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how to "freetire" yourself

(without leaving your sofa)

written by dan goldfield 3rd of February 2024

solopreneurship is the best business model.🔹no boss
🔹no employees
🔹no obligationsand solopreneurs made $5 TRILLION last year.0.00002% of that will make you a millionaire.here are 240 tiny steps to get you started (with zero experience or capital):
1. take some alone time.2. silence your notifications.3. open a new note.4. at the top, write "WHO I AM".5. underneath, consider the following questions:🔹what is your true nature?🔹what are your deepest values?🔹what are your characteristics?🔹how would someone else describe you if they knew the real you?🔹what do you want for yourself?🔹what do you want for your loved ones?🔹what change would you most like to see in the world?💡your answers will be the foundation of your new business.
6. now write "WHAT I CARE ABOUT".7. underneath, write at least 3 topics, then their sub-topics, eg:PSYCHOLOGY: famous psychologists, theories, types of treatment, research, everyday applications.
8. circle whichever of your 3 main topics has the greatest potential to help people.9. now write "WHY"10. underneath, express why you care about your circled topic.11. write as if you were told you had only an hour to live and your message would be delivered to the whole of humanity.this is your last chance to make them see why your topic is important.
12. if you don't have one already, sign up for an account on X.13. upload a clear photo of your face as your profile pic.14. add your details to this bio structure:i write about [topic 1], [topic 2] and [topic 3] so you can [benefit] and [benefit] without [pain]. [accomplishment] and/or [what you're working on].eg:i write about psychology, self-help and productivity so you can 10x what you put out without the burn out. PhD clinical psychology. featured on betterhelp․com.
15. copy/paste your bio to your profile.16. grab a pen and paper.17. doodle a visualization of the transformation someone will experience as they go from knowing nothing about your main topic to knowing everything about it.18. go to canva.com.19. create a 1500 x 500 pixel document.20. make the background colour correspond to the background of your profile pic.21. recrrate your doodle using canva's free tools and graphics.22. export the file as a PNG or JPG.23. upload it to X.24. go to "lists" in the X sidebar.25. click "new list" at the top.26. name it "friends".27. click "next".28. click "done".29. create another list called "comments".30. click "next".31. click "done".32. create another list called "examples".33. click "next".34. click "done".35. go to "explore" in the X sidebar.36. at the top, type in your main topic.37. find an account that looks interesting and open it in a new tab.38. take a look at the profile and content to see if it resonates.39. if it does, follow the creator.40. click the 3 dots near the "follow" button.41. click "add/remove from lists".🔹if the account has less than 10,000 followers, add it to your "friends" list🔹if the account has 10,000-50,000 followers, add it to your "comments" list🔹if the account has 50,000+ followers, add it to your "examples" list
42. keep going till each list has at least 10 accounts on it.43. go to your "examples" list.44. browse the posts on it until you see one with an attractive structure (ignore threads for now), eg:

"I can't focus."
But you can focus on Netflix for hours.

"I don't know how."
But you never do anything to learn how.

"I'm not creative."
But you can make up excuses like these.
— Joey Justice (@joeyjusticeco) January 19, 2024

45. remove the idea from the structure, eg:[statement of problem]
[rebuttal][statement of problem]
[rebuttal][statement of problem]
[rebuttal]
46. go back to the notes you wrote earlier ("WHO I AM"; "WHAT I CARE ABOUT"; "WHY").47. find an idea you can plug into the structure you just laid out, eg:"i can't stop eating bad food."
but you can when there's delicious good food."i don't have time to cook."
but you have time to drive to KFC."life's too short."
but you continue to worry about this sh!t.
💡you don't have to be an expert in what you're writing about.you can just post "notes to self" that help you along in your own journey.many so-called "thought-leaders" openly admit that they do this.
48. publish your first post at 12pm UTC.💡this is proven to be a good time for activity in the US, which is where most X users live.
49. repost it 6 hours later so it gets seen by people in other timezones.50. repost it another 6 hours later to catch everyone else.51. if any of these times fall in your sleeping hours, adjust the schedule.52. like and reply to EVERY comment you receive on all your posts from now on.53. reserve a weekly 2-hour block in your calendar.54. name that block "X writing".55. when that 2-hour block arrives, use it to repeat steps x to x 7 times.56. save the results in your notes app.57. publish one per day.58. follow the same repost schedule as you did with your first post (+6 hours, +12 hours).59. when you hit your weekly writing time block again, repeat steps x to x.💡writing your posts in bulk during a focused "deep work" session aids focus, which gets you better learning and better results.
60. reserve a 30-minute daily block in your calendar.61. name that block "X friends"62. when that hour arrives, go to your "friends" list.63. reply to their posts, describing a personal experience you had relating to the topic.64. watch your notifications for responses and follow the flow of any natural conversations that start.65. when you feel a connection forming with someone, move the conversation to the dm's.66. go to calendly.com.67. sign up for a free account.68. set up a single appointment type and add your availability.69. back in the dm's, if the conversation is still popping, suggest a video call.70. on the call, ask about your new friend's mission:🔹what brought them to X?
🔹what kind of audience do they hope to reach?
🔹have they thought yet about how they'll monetize?
🔹what can you do to help?💡naturally, the person you're speaking to will reflect similar questions to you. internet creators are all on a similar journey and they tend to be great people.
71. get your new friend's telegram or whatsapp so you can stay in touch outside of X.72. tell them you'll keep an eye out for posts of theirs you think your audience will like.73. when you find one, share it.74. drop the link to the post you shared in your telegram/whatsapp chat with the creator, tell them why you liked it and that you shared it.75. they'll almost certainly volunteer to do the same for you. if not, give them a little nudge.
💡if someone you're talking with doesn't understand "i'll scratch your back, you scratch mine" they're not worth staying in touch with.76. repeat steps x to x until you have at least 4 new creator friends.77. ask if they'd like to join a group of other creators.78. set up the group, add all your new friends and voila: you have a "mastermind".79. nurture the group with daily contact, keep sharing posts you like from these creators with your audience and have them do the same.80. reserve a second daily 30-minute time block in your calendar.81. name that block "X comments".82. when this block rolls around, go to your "comments" X list.83. drop more relevant comments from your personal experience.
💡don't expect friendships to form here. it can happen, but creators who are more established (like the ones on your "comments" list) will typically:a - already have a support networkb - be struggling to keep up with 100's of notifications per daythe reason you still put these comments out each day is because it helps potential followers to find you while your reach is still small.84. increase your posting frequency to 2x/day. publish your 2nd post at 2pm UTC.85. extend your "writing" timeblock if you have to.💡you'll get quicker at writing posts with experience.
86. follow the same +6 hours, +12 hours reposting schedule.87. reserve another 2-hour weekly timeblock in your calendar.88. name that block "newsletter".89. when that block rolls around, go back to your "WHO I AM", "WHAT I CARE ABOUT", "WHY" notes.90. pick out a big problem you solved in your life.91. go to chat.openai.com.92. sign up for a free account.93. paste the following prompt into chatgpt:94. "give shocking number- or percentage-based statistics on [topic]"95. check that the sources are credible.96. go to beehiiv.com.97. sign up for a free account.98. start a new newsletter with the statistic gpt gave you. eg:99. "only 1 in 100 people will maintain their new year's resolution all the way to december."💡this gets your reader's attention and gives them something to relate to. this, in turn, signals to them that reading on will be worth their time.
100. tell a story about the challenge/s you faced before you solved the problem you chose.101. describe why and how this problem is so severe and/or widespread.102. describe the solution you applied and the way you applied it.103. describe the transformation you went through.104. describe what your life is like now that you've solved the problem.105. paste this prompt into chatgpt:"TASK= design steps that will guide readers of my NEWSLETTER to the transformation described within. draw on principles of gamification to make the process enjoyable and rewarding. design the first step to give the reader a tangible result that they can experience in the moment of reading.NEWSLETTER= [your entire newsletter draft so far]"106. take the steps gpt suggests and make them your own.💡NEVER copy and paste directly from gpt. your readers want to hear from YOU. gpt is at its best when it's helping you at the level of ideation. think of it as an assistant, not as your ghostwriter.
107. at the end of your newsletter, ask your readers a thought-provoking question about it and encourage them to reply to you in an email.💡this helps you get to know the kind of people that are reading your newsletter (which may well be zero to begin with but you'll use this format regularly).
108. copy/paste your entire newsletter into your notes app to create a backup of your 1st draft.109. tidy up the version in beehiiv for your 2nd draft.110. copy/paste your entire newsletter into your notes app to create a backup of your 2nd draft.111. brainstorm a short, snappy headline beginning with "how to". this headline should make a clear promise of the transformation you're guiding readers through in your newsletter. eg:🔹how to stop working too hard (and be MORE productive)
🔹how to take back control of your life (in 3 weeks)
🔹how to make a bad day impossible💡you want these headlines to have broad appeal. the newsletter body itself is where you get more specific.
112. under "post settings" in the beehiiv editor, make sure the "Hide from Feed" setting is toggled OFF.113. schedule your newsletter to go out at 12pm UTC on saturday.114. to get people to read it, link to it under your relevant X posts. open the post below on x.com to see what i mean:

you have $100,000 worth of unique knowledge in your head.

you just have to learn how to communicate it.
— dan goldfield (@itsdangoldfield) January 26, 2024

💡generally, once per week is the maximum frequency for linking to any one newsletter issue.
115. aim to publish one newsletter per week, but don't worry if that's not doable right away. over time you'll build up a library of newsletter issues on various topics you can link to under your X posts.116. increase the quantity of your posts to 3x/day.
💡your daily posting/reposting schedule should now look like this:POST 1: 12pm, 6pm, 12am UTCPOST 2: 2am, 8pm, 2am UTCPOST 3: 4pm, 10pm, 4am UTCagain, if you need to adjust it's no big deal.but if you have $49 spare and want to schedule your posts and reposts, check out this tool i use
117. start a new folder in your notes app.118. call it "stream of consciousness".119. develop the habit of noting EVERYTHING you think of that sparks curiosity, interest, dopamine etc. in this folder.120. it should end up filled with:🔹jokes
🔹advice
🔹stories
🔹quotes
🔹articles
🔹images
🔹memories
🔹social posts
🔹rough drafts
🔹links to videos
🔹ideas from podcasts
🔹commentary on things you hear
🔹potential ideas for your own posts and newsletterslike i said: EVERYTHING.
121. as your folder fills up, go through it periodically, categorize things you want to keep, and find inspiration for your own content.122. block out another weekly 2-hour slot in your calendar.123. label that one "thread writing".124. when that block rolls around, go back to your "examples" list on X.125. this time, find a thread you like.126. here's one of mine that got a million views:

I studied with a monk for 5 years, meditated for 29,366 hours, then married a hot neuropsychologist.

It's proven: mindfulness is a cheat code for life.

Here are the 4 steps you need to unlock elite performance, unshakeable confidence and genuine, lasting happiness ↓ pic.twitter.com/gOb3VqR9hH
— dan goldfield (@itsdangoldfield) March 11, 2023

127. follow the same process you did earlier with the single post—remove the ideas from the structure.if we do this with the first post of my thread (the "hook"), here's what we get:"i [personal experience]d, [personal experience]d, then [personal experience]d.it's proven: [bold claim].here are the x steps you need to [verb] [benefit], [benefit] and [benefit] ↓"
128. extract the structure for the rest of the thread.129. go to any newsletters you've written up to now, plus your "WHO I AM" etc. notes.130. find a topic you can plug into the thread structure.💡if you ever feel like you're running out of topics you have 3 options:a - pick a topic you've used before and journal on it "stream of consciousness" style. just let any old thoughts fall onto the page. you'll find something else to talk about sooner or later.b - go to medium.com, sign up for a free account, select your interests and pull inspiration from what the platform recommends to you.c - go to chatgpt and paste in the following prompt:"give me 10 sub-topics related to [topic]."
💡threads are the most difficult format you'll be writing in because you have to deal with the X character limit over and over again while maintaining a flow for the reader.if you find this too difficult, use X's long post format instead.
131. aim to publish 2 threads/long posts per week.132. any day you post a thread/long post, make it the only thing you post that day. save your single posts for another day.133. repost your thread as usual at +6 and +12 hours.134. continue your established frequency of posts, comments, relationship-building and newsletter until you reach 1000 followers.
💡if you want more reposts, add more accounts to your "friends" list and spend more time building relationships.💡if you want more followers, add more accounts to your "comments" list and spend more time replying to other people's posts.💡if you want more likes and comments, add more accounts to your "examples" list, study/emulate more high-performing posts and improve the quality of your writing.
135. at 1000 followers, go to X analytics.136. click "access your post analytics".137. select the entire date range for your account.138. click "top posts" under the graph.139. look for patterns in your top posts. (which topic or sub-topic is your audience responding to most?)140. start to prioritize that topic in posts, threads and newsletters you write.141. in the comments under these posts, look out for people who seem particularly interested.142. copy the link to their comment.143. click on their profile.144. start a dm.145. paste the link to their comment, thank them for contributing to the conversation and—if it's not already obvious—ask what resonated with them in your post.💡for bonus points, consider leaving a video or voice message. this can help form a stronger connection, but don't do it if you're uncomfortable.
146. ask what your new friend's plan is relating to [topic].💡if someone doesn't respond within 7 days, gently follow up to see if they want to continue the conversation.
147. people are busy. few of them will ignore you intentionally.148. let curiosity guide your responses as the conversation continues.149. comment on what they say.150. tell them modestly about your own success with [topic], then mention that you're getting started helping other people with it for free.151. ask if they have any sticking points they'd like a second opinion on.💡don't be shy yes, you may never have done this before, but the fact you're able to write enough content on the topic to gain 1000 followers means other people have already decided your perspective has value—at least enough value for someone to want to hear your opinion on it.
152. next time your new friend responds, dig deeper.153. let's imagine your new friend says "i've been struggling with focus".🔹if your topic is nutrition, ask about their diet
🔹if your topic is productivity, ask about their systems
🔹if your topic is sleep, ask about their night time routinesee how this works?
154. next time they respond, respond to what they say, then ask whether they've done anything to try to fix the problem themselves.155. if you can help, tell your new friend you implemented a system that solved the problem for you and that you'd love to see if it works for them too.156. make it clear again that you're doing this for free to test your system and see if works for more people than just you.157. if they're keen, send your calendly link.💡you may not feel you have a "system", but if you solved a problem for yourself, you do.
you'll use the time between now and the call that's being booked to formalize that system.158. open your notes app.159. lay out the steps you took to go from having the problem to not having the problem.160. tidy them up and make them as clear as possible.💡bonus points: ask chatgpt whether your steps will be clear to someone else who has no understanding of [topic]. if it says "no", ask it to help you.
161. give your system a simple name that focuses on the solution and gives a timeframe. eg:🔹6 weeks to 6-pack
🔹4x clients in 40 days
🔹the 12-week home makeover blueprint162. go to slides.google.com.163. start a blank presentation.164. lay out your steps.💡your presentation does NOT have to look fancy. (unless you intend to teach someone how to make fancy looking google slides presentations.)
165. when your call rolls around, break the ice with some small talk:🔹how's your day so far?
🔹where are you in the world?
🔹what do you do with most of your time?don't rush this. get to know your new friend. joke around.
166. say that your intention for the call is to find out if your system can help.if it can't, no big deal—you've both made a new friend at least.if it can, you'd love to help them implement it for free.
167. share you screen and run through your google slides presentation.168. ask your new friend if they think your system can help them.169. if they say "yes", tell them you'll go away, design a schedule of coaching calls, send it over, then confirm dates.170. mention that if the process goes well you'd love to get a quick video message from them explaining what it was like working with you (and that this will help other people to find and implement your system).171. open your notes app alongside your google slides presentation.172. type "CALL 1" at the top.173. underneath, write bullet points for the MINIMUM your new student needs to KNOW to begin the process of implementing your system into their life.💡you want to avoid overwhelming someone with information on any call, but especially the first.
174. write separate bullet points for what they need to DO during and/or after your first call to get an immediate, small, beneficial result.175. continue to plan in this format for as many calls as your student needs to achieve the same transformation you did.💡structure your calls so they each give 1 main takeaway and 1 tangible result to be achieved before the next call. (meet with your student in whatever frequency makes most sense for your process.)
176. once you've scheduled the calls for your first student, start looking for another one in your comments.177. repeat this outreach process with different people until you have at least 5 video testimonials.178. go to carrd.co.179. sign up for a free account.180. create a simple landing page using one of their templates.181. include, in this order:- a headline focused on the problem your system solves and/or the benefit it achieves- your strongest testimonial- bullet points listing the pains you experienced back when you still had the problem you're solving- the story of your transformation- the actionable steps your system guides people through- bullet points listing the benefits that come from implementing your system- any free bonuses you can include- more testimonials- your guarantee- a checkout link- frequently asked questionsinclude sub-headlines above each section that summarize them for people who want to skim-read.💡there are many options for checkout links and payment processing. i use stripe. gumroad is an easy alternative (and you'll be using it later).
182. decide on a price for your coaching package.183. it should equate to the value your 5 testimonial providers received.did you help them sleep better? what impact did this have on their personal and professional lives?did you help them get fit? how much will this save them in medical bills?also, consider how many clients you can fit into your schedule and how much they'd have to pay you for you to be able to quit your job and start doing this full time.💡i used to teach music for $40 per hour. i now teach mindfulness and business for $200 per hour.music, for most people, is a hobby. but mindfulness and business transform people's lives.if you've transformed your own life in some way, that transformation is what you should be selling to other people. that's where the real value is.
184. again, repeat your outreach process, but now instead of offering your transformation for free, offer it for the price you decided upon.💡it's totally normal for less people to be interested once your service is no longer free.if someone offered you a lamborghini for free you'd take it. but you're not out buying one for $200,000.that doesn't mean there's something wrong with the lamborghini.equally, people opting out of your service doesn't mean there's something wrong with your service.there are people out there buying lamborghinis and there are people out there who will buy your service.you just have to find them.
💡if 1 out of every 50 people you speak to signs up, you're doing great.if 0 out of 50 people sign up, reduce your price.when your calendar is full, increase your price.
185. continue until you're earning enough money to quit your day job, iterating and improving upon everything along the way.186. hand in your notice of resignation.187. celebrate.188. take a breather (but try to still publish at least one post each day).189. go back to the notes where you laid out your system as a series of calls.190. update these notes to reflect everything you've learned as you've taken your customers through your system.191. copy/paste everything into a new note.192. at the top, write "MY FIRST PRODUCT"193. restructure your series of calls into a video, text or hybrid course that buyers will take themselves through without your assistance.194. add everything you've been teaching on the calls you've run.195. go to loom.com.196. sign up for a free account.197. deliver your course to your webcam.198. download the videos.199. go to gumroad.com.200. sign up for a free account if you don't have one already.201. design your course using their built-in tools. upload your videos to their appropriate chapters.202. make sure you're course is presented professionally. (check out courses that are already selling well if you need reference material.)203. set the price at $49-149, depending on the amount of content included. (again, check other courses that are already selling well for reference.)💡courses always sell for much less than coaching. people expect to pay more for your individual attention.
204. go back to carrd.co.205. duplicate your existing landing page.206. rewrite the copy so it's about your course instead of your coaching service.207. replace the checkout link with the new one attached to your gumroad course.208. go to your notes app and start a new note.209. at the top, write "PROMOTION SCHEDULE"210. underneath, paste in the following:WEEK 1:WEEK 2:WEEK 3:LAUNCH DATE:END DATE:
211. by "week 1", note a topic related to the problem your system solves.212. by "week 2", note a topic related to the benefits your system brings.213. by "week 3", write "system breakdown".214. set a monday launch date and a tuesday end date.💡you'll sell your course for a limited time only, otherwise almost no-one will buy it. then you'll have to go back to your day job and no-one gets the benefit of your solution.
215. write a newsletter on your week 1 topic.216. gently mention that you're launching a course on this topic on [date] at the top and bottom.217. link to your landing page, but don't expect any sales at this point.218. throughout the following week make ALL your X posts and threads about that same topic.219. link to the newsletter you just wrote below your top-performing posts once per day for the whole week.220. write a newsletter on your week 2 topic.221. say a bit more about your course in this issue. draw from your landing page to list the problems it solves and position your course as the solution.222. mention the launch date again and link to the landing page.223. throughout the following week make ALL your posts and threads on X relate to that topic.224. link directly to your course landing page under your top-performing posts once per day.💡remember: you're not trying to sell your course—you're trying to help people.the less "salesy" you can make all this, the better.just talk honestly about the problems your course solves and the benefits it provides.continue to use the best post structures you've found to date.
225. write a newsletter that summarizes your system and describes the results your existing clients got from it.226. use this issue as an opportunity to showcase the best aspects of what you've created and why it's a good idea for your reader to buy.227. throughout the following week, draw on all the most interesting aspects of the problems your course solves, the benefits it brings, your personal journey with it and the stories of people who've implemented the system already.228. link directly to your course landing page under your top-performing posts once per day.229. on the final 3 days, link to the landing page in your actual posts—no longer underneath as a comment like you've been doing so far.in these posts, mention the launch date and the closing date.230. reach out to ALL your fellow solopreneur/creator friends you've met along your journey.tell them you're launching a product and that you'd be super grateful if they could show one of your promotional posts some love (drop them a link).promise to get them back when it's time for them to launch something.
231. write an email to your subscribers that'll go out on launch day. title it something like "today is your last chance".use a tried and tested sales letter framework (like PASTOR) to make one last presenation of the problem, solution and transformation your course is aimed at.232. schedule that email.233. on launch day, make one or more "countdown" posts on X.234. send out one more brief email reminder 5 hours before launch.
💡if you've represented your course well in your promotional material...and if you set the price appropriately...you'll have made your first product sales.
235. celebrate again.236. take an even longer breather.237. when you come back, continue iterating on everything you've learned to keep growing your audience and offering new products and services.💡as your audience grows, you'll naturally make more sales.
238. enjoy the process.239. help more and more people.240. generate wealth in proportion to the value you provide.
and that's it: 240 tiny steps to "freetiring" yourself (without leaving your sofa).of course there's WAY more detail to all of this, and it takes time.but if you follow these steps i guarantee you'll be ahead of 99.9% of people.

need some extra help?

i have space for one more one-to-one student.email "FREETIRE ME" to dan [at] dangoldfield [dot] com to talk about how i can accelerate your path through the steps above by tailoring them to you and your goals.with love from my sofa,
dg 💙

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