Hi Reader,

I’m a big numbers guy.

When writing a first draft, I track my word count for the day.

When editing a draft, I track time spent revising a manuscript.

When marketing, I track subscriber counts and open rates.

When working on my business, I track revenue and ROI.

I track numbers in other areas of my life, too.

I run and cycle, so I track my split times and personal bests.

I put my mechanical focus on numbers down to a misspent youth playing video games.

But..

I also track numbers to see if I’m moving towards or away from a goal.

I pick one number per project or goal track of that.

Numbers are my way of holding myself accountable.

As an example, this year, I changed my business model.

I moved away from publishing content at scale.

I stopped trying to rank in search and get traffic from our Google overlords.

Now, I focus on client work.

So, I track the number of potential clients I contact and the clients I help each day.

Many writers track their numbers.

Ernest Hemingway famously kept a blackboard next to where he wrote and chalked up his daily tally of words so as “not to fool” himself.

David Brooks, an American writer for the New York Times wrote that creative people “Think like artists but work like accountants.”

If you want to build a sustainable business, pick your freedom number.

Then, work backward from that number to figure out how you will hit it.

Perhaps you want to earn $3-5k recurring profit by writing on the side?

That was my goal when I started my writing business in 2014.

You can get there easily from a few freelance writing jobs.

I hit it years ago.

And I’ve worked with hundreds of writers who’ve done just that.

But what if you’ve got a more audacious freedom number?

Say a recurring profit of $15 or even $50k a month?

These days, my freedom number is $50k per month in profit.

If you want to do that, leave low-paying freelance writing gigs behind.

Forget about partner programs, too.

(I’ve yet to meet the six-figure writer who spends time on 6 cents per word jobs).

Instead, create assets you can sell to business owners.

Turn your expertise into a product you can sell to ideal clients.

Or offer coaching and consulting in the B2B space.

You only need 10 high-paying clients at a weekly rate of $300. That’s more than doable in certain niches.

If you want to hit your freedom number, reply “FREEDOM” to this email. If you’re a good fit, I’ll send you details of Pro Writers Only.

Write on,

Bryan Collins