Pop quiz…

What’s more important:

How you think?

…Or what you know?

The answer is simple but hard to implement.

And there’s no single answer for every situation. But the decision you make is critical for your business success.

So on today’s livestream, I’m going to share my personal experience with this life-long question to give you the mental head start I wish I had in my early days.

To higher profits,

Rich Schefren

On my last livestream, I received tons of great questions about launching a profitable subscription service.

So much so, I didn’t even begin to reveal everything I’ve discovered while selling subscriptions in my own businesses — and helping companies like Agora do the same.

So I’m going live for PART 2 to give you unique guidance and resources that will help you create, sell, and RETAIN a valuable subscription that pays you month after month.

To higher profits,

Rich Schefren

P.S. Normally I’d share the exciting details of what’s all happening behind the scenes with our membership site. But those are still hush-hush. Maybe you’ll pick up on some of them

How do you build a one-of-a-kind onboarding experience?

…One that builds trust, delivers value, and sets the foundation for a long-term relationship with your customers?

It’s a crucial problem (that few have solved).

That’s why I’m going LIVE with my email copywriter, Jack Wade, to discuss the common mistakes marketers make with their first impressions.

Then I’m revealing my process for creating an onboarding experience that results in lower churn, higher lifetime values, and a thriving fan base that loves your products and services.

To higher profits,

Rich Schefren

I have a confession to make…

Early in my career, I had a knack for coming up with good ideas (no, this isn’t the confession. Keep reading for the real dirt).

I was an idea machine.

I gave solid suggestions during copy review. I came up with countless ad angles. And whenever we had a company offsite at the Four Season — which always included a multi-hour “idea pitch session” — I had lots of gold to give away.

There was just one BIG problem…

I wasn’t skilled enough to actually execute my best ideas.

And as a result, my early years as a copywriter were filled with high hopes and disappointing results.

Luckily, I knew that with enough practice, my writing would catch up with my creativity. And after 8+ years of performing the craft, I’m finally good enough to accomplish most (but not all) of my ambitious ideas.

There’s something I realized though…

Many copywriters, struggle with the opposite problem:

They’re good writers but lack the instincts and intuition to develop a big idea.

On their own, they write solid copy. But the “home runs” seemingly evade them.

But pair them with a mentor who can rapid-fire winning ideas?

Now you’ve got a dangerous combo on your hands.

And that’s why it’s so important to build a diverse copy team (or work in one).

You need idea people.

You need executioners.

And you need some who can do both — especially in the Copy Chief position.

Now, you may be wondering (at least I was)…

“Is one skill more important than the other?”

And the answer is: kinda.

Because while both roles are critical, you need MORE executioners than idea generators for a simple reason: scalability.

Just think about it…

One idea machine can feed — in my experience — at least 3 or 4 copywriters with high-quality campaigns at a time.

In other words:

They have leverage.

But if the opposite happens, you have a profit-killing bottleneck.

Even A-list writers can only work (well) on a single idea at once. Writing is a linear process.

So if your team is loaded with great ideas but lacks creatives who can execute, then you’ll find your business eking out promotions while your backlog of brilliance rots on the vine, waiting to be picked.

And that’s a recipe for lots of salaries and little sales.

Avoid it if you can.

Your pen pal,

Matt Rizvi

Most people would consider me a freak for saying this, but…

I do NOT like to travel.

And no, it’s not because I was just stuck on a busted Amtrak train from Baltimore to New York City, got towed to Trenton, and then had to transfer to a slow, regional train for the rest of the ride.

Because even when a trip goes flawlessly…

And the food is delectable… the adventures exciting… the hotels luxurious… and the views are awe-inspiring…

I still look forward to returning to my beloved lair in BMore.

Call me a curmudgeon…

But I simply enjoy my daily routine too darn much.

I enjoy my morning walks with my wife. I enjoy drinking my homemade Americanos. I enjoy writing from my big comfy couch. I enjoy working out in my home gym or going 2 minutes down the street to rock climb at Earth Treks. And I enjoy cuddling in bed at night under my Queen-sized covers.

But here’s the thing…

I don’t just follow this routine because I’ve made it a habit.

These habits allow me to operate at my best.

And when I break them?

My sleep gets out of sync.

My discipline takes a dive.

I feast on junk food and evade exercise.

And worst of all, I lose momentum towards my mission and become professionally unproductive.

Now, I recognize that I may just be a peculiar fellow when it comes to my conditioning.

But I simply can’t argue with the results.

And if you’re a creature of habit like I am (and enjoy the benefits like I do), then maybe you too should think twice before booking your next excursion abroad.

Your pen pal,

Matt Rizvi

One of the best explanations of the ‘big idea’ I ever heard came from Joe Schriefer — the mega-publisher behind Agora Financial, who helped scale the company from $30 to $300 million.

According to Joe (he didn’t create the concept, but he regularly teaches it to copywriters), the big idea is the combination of three circles in a Venn diagram:

In one circle, you have your PROSPECT… in the next circle, you have your PRODUCT… and in the last circle, you have the WORLD (i.e., what’s going on in the world right now).

And when you’re able to bridge the gap between your potential buyers, the thing you’re selling, and show why it’s relevant… topical… or important right now, you know you’ve got a big idea on your hands.

But recently, one of my copywriters, Jack, noticed something:

The overlapping sections between the diagram were blank. So he thought, “Are there BRIDGES that connect them together?”Anyways, Jack thinks he’s found the “missing pieces.” And frankly, I think he might be onto something here.

And how you can use this simple diagram to find YOUR next big idea.