Why 99% of copywriters crash and burn

$10,000/month.

Wake up whenever you want.

Work however much you want.

Play whenever, wherever, however you want.

Travel? Anytime.

Money? More than you need. You can buy whatever you want.

No more worries.

All it takes is your laptop and an internet connection.

That’s why most people pick copywriting as their chosen online business.

It gives them a clear path to freedom that a 9 to 5 could never offer.

But…

The reality is… most copywriters fail.

And when I say fail, I don’t mean they struggle to become capable to succeed.

I mean they quit.

99% of copywriters will quit before ever hitting $10,000 per month.

Now, telling you this doesn’t serve me in my business because according to the guru rulebook, I should just be telling you that becoming a $10k/month copywriter is super easy and anyone can do it in 30 days if you buy my program.

But it’s the reality.

But, let that soak in for a second. The vast majority of people who set out to hit $10,000 per month with copywriting won’t achieve that goal.

But, here’s the thing…

The story is the same whether it’s copywriting, dropshipping, Amazon FBA, sales, affiliate marketing, trading, content creation, social media management, or launching a digital product.

99% give up and go back to the next thing (or alllll the way back to their 9 to 5).

How do I know?

Because I was that guy.

I tried at least 5 businesses before copywriting.

Sales, dropshipping, service arbitrage, FB flipping, web development, bookkeeping, and more.

I was the 99% who failed.

So, what made me crash and burn with those business models?

It’s not that they’re terrible business models. But the main reason is because I didn’t have enough pain in my life to move.

Something I realized is that most people are happy enough to stay in a 9 to 5.

But they’re unsatisfied enough to always wish for more.

Pretty sad place to be in, in my opinion.

That was me while I dove into those 5 businesses before copywriting.

I was just content enough in my day job to not take consistent leaps towards my goals.

I had to become unsatisfied in order to thrive.

So, back to the 99%. Most people will start copywriting because it seems like a get rich quick scheme (News flash — it’s not. But you can build a $5,000-$10,000/month business with some hard work and consistency).

Most people will start because it seems super easy. Just write an email in 20 minutes and make $10k/month). It’s not going to happen in your first month. But it is possible to build a six-figure business by writing for just a few hours a day within a year or two.

But most people will crash and burn when they realize it takes time to land your first client, reach $1,000/month, $5,000/month, and beyond.

Most people will crash and burn when they realize it takes months of early mornings and late nights outside of your already draining 9 to 5 to make it work.

Copywriting isn’t for everyone.

Building an online business isn’t for everyone.

Only 8% of Americans are entrepreneurs.

A whopping 92% of the U.S. workforce are employees.

Some people just aren’t cut out for this.

If that’s you, that’s fine. There’s nothing wrong with working a 9 to 5, getting a 3% raise every year, and taking your annual two-week vacation.

But…

For people like me who would rather shove toothpicks in my eyeballs before I ever go back to an office job, take a 1+ hour commute to work, and have to ask my boss if I can eat or use the bathroom…

Then you need to understand that becoming an entrepreneur is a life of pain.

At least…

For a season.

Every copywriter I know who built a six figure copywriting business within one year didn’t ease their way into it.

They worked harder than everyone around them.

They sacrificed more than their co-workers. More than their friends. More than their family.

And no one understood why they’d do this without getting any tangible rewards in the moment.

So if you want to move fast, understand that it’s going to hurt a bit at first.

But, here’s the thing…

6-12 months of temporary pain sure beats a lifetime of regret in my eyes.

In 2019, I went all in on copywriting. I woke up early mornings to write before my 12-hour day job. I stayed up late to go through courses.

I skipped weekend festivities to handcopy sales letters.

That first year was hard.

But that first year came and went.

6 weeks in and I got my first client.

By month 7 I was making a full time income, at $5,000/month.

By the one year mark, I was making triple what I made at my previous job — $9,000/month.

I was able to quit my job, travel the world, retire my wife, take 2 month-long trips on the other side of the world — in Thailand, Australia, Vietnam.

And finally wake up when I want.

And work when I want.

That year was hard.

But the previous 5 years of trying to make it work (but not really going all in)…

They were 10x harder.

The pain of being at my 9 to 5. Doing those 1 hour commutes. Working those long days. Barely getting time off. Making menial pay.

And… worst of all…knowing there was something so much greater on the other side of an online business.

Seeing all these other people living their dream life, making money and travelling the world with just a laptop in hand, meanwhile I’m stuck in this rat race.

That was hard.

And that one year of “suffering” went by so fast.

One year of difficulty turned into a lifetime of freedom.

If you want to avoid crashing and burning as a copywriter.

If you want to avoid failing at half a dozen online businesses.

If you want to avoid the game of pretending to be a business owner while others truly build six-figure businesses…

You have to be the one who decides that enough really is enough, and you’re going all in.

The pain you’re in today must exceed the pain of 12 months of work.

Just remember…

You can either write your way to freedom in 1 year or slave away in an office for 40 years.

It’s up to you.

-Brandon “time keeps on slipping into the future” Storey

P.S. Here’s my whole story of going from clueless about copywriting to hitting my first $9,000/month in 12 months.