Introduction

When I was young, I made a crucial observation. I had to earn with my mind, not my time.

Labor Workers vs. Creative Workers

I made the distinction between labor workers and creative workers. Labor workers would try to accomplish as much as their body could handle and as much time as they had. Creative workers would focus on solving the problems that led to the most results. Regardless of the time they spent, labor workers were locked into a salary and schedule that paid them a certain amount of money for their efforts. Creative workers created their own salary and schedule that paid them according to the level of problem they solved.

There’s nothing wrong with labor work. Understand that you are trading time for money, and your time is limited. Doctors can be paid a great salary. This is obvious. This is what most people or a lot of people want to go into. They want to be a doctor, they want to be an engineer, etc., etc. But a doctor is paid the same amount whether they save a life or just tell someone to take aspirin as an example of a creative worker. A writer can be paid as much as they want depending on what they write, what their product is, and how far their writing spreads. The main difference between labor workers and creative workers is owning a business, because business is about solving creative problems and developing a product that is valuable and can sell at any time. As soon as you stop solving creative problems around product and reach, your income stagnates and you become a slave to the work you built yourself into.

My Evolution From Time To Mind

Now let’s quickly discuss my evolution from time to mind.

Monetizing the Mind

Those that monetize their mind enjoy a luxury unfathomable to those who monetize their time. When I first started in business, the first logical option was to freelance with a skill. It seemed beginner-friendly and it cost $0 to start. That was the promise that people were saying online that we’re teaching how to freelance. And it’s true. With years of manual effort, the joy that I got out of building the business slowly declined as my responsibilities increased. I could only take on a specific amount of clients. I only had so much time in the day, and unless I wanted to stay at my self-made 9 to 5, I had to solve creative problems. I had to evolve.

Creativity is dependent on the expansion of your mind, and this is why I always say that personal growth equals business growth because personal growth means expanding yourself, expanding your mind to allow for the expansion of self. So through education and exposing myself to the unknown, I registered new opportunities to solve my problem. I wasn’t going to be able to solve the problem that I had from the same mind that created it. So I had to explore new business opportunities that I probably wouldn’t understand or even register as an opportunity before I started because I didn’t see it possible to start a business that required money or a certain skill set because I hadn’t had that money or skillset. And that’s why I started a freelance business to start.

Breaking Out of Freelancer Mindset

So for freelancers out there, here’s an early lesson, is that if you’re looking for more, then you have to break out of the freelancer mindset by learning and educating yourself on a potentially new business model that you want to evolve into. That’s the business model that we’re going to talk about in this video.

Transitioning to Writing and Consulting

I began writing online to attract new clients. This removed the time suck of manually reaching out to potential clients with cold email, cold call, and cold messages. I built a digital product that could sell while I sleep. This removed my absolute dependence on client work to survive. I pivoted my freelance offer into a consulting offer. This cut my client work times in half. I could charge more and do less because I was helping someone rather than doing it for them.

During this time, I made a discovery that changed the direction of my life. If I could gain one reader, I could gain 1 million. And if I could gain one buyer, I could gain 1,002.8 million readers and 20,000 buyers. Later, my discovery held true. Now my creative problem solving has evolved beyond a one-person business. Now I’m focused on building cortex, and that requires a team in order for me to achieve the goal related to that.

Outsourcing and Delegating

With starting anything new, you usually can’t digest the information, you can’t digest the workload until your mental or work-related metabolism can catch up or you get used to that, or you build the muscle that allows you to lift that emotional weight. So I’m focusing on providing quality work, of course, but then outsourcing and delegating so that I can gain my time back.

Conclusion

One lesson before we begin, you can eradicate manual labor from your life altogether. It is a slow and painful evolution and sometimes you regress. Now that I’ve taken on the responsibility of starting a larger company, my manual work has increased substantially. But I trust that I can lower it quickly with my prior experience.

Topics to be Discussed

Here’s what we’re going to discuss in this video:

1. The Macronutrients of Business
2. Progressive Overload of Skill
3. Time Under Attention for How to Reinvent Yourself.

Continued Discussion

1. Documenting Your Mind on the Internet
2. How to Create a Brand Content Product and Promotions that Make You Money

One more thing before we start is that we’ve opened up more spots for our VIP and mastermind, which is under Cortex as the software is being developed. So this is a chance while we have the time and are actually offering the services to work with myself and Justin Scott and Joey Justice to create a brand or independent income source and learn to write online, to build digital leverage and sell whatever it is that you want to sell based on your interests or skills. And if you’re a founder that just wants to kind of bring more leads and authority to the company that you own, then that is also an option. But you can apply with the cortex link in the description.

Parallels of Bodybuilding and Business Building

Let’s talk about the parallels of bodybuilding and business building. When you deconstruct the mind and body, you can map patterns that deepen your understanding across most domains of life. We will connect these patterns to the financial domain of life by starting a business, and we can start to think of our mind as a mental body that you build like you would in bodybuilding, like we discussed in my video on mental esthetics. The video is called “How to Reprogram Your Mind and Build Your Intelligence,” so we can think of yourself as your mental body that you can build like you would with bodybuilding, where you digest information, like you digest food, you acquire skill, like you build muscle. But connecting that to business with a personal brand, which is arguably the most potent lead generation, just the front end of a business right now because people follow humans, they don’t follow company accounts like how Red Bull doesn’t post any of their product pictures like companies don’t know how to run social media. They don’t have individuals being the face of the brand. So that’s what building a business nowadays is. It’s displaying your character or your self or the mental body that you’ve built and constructed to be valuable over time in order to create content and a product that sell and make you an independent income. A business is just that. A vessel for value exchange, personal growth is self-development. Business growth is other development.

Macronutrients of Business

So in nutrition, there are four macronutrients that carbs, protein, alcohol, and in business, there are four pillars that will determine your success. The macronutrients of business, which are brand, content, product, and promotions. We’re going to break these all down later. In nutrition, there’s a plethora of micronutrients that are vital for just bodily function. In business, there are skills, interests, experience, knowledge, creativity, and personality that determine the potency of your efforts. Your job is to fuel your business with the proper creative nutrition to succeed. And now there is the option to opt for the business keto diet, which is like removing carbs from your diet, but it’d be removing content from your business and only going after ads. But there are many reasons I would advise solely against that. Only doing that, many people go the direct response marketing route and only use ads to fuel their business. But the benefits of content make it an unreasonable approach, especially for beginners without money to invest in making mistakes, to learn advertising. Now, of course, I’m not saying this is bad. It’s clearly a very viable way of getting customers and growing your business. But by just having a daily writing habit, you can validate high-performing ideas as content to use in your ads or promotions. You get to keep the audience you acquire. You aren’t always burning through money to acquire new customers, and last, you create customers over time by writing content for all levels of awareness. We’re going to talk about this in future videos, but the problem is that marketers will go to try and build a social media audience and then their pages just promotions. They’re just writing ads the entire time. That doesn’t work. You have to focus on education. You have to create customers by having a broad personal brand where you are. The niche build trust and educate them over time. And then it compounds until you have the, let’s say, YouTube following of 1 million people. Every YouTube video is as powerful as a webinar, and if your webinar makes you seven figures, then do the math. You can spend hundreds of thousands of dollars a year on ads, or you can build a 100,000 follower audience over a year and get the same amount of impressions. Now that’s very good. If you can build 100,000 followers in a year, that’s extremely good. That’s for people that have like a lot of experience and do it well in almost near perfect. So don’t expect that much, but aim big.

Progressive Overload of Skill & Challenge

Let’s talk about progressive overload of skill and challenge. So I’ve used this graphic before, but on the left axis we have the challenge level. On the bottom axis we have the skill level. So when the challenge is too high, but your skill is too low, you get anxious or self-conscious. You start thinking about yourself and how you aren’t good enough. And when the challenge is too low, but your skill is too high, you get bored and you become self-centered like, Oh, what? What could I be doing better with my time when you’re bored at work all the time because it’s repetitive.

Continued Discussion

and then doing it in a way that is unique to you and your brand. So always keep that in mind as you learn and emulate successful individuals.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the journey from earning with your time to earning with your mind involves evolving and building your skills. It’s essential to find the right balance between challenge and skill level to enter the flow state. Starting a business, especially as a one-person operation, requires you to wear multiple hats, including marketing, sales, operations, and more. In the digital age, personal branding is crucial, and you must become a media company in a sense.

The macronutrients of business, such as brand, content, product, and promotions, play a significant role in your success. Learning and acquiring skills in these areas is essential for building a successful business. It’s a journey of stacking lessons and skills from failures, and each endeavor contributes to your growth.

Remember not to get complacent, and always seek a higher challenge as you progress. Just as in bodybuilding, progressive overload of skill and challenge is essential for growth. Emulate successful individuals but adapt their strategies to fit your unique identity and brand.

In the end, the key is to keep learning, keep building, and keep evolving to create a successful business and personal brand.

Continued Discussion

toward your long-form content where you can hold their attention for a much longer duration. This is why content creators often use short-form content to drive traffic and interest towards their long-form content like newsletters, YouTube videos, and podcasts.

Creating and Maintaining Authority

Now, let’s discuss the concept of creating and maintaining authority. Authority is built through consistent content creation and holding your audience’s attention. The more attention you hold, the more authority you gain in your niche or industry.

In the realm of bodybuilding, authority is earned through consistent training and achieving visible results. The same applies to building a brand and personal authority online. By consistently creating valuable content, you establish yourself as an authority figure in your field.

James Clear is a great example of someone who has built authority in the field of habits and productivity through his book “Atomic Habits” and his online content. People trust his expertise and look to him for guidance because he has held their attention and provided valuable insights over time.

The Importance of Long-Form Content

Long-form content, such as books, newsletters, and in-depth videos or podcasts, allows you to hold your audience’s attention for a more extended period. It provides an opportunity to dive deep into topics, share in-depth knowledge, and create a lasting impact on your audience.

While short-form content has its place for quick engagement and attracting a broad audience, long-form content solidifies your authority and deepens the connection with your audience. It’s like the difference between a brief interaction and a meaningful conversation.

Consistency in creating long-form content is essential. It’s not about quitting after a few months but committing to the long-term journey of building your brand and authority over the years.

Conclusion

In conclusion, time under attention is a crucial concept in content creation and brand building. The more attention you hold with your content, the more authority, profitability, and power your brand will have. Short-form content on platforms like social media can help you attract a broad audience and validate ideas, but long-form content is where you can truly solidify your authority and hold your audience’s attention for extended periods.

Don’t underestimate the power of consistency and the long-term commitment to creating valuable content. Building authority takes time, but the results are worth it in the end. So, keep creating, keep holding your audience’s attention, and watch your brand and authority grow over time.

Continued Discussion

under attention as people engage with your content and products. It’s not necessary to state your brand elements explicitly; instead, you can use creative storytelling and concise descriptions to imply your brand’s essence. Your brand should be a reflection of your identity, and it should attract people who share similar goals, problems, and interests.

Here’s a breakdown of the key elements related to turning yourself into a business and understanding mental monetization:

1. Brand Is Your Online Character or Identity:

Your brand is your digital identity that you present to attract the right audience. It should convey your meaningful goals, the problems you can help solve, and the interests or skills you teach. This creates a shared perspective through which you and your customers can exchange knowledge and skills.

2. Attracting Your Ideal Audience:

Your goal is to attract people who are like your past or present self, those who share similar goals and problems but lack the skills and knowledge you possess. Your brand should resonate with these individuals and make them feel that you can help them on their journey.

3. Implied Brand Elements:

You don’t always need to explicitly state your brand elements. Instead, you can use creative storytelling and concise descriptions to imply your brand’s essence. This approach allows your audience to connect with your brand on a deeper level over time.

4. Building Your Brand Over Time:

Building a brand takes time and consistent effort. Your brand is shaped as people engage with your content and products, and it evolves as your audience grows and your perspective develops.

5. Perspective and Shared Goals:

Perspective is a critical element of your brand. It’s the frame through which you and your customers perceive information, set goals, and solve problems. Your ability to create a shared perspective with your audience is essential for building a successful brand.

In essence, your brand is not just about what you say; it’s about the perspective and worldview you share with your audience. By aligning your goals, problems, and solutions with your audience’s needs and desires, you create a meaningful and lasting connection that can lead to successful mental monetization.

Remember that building a brand is a long-term endeavor, and it’s essential to stay authentic and true to your identity throughout the process. Your brand should be a reflection of your expertise, values, and the unique perspective you bring to your niche or industry.

Continued Discussion

In this section, the speaker emphasizes the power and importance of content in building and growing your brand. Here are the key points:

1. Content as a Necessity:

Content becomes a necessity when you realize its power. It can drive traffic, create a list of interested customers, and serve as a powerful tool for sharing ideas and information. Content can replace traditional marketing strategies like webinars and funnels.

2. Enhancing Thinking:

Creating content enhances your thinking and helps clarify your ideas over time. Writing about a topic allows you to refine your understanding and communicate it effectively to others. Your first attempts at content may not be perfect, but improvement comes with practice.

3. Cost-Effective Growth:

Content can be a cost-effective way to grow your brand, either organically or through connections with established players who share your content. Leveraging existing audiences through collaborations can be more efficient and economical than traditional advertising.

4. Creating Customers:

Content not only attracts an audience but also helps convert them into customers. When you share valuable information and insights, you shape the identities and perspectives of your audience. Over time, they may become loyal customers.

5. Validating and Testing Ideas:

Content allows you to validate and test ideas quickly. A successful tweet or post can be a precursor to a full-fledged sales page, YouTube video, or product. This rapid feedback loop can help you refine your offerings.

6. Questions to Define Your Content:

To help you create meaningful content, consider answering these questions:

• What are 5 to 10 beliefs that are unique to you but resonate with your audience?
• What are 5 to 10 interests or skills that have helped you and can help your followers achieve their goals?
• Why are these interests or skills important, and what do they offer people in their lives?
• What foundational knowledge do people need to understand these interests or skills?

7. The Ten Commandments of Engagement:

Consider using the “Ten Commandments of engagement,” which are detailed in another video, to guide your content creation. These principles can help you create content that resonates with your audience and encourages engagement.

8. Principles of Value Creation:

Understand the principles of value creation, which are discussed in a separate video titled “Value Creation, the single skill that built my solo business.” These principles can help you deliver valuable content to your audience.

9. Writing for Clarity:

When creating content, aim to write so that a fifth-grader could understand your message. Avoid overly complicated language or niche jargon. Writing with clarity and simplicity can help your content reach a broader audience.

10. Attracting a Diverse Audience:

Don’t limit your content to appeal only to your existing audience. Write in a way that attracts people who may become interested in your niche or gradually develop an interest over time.

The key takeaway is that content creation is a powerful tool for brand building and growth. It enhances your thinking, attracts and retains customers, and allows you to test and refine your ideas while staying cost-effective. Developing a clear content strategy aligned with your unique beliefs and interests can help you connect with your audience and create a lasting impact.

Continued Discussion

In this section, the speaker delves into the importance of promotions and products in building your brand. Here are the key points:

1. Content Persuasion and Time Under Attention:

The speaker emphasizes that marketing is not about pushing promotions but rather using persuasion and time under attention to make people interested in your content and products. Educating your audience, sharing your beliefs, and offering valuable information are effective ways to build interest over time.

2. Traps to Avoid:

The speaker highlights common traps that people fall into when building their brand. These traps include:

• Focusing too much on promotions and talking only about products.
• Not understanding the importance of structure versus content.
• Neglecting research and failing to use high-performing angles for their content.

3. The Lesson of Content:

The speaker emphasizes that creating effective content takes time, and its impact is built over months, not in a single post. Content should aim to inject your mindset and skillset into your readers over an extended period.

4. Product as a Goal Achievement System:

The speaker explains that a product serves as a way for people to achieve a meaningful goal, such as a desired lifestyle or mindset. A product provides convenience, clarity, and a replicable system that gets results. To create a product, you should answer a series of questions:

• What is the most meaningful goal you’ve achieved?
• What steps do people need to take to get there?
• What do people need to learn to take those steps?
• What can people practice and implement daily to get results?

The speaker also mentions the use of compelling names for products, called unique mechanisms, to catch the audience’s attention.

5. Meaningful Goals:

Meaningful goals that your product can help people achieve should address fundamental human needs in areas like wealth, relationships, and happiness. If you haven’t achieved a meaningful goal yet, the speaker suggests a process to help you learn, experiment, identify fundamentals, and eventually create your own unique way to achieve that goal.

6. Benefits Over Features:

The speaker concludes by emphasizing that people care more about the benefits of a product rather than its features. Effective promotion should focus on how your product can solve a problem or provide value to your audience.

In summary, the key to successful brand building includes creating compelling content, developing meaningful products, avoiding common traps, and emphasizing the benefits of your products in your promotions.

1. Marketing Transformation:

Marketing should focus on creating a powerful “why” that implies a transformation. People are naturally drawn to stories of transformation, whether it’s a physique transformation or a life transformation. Transformations are essentially stories, and our minds are naturally attracted to, trust, and connect with stories.

2. The Components of a Transformation Story:

A successful marketing campaign is composed of three key components:

• A burning problem: Clearly identify the problem that your audience is facing.
• A desirable outcome: Define the result or transformation that your audience desires.
• A clear solution: Provide a perspective or solution that guides people toward achieving the desired outcome.

3. Testing and Validation:

You should continuously test and validate these components in your short-form content. Experiment with different angles, problems, goals, and solutions until you find the right positioning that resonates with your audience. Once you identify high-performing elements in your content, consider turning them into products, as they are likely to sell well.

4. Using Components in Promotions:

The three components of a transformation story—problem, outcome, and solution—should be used consistently in all your promotional efforts. Whether it’s an email, landing page, social media promotion, or long-form sales page, guide your audience through these components to create a compelling narrative.

5. Audience Segmentation:

Understand your audience and segment them based on how long they’ve been following your content and whether they understand your philosophy or worldview. High-level language may work for those who have a deep understanding, but for beginners, keep your messaging straightforward and simple. Aim to give people what they want, not what you think they want.

6. Niche Down with Products, Not Audience:

If you attract a broad audience, you can niche down with your products to cater to specific needs. Focus on creating products that serve a particular group within your audience, offering them tailored solutions.

The speaker emphasizes the importance of effective storytelling in marketing and the need to continuously test and refine your messaging to resonate with your audience. Ultimately, successful marketing involves understanding your audience’s needs and providing them with solutions that address their burning problems and desires.