Great edition, Kenny but you had me on pins and needles! I was waiting for the formula. When I saw the headline, I said to myself, “this lucky dog Kenny did it” :)
hey Kenny, really enjoyed this one, I’m tired of the get rich quick nonsense all over social media these days too, they never tell the whole story and are often trying to sell you their course, which also excludes a bunch of hard work that’s hard to just replicate. Keep going though, we’ll figure it out and do it in a more genuine way.
Thanks for giving a very realistic and sobering view on this. If someone's actual process and underlying assumptions aren't visible, it has limited value to the audience beyond a momentary distraction.
The list of questions is great to flesh out those assumptions to ensure the playing field is even before jumping into "it worked for me, so it will for you" territory.
I haven't tested this out. But my assumption would be that a good case study will probably attract people who will implement some actionable items in there whereas numbers would attract people dreaming about it.
I remember having a viral post on Reddit about getting a first job on Upwork. I followed up with a few people to chat about their progress and I was a bit disappointed to see that most of them didn't seem to have made much progress.
It looks like a lot of people are yearning for honest documentation of those journeys. It’s fine to use how much was made if those are facts, if they are accompanied with honest transparency about previous skills and experience!
A similar trend happens each year around this time in college admissions. Lucky kids who get into Harvard or Stanford, or their parents, brag about how they beat the odds. They choose to leave out that they’re legacy applicants, that their parents are worth hundreds of millions or billions of dollars, and donate generously to the school.
Enjoyed this, Kenny! I try to capture some of this in the founder stories I feature on Everyday Empires, but could do an even better job to provide context about their unique situation. The questions you pose are good - might try some of those.
Glad you like it, Ken! I think there's a balance to achieve. There's the unhelpful "put words on a landing page and advertise it and you'll make millions, it's easy" but on the other side of it, there's a more truthful account of the journey. But even with a detailed account, some context is bound to be lost.
Although, I have to say you're doing a pretty good job with your interviews! Glad to have content like that out there :)
Something that’s left out of those post is also the cost of success. What did/does it take to get to this level of success? What are the sacrifices necessary to get there?
Sure 50k per month sounds good. But what needs to be done to get there and maintain that? And the next question would be, is this something I want to “pay” to get there?
These are all great questions to ask. This example reminds me of the email from people “teaching” copywriting. Titles were like how I made $5k before breakfast.
Everyone has an unfair advantage. Their past/current workplace, location, mindset, finances, anything you can think of.
Some unfair advantages are suitable for some small bets, others for different small bets.
I’m a software engineer and write for software engineers, but I don't have the unfair advantage of working for a company every software engineer knows - AWS, Google, etc.
Is my small bet pointless? I don't think so, but it’ll take me more time to build credibility.
I haven't had incredible growth, so according to Tim’s advice, I should quit, but what if I'm enjoying the process?
As you point out, it's important to understand the unfair advantage people have. But not get too wrapped up in it. At some point, we need to do with what we have and use our own unfair advantage. We can still take whatever we can from other stories and apply them to our own situation.
Even though you didn't work for AWS or Google, I'm sure you have an unfair advantage compared to other people!
Regarding quitting, I would assume it depends on your goals. If you're enjoying the process and that's what counts for you, why not continue?
I started following those freelancers that made 1 million on Upwork or independently. Even though, they sometimes have great advice. They are so far removed from the early challenges, but even more so the emotional journey at the beginning. Everything is so much more heightened at the beginning of the journey and it's so intense.
I'm a climber and my gym has a mentorship program. So I started mentorship someone there. Even though I had almost two years of climbing experience, I already had forgotten what it felt like to climb for an hour or two, how your muscles fail you very fast, and how flustered we can be on the wall.
Also, I'm very curious about your switch to an agency. My wife is at the end of our first pregnancy and it's no joke. Kudos to you for making it work!
Great edition, Kenny but you had me on pins and needles! I was waiting for the formula. When I saw the headline, I said to myself, “this lucky dog Kenny did it” :)
Haha! Thanks, Louie!
It will come, it will come. And when it happens, you’ll be the first one to know everything about it!
hey Kenny, really enjoyed this one, I’m tired of the get rich quick nonsense all over social media these days too, they never tell the whole story and are often trying to sell you their course, which also excludes a bunch of hard work that’s hard to just replicate. Keep going though, we’ll figure it out and do it in a more genuine way.
Glad you enjoyed it, Dave!
You know I think it’s fine to use those marketing tactics as long as there is an explanation on how to replicate their success if possible.
This is so familiar to what I always say look at what they do and study their history before you believe the hype. Thanks for the great article
Well put! It's better to use those articles to trigger curiosity than blind faith.
Thank you for your comment!
Thanks for giving a very realistic and sobering view on this. If someone's actual process and underlying assumptions aren't visible, it has limited value to the audience beyond a momentary distraction.
The list of questions is great to flesh out those assumptions to ensure the playing field is even before jumping into "it worked for me, so it will for you" territory.
Thanks for you comment, Casey!
I haven't tested this out. But my assumption would be that a good case study will probably attract people who will implement some actionable items in there whereas numbers would attract people dreaming about it.
I remember having a viral post on Reddit about getting a first job on Upwork. I followed up with a few people to chat about their progress and I was a bit disappointed to see that most of them didn't seem to have made much progress.
It boils down to:
How much attention we dedicate towards the rewards vs. the process of getting the rewards.
I find the best people are those who come back and show you the results (or failures) after implementing the ideas they get inspired by.
I was here for the formula too 🤣
Great post!
Thank you, Kunal!
Haha, if I find it, don’t be surprised if you read another title like that from me lol
“The problem is they seriously lack context.” -- every single time.
Right?
It looks like a lot of people are yearning for honest documentation of those journeys. It’s fine to use how much was made if those are facts, if they are accompanied with honest transparency about previous skills and experience!
A similar trend happens each year around this time in college admissions. Lucky kids who get into Harvard or Stanford, or their parents, brag about how they beat the odds. They choose to leave out that they’re legacy applicants, that their parents are worth hundreds of millions or billions of dollars, and donate generously to the school.
I remember some people also hire coaches to guide them through the process. Probably makes it way easier as well!
Enjoyed this, Kenny! I try to capture some of this in the founder stories I feature on Everyday Empires, but could do an even better job to provide context about their unique situation. The questions you pose are good - might try some of those.
Glad you like it, Ken! I think there's a balance to achieve. There's the unhelpful "put words on a landing page and advertise it and you'll make millions, it's easy" but on the other side of it, there's a more truthful account of the journey. But even with a detailed account, some context is bound to be lost.
Although, I have to say you're doing a pretty good job with your interviews! Glad to have content like that out there :)
I definitely love zooming out and putting it all in context!
Something that’s left out of those post is also the cost of success. What did/does it take to get to this level of success? What are the sacrifices necessary to get there?
Sure 50k per month sounds good. But what needs to be done to get there and maintain that? And the next question would be, is this something I want to “pay” to get there?
These are all great questions to ask. This example reminds me of the email from people “teaching” copywriting. Titles were like how I made $5k before breakfast.
Everyone has an unfair advantage. Their past/current workplace, location, mindset, finances, anything you can think of.
Some unfair advantages are suitable for some small bets, others for different small bets.
I’m a software engineer and write for software engineers, but I don't have the unfair advantage of working for a company every software engineer knows - AWS, Google, etc.
Is my small bet pointless? I don't think so, but it’ll take me more time to build credibility.
I haven't had incredible growth, so according to Tim’s advice, I should quit, but what if I'm enjoying the process?
As you point out, it's important to understand the unfair advantage people have. But not get too wrapped up in it. At some point, we need to do with what we have and use our own unfair advantage. We can still take whatever we can from other stories and apply them to our own situation.
Even though you didn't work for AWS or Google, I'm sure you have an unfair advantage compared to other people!
Regarding quitting, I would assume it depends on your goals. If you're enjoying the process and that's what counts for you, why not continue?
I started following those freelancers that made 1 million on Upwork or independently. Even though, they sometimes have great advice. They are so far removed from the early challenges, but even more so the emotional journey at the beginning. Everything is so much more heightened at the beginning of the journey and it's so intense.
I'm a climber and my gym has a mentorship program. So I started mentorship someone there. Even though I had almost two years of climbing experience, I already had forgotten what it felt like to climb for an hour or two, how your muscles fail you very fast, and how flustered we can be on the wall.
Also, I'm very curious about your switch to an agency. My wife is at the end of our first pregnancy and it's no joke. Kudos to you for making it work!