College teacher turned ghostwriter | Scaling founders, coaches, and consultants to $100K+ /mo | Writing to build wealth and better self | 98,000 on Twitter (X)

Taylin John Simmonds

I just want you to know, it’s possible to become a full time writer. 

It might take longer than expected. It might not happen the way you expected. But it is possible. 

Please, on the hard days, remember that.

College teacher turned Substack ghostwriter | Helping multi-passionate writers and creatives earn on the internet | 2 billion impressions | $4,000,000+ revenue generated | All in on Substack

I ghostwrote for 6 months with zero pay.

3am writing sessions to hit deadlines. Then I’d teach college classes from 8am to 6pm (exhausting).

I tracked every win. Saved the screenshots. Studied what worked.

That invisible work became my portfolio.
That portfolio landed my first paid client at $3,000 a month.

To get paid, get proof.

I’m 31, Canadian, introverted, and run a small online writing biz with my high school best friend.

Last year, we did $315,000 in revenue.

What we sell (copy us if you like):

– Social media ghostwriting: $4,700/mo + 10% commission
– Newsletter ghostwriting: $2,000 /mo
– Ghostwriting coaching: $5,700/qtr
- Ghostwriting course: $500
- Paid Substack newsletter: $99/yr

How we market:

– Post on LinkedIn 5x/week
– Post on Substack 7x/week
– Post on Twitter 14x/week
– Email my list 2-3x/week
– DM 100 people/mo on LinkedIn

Tools we use:

– Loom (SOPs and audits)
– Stripe + Whop (payment processors)
– Calendly (calendar bookings and pre-sale automation sequences)
– Heartbeat (community platform for coaching)
– Eden (all writing + my entire life in systems)
– Notion (company systems)
– Claude + ChatGPT (AI assistance)

Where I started:

4 years ago I was a college teacher who knew nothing about business, marketing, or sales. I just wanted more control over my time and to make a little more money. Today, I have exactly that.

if you do a fraction of this, you can make $100K /yr on Substack alone. You just need the right offers, strategy, and time.

I hope this gives you some direction.

—Taylin

My tiny writing biz did $315,000 last year.

If I were starting over and wanted 6 figures, I’d ghostwrite newsletters on Substack.

Go to LinkedIn, find business owners, health coaches, and tech founders. DM them. Show them how a paid newsletter will make them more per mo than they pay you.

Do this well and you’ll have more clients than you can handle.

Funny... After 31 years of exploring, my happy life turned out to the simple one.

• Reading great books
• Going on walks to think
• Writing what I’d love to read

A little breathwork. A lot of time with my gf.

That’s it. That’s happiness.

Build in public (show your process)
Think in public (share your insights)
Write in public (show your skill)

Public credibility creates private opportunities.

If you want to level up in life, you must create more than you consume.

Create art, books, content, products, and businesses. Shape your body, mind, and environment. Build your ideal life one tiny step at a time.

Most people are stuck because they only watch. Don’t be like them.

Create something. Anything.

You only need 1 client.

Not one who underpays, drains your energy, and ignores boundaries.

1 client who pays more than most corporate salaries, treats you like a professional, and builds with you long term.

That single client will permanently change what you think is possible with a one person business.

You're exhausted because you have too many open loops.

Too many books you’re reading. Articles you’re writing. Skills you’re learning. Businesses you’re building. Problems you’re solving.

Pick one thing (for now). And grieve the rest. 
Energy will follow.

Don’t write with AI. Write assisted by AI.

AI can come up with ideas. You decide which are worth writing.
AI can research. You fact-check.
AI can give feedback. You choose what to keep.

You think. You write. You lead.

You bring the perspective, taste, and truth that no machine can.

AI saves you time.

Not so you can write less, but so you can write more, write better, and write more you.

Solo building is overrated.

Find your people. Meet daily. Build cool sh*t together.

I’m creating a newsletter ghostwriting course with two close friends and it’s the most fun I’ve had in months.

Few things beat building with people who care as much as you do.

The happiest people I know are not doing more. 
They are noticing more.

They pause to celebrate small wins others ignore. Ten minutes of focused work. One uncomfortable email sent. An honest start on a low-energy day.

That habit will make you effective.

Because people who notice progress keep going.

Multi-passionate people get stuck because they over-consume and under-create.

You don’t have to give up learning. But you do need to devote yourself to producing work daily.

Create for 2-4 hours in the morning. Explore for 1-2 hours in the evenings.

That’s how you both learn and earn with multiple interests.

You don't need motivation to achieve great things.

I don't always feel like writing.
I don't always feel like working.
I don't always feel like exercising.

Honestly, MOST days I don't feel like it.

But I do it anyways.
And I never regret it.

The future won’t belong to specialists who refuse to change.

It will belong to people who can become someone new again and again.

Technology is moving too fast for fixed identities.

Agency, learning speed, and keeping cool under uncertainty are the new job security.

A lack of pressure leads to an abundance of procrastination.

New milestone: 100 paid subscribers on Substack!

I help Agency Owners, Coaches, and Consultants Join the Top 1% on LinkedIn in 90 Days to Earn High-Ticket Clients | Feat. in Forbes | 500+ clients | 2x D1 Basketball Conference Champion

You’ve built something real.

A company. A career. A reputation that took years to earn.

But even the most accomplished leaders face one problem:

Their story isn’t reaching the people it could impact most.

That’s where I come in.

I help C-suite Executives, Founders, Authors, and Speakers turn their ideas, experiences, and wisdom into growth content that builds authority, trust, and opportunity on LinkedIn.

Before ghostwriting for top leaders, I was behind the scenes too, working 60-hour weeks on a $22,500 salary with UConn Men’s Basketball. 

In 2020, I took a risk, bet on myself, and went all-in on a small Instagram page I was building called Unleash The Knowledge.That single step changed everything.

Five years later, that brand has grown to nearly 200,000 followers, and I now run a multi–six-figure business helping professionals communicate their value online.

Since then, I’ve partnered with 500+ clients, including:

• Rick Ross, Grammy-nominated Rapper
• Jim McKelvey, Co-Founder of Square
• Kara Goldin, Founder of HINT Water
• Terry Virts, NASA Astronaut

Each project has one goal: to help leaders like you articulate the wisdom you’ve earned, and amplify it through powerful storytelling.

If you’re ready to turn your experience into influence, here are three ways to start:

1. Follow me for daily insights on storytelling, strategy, and influence.

2. Get my 30 Free Templates to create client-attracting content in under an hour. (DM me "TEMPLATES")

3. Done-For-You LinkedIn Growth: My team and I handle everything, from strategy to content, so you can grow your audience, authority, and deal flow. (Book A Call Through My Featured Section)

Let’s make your ideas impossible to ignore.

— Owen Sammarone

Owen Sammarone 🚀

30 days alcohol-free. ✅

I started on December 28th…

Which means I went into New Year’s Eve sober for the first time in my adult life.

Not because I “had to.”

Because I wanted to prove something to myself:

I’m in control.

Not my habits.
Not my environment.
Not the social pressure.
Not the “I’ll start Monday” voice.

And honestly?

This month reminded me of a simple truth:

Confidence isn’t something you think your way into. It’s something you earn by keeping promises to yourself.

Dry January has been a great experiment.
Not for the badge.

But for the identity shift:

“I do what I say I’m going to do.”

If you did Dry January too…
Are you still sticking with it?

I help founders turn LinkedIn into a deal-flow asset through CEO-level positioning + storytelling

This morning’s meeting was with myself.

No laptop.
No notifications.
No AirPods.

Just a black coffee, two eggs, and an old-school diner.

There’s something powerful about choosing absence in a world addicted to presence.

No inputs.
No scrolling.
No urgency to respond.

Just thinking. Not strategizing. Not optimizing.

Most people say they “don’t have time” to slow down.
The truth is they’re afraid of what shows up when the noise turns off.

Clarity doesn’t come from more information.
It comes from space.

Highly recommend taking yourself on a solo date this week.

Leave the phone in your pocket.
Order something simple.
Sit longer than feels productive.
Nurse some black coffee.

The ROI is always higher than expected.

I'm not a natural early morning person.
Especially not on the weekends.
But, yesterday on this past Sunday, I tried something different.

I went on a sunrise hike with a friend I met here in Nashville.

No rush.
No noise.
No pressure to be anywhere else.

Just stillness.

I sat on this ledge, surrounded by trees and light breaking through from the vast distance.

I was reminded how rarely we slow down enough to see what God has already done.

In our lives...
In our relationships...
In the world around us...

For me, you can feel a deep sense of gratitude when your phone isn't buzzing, and when you are in the wilderness.

My friend captured this unique moment with his drone.

It reflects how the morning felt:

Grounded. Quiet. Expansive. Calming. Joyful.

In a world that constantly pulls us toward the next thing, the best therapy isn't another habit, hustle, or productivity hack.

It's stillness.
It's time with God (or the higher power you might believe in)
It's stepping into nature and remembering the beauty, love, and meaning that is already present.

If, and only if, we take the space to notice it.

I will carry this perspective into the week ahead.

I hope you do, too.

My friend at LinkedIn told me something that made the whole platform click.

I was talking to with my fraternity brother, Andrew (who works at LinkedIn) and he shared something most people wouldn't believe:

Even the CEO of LinkedIn barely gets reach + engagement on LinkedIn’s own posts.

Let that sink in.

If the CEO of LinkedIn isn’t “going viral” consistently…

What makes you think your entire strategy should depend on it?

Here’s the truth:

LinkedIn is not a content game.
At least… not solely a content game.

Content is important, but content isn’t the finish line.

It’s the start of the real game.

That’s why I teach this:

- Content is only the spark.
- Conversations are the engine.
- Trust is the currency.

Your post isn’t there to rack up likes.

Your post is there to do one thing:

Start the right conversations with the right people.

Because in B2B… attention is cheap.
But trust is rare.
And trust is what converts.

So if you’re a founder, CEO, or creator using LinkedIn to grow your authority + revenue…

Stop asking:
“Why didn’t my post perform?”

Start asking:
“Who is this post designed to attract… and what conversation should it create next?”

That’s how LinkedIn turns into a pipeline.

Not a vanity metric machine.

If you’ve been playing the algorithm…it might be time to start playing the network.

Curious: are you posting and starting conversations? Or mostly posting and hoping?

If you’re a founder getting LinkedIn engagement but no real conversations, this is for you.

Low engagement isn’t the real problem.
And neither is the algorithm.

The real problem is when your content resonates with the wrong people.

Because then:

– You get likes, but no decision-makers
– DMs feel awkward or forced
– The people who reach out can’t actually buy
– Opportunities feel random instead of predictable

That’s the hidden cost of unclear positioning.

When your content isn’t resonating with the right audience:

• Your authority gets diluted
• Your message gets misunderstood
• Your signal gets lost in noise

Over time, it creates doubt:

“Is LinkedIn even worth it?”
“Am I saying the wrong things?”
“Do people actually understand what I do?”

It’s not a posting problem.
It’s a resonance problem.

Content that works doesn’t try to appeal to everyone.

It repels the wrong audience and attracts the right one.

When the right people resonate:

– Conversations feel natural
– Inbound replaces pitching
– Trust is already built before the call

Visibility without resonance is just noise.

Positioning is what turns attention into opportunity.

Most founders get this wrong on LinkedIn…

They tell.

But they don’t show.

They say they’re strategic.
They say they’re visionary.
They say they build great teams.

But if you have to say it, you haven’t earned it.

Here’s the truth:

Content that converts doesn’t declare value.
It demonstrates it.

Want to show you’re strategic?
Break down how you solved a complex challenge.

Want to show you’re a great leader?
Share how you handled a tough moment with your team.

Want to show you're a category authority?

Teach your audience something they didn’t know before.

In 2026, the founders who win won’t be the loudest.

They’ll be the clearest.

Stop telling. Start showing.

Clients ask me, “how long should my post be?”

Long enough to make the point you want to make.

It’s really that simple.

No need to overcomplicate.

The post can be 7 sentences like this one.

Or 500 words.

Focus on being clear, helpful, and intriguing.

Man... this gets me fired up.

Some people talk.
Some people watch.
Some people do.

I'm a doer.

Which are you?

Credits: The Pivot Podcast

Last March, I got paid $21,400.

Not because I worked harder.
Not because I put in longer hours.

In fact, it hit me because I used to make roughly the same amount in an entire year while working in college basketball.

Back then:

- 6am lifts
- Film sessions
- Practices, travel, games
- Missing birthdays, holidays, family time
- Constant pressure, zero leverage

And don’t get me wrong, I’m grateful for that season.

It built discipline. Grit. Standards.

But the difference now isn’t effort.

It’s where my effort lives.

Today, a single month like that comes from:

- Putting my ideas in public
- Creating work that compounds
- Building trust before conversations happen
- Letting my presence do the heavy lifting

LinkedIn changed everything for me.

Not because it’s a “growth hack.”

But because it rewards clarity, consistency, and contribution.

Founders and C-suite leaders already have:

- The experience
- The stories
- The insight people need

What most don’t have is visibility that matches their value.

If you’re still relying on:

- Closed-door conversations
- Word of mouth alone
- Working harder instead of showing up smarter

You’re leaving leverage on the table.

Your presence is either working for you…
Or you’re working without it.

And I’ve lived both sides.

The choice is yours.

taplio

The Battle

Taylin John Simmonds

Owen Sammarone 🚀

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taplio

The Battle

Taylin John Simmonds

Owen Sammarone 🚀

Followers

Posts

Engagements

Likes

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);}Taylin John Simmonds's LinkedIn Performance

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