Welcome to #27 of A-B-C and 👋 to 996 new readers!

I quit my career on September the 2nd, 2021.

And on my first day of freedom as a creator, I did what we all we do when it’s time to take action:

I wrote a plan.

The excitement I expected.

The failure I did not.

Because over the next three months, I made zero progress toward any goals.

But last year was different.

2022 ended up pretty wild.

100,000 followers. 500+ product sales. 14k newsletter. A high-ticket group coaching program.

And it was all because of one simple change to my process. As you can imagine, I swear by this tactic now.

By the end of this email, you will too.

Let’s dive in.

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When I quit Dentistry, here were my goals:

• Release a product
• Hit 30k on Twitter
• Build a cool newsletter
• Become a freelance copywriter
• Build a network of interesting people
• Learn email marketing and storytelling

My logic was simple. Suddenly I had an extra 45 hours per week to play with. This creator gig should be easy.

You can probably see where this is heading…

I worked like a dog. I’d write early and study late. I chiped away at every goal with a tight daily routine. I was busy, and busy was productive.

… until January 2022 slapped me in the face. I looked back to see what I had achieved, and I didn’t like the answer:

Sweet f*ck all.

I was a below average copywriter with below average content. I had no clients or product ideas. I hadn’t made a single dollar.

Nada.

I'll be honest, I had a few moments where I thought I'd need to go back to Dentistry - that terrified me.

it was a blend of terrifying and depressing.

And I’m convinced the reason most creators quit is the disconnect between effort and results. Especially when you’re constantly exposed to the social media highlight reel. But the issue isn’t that you’re not trying hard enough – we all want freedom badly.

It’s the overwhelm of options.

Leaping Hurdles

If you try to achieve everything, you’ll achieve nothing.

…especially if you’ve still got a day job to go to.

So what I’m about to suggest will feel uncomfortable. Even risky. But if you want to make serious progress, you need to stop working like a factory worker.

Let me explain.

Here's how we've been wired:

Clock in. Do our time. Task 1 in the morning. Task 2 in the afternoon. Pat on the back for a day well done.

But that’s a relic of the industrial age. The 9-5, 40-hour work week isn’t designed for the internet. It doesn't take into account the missing ingredient:

Leverage.

AI. Automations. An audience.

These help you do much more with less. They amplify results. Do well without leverage and you're good. But excel at a few skills with it and the impact is exponential.

Let's say you want to learn copywriting.

The difference between a 5/10 copywriter vs a 7/10 copywriter when thousands of people are reading is staggering.

Even an extra 1% conversion in sales can be an additional 6 figures over a year. And because you're great at catching attention, every thread gets 2-10x the result - you grow quickly and build a reputation, which in itself compounds.

The flywheel spins faster and faster...

And it all happens because of singular focus.

Because of this, the best creators operate in sprints.

One objective.

No distractions.

Depth over breadth.

It's less 'shotgun' and more 'sniper' approach to success.

Instead of fumbling through your year chasing multiple priorities, you execute on one with maximum effort.

And instead of falling into the modern day productivity trap (being busy going nowhere), you leap over every hurdle that each goal presents.

Here's the best part.

Each sprint speeds up your success.

Because nothing creates progress like progress. Small wins stack fast. Before you know it, you’re flying and everyone is wondering how the hell you’re doing it.

At least that's what happened with me anyway, so let's keep it our secret Reader.

The 90 Day Sprint

3 months is enough time to give something your all and analyse the result.

You don't quit too early.

You don't commit for too long.

The best part is you now have a filter for decisions. You say no to almost everything to achieve one thing. No more shiny object syndrome. No more being pulled in a hundred directions.

No more falling victim to every appealing opportunity.

And if you have a great idea during the 90 days, perfect.

Start a document called the 'idea incubator' and review it at the end of the sprint. This becomes a powerful tool because most ideas suck. Instead of finding that out the hard way (with effort), they need to survive the test of time.

You'll find the ones you forget weren't worth executing on.

But the one you can't stop thinking about?

That's your next goal.

Your Top Priority

Decide what to work on based on your top priority.

If you need money, find clients. If you want leverage, build an audience. If you want to upskill, write till ya fingers bleed. To help you, here are my sprints so far in the past 12 months.

• Audience Growth: 30 threads in 90 days
• Monetization: Build and launch a digital product​
• Email marketing: Create a 10-email welcome sequence and double down on newsletter growth
• High ticket coaching: Launch a group coaching offer to help people build their business

I decided based on what would make the most impact to my journey.

For whatever you decide, you must make two decisions:

1. Do it well
2. Tell the world

Let's unpack point 1 with my first sprint and then I'll explain point 2 to finish.

Most people waste 30-40 weeks to get through the sucky phase of threads. I was done in 12. And during those 3 months, I studied the best thread writers every day. I handwrote viral hooks to get their feel. And I built a thread writing system that helped me write fast.

These are all things I would never do if threads weren't my top priority.

Now I have two advantages:

First, threads are effortless.

And trust me, it's lovely not being bogged down in Twitter growth. I can focus on my newsletter and business and still grow by 10k+ followers a month.

Second, and most importantly, I got results.

Because nothing will help you stand out more than making progress in public.

Which is why you need to tell the world.

As a creator, you're in the business of attention. And the best way to catch it is to take action. But most people wait until they're winning to share their story - which defeats the point.

Be bold and invite people along from the start (public commitments will keep you accountable too).

Kieran Drew @ItsKieranDrew When I started writing online, I had a goal: To disconnect time from money. Excited to say after 16 months the next phase begins. I’m releasing a digital product for writers in March. Keep an eye out 👀👀 March 1st 2022 2 Retweets 83 Likes

So let me tell you what I'm up to next.

My coaching program finishes in 4 weeks, and the next sprint is to release a new product in March. Here's how I'm approaching it (starting this week):

• Handcopying sales pages to improve at copywriting
• Studying email marketing to launch well
• Taking a course on courses (so meta) so that the content is 10/10
• Testing systems with friends to iron out the blips
• Learning how to build hype (see what I'm doing right now?)

If it goes well, perfect.

I've taken the next step up as a creator (momentum creates momentum).

If it doesn't, great.

I have tonnes of new skills as a result. Ready for the next sprint.

Win-win.

It's paradoxical, but the best way to achieve more is to focus on less.

So, what do you want to do in 2023 Reader?

Break it down.

And I look forward to seeing how far you go.

That's all for today!

Part of my new marketing system is that I won't sell to people who don't register their interest (because unlike most of my 'competition', your attention is more important than my bank balance).

If you're interested in how I've used Twitter to build in public and launch my business, I promise this is gonna be a banger. Click the link below and you'll be the first to hear about it (there will be time-sensitive bonuses at launch).

​>>> Gimme dem details​

Next week:

If you’re thinking about starting a newsletter, next week you'll learn:

• The best time to start sending
• The mistake most people make when they do
• What I’d do if I had to start from scratch

Keep writing your way to freedom,

Kieran.

P.S.

And if you've got a moment, I’d love to hear what you thought of this edition of A-B-C. Send me a quick message - I reply to every email!