Getting financial advisors millions of dollars & impressions | $20+ million in capital & AUM raised from LinkedIn | 100+ million client impressions | 400+ meetings booked | $1+ million in client courses sold

If you work in finance or real estate and want to add clients or capital through LinkedIn, send me a DM.

If you want to write a memoir or lead-gen book, send me a DM.

Adam Knorr

Sometimes I drink fish tank cleaner.

(And 5 other questionable health things I do) : 

1. I drink methylene blue. 

Methylene is a textile dye. It's also an industrial-grade fish tank clear. 

I also drink it, because some Bro Scientists think it slows aging, improves mood, sharpens cognition.

It tastes like someone stirred a glass of water and Malort with a Sharpie.

2. I've taken peptides.

Only BPC-157 to speed up injury recovery.

It's not FDA-approved, which I feel is a great sign.

3. I eat 15-18 lbs of plain Greek yogurt a week.

Those 3-pound Kirlkland tubs. Always with frozen blueberries, sometimes with honey if I want a nice little treat.

4. I mix my own electrolyte powder.

LMNT just posts their recipe on their website. Shoutout LMNT.

So I mix all the ingredients together and create my own. It's a bunch of white powders and I have to weigh everything on a scale, so I like to play Pusha T while I do this.

5. I drink ~800 MG caffeine a day. 

1-liter French Press before the coffee shop opens at 6:30.
2 16-oz coffees at the coffee shop from 6:30-11.
Sometimes a 100-200 MG energy drink in the PM. 

After writing this out, I realize I might actually need to get this under control. 

6. I tie my mental health to a social media algorithm.

I hope this post gets a lot of impressions.

Getting financial advisors millions of dollars & impressions | $20+ million in capital & AUM raised from LinkedIn | 100+ million client impressions | 450+ meetings booked | $1+ million in client courses sold

Dear Fernando Mendoza. I feel like I can call you Fernando because you and me are so alike. I'd like to meet you one day, it would be great to talk about writing LinkedIn posts. I know I can't reach as many people as you but I think you'd be impressed with my impressions. I love the way you conduct interviews, you speak so well. Did you have a good relationship with Curt Cignetti? Me neither. These are all things we can talk about and more. I know you are already doing really well on LinkedIn but I would like to be your ghostwriter so you can focus all your time on preparing for the NFL Draft. I hope you write back this time, and you can be my client. I am sure our relationship would be a real touchdown!

I'm terrible at coaching people at getting over the fear of posting on LinkedIn. I do not understand it.

What do you mean you're scared? Of what your friends will think? Or that people will leave mean little comments?

Do I need to remind you that you and I are not even really here? That if you stretch your arms out to represent the entire history of Earth, human history is the dirt under a fingernail? One swipe of a nail file and the Mona Lisa, the Great Pyramids, and your LinkedIn posts are all gone. 

How many posts can you actually remember reading in the past month? Week? Heck, last 24 hours? 

Do you need bigger problems to worry about? Is that it? As my parents used to say, "I'll give you something to worry about."

Yes! People are going to judge you! If you're any good at this, people are going to leave mean comments! That's OK! You learned emotional regulation from Barney! 

So, no. I can't help you get over the fear.

I don't know how to be afraid of something no one will remember by next Tuesday.

I tell clients to avoid blending in with their peers while being a 31-year-old male who runs a ghostwriting agency, pays $100/mo for Claude, gets 20K steps a day on his walking pad, researches Retatrutide, has strong opinions about seed oils, and talks about how much he loves Cormac McCarthy.

Anyway, did y'all see the Hormozi/Robbins interview?

Recycling your best-performing posts isn't lazy. 

It's the correct strategy.

Just... Make small adjustments so you're not outright lying to people.

Why you can't expect to make money on social media by copying what works for the gurus: Exhibit A.

I know it's easy to dunk on Hormozi. And I genuinely like a lot of his ideas. 

But I also know that if he saw this post, he'd agree with me. 

The ultimate irony:

To get to the point where you can post zero-calorie platitudes and get 2,600 likes, you have to create a tremendous amount of valuable, insightful, unique content that only you could have created.

Then, the bigger you get, the more beneficial it becomes to morph into a human fortune cookie.

I quit my finance job in 2022 to become a writer. 

Now, I write LinkedIn posts. Not what I dreamed of. 

But you know what?

It works. 

My real dream is to get paid for my own content. I want to write books and blogs and screenplays that people shell out millions for. And, candidly, I expect that will happen.

But had I tried that on day 1, I would've been broke by day 30. 

See, when I started in 2022, I had no audience. I had like 1,100 connections on LinkedIn and a Wordpress full of college newspaper sports recaps.

So even if I did write a mindbending novel, it wouldn't have mattered. 

What would I have done with it?
Who would have seen it?
Where would it go?

So you know what I did instead of trying to write something I was passionate about?

I accepted a contract from Progressive Insurance to copyedit their policy docs.

And that's how I made my first few thousand dollars as a "writer."

Since then, I've made LinkedIn ghostwriting my primary service offering. Turns out I'm pretty good at it, and it pays me well. 

I have some plans in 2026 to write and sell you all some original writing. That's a big part of why I try to avoid writing content that's only "7 LinkedIn Growth Hacks!!!!"  

I want to see how people respond to my voice — not just my meta LinkedIn content about LinkedIn on LinkedIn.

If I've earned the right to give any advice to people who want to write for a living, I'm going to commit the worst possible sin a writer can and plagiarize someone else's work.

"You can be idealistic and fail, or you can be pragmatic and succeed—while continuing to fulfill your ideals as best you can."

Lot of insurance companies out there. 

Lot of policy docs that need to be edited.

2022: Quit my job, had 0 clients.

2025: 51 clients. Here are the numbers:

-> LinkedIn Ghostwriting:

$2,650–$4,000/month
7 clients (1 churned)

I've worked with my clients for 7 months–2+ years.

Deliverables: LinkedIn posts, interviews, content strategy, account management, image sourcing, scheduling.

-> Email Newsletters:

$95–$200/email
4 clients

Usually email is a ghostwriting client saying, "Can you write my emails too?"

To which I say, "Yes."

-> Twitter/X Ghostwriting:

$500–$1,900/quarter
2 clients

I never quite got my pricing right for this.

-> Advisor GPS (Course + Community):

$2,199–$6,997
12 members

An accelerator program for financial advisors.

I built this with two partners, so the revenue is not 100% mine.

-> Skool Community:

$900/mo
10 members

I edit 3x weekly posts for clients, provide 1:1 consulting, community access, and coaching calls.

Yesterday, I edited 3 posts for a client. The posts totaled 567 words. I left 1,571 words of feedback on why I made the edits I made.

It's time-consuming, so I'll be raising the price, but I love this community.

-> Agency Work:

$2,500–$5,000/mo
2 clients

Content strategy, ghostwriting, systems work.

-> One-Off Projects: 

$497–$5,875
9 clients

Book ghostwriting, funnel builds, AI systems, guest speaking, tour scripts.

-> Consulting Calls:

$297–$347/hour
16 calls (15 people)

Raising the price on these, too. Prep, 60-minute calls, and follow-up add up. 

--

In total, I worked with 51 unique clients in 2025.

I don't really know what to say next. Because in my head, I'm still 28-Year-Old Adam From 2022 Trying To Figure This Whole Thing Out. And I think I'll feel that way tomorrow. And next year. And in 2030, 2035, 2050, and 2060, Lord-willing and the creek don't do that thing it tends to do.

When I had just started doing this, I paid another ghostwriting agency owner $400 for a 1-hour call. He was doing like $50K a month at the time.

I asked him: "Does this ever feel insane to you? What you've built?"

"Honestly man?" he said. "I've had my head down in the day-to-day for so long that I've never really had a chance to step back and look at it like that."

I couldn't understand that at the time, but now I do.

You could tell me the last 3 years have actually been 3 days. Or 30 years. I wouldn't blink at either.

Time stops being neatly packaged when you're trying to build something. It turns into a forever-unspooling piece of yarn, where every Monday is a Saturday, every Saturday a Monday. April is December. You eat your midnight snack at sunrise. 

It all blurs together, and nothing feels like it ever changes. When I went to sleep last night, I was still 28-Year-Old Adam From 2022 Trying To Figure This Whole Thing Out. When I woke up this morning, I was the same.

But when I pick my head up and look around, somehow everything has changed.

I never expected this. Not in 100 lifetimes.

But man.

I sure am grateful for it.

If I were starting as a ghostwriter with zero clients, here's how I'd close my first within 7 days:

Step 1: Go to YouTube. Click on videos in my niche.

Step 2: Watch the ads the algo serves to me in my niche.

Step 3: Look up the creators of those ads on LinkedIn.

Step 4: Make a list of the ones with no LinkedIn presence (it'll be 90%+).

Step 5: Go watch their 3 most popular YouTube videos.

Step 6: Write 10 LinkedIn posts for them for free. Include visuals.

Step 7: Message them on every platform offering those posts for free until they either agree to test them out or tell me to self-immolate. 

Step 8: Repeat with as many creators as possible.

Assuming you're good at writing LinkedIn content, you will 100% land a client within 7 days doing this.

Last week, I wrote about how I drink 800MG of caffeine a day. People told me that was concerning. But you know what?

Caffeine doesn't even affect me. And who are you to tell me what to do? Sure I get up at 4AM without an alarm and maybe twice per week I can't sleep past 3 and yeah maybe I feel like part of The Walking Dead every afternoon while I'm "crashing" or whatever but what do you even think that has to do with caffeine, anyway? You don't know me and you don't know my life. I know you claim to be "worried about my heart," but when I hurt my back again last month none of you said bupkus. And while we're on that topic, no one is every giving me any credit for showing up here darn near every single day WITH A HURT BACK and STILL posting to LinkedIn consistently. I'm like the Rob McClanahan of LinkedIn content, and you guys treat me like I'm Ralph Cox. Which is kind of a funny thing to bring up as a comparison because there's no way caffeine at the 1980 Lake Placid Olympics was like caffeine is in 2026. People wonder why everyone is so anxious nowadays, meanwhile all the corporate girlies are shotgunning afternoon Alanis after their morning double-shot iced mocha and wondering why oh why they feel so much existential dread about the trajectory of their life when everything is so good on paper. I'm telling you they did not feel this way back when Eruzione was lighting the lamp on the Soviets, they were just sitting in the chalet and maybe having a Miller Light and a drag or two of a Marlboro and getting energy from Cold War patriotism instead of cold-can-concoctions of cotton-candy-caffeine. I'm not saying everything is perfect or anything like that, but we used to be a proper country back before we pretended like Auston Matthews was enough to take us to gold in Italy and we left Jason Roberston offer the roster. Like, yeah, let's leave the leading goal-scorer over the past year in the NHL off the team and pretend like that's gonna work out for us, great call Bill Guerin, why don't you go back to mixing up D-pairings in Wilkes-Barre. 

So I don't know why y'all keep saying "800 mG iS toO mUcH cAfFeiNe."

It doesn't affect me like that.

The CEO of Goldman Sachs has 1.4 million LinkedIn followers. I'm just a few spots behind him on the list of top finance creators.

The playing field is more level than you think.

I can sit here and scream about how powerful writing content can be, or I can point to this Favikon list that has me ranked in the same breaths as:

• David Solomon
• Michael Kitces 
• Josh Brown

Dawg. I had my Series 7 for a couple years and sold a few muni bond SMAs. And they've got me a Blackstone's throw away from the guy who runs a $300 billion bank and winters in Baker's Bay.

Now that I'm done bragging, here's the point:

You are not competing against the biggest accounts. You are competing against the people who actually care, and most big accounts don't.

Most of these "thought leaders" have comms teams, PR approvals, and layers of approval processes that result in compliance-filtered, template-driven, toothless content. 

Meanwhile, you have the ability to actually be yourself. 

And being yourself can be powerful enough to get you in the same conversation as people with 1000x your resources and platform size.

Idk, guys. 

I want to talk about how ridiculous this is, but it's not ridiculous. 

It's the whole point.

Friendly reminder that the best way to use AI to write your LinkedIn content is to tell AI to forget everything it knows about writing LinkedIn content. 

LLMs are trained to write LinkedIn content based on LinkedIn content, and the worst thing about LinkedIn content is that it sounds like LinkedIn content. Ideally, you want your LinkedIn content to sound nothing like LinkedIn content.

So when you're using AI to write LinkedIn content, it's best you don't even bring up the fact that you're trying to write LinkedIn content, because then you'll end up with content that sounds like... LinkedIn content.

"How do I sell to people in the DMs?"

Tell them you're selling to them. 

If you genuinely think your service can improve someone's life, it is your obligation to sell to them.

If you do not think that, you are selling snake oil, and you should go do something that doesn't rip people off, like medieval jousting or leading tours on a coffee farm in Hawaii.

I am ashamed to admit I spent the last 3 years and 9 months referring to myself as a "Founder." Is there a more self-important title in the world? 

I did not "found" anything. I paid LegalZoom like $500 and started pressing buttons on my computer.

I've been writing for a living for 3.5 years.

Here are 5 ways to be a better writer: 

♻️ Repost if this helped you and because I paid money for someone to design this for me and I want to feel better about that investment.

I generated 59 million views for clients last year.

10 writing insights you won't get anywhere else: 

1. Create a common enemy. Attack them in third person.

The best content unites you and your reader against a shared villain — Wall Street, conventional wisdom, the Cleveland Guardians, whatever. 

When you throw stones at the enemy, use "they." When you pivot to help your reader, switch to "you." 

The Cleveland Guardians keep stealing your division. They succeed from devil magic. You deserve fair baseball.

2. When your reader IS the problem, use third person anyway.

Sometimes you need to call out a mistake your ideal client is making. 

Don't say: "You all suck at writing."

Say: "8 in 10 financial advisors write the wrong way." 

Third person lets them opt into the criticism instead of bracing against it.

3. Write "poorly" on purpose.

My job in 2022: "I know how to write properly. I will help you."

My job in 2026: "I know how AI writes. It's too proper. I will make it worse."

I sort of hate all of you who just copy and paste stuff from ChatGPT. It's embarrassing. You're an adult. At least pretend like your brain works.

I know I just violated rule 1. 

4. Nuance kills reach.

"I hate all of you" >>>> "I sort of hate all of you" 

If you're going to have an opinion, have the whole opinion. 

5. If it reads well but means nothing, kill it.

"It's all about strategy." 

Cool. 

What strategy? 
Why does it matter? 
What happens if they ignore it? 

If you can't answer those questions, delete the sentence.

6. Only ask questions people will answer publicly.

"What's your deepest darkest secret you've never told anyone?" might spark internal reflection. 

But nobody's typing that out for their boss to see. 

7. Proper nouns beat common nouns.

"Geek Squad" is more visceral than "tech support." 

"Zillow" hits harder than "real estate apps." 

Branded specificity makes abstract ideas concrete.

8. Write so specifically you never have to name your audience.

"I see this with [target audience] all the time" feels engineered. If your copy is specific enough, they'll see themselves without you pointing.

10. Intentionally skip one number in every listicle.

People will call you out for this in the comments bc they feel very smart and it will boost your engagement. 

--

Anyway, what's your deepest darkest secret you've never told anyone?

I've driven 23 inbound leads for 2 advisors in the last 60 days: 11 leads were $2M+ AUM.

→ 11 at $2M+ AUM 
→ 2 at $1.5M–$2M
→ 2 at $500K–$1M
→ 6 under $500K
→ 2 still getting info

I'm taking on one new ghostwriting client starting in March.

This is the first time I've publicly opened a new ghostwriting slot in... 2 years? More? Idk.

DM me if you're interested.

I am working within 15 minutes of opening my eyes every morning. 

Wake up (0.0001 seconds)
Scroll social media on my phone (13 mins, 56.9999 seconds)
Turn off my white noise machine (3 seconds)
Make coffee (1 min)

Then I fire up my laptop, put the Maggie Rogers Tiny Desk on my TV, and start arguing with Claude. 

By the time 8:00 AM hits, I have 4 hours of deep work done. At 11:00, I eat chicken and a boiled potato at my desk. By noon, I've worked an 8-hour day. Sometime between 4:30-5:30 PM, I generally shut it down and go to the gym.

Twice a week, I do 45-60-minute cardio sessions on the stationary bike. I had a friend at the gym 3D print me an attachment so I can snap my laptop onto the stationary bike and work during those cardio sessions.

Some Saturdays and Sundays, I sleep in until 5, but it's usually the same routine. I might start with the Phoebe Bridgers Tiny Desk or the Scarface Tiny Desk, but I run the rest of the playbook the same way.

My average work week is 70-80 hours.

And gosh, is it fun.

I'm always torn between how to post about my work online.

On one hand, I want to tell people to do what I did. Quitting my job and building my own business is the best decision I've ever made. And had I not seen content from other people who did it, I never would have done it myself.

On the other hand, survivorship bias. 

So — I think this post is the right middle ground.

I spend ~80% of my waking hours working, but only ~20% of those hours actually feel like work. The rest, genuinely, feels like play. 

Admittedly, it does go in seasons. I've had months where I've wanted to stab my laptop with a basilisk fang just in case the soul of Ebenezer Scrooge got horcrux'd in there somehow. 

And then I've had months that have gone by in the time it takes me to turn off my white noise machine.

The most important factor in your ability to successfully work for yourself is self-awareness. You need to know if you're actually talented, you need to know if you're actually a hard worker, you need to know if you actually love it — or if you just don't want to be doing the other thing you're currently doing. If you lie to yourself about any of these things, you're done. 

And even if you have a little bit of success, there will always be something in the back of your head telling you, "Tomorrow, this might all come crashing down."

So that's why I am working within 15 minutes of opening my eyes every morning.

The Goo Goo Dolls are a better band than The Beatles.

"Hook" is Dustin Hoffman's finest work.

On his deathbed, Andrew Lloyd Webber will admit that "Cats" was a social engineering project to see if he could fool the general populace. He won. 

The Detroit Tigers threw the 2006 World Series.

"My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy" is the greatest work of art humanity has ever created. Not the greatest music album — the greatest work of art.

The Last Lost Continent by La Dispute is second. 

I shouldn't have gotten in trouble for watching baseball on my phone at the Grand Rapids Symphony that one time.

5'9 is a normal height, find a new slant.

Jeopardy! pretending Mayim Bialik ever deserved to host over Ken Jennings was the biggest charade since they tried to convince us La La Land deserved to win Best Picture. 

Someone needs to disrupt the printer industry.


These are some things I think.

Jonathan Jordan

Unleash your Inner Storyteller | Book Coach & LinkedIn Ghostwriter | Let's empower your Story to transform Ideas into Impact.

Billion dollar founders and rebel CEOs trust me with their nonfiction books for one reason:

Because great storytelling leads to great results.

As a former social worker and multi-business owner, I help CEOs and founders tackle their Page Fright, unleash their Inner Storyteller, and turn stories into ROI. That's why in 2025, I was nominated for the ONLY ghostwriting award in all of publishing. And why my clients have won over 40+ accolades, including the Kirkus Star, the IBPA Silver Medal, Publisher's Weekly A rating, and #1 nonfiction title on Audible.

From Silicon Valley CEOs to serial entrepreneurs, my clients have also won 7-figure customers, launched courses, gained speaking opportunities, and sold thousands of books to bolster their industry authority.

Here’s how I can help you turn your story into status:
1. Follow me to learn effective writing.
2. DM me about a 1:1 coaching session.
3. Go read "Start With Story." Get it from bookshop.org/a/106317/9798991327008 to support your local bookstore.

Book Coach and Editor

Book coaching and editing services.

We met our son 23 hours after finding out he existed.


January 16, 2022:

We'd been in the adoption process for a year.

Home study done.
Health screenings done.
Trainings complete and ongoing.

But in December of 2021, our agency still had ZERO expectant mothers in their program.

"Just keep up your training requirements," they said during our monthly check-in.

After all...

We still had to be selected by a birth mother.
Which usually happens in 2nd trimester.

So coming into 2022, we thought we still had months and months of waiting.

Maybe even another year.

When we headed to bed at 10:15 p.m. on Sunday, January 16th, 2022,
the last thing we expected was a call from our caseworker.

"So, this NEVER happens, but...
...we got a call from a hospital.
They had a walk-in patient in labor.
She gave birth yesterday to a boy."

"Their social worker has already gone over her options.
She's asking about adoption.
We're talking to her again tomorrow.
Can we show her your profile book?"

At 2 p.m. the next day, we were at our favorite coffee shop when she called again:

"She picked you guys.
You'll be able to pick him up tonight.
Congratulations."

I kissed my wife.
Through tears.
"We have another son."

A literal Target run to grab anything we hadn't bought yet.

Calls to my wife's parents to pick up our 8 year-old from gymnastics.

Heads spinning.
Hearts bursting.

At 8 p.m., we met him.
Signed guardianship papers.

At 9 p.m., he was home with us.
And our family finally felt complete.

Happy birthday, MJ.
We weren't there for your birth.
But we got there as fast as we could.

I save CEOs from writing bad books | 2025 Andy Award nominee for ghostwriting l Book coach to billion $ CEOs and founders

Ghostwriting is a total rip-off.

Right off the bat,
we can't guarantee book sales.
[because best writing ≠ bestselling]

Second,
we're so much slower than AI.
[i mean, come on, 6-8 months to write a book???
what is this? 2021?]

Third,
we ask too many questions.
[the actual audacity.]

Maybe that's why books I've ghostwritten:
-Won 37 publishing awards
-Hit #1 on Audible
-Attracted 7-figure clients
-Was praised by Deepak Chopra
-Led to a 35,000-person speaking gig

Like I said...total rip-off.

===
Hi, I'm Jonathan, and I save CEOs from publishing bad books.

12 days into January and the 1st award of the year came through.
The Independent Press Awards recognized my client:

First Place, Entrepreneurship & Small Business

When my clients win, I win.

[plus, it's a balm for ye olde imposter syndrome.]

This unhinged 18-year-old doesn't know that one day he's going to earn 6-figgies/year as a full-time writer:


He thinks he'll be earning millions as a celebrity author.
[no such thing.]

Or maybe as a famous screenwriter.
[even less of a thing.]

He thinks that will happen by age 25. 
30 at the latest.
[he's an idiot.]

Here's what he doesn't know:

-He'll believe bad advice at 21 that writing careers aren't real.
-He'll become a social worker at age 22.
-He'll meet the love of his life at 23.
-He'll buy a fitness franchise at 25.
-He'll sell that biz for too low at 29.
-He'll settle for cheap-ass freelance gigs at 30.
-He'll lose literally all of his money [and almost his life] at 31.
-He'll finally take a chance on himself at 32.
-He'll get hired by millionaires at age 34.
-He'll become a full-time writer at 36.
-He'll have his first six-figure year at 37.
-He'll be nominated for a major ghostwriting award at 39.

And at 40, he's going to help other people avoid the mistakes he made along the way.

I’m giving away my 6-step anti-freelancing roadmap to whoever wants it. Just shoot me a DM or comment.

>>>At what age were you the most unhinged?

80% of nonfiction business authors make these 5 book mistakes:


1: “People will care about my story because I led a big/influential company.”

Wrong.
People only care about your story if you show them how to get what they want.

2: “Chapter titles should tell people what the chapter is about.”

Wrong.
Chapter titles should be hooks.

3: “My failures should be footnotes, my wins should be highlights.”

Wrong.
Reverse that.

4: “I need to make sure the reader knows how smart I am with big-ass words.”

Wrong.
Make the reader feel smart and they'll give you the credit.

5: “My book will be a bestseller if it's really well written.”

Wrong.
Your book will be a bestseller if it's really well marketed.
[though great writing should play a role]

Bonus: “No one can tell that I quietly leveraged AI to write. Because it’s not about the words, it’s about the ideas.”

Wrong.
Yes, we can. And we're laughing at you.

You’re not worried about making these mistakes because you can’t see them.

I help you see them.

>>>what would you title your life story? Wrong answers only.

No alternative text description for this image

The 9 revenue baskets that earned me $140,146 in 2025:

In 2022, I went full-time with 2 pipelines.
In 2023, I started adding new ones.

1. Ghostwriting
-Biggest piece of the pie.

2. Book Coaching
-People assume this is a euphemism for "ghostwriting." Sometimes. But mostly not.

3. Book Doctoring
-Projects that fall into the awkward space between ghostwriting and developmental editing.

4. Developmental Editing
-Took on 7 full edits last year, typically when other clients were working through revisions.

5. 1:1 Consulting/Coaching
-Should probably be doing more of this but then I have less time to write.

6. Book sales
-People keep finding my book on Amazon and Ingram even though I do a lousy job of actively promoting said book.

7.  Proofreading
-I had one proofread that was part of an old contract. Don't ask me to proofread your book. I'll happily refer you to someone else.

8. Substack
-I made a little from my Substack newsletter but eventually decided to make it completely free.

9. Merch sales
-I have an Etsy shop of writing-related mugs. Sometimes people find it.

Revenue baskets I'm building in 2026:
-Digital products
-Video tie-ins with digital products
-Speaking [?]

Took me 3 years of hard work to build these baskets.
But that's how you build sustainability.
That's how you stop trading time for money.
And you don't have to be remotely famous to do it.

>>>What's a basket you added in 2025 or are adding in 2026?

Ran my first 5K in 11 years.
In the Bahamas. On vacation.

Why?

Because you have to put skin in the game.

I've already paid for a 10-miler in April.
In Orlando.

No, I can't run 10 miles yet.
But I will.

>>>What's the "hard thing" you're making yourself do right now?

One stupid writing trick that instantly makes your message land better:


Don't start with "I."

This is the number 1 editing note for my book clients:
"You're starting too many sentences with 'I.'"

9/10 times, the "I" sentence can be reframed.

"I couldn't believe she just said that aloud in a meeting."
→"Shocked expressions lined both sides of the conference room. No one in the room could believe she had just said that aloud."

"I was worried I wouldn't arrive on time."
→"Worry raced through me like the White Rabbit shouting 'I'm late, I'm late, I'm late!'"

"I never start a sentence with 'I.'"
→"Never start a sentence with 'I.'"

When I ghostwrite or edit, every sentence goes through an "I-Test."

If "I" really is the best start, so be it.
At least then it's been put to the test.

>>>Who else needs to get better at this with their comments, though? [hi] 

Alright, time for me to sit back and await the inevitable "Seinfeld" quotes.

5 things I'd do differently if I started freelancing today:
1. Compare myself more.
-Comparing myself to those "ahead" of me has only made me better, not worse.

2. Cut down my offers.
-Too many offers creates confusion, not options.

3. Post on LinkedIn more.
-Spent hours crafting blogs that 3 people read. Meanwhile, even a crappy LinkedIn post can get at least 300 views.

4. Learn marketing.
-If you're not finding marketing angles for clients, you're not serving them the best you could be.

5. Network more.
-I saw other writers as competition instead of as colleagues. And my business suffered for it.

Bonus: Swear off the writing platforms.
-Fiverr and Upwork are cesspools where careers race to the dank and derelict bottom.

I'm launching a resource this month to help freelancers scale way faster than I did.

If you're a freelance writer/editor and want a sneak peek, message me SNEAK.
I'm currently on a boat, but I'll totally catch up with you.

>>>What would you do differently?

In the past 2 weeks, I've reached out to 19 local Rotary Clubs.
Heard back from zero:


Last year, I learned from Donnie Boivin that Rotary Clubs are always looking for free guest speakers.

Since speaking is one of my 2026 goals, I finally acted on his advice.

Sent emails.
Used their contact forms.
Even texted the number for the Rotary Club in the next town over.

Nothing.
Not even crickets.
Not even a polite "hell no."

So a word of advice for those who run professional organizations:

At the very least, say,  "Your topic doesn't align with our members' interests."

This is my ranty way of saying, "If you want a free speaker to teach your group about publishing, here I am."

>>>When's the last time you were ghosted?

Last October, I visited C.S. Lewis's grave.
But his best writing advice is still alive:

1. Turn off the radio.
- Insert "Netflix."

2. Read all the good books you can, and avoid nearly all magazines.
- Insert "social media."

3. Always write (and read) with the ear, not the eye.
- Aye aye, captain.

4. Write about what really interests you.
- Interest trumps expertise. Every time.

5. Take pains to be clear.
- Clear > Clever.

6. When you give up a bit of work, don't throw it away. Put it in a drawer. It may come in useful later.
- Nothing is wasted.

7. Be sure you know the meaning of every word you use.
- Translation: Stop trying to sound smart.

[From "On Writing (And Writers)" p. 3-5]

>>>Which of these stands out to you most?

P.S. I'll be slow with responses today. Headed to the airport to board a boat.

Write like you'll be read 100 years after you're pushing daisies.
[shoulder kitty optional]


When Mark Twain turned in his autobiography to his publisher, he gave strict instructions:

"Don't publish this until I've been dead 100 years."

That's how convinced he was that his writing had long legs.

Most authors get wrapped up in the moment:
-Fiction: "Which genres are hot?"
-Nonfiction: "Which topics are trending?"
-Memoir: "What will get me noticed NOW?"

But there's a contradiction in publishing:

The best way to stay current is to be evergreen.

Find the evergreen messages.
Make them current.

=
Hi, I'm Jonathan and I save CEOs from writing bad books by helping them find evergreen messages.

The bank denied us a $325,000 mortgage.
[but I still got the last laugh.]


May, 2019.
We were tired of renting.
Finally getting back on our feet.

I had a steady 9-to-5 W2 sales job.

And my fledgling writing business made $40K in 2018.

So we filed for a loan on a new build.

The bank said no.

They said the $40K didn’t count.

In essence: "Writing isn't a real income."

There was one option:
"We'll approve if you have a co-signer."

So I had to humble myself and ask my FIL to co-sign our mortgage.

He did [because he's a generous, loving guy].

In 2021, we refinanced so that the house was only in our name.

In 2022, my writing income doubled my old W2 salary.

When you're building a writing biz, this is the kind of obstacle you'll run into.

The world won't get it.
Banks won't get it.
Friends, family, frenemies.

They won't get it.

But you don't need their permission.
You only need YOUR permission.

My new resource teaches you how to build a $100K+ writing biz officially launhes tomorrow.

Ready to build?

MLK Jr.'s best writing advice:
"Write angry."


"If I wish to compose or write or pray or preach well, I must be angry. Then all the blood in my veins is stirred, and my understanding is sharpened."
-Martin Luther King, Jr.

If your content isn't landing, here's the problem:

There's not enough emotion.

You're being too precious.
Too gentle.
Too careful.

Your stance isn't strong enough.
And your non-readers know it.

There's a reason MLK, Jr.'s words still land today.

Because there is real, raw, visceral emotion tied to the words.

Find the emotion to land the message.
Write angry.
Write sad.
Write joyful.
Write scared.
Write jealous.
Write hopeful.
Write frustrated.

If you're not making $100K+ as a writer/editor yet:
I've got something for you.


9 years.
That's how long it took between earning $24 for a blog...
[they paid me with a check]
...to crossing the six-figure/year mark.

Let's speed that up.

Currently doing a "soft launch" of my 200-page writing business guide "Word Up."

It teaches you:
-How to stand out
-How to build your portfolio
-How to find your first 5-figure clients
-How to price and pitch with confidence
-How to diversify your writing income streams

ChatGPT told me to price it for $250.
I said "Eff you, Chat."

The first 50 people get it for $17.
https://lnkd.in/gsut3Utk

>>>Need more deets? Drop a question in the comments or DMs.

You're burning out because you think LinkedIn is a Lead Machine.
[some brutal honesty:]


I've posted regularly on LinkedIn since June of 2023.
Not every day.
But at least 300 days a year.

Yet I rarely get DMs from prospects.
[I get pitched to WAY more in my DMs.]

So why do I stay on?

Because it's totally changed my business:
-I've built a solid network of professionals
-I've gained more followers than any other social I've tried
-I've learned from people ahead of me
-I've been blessed to help people behind me
-And I've even had prospects say, "I looked up your LinkedIn profile..."

And if you only listen to gurus who claim that 1 post = 5 warm leads, then yeah, you're gonna burn out.

You need an ROI here that goes deeper than dollars.

Stop seeing LinkedIn as a sales floor.
Start seeing it as a playground.

That one shift changes everything.
[except your underwear. 
Please change that offline.]

Choose your own adventure here.
And if you need content ideas, shoot me a DM.
I've got a resource that can help you generate 100+ post ideas.

>>>What's your deeper ROI on LinkedIn?

=
Hi, I'm Jonathan and I save CEOs from publishing bad books.

How do you know your content is working?
You're accused of having a "weak take."

Recently, I had a post that did alright.
One commenter said it was "a weak take."

This kind of comment used to be my nightmare.
But now I appreciate such disagreement.
[i worry when social media is too chummy.]

So I invited the commenter to share a stronger take.

Nothing.
No DM convo.
No comment back.

Because most critics don't have their own POV to share.
They just know the POV they don't like.

Actual weak takes get no response.
[i know this all too well.]

Got critics?
Good.
You're doing something right.

=
Hi, I'm Jonathan, and I save CEOs from publishing bad books [with weak takes].

Reach out if you're worried your book sucks.

I fell $9,853.27 short of my 2025 revenue goal.
With $25,000 in AR.

One response is:
"Dammit, I missed the goal."

The other is:
"Sweet. At the end of 2024, I had $0 in AR."

In the battle of 
How Far You've Come 
vs. 
How Far You Have To Go

...always place your bets on how far you've come.

===
Hi, I'm Jonathan and I save CEOs from publishing bad books.
Here for you if you're worried that your book sucks.

2013-2018: Freelance gigs for $25-$75
2020: Landed my first $10,000 project.
Here’s what changed:


1. My perspective.
-Stopped thinking like a freelancer.
-Started thinking like an entrepreneur.

2. My portfolio.
-Became my own first client.
-Used before/after pics of my work.

3. My pipelines.
-Stopped depending on gig platforms.
-Connected with real publishers.

Now I’m sharing the 6 steps that helped me ditch lowball, soul-sucking gigs for premium, life-affirming work.

For free.

Comment ROADMAP and I’ll send it your way.

Where's the line between "bold" and "cringe"?
This post will find out by naming the 3 types of clients I want:

1. YouTubers
-I'm already working with one who has an audience of 11 million.
[but not the one pictured here.]

2. Elite athletes
-I've already worked on projects for a former pro golfer, a former NFL player, and a Paralympian.
[not the one pictured here, though I'm cheering for Brenna in the upcoming 2026 Paralympics.]

3. Name brand builders
-I've already worked with CEOs of billion dollar and household name brands.
[not the one pictured, though I drove for Uber for 4 years, so...]

Maybe this post is bold.
Maybe this post is cringe.
Or maybe it's just super-naive.

But hey, if any of them [or their representatives] want to find me to tell me "Yes," "No," or "Who are you?" 

...well, you know where to find me.

>>>On a scale of Yikes to Yeesh, how cringe is this post?

taplio

The Battle

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The Battle

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Performance Score.css-goub6s{font-size:var(--chakra-fontSizes-md);font-weight:500;color:var(--chakra-colors-gray-600);display:block;margin-top:var(--chakra-space-1);}Adam Knorr's LinkedIn Performance

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