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    2nd half of 2022

    The easiest way to grow a business is first optimize everything you've already got.

    For example, if you want to optimize your business for the rest of 2022, just having rough goals like this could be helpful:

    12 monthcalendar for copywriting course.png

    Or even doing something simple as pre-preparing for seasonal events can position you better

    calendar-scratch.png

    I personally plan out each month with a little goal sheet like this:

    daily-to-do-lists.png

    Then for yearly goals I'll sit around with some buddies and discuss, then come up with a few solid goals:

    group-think-tank.png

    It feels like change is in the air for the world....maybe some recession-style stuff. This is often when great companies get built.

    I'm curious, how are you planning for the 2nd half of the year?
    • Write down goals?
    • Discuss with friends?
    • Other methods?

    Reply in the comments and let me know!
    Sincerely,
    Neville Medhora

     

     

    51 Comments


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    • Administrator

    Hey Luke! 

    In different cities I was able to establish a friend group, and in a nutshell here's the principles:

    • Have a "Hub Friend" in the city. This is a friend who knows people/events/places. Do your best to live close to them.
    • Be a value add to the new community, not just a taker. This means host small events. My Friend Nick Gray does this thing called "The Two Hour Cocktail Party" which is a perfect exemplification of this.
    • Go to lots of meetups and events in your field of interest, make an active effort to make friends and invite them to things. 
    • Try to say "hello" to 5 new people per day. 
    • The concept of having a "3rd Place"

    I think most people just hope-and-pray they get invited to things....but the best way to get invited to cool stuff is by hosting stuff!

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    Hey Neville,

    I like to set 3 ambitious goals per quarter. On Sundays, I write what I want to accomplish for the week and each day I take one step forward. 

    Breaking down big goals into bite-sized, daily steps works wonders for me!

    The friend goal-setting thing is awesome. How do you start conversations like that with your friends?

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    • Administrator

    Hey Armand great system! 

    For the friend goal setting thing, I have in mind a few people (maybe 3-5) that are in similar fields....so in my case it was people who owned businesses. 

    They I told them all to come over on a Tuesday to my place, and we'd discuss what our goals were, then I sent out a Google Calendar Invite so people had it on their schedule. 

    For preparation I just had a few questions written out on this crappy whiteboard thing I bought for $15 as a guide:

    image.jpeg

    For the most part this wasn't really needed, as almost everyone already had some idea of what kind of goals they wanted to hit. 

    We went around talking about goals, sharing some kinda-private numbers, and then everyone could come to the conclusion what their own goals were. 

    It was very helpful to get feedback on your own goals from the group!

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    Neville,

    Thanks for the email. Love the idea of optimizing what you’ve already got, and how you laid out a super simple plan that’s actionable: a thing or two a month instead of everything all at once.

    As for what I’m doing for my business…I’m looking over the 5 Es in Jesse Cole’s book Fans First to see how I can apply them to make my business more fun for me and clients. 

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    • Administrator

    Hey John, I think making your business more fun for yourself AND your customers is a wise idea! 

    It's a win/win 🙂 

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    Hey Neville,

    I wrote up a list of things I want to test for the next 60 days.

    My birthday is in November so I'd love to push this until then!

    Love your weekly emails. They help me think about writing in a creative way.

    Cheers,
    Matt

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    • Administrator

    Thanks Matt! 

    Cool you have a goal to work towards for the next 60 days. I feel like you can accomplish A LOT in just 60 days!

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    We don't plan. We should. Guilty of not letting anyone see behind the curtain of our business. Recently a few interested buyers have taken a peak and it seems like I'm at least not screwing anything up. 

    For whatever reason, I really struggle with revealing details of the business and therefore miss out on valuable feedback. The good news is we're headed in the right direction. The bad news is I have not planned what the direction looks like, other than mental goal-setting. 

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    • Administrator

    Hey Thomas I completely understand, as sometimes you don't want EVERYONE to see. 

    However there are some interesting counter-cases to this, for example ConvertKit posts their full revenue numbers here: https://convertkit.baremetrics.com/

    ....their income, refunds, MRR....EVERYTHING!!

    Not saying you should publish income, but it's a case to show that by publicly showing behind the kimono, you might be self conscious and want to improve those numbers. 

    I share the numbers with a few people I trust so they can help improve or tell me if something is bad.

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    Hey, 

    Great email and timely for me. I'm kinda stuck with my goals. I set up my copywriting business to enable me to work on the road. I travel in my moho for months on end. UK, Europe, further afield if I can get there. And you know what? It's all going “ok”. I'm earning enough to travel, I only work 4 hours a day, and I have three days off a week to explore new places. 

    Sounds cushy, right? (Soz, an Only Fools & Horses phrase there. Are you familiar with the ‘80s comedy show?) 

    If you'd have told me in 2019, “Hey Debs, this is what your life’s like in 2022,” I’d have been ecstatic. I’d snatch my 2022 life outta your hands like a kid grabbing candy. 

    But now I'm here, living it; my ambitious side wants a bit more. The career gremlin inside me wants to build the business, create a name for myself, and be more than an average freelance copywriter. 

    But how the flying f**k do I do that while still enjoying exploring new places with my already retired partner? Who wants me to chill and only with enough hours to get by financially (my lazier side wants this, too. Because life’s too short). 

    Any advice? Work harder, or relax and enjoy my approaching middle-aged years? 

    Thanks, 
    Debs 

    P.S For context, I used to be Associate Head of a large comp school. Career girl all my life. 

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    • Administrator

    Hey Debbie, this sounds like a good life with some trepidation you're not being ambitious enough. 

    How about you try a mix?
    → 70% being content and happy with your situation.
    → 30% want more. 

    Instead of ditching your fun life, what if you try some side projects for fun? This can show you if you like a project or hate it very quickly and move on if needed. 

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    Neville said 1 hour ago:

    Hey Debbie, this sounds like a good life with some trepidation you're not being ambitious enough. 

    How about you try a mix?
    → 70% being content and happy with your situation.
    → 30% want more. 

    Instead of ditching your fun life, what if you try some side projects for fun? This can show you if you like a project or hate it very quickly and move on if needed. 

    Thanks Neville. That's a fabulous idea and I’m def going to try it 😊

    Debs 

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    Thanks Neville, I find your emails valuable and your service priceless, and working towards putting some money aside to purchase it.  

    Thank you. 

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    • Administrator

    Hey Oliver I appreciate that! One day if you join myself and the writers will be happy to help you with your projects!

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    Hey Neville,

    Thanks to you I got introduced to copywriting.

    Now my plan for the 2nd half of 2022 is to make money with copywriting.
    I have a vague plan for this, something like:

    • Get better at copywriting
    • Read the recommended classic books, practise writing, handcopy ads
    • Read mindset and business related books
    • Start networking with people
    • Outreach to business owners who need copy
    • Also health (eat better, exercise)

    I'll make my plan more precise as I progress.

    Thanks,
    -Avinash

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    • Administrator

    Hey Avinash glad I introduced you to copywriting! 

    It seems like those are AMAZING goals you've picked.....I would simultaneously work on your mental skills as well as your physical goals, they go hand-in-hand.

    Maybe take some time this month to plan out the next few months?

    Even if you do one thing a month, that can really compound!

    image.png

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    • Administrator

    Hey Clifford, writing down your goals is a good.....goal! 

    Honestly writing down your ideas in general is great. Getting thoughts and ideas from your brain to paper (digital or physical) is always wise 🙂 

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    Hi Neville,
    Medium term goal is find a new in-house or agency copywriting job. Last few months have been submitting job applications, and doing cold outreach to people at companies I want to work for. Had to put my blog and podcasts production on back burner.

    But someone said your taking a sales approach to a marketing problem.

    So after trying that approach for a few months, I’m back to content production (rather be doing that anyway). Now, I’ve scheduled blocks in my calendar every week to consistently produce blog posts, pod episodes, and post 2x a week on LinkedIn (with a sprinkling of comments on other peoples stuff).

    Aaron

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    • Administrator

    Hey Aaron that's awesome you've started making content that can draw IN users rather than just blasting OUT to them:

    content-marketing-attracting-customers.gif

    (That's you in the GIF)  🙂

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    Hi Neville,
    Very helpful post.

    I will write down the goals, as well as a few key inputs that I can measure.

    For example, I am planning to run the Baltimore Marathon this October. 

    Output- Complete Marathon (no walking).

    Input -  4 runs/week comprising 2 short runs, 1 medium and 1 long run (the mileage goes up as I get closer to the date).

    Always looking forward to your content.
    Thanks- Abhishek

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    • Administrator

    Much appreciated Abhishek! 

    Sounds like if you keep up that training routine you'll definitely complete The Baltimore Marathon....best of luck!!

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    Hey Neville,

    Absolutely love your newsletter and the content you put out - it's one of only three that I make a point to read!

    I'm in the process of applying for accelerators/grants so I've had to put a lot of effort into identifying goals and milestones for the next six months.

    I've found that previously an awful lot of them would fall by the wayside or pass me by and I haven't been great at being self-accountable.

    Recently i've been added to a discord channel with other start-up business owners, seeing their propensity for action and in a way feeling accountable to them, will no doubt help me.

    All the best,
    Luke

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    • Administrator

    Oh wow, high compliments Luke, thank you!!

    Some suggestions for grants:

    1.) The more you do, the better you get at it. 

    2.) Run some of your applications by others (maybe even inside the Course). 

     

    You might be writing them weird, or including stuff that's not interesting. Getting a second/third/fourth set of eyes on these application might be wildly helpful!

    writers-block-copy-w-bgk.png

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    My second half gonna start with getting subscription of your Copywriting Course.

    I'm really excited to get copy insights from you sir and be the part of your Copywriting community.

    Will join soon. 
    Thank you. 

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