How Connor Became a Persuasive Writer + our Plan to Retire at Age 30

Welcome back to Episode 6* of the ZeitGeist Podcast with Derek and Connor!

Episode 6 — Still no niche

In today’s episode, Derek and I talk about Persuasive Writing, and the classic book, Think and Grow Rich.

But since we recorded this conversation a lot changed in my life. I signed up for Ship30for30 from Dickie Bush and Nicolas Cole. In short, Ship30for30 is an online cohort-based writing course that teaches you the fundamentals of digital writing and holds you accountable for 30 essays in 30 days. Joining Ship30 has more than 10xed my writing output over the last two weeks.

If you are curious, you can find my daily essays on Twitter:
https://twitter.com/CopyWriteConnor

I would have paid thousands

I paid $250 to be a part of the April Cohort (they give “scholarships” if you ask) but if truth be told, it’s laughably affordable for the value you get. I simply can’t say enough good things about the course or Dickie.

Here are Dickie’s best Twitter Threads about writing. (more helpful than a college course & free):

Dickie Bush 🚢 @dickiebush

The world's most valuable skill: Writing effectively. But colleges charge you 120k and still do a terrible job teaching it. Instead, here are 9 writing frameworks that cost you nothing and will save you hundreds of hours:

By the way, Dickie, who played football at Princeton, recently quit his job at Blackrock (the super prestigious investment firm) to build full time on the internet. Cool guy.

Ship30for30 (Epic Course):

If you want to start a daily writing habit and learn all about writing online, you can sign up for the August Cohort.

August Cohort Ship30for30

I already persuaded my friend Shivam in India to sign up:

My Twitter name used to be @ReadMoreBooks22 now it's @CopyWriteConnor

Can’t wait to hear from him in August.

Lastly,, here is the ghostwriter’s digital products Derek and I mentioned in the podcast:

https://joshualisec.gumroad.com/

(But Ship30for30 is better)

P.S. My Most Popular Essay This Week

How Being Cheap Can Cost You Your Pants

In Constance, Germany, everyone rides bikes.

After I moved here, a teacher gifted me his old bike. The bike was perfect except for the cracked leather seat. But, I never replaced the seat because I wanted to save money. That proved to be a costly mistake.

Short Term (First Order Consequence)

In the short term, I saved money. Instead of spending 25 bucks on a new seat, I kept using the defective (but workable) seat. But, I wasn’t in Germany for the short term, and soon my cheapness caught up with me.

Long Term (Second Order Consequence)

The result was I lost my favorite pair of pants. Let me explain.

Last year, my grandfather bought me a pair of carpenter pants. I love those pants because they are breathable, durable, and have perfect pockets. So, I wear them most days. But that also meant I sat on the cracked seat with them most days.

My favorite pants (not the same bike, this one broke)

After a couple months, a hole started to develop right on the deepest leather ridge. When I took my pants to a tailor, she said they were beyond repair because too much of the fabric was thinning (in the exact pattern of my bicycle seat).

If I wanted to replace my pants, it would cost 75 dollars plus the hassle of getting them to Germany.

The Moral of the Story

Your short-term wants don't usually satisfy your long-term needs. Part of growing up is aligning your short-term actions with your long-term desires.

Don't be like me. Save your pants.