They laughed when I started reading business books

They Laughed When I Started Reading Business Books
But When I Hit My First $10,000 Month!—

It was 2015.

I just got married.

I was 22 years old.

Married my best friend, Jenny.

But…

The day after my wedding, I almost had a panic attack.

I woke up stunned. Gripped with fear. And I could hardly breathe.

Why?

The overwhelming responsibility to provide. Not just for my new bride, but also for my future kids one day.

The problem was… I was making $12/hour working 30 hours a week at a pizza shop.

I could barely take care of myself, let alone an entire family.

I knew I had to make a change, but college wasn’t an option. Tried that before. Wasn’t for me.

I realized there was only ONE way I’d be able to provide for a family… and still have the time to be with them, and freedom to travel with them:

I had to start my own business.

But I didn’t know where to start. So I bought a handful of business and marketing books:

• 4-Hour Workweek by Tim Ferris

• Like a Virgin by Richard Branson

• Purple Cow by Seth Godin

• Millionaire Fastlane by MJ DeMarco

These books got my wheels spinning in my brain about what I could do.

How business really worked.

I was alone.

I was clueless.

I had no idea what I was doing.

I was determined to succeed. I wanted so badly to make something of myself so I could take care of my family. I was a desperate kid trying to figure out how to become a man.

I didn’t have any business friends. I tried convincing my friends to start an online business too. But they had no interest.

So I had no guidance, no friends along the journey with me. And, I didn’t come from money. I grew up as the youngest of 8 children in a middle class home. And I had no inheritance on the way.

I had to figure it out on my own.

But what made it even worse was the response I got from my friends…

I spent any time I could learning about business.

And I even brought my books to work. So during slow hours I could sneak in some extra learning time from behind my counter.

One day, I opened up one of my business books and started reading.

Well, one of my co-workers glanced over and saw me.

So he strolls on over, grabs my book, and starts laughing in my face.

“What the hell are you reading??? Millionaire Fastlane?!”

“So you think you’re going to be a rich boy one day?”

He motioned another co-worker of mine to come by.

He looks at the book. Looks at me. And they both start laughing at me.

There have only been a handful of times in my life when I’ve felt completely humiliated.

This was one of them.

Face red. Tongue tied. And no way to escape.

This was one of those times.

I’ve never felt so small.

Here I was, trying to better myself.

Investing what little money I had to learn new skills.

Spending my time trying to make myself a better husband. A better father for my future children. And a better child to my parents.

So I could take care of them.

And I was being laughed at for it.

And in that moment I realized I had two choices:

1) I could let their opinions get to me. I could give their words power. I could choose to never bring a book to work again. I could choose to “fit in” better. And I could choose to keep making $12/hour at this pizza shop.

2) Or, I could choose to keep my family first. Keep my goals first. And pursue them regardless of others’ opinions. And I could keep reading my business books to level up faster, knowing very well I was being judged.

Guess which path I chose?

I chose my family and my goals over the opinions of others.

And from that moment on, I learned as much as I could.

Sure, I failed at different businesses over the years. Dropshipping, bookkeeping, web development, drop servicing, and more.

But I chose to keep going until I found success with copywriting.

And when I hit my first $1,000 month…

And then my first $5,000 month…

And then my first $10,0000 month…

And then my first $15,000 month…

I continued to keep my eyes focused on my goal, not on the opinions of others.

The crazy part is?

Years later, my old co-worker (who laughed at me years earlier) reached out to me.

He asked me how I did it: How I was able to make $10-$15k/month from my laptop. To be able to provide for my family. Have time for them. And travel the world.

He wanted all those things and more. So I told him.

So what’s the lesson for you here?

The reality is: business is hard. I’ll be the first to tell you that. No matter what business you build.

But it’s a lot harder when you give time to the naysayers. To voices of others trying to drag you down to their level.

Don’t listen to them. If you give in, you’ll lose.

Instead, you need to become hardcore about shutting out the noise and tuning into the right signal.

When it came to building a successful business, I tuned out the voices and opinions of others who didn’t have the business success I wanted.

And I tuned into the voices of those who succeeded in business.

That didn’t mean I didn’t listen to their opinions in other domains like family or spirituality.

But I realized if I want to win in business, I need to listen to business advice ONLY from those who have succeeded in business. Not from those stuck in their 9 to 5s, trapped in the rat race.

So I invested $5,000 into my copywriting education in year one to surround myself with winning copywriters. Learn their techniques. Their systems. To adopt the secret habits that led to their success.

And it worked.

One year later, I was making $9,000/month. And shortly after, $10-$15k/months.

If you’re looking for a way to fast-track your way to your first $5,000, $10,000, or $15,000 month as a freelance copywriter, then I might have just what you’re looking for:

Yesterday, I officially re-opened the doors to my 1:1 copywriting coaching program for February.

Here’s what you get inside my 1:1 copywriting coaching:

Daily Copy Feedback

I’ll review every piece of copy you write: practice pieces, client work, outreach, landing pages, emails, everything. This alone speeds up your progress more than any course possibly can.

Weekly 1-Hour Coaching Calls

Every week, I literally tell you exactly what to do next so you never guess or spin your wheels.

Daily VIP DM Support

Ask questions anytime. Get unstuck fast. This is the closest thing to having me physically sitting next to you at your desk while you build your copy biz from your laptop.

I Become Your Personal Copy Editor

As you land client #1, #2, and #3, I’ll review and refine your copy so you can gain confidence in your writing, attract $1,000-$5,000/month retainers, and keep clients paying you on retainers.

And… unlike most copywriting coaching programs, mine comes with a results-based guarantee: when you join my coaching, you’ll get your first $5,000 month within 6 months or you get your money back.

If that sounds like something you’re interested in, then reply to this email with the word “February” to apply now.

I’ve got limited spots.

Doors close next week or when spots fill.

Brandon “signal vs. noise” Storey

P.S. In case you didn’t catch it…

My subject line (and headline) for today’s email was inspired by one of the greatest sales letters of all time, written by legendary copywriter John Caples: