2 years ago, an idea from James Clear stopped me in my (busy) tracks:

Build assets that compound…your business should feel easier to sustain each year.

Compounding assets include:

• Skills
• Reputation
• An email list
• An audience
• Unique ideas
• Relationships
• A productized offer

These assets create leverage.

Leverage creates freedom.

Freedom gives you space to think.

And thinking is how you succeed as a writer. Not only will you write more clearly, but your creativity and judgment will skyrocket. And in an age of almost infinite leverage, these are the two most important skills.

The biggest risk to your long-term freedom is the “Money Now Trap”.

This is where you get stuck chasing and fulfilling clients. You have no time to build assets that will grow your business for you. When I started online, my friends raced to 20-30k/months 10x faster than me.

But they‘re still there now. Hustling but barely moving. They don't have an email list or engaged audience. Nor do they have systems, automations, and processes.

They weren't capitalizing on the real online opportunity:

The army of robots at your disposal. Every word and automation will work tirelessly to build relationships and generate revenue.

If you work hard and smart, the output you can achieve is staggering. The key is to build assets that build for you.

Let me give you an example.

How writing equals freedom

I run my business through Notion.

When I write, my VA uploads to Hypefury to post across 4 social media platforms.

Under these posts, we share assets in exchange for email addresses. Convertkit automatically sends my best ideas, resources, and products.

When someone buys High Impact Writing, they enter a post-purchase email series.

For 4 weeks, they receive valuable content plus natural recommendations for my other products. My ‘offer ecosystem’ consists of ten assets that cost almost zero time to deliver.

What this means:

I can write a 2-minute social media post that leads to potentially hundreds of hours of content consumed, value added, and generates thousands of dollars of revenue.

You can take someone from stranger to follower to fan just by sharing ideas you believe in. You can create a lifelong customer without ever actually meeting.

But only if you focus on building compounding assets.

Earn with your mind and not your time

The simplest ways to climb the ladder of leverage is to productize your knowledge.

The advice you give to one person can serve many:

• Reply to an email? Turn it into a tweet
• Send a newsletter? Post to your site
• Build a framework? Create a lead magnet
• Solve a problem? Release a product

Then automate, delegate, and systemize your processes.

And sure, the start of this journey is slow.

But the Grand Canyon began as a trickle. The more you build, the more leveraged and impactful your writing becomes. And your income is a by-product of your impact.

Let me ask you:

Who's working harder—you or your words?

Are you building what your future self will thank you for?

Build smart and make it count.

And on that note, we'll finish this series with the most important advice I wish I heard 4 years ago. Keep an eye out.

Kieran