“Things are different now. First you have to be friends. You have to like each other. Then you neck. This could go on for years. Then you have tests, and then you get to do it with a condom. The good news is you split the check.”
— Rob Reiner’s character in Sleepless in Seattle
A while back, when I was living in Budapest, I decided to get more involved in the city’s startup scene.
So what to do? I thought of different options:
I could go to local meetups where people were giving talks…
I could start working at coworking spaces and try to make friends on my breaks…
Or I could simply find a list of startups, contact their founders, and introduce myself.
Which is what I did one Monday. By Wednesday, I was having beers with the American-born founder of an English-teaching startup.
The point being, many ways can lead you to a goal, but often, the direct path is the most effective. On the other hand, indirect, passive, or timid strategies are frequently how NOT to get what you want — because they leave you exhausted, distracted, and sitting in a ditch by the side of the road.
By the way, this doesn’t just apply to beers with startup founders.
It’s actually a broader life principle with me.
It underlies how I meet women (definitely not with Rob Reiner’s passive approach above). It’s also how I achieved freedom in my life, so I don’t have to sit in an office every day. This directness principle is even guiding my efforts at getting rich.
Speaking of the last two things:
One thing has been instrumental in my being able to get out of the office forever, and to start making solid money without having a boss.
That thing has been working as a freelance sales copywriter on the online platform Upwork.
Sure, when I got started, I had zero experience as a sales copywriter and I wasn’t getting paid a lot.
But I was able to raise my rates very quickly, work fewer hours, and have more time to devote to other projects.
I don’t think what I’ve been able to do is unique. In other words, anybody who wants to can do the same. In fact, I’m writing a short guide right now on exactly how to do this.
This guide is almost finished, and when it’s done, I’ll put it up on Amazon as a Kindle ebook. If you want to get notified when it’s out (there will be a short free promo period), sign up below: