Hey Reader,

In January 2018 I was sat in a Google Garage workshop learning about the Zero Moment of Truth and digital business models, thinking: Wait, this actually makes sense. It wasn’t scammy or salesy. It was just… strategy. Like the good kind. It built on what I already knew from uni, and I got obsessed. Within a few months, I’d signed a £30k client and was fully booked. Dream stuff.

From there, I did what most of us do I found the people who looked like they knew more than me, and I paid attention. I joined groups, bought courses, started seeing inside million-pound launches. Eventually I worked behind the scenes on some major launches and learned a lot about how things really operate.

But over time, the shine wore off. There’s only so many affiliate collabs, upsell ladders and tiered offers you can sit through before you start thinking: hang on… isn’t this just a remix of what’s already out there? And also: why are the people buying still struggling?

This morning, I was listening to a couple of podcasts — one was Sounds Like a Cult, the other a deep dive on web celebs and online marketing — and they both referenced the BITE model of cult dynamics: Behaviour, Information, Thought, and Emotional control. And suddenly… I couldn’t unsee it. That’s when it clicked.

So much of this industry runs on withholding information, creating artificial hierarchy, and pushing people to ‘pay more to get more.’ And I realised: I’d been deep in it.

That just confirmed what I already knew and why I quit back in 2023 to go all in on my own thing.

When I asked my audience what they were struggling with, they said: leads. So I built something to help with that. I taught people how to structure their offers, find their hook, attract the right buyers. I made a course. I sold it twice. People got results.

But I can’t un-feel: some people didn’t. And that haunts me a bit, if I’m honest. Not because I did anything wrong — I know the content was solid. I know how to teach. But because the truth is, some people just won’t get results from a group programme. Not because they’re lazy or unskilled. But because they’re not in the right stage yet. They need help doing, not just learning. They don’t need another framework. They need someone to say: “Here’s what’s next. Let me build it for you.”

And that? That I can do.

I’m proud of the done-for-you work I do now, because the results are mine to own. It’s not “maybe they’ll implement it.” It’s “here’s the system — go enjoy your weekend.” And honestly? That’s what I’ve always wanted. Not more followers. Not a seven-figure funnel. Just… better outcomes. For real people. In real businesses.

The results I get these days probably wouldn’t make a sexy Instagram carousel — and I’m finally okay with that. This week I uncovered a £14k revenue opportunity for a client. Last month I built a tool that’s going to save someone else £12k a year. Make money, save money, do cool shit faster — that’s the vibe.

I probably won’t be a multimillionaire. But I’ll be happy. And I’ve seen behind the curtain enough to know that more money doesn’t always mean more freedom — and for me, happiness is worth more.

Zx

ps. the podcasts that inspired this email are Sounds Like a Cult and Duped: The Dark Side of Online Business​