Heyo Collective!

It’s been a long 6 months, and I’m sure some of you have noticed my absence. After all, this meant…

😢 No more weekly posts

📰 No more articles

😭 No more videos, tips, courses, etc. (It’s all gone!)

Yes, our old website, Copycollective.cc, is now defunct. Our email list of 10,000+ subscribers is dead ⚰️. You can no longer buy my books or my courses.

So what changed, where the hell was I for 6 months, and where are we headed now?

Nearly a year ago, we concluded a coaching program, which I’d like to say achieved moderate success. It wasn’t what I had expected, but I learned a lot from the experience, and it made me realize that I absolutely do NOT like coaching.

Don’t get me wrong.

I love helping people, but coaching is something else. And it isn’t for me. The coaching experience also forced me to reevaluate the information I was sharing. More importantly, I asked myself…

Does my approach to building writing businesses actually work? And can it still work today?

So I took a break from the Collective. A long and necessary break. To be frank (still Valerio, really), I had no idea if I was going to come back. The coaching experience had left me slightly deflated and dejected. I was also tired of seeing the same ole’ questions poppin’ up on Facebook about the same mundane shit we’ve been explaining over and over again for yeeeeeeears.

So where did I go, and how did I launch yet another writing business from scratch? (And more importantly, did I succeed?)

First thing I did was ditch SaaS and dive head-first into crypto. Don’t get me wrong. SaaS is profitable, but I just could not give a flying f**k about the industry anymore. No longer passionate, I strove to find an industry that spoke to me.

Why crypto? Well, it’s not new to me. If you’re going to start a freelance writing business, it’s not a smart move to go with something you’ve got zero idea about. It’s always best to lean on your strengths.

I won’t go into the nitty-gritty details, but I did have some learning to do. The crypto landscape had changed a lot since I had last been involved circa 2018, editing blockchain whitepapers for an Ontario-based crypto agency.

I was able to afford the time to dedicate myself to reading a few books and taking a couple courses on blockchains, finance, money, and so on. But if you don’t have the time or money to trade for knowledge, then don’t waste time.

Start with what you know, and write a couple strong samples. (Strong = relevant and well-written, demonstrating not just your writing skills, but your expertise of the industry.)

If you want to break into a new industry that you’re not familiar with, but money and time are tight, write a couple strong samples and get moving. Then, once you’ve got some money and time liberated, go chase some of that tasty learning.

Anyway. I’m going on a bit of a rant here, so let me cut this short. From there, I wrote a couple spec samples (i.e., “fake” samples, which still showcase my writing skills, so potential clients don’t give a shit if they’re real or fake, as long as you can bring your writing skills to their business.)

And then, I updated my LinkedIn profile. I didn’t even have a website up yet, but it didn’t matter. Soon enough, I had an old acquaintance, a finance copywriter, ping me and ask if I’d be interested in working with… CoinGecko, one of the largest crypto media companies in the world.

After publishing a couple pieces, I updated my portfolio and my site. I reached out to other prospects. Since then, I’ve worked with CoinMarketCap, Magic Eden, Phantom wallet, and a whole range of crypto publications that have helped me cement my reputation in the industry as one of the best educational blockchain writers working in the space.

Is that a brag? Why not? I am proud of the achievement. But that’s not why I’m writing this. What I want you to take away from this is that I went from a nobody to a somebody in the industry within a few months, and you can too.

Not all of you. Hell, some of you don’t even put in the effort to spell correctly when you’re posting questions. (Yes, we notice.) But the serious ones? Those of you who put in the work day in, day out, to get better at your craft, to actually learn and improve?

Your actions actually do increase your chances of success considerably. (You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take, right?) But there is a right way to go about it, and about a million wrong ways, so let’s make sure you’re on the right path.

If you know me, you know this isn’t a sales pitch. I’ve got nothing to sell you. What you’re reading here is a semi-hatched 2.0 roadmap from my mind, with fresh ink, broken shells, and all. Over the next few weeks to months, I’ll be uploading a repository of info here.

It will be 100% free. ALL OF IT.

We’ll also be going hard into branding, meaning the brand will have an edgier voice to it. So let me close this announcement with our new slogan:

“Because good information should be fucking free.”

Alternative suggestions welcome. Feedback too.

(And subscribe below to get notified whenever we post anything. These will all be value posts where you learn something, get some takeaways, and can apply it to your business. No fluff, no bullshit.) If you want to donate, or purchase some Collective NFTs, those might come later. I don’t know. Frankly, I’ve got no idea wtf I’m doing, so let me know if you’ve got any bright ideas.

Anyway. G’day. Let’s get to building then. 🥊