We created a course, generated $50k in rev ($20k Monthly) PRELAUNCH, w/ no employees, investors, and really no fing idea what we were doing. Now it'll do $1M+ in ARR. @uacquisitions
Here's our blueprint, may be worth ripping off:
Step 1: Choose a topic
Framework: 4 P's find where..
- People: interested already (ie big FB groups on subject)
- Profits: ways to make people $ (we like that)
- Paychecks: peeps r spending on it already
- Perspective: you have insight, expertise, or just share as you learn
Ours is about M&A.
- 10 steps to buying your 1st biz for $100k in passive(ish) income
Why?
- People: big FB groups & a few courses (BAD ones ahem Ninja?)
- Profits: Market is RIPE, 2.5M biz's for sale in US in micro PE
- I know a thing or 7 bout that (I've done 60+ transactions)
Step 2: Pre-Sell It
What is it, what explicit problem it solves insert LINK TO BUY.
3βs the magic #. Once 3 people buy, you know people are picking up what youβre putting down.
ONLY COUNTS IF THEY GIVE YOU $$. (our first post - basically only my mom liked).
Step 3: Tech Stack @gumroad - Create guides, they make $1k monthly passive @thinkific - Course/MM sits here. Super easy (not prettiest UI) but all in 1 spot. @KartraOfficial - now use this also - for our 1 day events, super easy lead pages @followupboss - super cheap, easy CRM
Step 4: Create the Course
Make it easy on yourself. We created ours for free with our computer cameras, PPTS, zoom, and standard editing software. Nothing fancy. Once we had $25k in sales we started outsourcing.
@dvassallo has sold $200k+ w/ PowerPoint and a webcam.
Step 5: Stop being a wuss, spread the word
Where people fail. Quiet = no sales.
I used a lot of FB groups, personalized emails & LinkedIn to grow. LinkedIn is so underutilized. Also thx @TheHustle their group was π₯
Promote 10x what you think. 1 day you won't need to.
Step 6: Soft sell.
Include in newsletters.
Write blogs about it.
Get opinionated. Boring kills.
Here's where I first posted on ours....
How to create an unfair investor advantage?
Iβm no genius. But I've made a few nickles:
Built investment biz's in:
- ETFs '08: $531B assets; now $3.4T+. (540%)
- LatAM '10: $1.5T ; now $3T+. (100%)
- Cannabis '14: $3.5B; now $20B+. (471%)
A thread on getting an edge early:
Hereβs where I stop being obnoxious (someone call @vcbrags already), and say how this is useful to you.
Being early can be a superpower.
When people ask you, βWhat? Why would you do that?β
You just may be on to something my friend.
When I first got into cannabis (and proceeded to raise a $200MM Fund in the space), my Latina Catholic mother about had a heart attack. I think she thought I did this all day?
Mike makes $180k-1M a year by owning NFL season tickets on the side?
The 50-80% profit margin play that sports fanatics are going to LOVE.
We have a Contrarian Thinking member in FB group (shameless plug join!) who shared this lil diddy on big $ w/ tix.
Thread:
Mike is a college dropout, now a SVP at a Fortune 25 Co.
But he hasn't forgotten the hustle... not about that one-income game.
SO: 7 Figures in revenue all started w/ a Bull....
Michael Jordan was retiring and going to play against the Hornets.
- Mike's wife, wanted to go (duh)... but the tickets were ridiculous.
- $1k each (aka NFT level prices)
- but ya know happy wife happy life
- so he said bye to 2 weeks salary
I have this theory: we have to unlearn what we were "taught" in school
Fancy, expensive schools, big companies -> don't teach what we should really learn.
Thread on 5 things I wished I learned earlier:
#1 Negotiate EVERYTHING
You will NEVER get what you don't ask for.
Graph: Difference in same salary over course of career for those who negotiate &who don't is $2MM.
Most people don't negotiate. Don't be most people.
#2 The Top 1% - Have $ Make $
View the world as a business owner- real wealth is made through equity and ownership.
How to get equity?
Start thinking like an owner.
Take on more tasks.
Ask what work you could do to get equity. Then crush it.
Living through 2008-2009 on Wall Street felt like the worst thing that ever happened to me.
- 20% of my friends fired
- the world was going to end
- did I work for the bad guys?
- lost lots of $0's
But I learned ONE lesson that has made me millions since..
It's called the Balcony, and here's the story:
I was sitting on the trading floor watching colleague after colleague pack up their boxes as the firm fired 20% of the workforce in one day in 2008.
There were tears, angry outbursts and security guards to walk them out.
I'll never forget their faces.
I sat watching the news late at night, saying Goldman was a succubus on the economy. I crossed protests to get to the office.
They yelled while I kept my head down.
Up 30+ floors I looked down on them marching in the cold.
The secret to wealth building?
A portfolio of small bets.
As you go, you double down on winners and cut losses on losers.
A thread on wealth creation your financial advisor doesn't want you to read:
#1 Public Markets are NOT the way to F U Money
- Even in this massive bull run, look at the Forbes 100 list.
- None of those names got there by stock picking.
#2 WAIT CODIE - What about Buffet & Icahn.
- They do insider deals bud. I was at Goldman when Buffet negotiated his private deal w/ warrants & options
- Icahn literally does stock manipulation aka activism.
- Even geniuses don't play on a level field. They build their own.
How four decisions led to me losing $11,671,000 benjamins....
I write a lot about the good deals I've made, a thread on some of my more asinine decisions. My hope - you learn so there's some point to it all π
Decision #1: Divorce.
Your MOST important partner, the one you pick for life.
I got married young. Did well.
Realized I hated that fast-paced, Wall St, country club, sports car life.
I wanted out, he didn't. So I gave away 60% to avoid litigation.
Never worn Chanel since π
A $2.5-3M loss.
Lesson 1: Partnerships are easy to get into damn hard to exit.
Lesson 2: There's always an exit tax.