Last week, I spent $6,000 on a mindset offer.

A year ago, I would never, ever, ever have written that sentence.

But here we are. And I have zero regrets.

This email deconstructs how I went from ‘I have no clue who this guy is’ to ‘I must work with this guy’ in one month.

Here are 7 lessons we should all embrace as entrepreneurs:

Lesson 1: Reputation is the strongest referral

The journey began after listening to Naval Ravikant’s episode with Chris Williamson.

I’d quit TV months ago. This was my first foray back into watching content.

The episode was a banger, so I browsed through what Chris had done recently.

I saw the thumbnail “Do the Scary Thing”.

I find our relationship with fear fascinating.

But often these mindset interviews are lame as hell. I figured I’d give it 5 minutes.

Instead, I devoured the next 2 and a half hours.

It was a good reminder:

Reputation is incredible for referrals.

I trust Modern Wisdom. Almost every other ‘big podcast’ has taken on many muppets.

When Chris said that Joe’s advice was amazing, I was intrigued.

The lesson: Take your reputation seriously. You’ll begin to attract other people who do too. Never compromise on your word or the quality of your product. This is the slow approach to creating powerful serendipity.

Lesson 2: The power of clear writing

The podcast episode had 30 tips.

Where did Chris find these?

From Joe’s writing. Mainly his Twitter.

Joe has a collection of banger ideas. Deeply insightful, incredibly concise.

I went from lukewarm interest to massive respect in one interview.

The lesson: Writing is the ultimate signal of authority. Clear writing shows clear thinking. Your ‘island of ideas’ is a magnet for opportunities. Commit to the craft.

Lesson 3: Frequency creates familiarity

After finishing the podcast episode, I watched three more.

I signed up for his welcome sequence and free email course.

This meant I was getting 2 emails per day… whilst sharing my dinner with Joe.

Did I complain about ‘getting too much information?’

Hell. No.

If he sent 4 emails a day I’d have been happy.

In fact, I was disappointed that he didn’t have a book.

The lesson: When your audience is fascinated, they cannot get enough of you. The mistake is having nothing to give them. Podcasts, videos, emails, tweets. You can take someone from stranger to follower to fan in a week.

Lesson 4: Follow your curiosity

My curiosity has taken me down a rabbit hole the past year.

The journey?

Self-awareness.

It started with Anthony Demello’s book Awareness. Then I found the world of contrarian clear thinkers: Krishnamurti, Osho, Jed McKenna, and more.

I can’t get enough of it.

A friend recently recommended Somatic Therapy—which is about understanding how things feel in your body.

As someone who lives in his head, this stuff has blown my mind.

I can’t believe I’ve spent 33 years unaware of this bag of bones and meat I exist in.

And Joe?

A fantastic combination of these topics.

But he’s not a spiritual teacher (he’s against the word ‘spirituality’—which I resonate with: labels create limits). He has a background as a VC and works with some of the best entrepreneurs in the world.

This intersection of business and awareness is precisely where I’m at.

To me, Joe is speaking the most sense I’ve heard in a very long time.

The lesson: Follow your curiosity—it will lead you somewhere great. Not just in what you consume, but what you create. Joe has a fascinating intersection of knowledge from the work he has done. If you want to succeed as a writer in a such a noisy world, you must do the same.

Lesson 5: Nail the pillars of persuasion

I rarely spend money on high ticket.

And I’ve never spent it on mindset. I’ve seen enough LinkedIn gurus tell me to drink water and reframe my problems to know it’s all mumbo jumbo.

So when I’m persuaded to spend big money, I like to work out why.

There are 5 pillars of persuasion, and Joe nailed them all.

Practical → He’s not rooted in theory like many mindset coaches. It’s pure action. He shares strategies entrepreneurs can use right now to operate at their best. Give more practical advice.

Personal → Joe shares vulnerable stories about his journey. He already helped me stop making the mistake of ‘chasing’ awareness. That’s just another form of ego. Your story is your differentiator. Open up.

Polarising → He throws stones at personal development (rightly so). Progress is not about self-improvement but self-inquiry. Something I’ve discovered this year. You need an enemy.

Predictions → He explains what happens to entrepreneurs who don’t do this work, and those who do. I’ve seen the direction I was heading in. Hell. No. Predictions are powerful.

Proof → He has incredible client results—with people respect. I love his live coaching videos, too. I might do the same for writing coaching. This stuff doesn’t go viral, but it builds your business.

The result was an incredible persuasive pull.

…Without him needing to sell.

Which leads me to the 2 final lessons.

Lesson 6: Engineer exclusivity

Joe’s popular mastermind program launched this month.

I joined the waitlist. I knew seats were limited. As an entrepreneur myself, I also knew this would only make me want it more.

As the weeks went by, my desire grew (because I was devouring his content). I actually set a reminder on my phone for the launch date.

Jesus, what a fan boy.

I applied on the train to London. The application form had the desired effect.

It wasn’t a: Hey this is ready to buy.

It was a: Hey, this is ready for you to apply.

The questions gave me the urge to sell myself. This is powerful—most buying relationships start with fear and regret.

What I didn’t expect was to pay $6k before I was even accepted.

I thought they would review the application then offer the opportunity. Nope. They take your money then refund you if you’re denied.

I’m not sure I’d have the balls to do that in my business, but damn I respect it.

I went from a 2 minute application to a $6k payment.

Crazy part? I was happy to.

Lesson 7: Play the long game

A final observation:

I saw a tweet from one of Joe’s staff saying that his brand and business are going viral.

I wasn’t surprised.

I’ve shared his stuff with all my best friends. As an entrepreneur, it is some of the most important advice.

It is obvious that Joe is a master of what he does.

But he’s not flashy. He’s let his work do the talking.

Far too many brands rely on cheap hacks and gimmicks to chase fame.

You can tell the type. They’ve got the big audience but their advice is empty, hollow.

But the world is an efficient place.

Over a long timeframe, shit always sinks to the bottom. Quality always rises to the top.

Seeing Joe has reminded me to pursue excellence.

Sure, I plan on marketing myself. But more importantly, this means mastering my craft and pushing myself to do interesting things.

The aim is not fame, which is a fool’s game.

The aim is to be well known for the right reasons among the right people.

Because reputation is your strongest asset.

Hope this helps,

Kieran