Why I keep doing what I do: 

“THANK YOU for your inspirational books. I have read The Reluctant Entrepreneur, Ready, Fire, Aim (many times), and The Pledge. Yes! You planted the Entrepreneur Bug in me. Can you please help me answer one question? How do I know if I’m an Entrepreneur?…. I’ve tried many businesses. But honestly, I’m not very good at it.” – SV

My Response: My first suggestion would be to reread those books and compare the advice given to what you have actually done. I guarantee you that there will be major differences. But because you’ve been kind enough to buy and read those books, I’m going to give you a brief, six-step protocol that – if you follow it assiduously – will virtually guarantee your success:

1. Pick a business in an industry that is currently growing. The faster the better.
2. Get a job in that industry. Preferably on the “revenue” side of the P&L ledger (rather than the “expense” side. Great options are as a junior marketer, salesperson, or copywriter.
3. Work your ass off to become a valued employee, while learning the business from the inside out.
4. While you work your way up, make contacts in the industry within and without your business.
5. When you are ready to go out on your own, test yourself by setting up something on the side while you keep your main job. (Yes, you will be working 60 hours a week!)
6. Once the side business is making enough to replace your current income, invite your boss to be your partner. If he declines, wish him well and become his competitor.

“Do you have any words of advice you would be willing to share with a newbie to the content marketing/copywriting world?” – KN

My Response: I have thousands of words of advice. They are contained in the books I wrote about writing and copywriting – The Architecture of Persuasion, Great Leads (cowritten with John Forde), and Copy Logic! (with Mike Palmer) – and in the basic program for copywriting that I wrote and AWAI publishes.