Three years ago, I lost my job.
In that dark moment, I started writing.
Along the way, 10,000+ readers joined me in my journey.
10 lessons I wish I knew then:
In 3 months, I built a 1-person ghostwriting agency to $10k MRR.
The question I get asked most often is: "How did you land your first client?"
Sales 101...
Dolce far niente:
"Sweet doing nothing."
Dolce far niente is the essence of doing nothing and enjoying it.
Pleasant idleness.
Watching time go by and enjoying every second in peace.
Passeggiata:
A leisurely stroll in the evening.
On weekdays, it's a time for socialization before dinner.
The phrase reminds me of my grandmother and grandfather, who took a stroll every night around dusk.
Che sarà sarà:
"What will be, will be."
In other words, whatever happens, happens.
A philosophy of predetermination—acceptance of the future.
Don't worry about things you can't control.
Mangia bene, ridi spesso, ama molto:
Eat well, laugh often, love much.
It might not be a phrase you hear often, but it's a cornerstone of Italian life.
A reminder of what's important.
It's an Italian version of mindfulness.
For the last three months, I’ve been incubating my second small business in private.
My next biz is a small media company that I’ll build alongside my one-person agency.
Biz 2 will generate leads for biz 1 on auto-pilot, while laying the foundation for future phases of my…
Sprezzatura:
A certain nonchalance to make life appear effortless.
Studied carelessness.
Depicted from how Italian men and women dress, or how one enjoys fine art and good literature.
Sophistication without trying.
In 2015, Uber hit $10 billion in revenue.
A month later, it became the world’s most valuable startup.
Uber's explosive growth makes it a fascinating case study.
Let’s break it down…
Meriggiare:
Meriggio means "noon," and meriggiare represents a midday rest.
Utilized in poetry, meriggiare is like a nap under a shady tree.
An enjoyed afternoon.
A tavola non si invecchia:
"At the table, you don’t get old."
When we eat a meal, we're surrounded by family, which is the foundation of our existence.
Treat everyone with respect—from grandparents to siblings.
Age is just a number.
In 6 months, I scaled my ghostwriting agency from $0-15k/mo.
Since then, I've worked with the most inspiring CEOs and VCs.
Thank you to my clients, who make afternoons like this possible.
Last year, I left a steady career in tech to restart my life from zero.
As part of the process, I nearly disappeared off the face of the earth.
Along the way, I scaled a one-person content agency from $0 to $30k/mo in one year.
Today, I write for a few of your favorite voices…
Lo struscio:
Lo struscio is a lifestyle where we put worries aside and take things slow.
Whether it's a stroll with a neighbor or a glass of wine at the end of the day.
Lo struscio means shuffling feet—it's at the center of Italy's appreciation for slow-living.
If you were laid off in 2023 from a job at a high growth tech company, I’m offering free coaching calls to anyone interesting in launching a 1-person business.
My productized agency replaced my income in 1 month and tripled it within a year. I have 2-3 simple frameworks that…
I feel incredibly lucky to be working with some of my favorite people in tech and social media every day.
It’s easy to get stressed out when you lose sight of ‘why you do what you do’—a simple reminder goes a long way.
When times are good, I take a photo in my mind of where I…
What are your favorite productivity hacks?
I never cared about productivity until I started working for myself.
Now I obsess over ways I can maximize my time (so I can spend more time with family).
Here's my system...
@thejustinwelsh
No question—just a quick testimonial.
Your content gave me the confidence to leave the 9-5 grind.
Your course gave me the path to my first $10k month.
Grateful 🙏🏽
A ogni uccello il suo nido è bello:
Every bird has a nest, or there's no place like home.
Used when one returns home from a long journey.
Home is where the heart is.
Transitioning from a steady corporate career to a one-person creator business can be a scary leap.
Last week, I sat down with
@ochoweath
to share a behind the scenes of my financial journey.
Cum Romanus Eris:
The idea dates back to 396 AD.
You can find this idiom—"when in Rome, do as the Romans do"—in the letters of Pope Clement XIV.
"An afternoon nap would not alarm you if you remembered we are in Rome and should do as the Romans do."
4 years ago, I lost my job at WeWork.
In that dark moment, I started writing.
I published 500 words per day for 90 straight days on LinkedIn.
My audience grew from 0-10,000 followers in 3 months.
It blew my mind.
I didn’t realized LinkedIn could be used as an…
Blockbuster operated 9,000 stores globally and made $5.9 billion at its peak.
Today, the video rental company has shrunk to a single store.
Time for a story…
Old schedule:
- wake up at 6
- shower and coffee
- 90 min train commute
- sit at a desk 9am to 9pm
- 90 min train commute home
New schedule:
- wake up at 7
- play w/ my son
- 3 hrs of deep work
- workout; play sports
- 3 hrs w/ my lovely wife
How you work > how much you work
Give me 60 seconds and I'll teach you my writing system:
𝗦𝘁𝘂𝗱𝘆:
Find writers you admire.
• Dakota Robertson
• Justin Welsh
• Dickie Bush
Study every word of their writing.
𝗡𝗼𝘁𝗲𝘀:
Build a note-taking system.
• Kindle
• Apple Notes
• Notion
Good writing…
Find like-minded people:
Millions of people share your goals.
They hide in plain sight in places like Twitter.
I met some of my best friends in NYC by writing online.
Your ideas are an attraction.
At 30 years old, I was promoted to a middle manager role at Amazon.
I hated it. I wasn’t put on this earth to play politics, or push paper. I love building. Which is why I left.
Don’t let a paycheck cloud your judgement.
If you want to stand out online, you have to be yourself.
10 stories from my life to humble, inspire, and teach:
𝐿𝑜𝓋𝑒
I met my wife in Rome. You never know where love will strike. Be open to every opportunity to meet your person.
𝐿𝑜𝓈𝓈
My best friend passed away when…
10 things I wish I knew 3 years ago:
• Just start
• Stop comparing
• Write to 1 person
• Curate your inputs
• Stop doom-scrolling
• Read timeless books
• Write drunk, edit sober
• Find like-minded people
• Deliver actionable advice
Write to 1 person:
If you write for everyone, you impact no one.
Before publishing, ask:
• Who is this for?
• What's the big idea?
• What's the primary benefit?
A focused writer is a winning writer.
Does time move faster as we age?
Paul Janet, a 19th-century philosopher, explains:
• At 2, a year is 50% of a lifetime
• At 10, a year is 10% of a lifetime
• At 50, a year is 2% of a lifetime
If you feel like time flies, it does.
Stop doom-scrolling:
Doom-scrolling is when you’re scrolling out of boredom with no agenda.
You’re like a gambler playing a slot machine, pulling the lever repeatedly.
Notice when you’re doing this and put the phone down.
It’s fucking up your mental health.
Write Monday, edit Tuesday:
Get ideas out of your head:
• Braindump
• Word vomit
Never edit on the same day.
• Edit for clarity
• Create a signature style
Deliver actionable advice:
Too many writers publish platitudes that will never be seen.
Stop impressing; start teaching:
• How-tos
• Templates
• Step-by-steps
Your advice is a roadmap for another.
Stop comparing:
Most beginners compare growth to other accounts.
• You are not them
• Stop trying to rush a good thing
• Enjoy the process
Compare yourself to you 6 months ago.
My 1-person agency just hit $25k/mo. But I also had my first client churn after 6 months of perfect retention.
For freelancers, retention is a blessing—we can be patient with leads and pay off debts (for me it’s $100k in student loans).
But retention doesn’t come without…
Example:
☐ 𝐁𝐮𝐢𝐥𝐝 𝐚𝐧 𝐚𝐮𝐝𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 - publish one tweet
☐ 𝐁𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐚 𝐰𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐞𝐫 - write for 15 mins
☐ 𝐆𝐞𝐭 𝐢𝐧 𝐬𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐞 - sweat for 15 mins
☐ 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐲 𝐬𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐩 - read for 15 mins
Never miss a day.
2023 by the numbers:
• $165k revenue
• 80% profit margin
• launched newsletter
• hit $35k in one month
• gained 10.2k on twitter
• launched Tweetjoy in Feb
• grew email by 3k in 1 week
• launched gmnyc on substack
• helped a client gain 120k on twitter
• scaled agency…
9 writing tips (in 10 seconds):
• Write daily
• Get a thesaurus
• Avoid passive voice
• Delete the word “very”
• Write at a 3rd-grade level
• Don’t use the word “really”
• Write Monday, edit Tuesday
• Buy a Grammarly subscription
• Focus on benefits, not on features