a coach. Every Sunday, he loaded up the TrainingPeaks apps with sessions for the week ahead. Did I need one, though? Google “Ironman training plan” and you’ll come across dozens of websites for triathletes. I built these websites for a few years and got millions of pageviews. So, I love stumbling across a good one. But information is cheap. I get better results when I work with a coach. Over the years, I’ve hired a few different coaches. In my corporate copywriting days, I presented regularly to senior directors. So, I hired a coach who helped me with my public speaking skills. When I started my business, I didn’t know what monetization model to pick. So, I hired a coach who taught me the basics of blogging, writing online and making offers. The work never stops, though. This year, I changed business models. I’m working with a new coach who is helping me refine my new offer for business owners needing help with their content strategy. Coaches aren’t cheap. You can save money by figuring out this stuff on your own. But paying someone who’s achieved your goal is faster and easier. Their insights eliminate the guesswork and random YouTubbing and Googling at two a.m. All you have to do is create a realistic plan, show up daily, and work your numbers. Write on, |
Letters From the Desk of Bryan Collins
Do you want to grow a profitable content business? If so, join 25,000 readers. I share daily insights about personal brand building, writing online and growing a profitable business. It's for creators, coaches and business owners.
Hi Reader, I’ve spent years testing and reviewing apps, tools, and courses for creators. I’ve tried 100s of them to record videos and create tutorials. I’ve partnered up a few of my favorites for Black Friday and Cyber Monday. Here are a few early-access offers: Grammarly (50% off)My biggest mistake when I started writing online? Spending hours editing and revising my work. Enter Grammarly. I can quickly work through content and find and fix errors easily. That means I can press publish...
Hi Reader, Are you overthinking your newsletter? I was on a Zoom call with a small business owner the other day. They said about their list: “I started my email list. It’s all segmented, but I’m not sending a regular email to my mailing list. I email them once a month or less. Have you any suggestions on how frequently ‘nurture’ emails should go out?” I’m always surprised when I hear objections like this. “I don’t want to annoy my email list” List owners regularly complain about this. But...
Hi Reader, I've geeked out on productivity apps for years. Nine out of ten are full of bloated features most people don't need. All I need? A way of seeing my work in one place and limiting the amount of tasks I work on each day. I've stuck with Trello the longest because it's ideal for this type of work. These days, I use Trello to manage my writing projects, content creation, and different parts of my business. I also use it to collaborate with other team members. I recorded this complete...