I used to be an “ethical” brokey.

• I thought selling was “dirty”

• I felt sleazy for promoting my stuff

• I thought marketing and sales were “below” me

• I believed that everyone trying to sell stuff online was trying to scam me

• I felt ashamed for wanting to create unreasonable abundance for myself

While there’s no doubt that there are more snake oil salesmen online than there are snakes shedding skin… we must take a holistic perspective of the facts.

The main problem is:

There are more ethical broke people than there are rich snake oil salesmen.

Ironically, both parties have what the other side lacks.

The snake oil salesmen have no ethics.

The ethical broke people have no money!

The World Is Fucked

There are dumber, less ethical people than you getting rich.

Why?

Because money has a mind of its own.

It doesn’t have a moral compass.

Money flows to where there is value.

And here’s the rub…

Value does not = ethics

Value = whatever an individual PERCEIVES as value

Read that again.

This means that value is created in the mind… which means you can create perceived value in other’s minds, regardless of whether what you’re selling IS valuable.

Get it?

This is why the snake oil salesmen win.

While you (the ethical brokey) refuse to leverage human nature to grow a business that thrives and does well in the world… there are hundreds of people selling the shit out of bogus products every day.

There are 18, 19-year-old kids making huge claims to fool you and the masses into buying their stuff.

And guess what?

People buy it. You’ve probably fallen for it yourself.

It doesn’t stop there.

Your mind is constantly under attack from unethical actors who have mastered the art of persuasion and attention.

Here are a few ways we get “sold” every day (and how it affects us):

• Fake news and gossip poison our minds, keeping us stupid

• Society is divided by extreme ideologies fuelled by hate

• We allow authority figures to tell us what to think, without question

• Our attention is being highjacked everywhere we look, wasting countless hours scrolling TikTok and social media

• Drugs, alcohol, junk food, anti-depressants and addictions disconnect us from reality and our higher selves – stopping us from reaching our potential

So if you don’t understand how to sell, market and influence people – you’re letting the “bad guys” win and your brain morph into a potato.

The only way to fight back is to fight fire with fire.

Want to create a better world?

You must throw away your “ethical” brokey mindset.

You have to become a person of influence – and to do this you must learn how to sell and market yourself and your business.

Like Zig Ziglar, the famous sales & success guru says:

“If you believe your product or service fulfils a true need, it’s your moral obligation to sell it.”

Broke Loser → Person Of Influence

Last year I had 0 followers.

I was also broke.

I had no audience AND no money.

Times were tough.

Out of desperation, I started looking for answers. A way to make money…

That’s when I took to YouTube and stumbled across Ali Abdaal.

He was talking about how he makes MILLIONS a year from building a personal brand with blog writing (writing).

“I like to write!” I said to myself.

“If he can do it… I CAN DO IT!”

So I started writing blogs. But I needed to pick the right platform to drive traffic to it…

That’s when I found Money X (Twitter), a writing platform where I could connect with other writers and push my blog.

The problem was that I was starting from absolute 0.

I had no attention.

No traffic.

No one read my blog.

Sooner or later I found the likes of Dan Koe, Dickie Bush, Dakota Robertson making a killing, and I knew it was possible to grow my brand through writing.

I thought to myself…

“What is it that these guys have that I don’t?”

Then it hit me.

They have 2 things:

1. Attention

2. Influence

The physical manifestation of which is of course: an audience.

I dedicated myself to learning how to write and build my influence.

I devoured books on marketing, sales and psychology.

I studied top creators to see how they were getting success.

I took courses, workshops and consumed 300+ hours of YouTube videos and podcasts on the topic.

12 months and >$10’000 in mentorship later…

Here I am.

• 5000 followers

• I’m making $15K/month

• I get invited on podcasts regularly

• I launched a personal branding cohort

• I live in Bali and hot places year-round

• People pay me $8900 to teach them how to do the same

Clients come to me. My last 3 clients were all inbound leads.

But the best thing it’s given me?

Purpose.

With an audience, I’m able to make a difference in more people’s lives.

An impact.

All because I got out of my own way and went all in on building my brand.

Here’s the best part…

You don’t need a massive audience to make an impact and make money on your own terms.

Take two of my clients for example.

Here’s Connor.

He’s closing $3K deals with less than 1500 followers.

And Ahaab, a previous client who’s THRIVING.

He’s closing the similar-sized clients with less than 500 followers.

Check this out.

8 Laws Of Ethical Brainwashing

So now you know it’s possible to make great money online through writing and personal branding.

But for that, you need to master the art of influence.

In ‘Influence’ by Robert Chialdini, he lays out the 7 principles of influence.

(I added one more - ‘Urgency’ to REALLY arm you for success).

I call these ‘The 8 Laws Of Ethical Brainwashing.’

Discovering and implementing these helped me go from a broke creator → $15K/month.

Implement these, and you’ll be able to sell ice to an eskimo.

Here are the 8 laws of Laws Of Ethical Brainwashing:

1. Reciprocity

Give Give Give.

• Share valuable insights & useful advice

• Help people in your comment sections

• Give away some of your best content for free (lead magnets, emails etc.)

The more you help, the more people will want to help you. It's a cycle.

Give without expectation. Watch how the universe pays you back.

2. Consistency

No one likes to break their word.

This is why cults work so well – no one wants to break their commitment to their fellow members and the leader.

When it comes to asking for something:

Ask not just if they'll do it, but frame it as an expectation.

A simple way to do this is changing “Can you” to “Will you”.

"WILL you accomplish this by next week?"

This internal pressure triggers self-reflection to boost engagement, especially if you promise value in exchange for their commitment.

People want to live up to their own standards — so be smart and take steps to make sure you live up to those standards.

3. Authority

To make money online, you must be perceived as an expert.

• Become a go-to person on a topic

• Share your credentials, your experiences, and your insights openly.

• Write, speak, and share content that showcases your expertise (I spoke about how to do this in a blog post the other week)

Authority builds belief. If they believe in your authority, they'll believe in your message.

If you know it, show it.

4. Social Proof

People hate being conned.

To build trust and confidence, showcase how your product or service has worked for others like them.

• Showcase testimonials, share case studies, highlight user reviews

• Create a perception that what you offer is in demand

• Get legitimate experts to endorse you and your vision. If respected individuals believe in you, others will follow

Social proof isn't bragging; it's proof that what you're doing works.

5. Liking

People buy from, listen to, and follow people they like.

Talking from my own experience, I ONLY buy from people I like.

• Share personal stories, show your human side, connect over common interests

• Engage genuinely with your audience

• Answer their comments, thank their praises, acknowledge their presence

Being likeable makes you approachable, and approachability opens doors.

6. Scarcity

The less there is of something, the more valuable people perceive it to be.

• Limit the availability of your offers

• Create exclusive content

• Offer limited edition products

Scarcity creates demand. "Only 2 spots left" can trigger the action you need.

Use scarcity wisely.

Scarcity can backfire if perceived as manipulative.

Make sure it’s REAL.

7. Urgency (FOMO)

If people think they can act tomorrow, they will. Make today the only option.

• Open your offer a limited time only

• Use deadlines, countdowns, and real-time updates

• "Offer ends at midnight!" isn't just a call to action; it's a timer ticking down.

The whole point is to get people to act NOW.

Combine scarcity with urgency for a double whammy that drives action.

8. Unity

People want to belong to something bigger than themselves.

Create a shared identity amongst your followers.

• Build a community, not just a customer base

• Use words like "we" and "us" to reinforce this collective identity

• Share goals, celebrate milestones, and create community-exclusive benefits

The idea that “we’re in this together” is a powerful motivator of behaviour.

Unity turns followers into fans, and fans into family.

To summarise this letter, I’d say this.

Don’t get stuck on the path of The Ethical Brokey.

Instead, realise that if you don’t sell your product to someone, they’ll simply go somewhere else.

Better they buy from YOU, the ethical entrepreneur with a life-changing solution – than the snake oil salesman up the road.

Learn how to persuade.

Learn how to influence.

Learn how to sell.

Learn how to BRAINWASH (ethically).

It’s your moral obligation to do so.

Have a great week.

PS. Want to make $5K extra revenue a month simply by sharing your ideas?

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