Great analysis. And superb advice on how actually make money.
As a habit coach, I would add that people stay & listen to Dan Koe, Justine Welsh, etc. not only because they want the same life, but also because they don't want to do anything. Reading and commenting their posts , taking courses make them feel as if they are taking action, as if they belong to the same tribe. It's a sophisticated form of procrastination.
If I'm being real with myself, I was doing that quite a bit with Alex Hormozi business advice videos for about two months. Feeling like I was making progress, but literally not doing anything lol.
The way that these videos and blogs work is creating this in-group that you feel a part of. You have some knowledge other people don't, and therefore you're doing something good.
It's a nifty method that I'm not mad at. I just wanna help people move to the action stage :)
Love this observation…I was caught in this loop myself, taking more and more courses. Learning more and more yoga, Kundalini, energy healing, etc…until I was just overflowing with knowledge, with no where to put it, and no use.
Funny enough , Dan speaks of this as mental obesity.
Hhis content was meant for readers to take inspiration from someone who solves problems … if you’re still following him, the problem has not been solved…. aka reader not taking action and thinking that by reading his content, one has achieved progress.
You might be right. You might be wrong. I can’t account for others.
To me, Dan Koe especially, has done tremendous magic to my life, how I see the world, my understanding of what it takes, my routines—and in general I may have be some kind of a self improvement junkie, but Dan Koe really walk his own talk in my opinion!
I jumped in and took action, started a business at 55, seems to me the only way to learn is fuck around and find out. After watching Dan on Youtube for a while, I began to realize that Dan Koe is entertainment for me. I enjoy his take on the subjects he likes to talk
about. His voice, attitude and dry humor are refreshing. Some people like sitcoms or movies. I like Dan Koe.
I don't care much about taking online courses because I think the best way to learn is by trial and error. I would pay to see Dan dance though.
💯 You nailed it. I spent last year watching a lot of videos and listening to a lot of podcasts “learning”…but I was actually just entertaining myself and procrastinating. I’ve switched to building. Now officially launching my agency next week. The building took a lot longer than I thought…
I think we naturally seek so much knowledge now because the world is ever changing and unstable. Old systems and ways of being are breaking while new ones are not yet set. So the more we know from different people, cultures, events, the past and the possibilities of the future the more we are equipped.
Especially in an age where we can’t really trust the information presented to us by media or even teachers some times.
We have to become out of guides and filters of the into we receive. So some create their own board of advisors so to say…Dan being an example for some. On second thought maybe it’s not an obsession with another book or another course, it’s learning enough to see patterns and to be able to authentically discern what is right for you.
I witnessed this after taking Dan’s writers bootcamp. Most of the people I met could endlessly cite newsletters or videos from these creators, but never got around to building anything of their own. They’re glorified fan clubs, really. I help my students take real action. I’d rather make high impact for a few than low impact for many.
Apparently, more than 50% of people who sign up for a course, don't even log in. Courses are mostly a waste of time and money. We join them because we want emotional support, we want to belong... whereas in fact what we need more urgently is specific instruction how to do something.
Guess where you'll find that?
YouTube.
For anything else, you have yourself, you friends... and, now, Claude, Gemini and friends.
It’s been a while since I read a newsletter that wasn’t packed with the usual fluff.
Funny how once you actually start doing business, you naturally pull away from generic content and cookie-cutter advice. Most of it just doesn’t apply to your unique situation—your problems, your resources, your path.
At some point, it clicks: it’s not about consuming more, it’s about solving real problems and getting the minimum viable knowledge needed to execute at a high level.
I love well-researched articles like this. "They confuse his marketing with his business."
I see so many people "building in public," but they think the posts are the revenue generating parts, and they're not. You actually have to make something or provide a service that generates revenue, and that gets so lost in the sauce of whatever thread they're writing about what they're thinking about or learning or "trying."
Thats great Tim! I like Dan as well and love his writing. This article was meant to illuminate his business model to folks who are trying to understand how he got his end result
Great analysis, the reason why I follow them is, because they remind me on a regular basis of simple fundamentals you'd forget in the day2day life. I'm not paying them, let the platforms pay the creators for their effort of reminding and posting regularly content in a form, the brain likes to consume.
that's fair to me. i don't hate his message, i just want to help people understand that he didn't make his money via philosophy because that's the assumption many have
Every so often I come across a post and my inner dialogue screams “yes omg how did he know exactly how to put into words what I’ve been seeing on the internet for the last x years” - Such good stuff in here Josh. Everybody and their bro wants to be pontificating about random shit but they never do the work to earn that position. Great write up and super helpful for me as I’m in the early innings, maybe even pregame show, of me starting my own thing. Super helpful!
A 5 step course aimed at disrupting the manosphere!! - only slightly kidding. Still tweaking on it, but I’m fulfilled when I’m helping and connecting with people, learning, teaching, educating, coaching (yuck it sounds weird to say)..so I’m in the process of taking steps to how I can materialize this and help men(for now) know themselves and find alignment on their path being be better men. There are lots of restless, floating, etc. men who get attached to the wrong stuff. I’m hoping to be some of the right stuff.
Amazing article and analysis. And you are 200% right. This is one of the reasons why I got so tired of Instagram.. people saying “passive income”, “work from your phone 2h a day”, etc… but actually not disclosing that before they got to that point, they worked their ass off. Even though they say like money just appeared in their account like magic. And I say instagram because that’s where I saw it the most, but for sure it’s in other places as well. Anyway, again, great analysis, I started following you and Dan and I cannot wait to see your coming posts ;D
This is good. It reiterates what I’ve been noticing lately - that you can consume other people’s content and take their advice and stuff, but you don’t have to copy them. It really comes down to doing what you want to do. And often that means unlearning a lot of what you consume online.
Great analysis. And superb advice on how actually make money.
As a habit coach, I would add that people stay & listen to Dan Koe, Justine Welsh, etc. not only because they want the same life, but also because they don't want to do anything. Reading and commenting their posts , taking courses make them feel as if they are taking action, as if they belong to the same tribe. It's a sophisticated form of procrastination.
That's a really good point.
If I'm being real with myself, I was doing that quite a bit with Alex Hormozi business advice videos for about two months. Feeling like I was making progress, but literally not doing anything lol.
The way that these videos and blogs work is creating this in-group that you feel a part of. You have some knowledge other people don't, and therefore you're doing something good.
It's a nifty method that I'm not mad at. I just wanna help people move to the action stage :)
Only two months? You’re waaaaaaaay ahead of most people then! I know people stuck in this “learning” mode for years.
Action stage, beautiful said
Same here)) I am 100% for moving into action: both for myself and my ppl.
Two months isn't long.
The answer was in the question.
"Why don't 90% make (fill in the blank)?"
Because 90% don't take meaningful action.
This has nothing to do with Dan Koe. This is just human nature.
J.
Agree, never said it was Dan. Said it was a misunderstanding of how he makes his money
Fake action: Another course, another video, another book.
Take action: Do the thing.
Love this observation…I was caught in this loop myself, taking more and more courses. Learning more and more yoga, Kundalini, energy healing, etc…until I was just overflowing with knowledge, with no where to put it, and no use.
Funny enough , Dan speaks of this as mental obesity.
Hhis content was meant for readers to take inspiration from someone who solves problems … if you’re still following him, the problem has not been solved…. aka reader not taking action and thinking that by reading his content, one has achieved progress.
You might be right. You might be wrong. I can’t account for others.
To me, Dan Koe especially, has done tremendous magic to my life, how I see the world, my understanding of what it takes, my routines—and in general I may have be some kind of a self improvement junkie, but Dan Koe really walk his own talk in my opinion!
I jumped in and took action, started a business at 55, seems to me the only way to learn is fuck around and find out. After watching Dan on Youtube for a while, I began to realize that Dan Koe is entertainment for me. I enjoy his take on the subjects he likes to talk
about. His voice, attitude and dry humor are refreshing. Some people like sitcoms or movies. I like Dan Koe.
I don't care much about taking online courses because I think the best way to learn is by trial and error. I would pay to see Dan dance though.
You win the award for my favorite comment on this post
💯 You nailed it. I spent last year watching a lot of videos and listening to a lot of podcasts “learning”…but I was actually just entertaining myself and procrastinating. I’ve switched to building. Now officially launching my agency next week. The building took a lot longer than I thought…
Congrats. How is your agency going now?
Congratulations. The building has taken a lifetime for me but as Dan says, "What else do you have to do?"
New point of view… Valid ⚠️
I think we naturally seek so much knowledge now because the world is ever changing and unstable. Old systems and ways of being are breaking while new ones are not yet set. So the more we know from different people, cultures, events, the past and the possibilities of the future the more we are equipped.
Especially in an age where we can’t really trust the information presented to us by media or even teachers some times.
We have to become out of guides and filters of the into we receive. So some create their own board of advisors so to say…Dan being an example for some. On second thought maybe it’s not an obsession with another book or another course, it’s learning enough to see patterns and to be able to authentically discern what is right for you.
Thanks, I'll kindly accept that award.
It’s wasted time and energy that never turns into action. You end up living vicariously through the content, burning ambition on consumption.
Great point!
I witnessed this after taking Dan’s writers bootcamp. Most of the people I met could endlessly cite newsletters or videos from these creators, but never got around to building anything of their own. They’re glorified fan clubs, really. I help my students take real action. I’d rather make high impact for a few than low impact for many.
Apparently, more than 50% of people who sign up for a course, don't even log in. Courses are mostly a waste of time and money. We join them because we want emotional support, we want to belong... whereas in fact what we need more urgently is specific instruction how to do something.
Guess where you'll find that?
YouTube.
For anything else, you have yourself, you friends... and, now, Claude, Gemini and friends.
I’ve never heard that statistic. Where did you read that?
You’re right you can get a lot of instruction from AI tools and most information is freely available on platforms like YouTube.
If people buy courses for the community and they get what they want, I don’t see that as a waste of money.
People want to meet like-minds who share their interests. We don’t always find that in our real world social circles.
How true, Lidia!
It’s been a while since I read a newsletter that wasn’t packed with the usual fluff.
Funny how once you actually start doing business, you naturally pull away from generic content and cookie-cutter advice. Most of it just doesn’t apply to your unique situation—your problems, your resources, your path.
At some point, it clicks: it’s not about consuming more, it’s about solving real problems and getting the minimum viable knowledge needed to execute at a high level.
That’s what changed everything for me.
I stopped listening to gurus.
Started being useful.
Documented what worked.
Doubled down on it.
Cut what didn’t.
Ended the year with $1.3M net.
This newsletter? Solid. You earned a sub.
damn that's some real progress.
what real problems did you help solve to hit 1.3M, that's impressive
Problem solving Core pillars of my business partners business (offer, marketing, sales, client success)
Key things I did:
Systemizing
Creating SOPs
Organizing the operations
Hiring & firing
Running the sales team
Running the content team
Assisting with the marketing
For this same reason, this is why I have lost major interest in a lot of content I see anywhere. Great insight.
I love well-researched articles like this. "They confuse his marketing with his business."
I see so many people "building in public," but they think the posts are the revenue generating parts, and they're not. You actually have to make something or provide a service that generates revenue, and that gets so lost in the sauce of whatever thread they're writing about what they're thinking about or learning or "trying."
100% they’re missing the offer, or they’re selling “build a personal brand” when they have 100 followers.
No hate, just hoping to help get the message across
Dan Koe is one of the best writers on the internet. His stuff does work. I've personally got a lot of value from his courses.
Thats great Tim! I like Dan as well and love his writing. This article was meant to illuminate his business model to folks who are trying to understand how he got his end result
Great analysis, the reason why I follow them is, because they remind me on a regular basis of simple fundamentals you'd forget in the day2day life. I'm not paying them, let the platforms pay the creators for their effort of reminding and posting regularly content in a form, the brain likes to consume.
that's fair to me. i don't hate his message, i just want to help people understand that he didn't make his money via philosophy because that's the assumption many have
Nice work Josh. Insightful and honest without being harsh.
That means a ton to me, that was right where I was aiming!
Thanks for taking a read, glad it helped
The Self-Help Paradox:
We’ve entered a generation where the teachers haven’t been students first.
The self-help industry is filled with those who:
• Sell transformation they’ve never experienced
• Market mindset shifts they’ve never made
• Guide journeys their feet have never touched
The irony is painful.
The gap between knowing and doing is where authenticity lives.
Most “gurus” skip this gap entirely.
They consume content Monday, create courses Tuesday, and collect payments Wednesday.
True wisdom isn’t borrowed-it’s earned through personal application.
Three types of self-help creators exist:
• Those who do the work, then teach
• Those who learn the theory, then teach
• Those who master marketing, then teach
Only the first creates lasting change.
Man, some hard truths delivered here. I think I am guilty of jumping to step 4 directly too.
Yes, I have got some skills and I think I should double down on that.
People will listen when they have demonstrated their skill in building something valuable.
Nice what skills are you thinking of teaching?
I want to teach how to learn difficult things.
I learnt speaking French, lost a lot of weight and got into endurance sports.
Josh Walker.
He came when I needed him,
When the times were dark,
And the moon was shy,
The soup was mellow,
And the breath was asking why?
Oh! Sir Josh came,
With a shotgun on the fly 🕊️,
There is money 💸 to be made,
If the soup is fixed,
With a breath on loose why's?
Oh! Deary..
What have I done?
How come this comes up in the timeline on the day he joins substack :D
I shared a similar thought recently.
Hard thing is to follow your own advice.
https://open.substack.com/pub/overthinklabs/p/why-you-should-stop-reading-posts?r=lzeuc&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=false
Weird coincidence that it started to pop right when he joined lol
And I love the article, definitely have been caught in the article/podcast/youtube self improvement trap myself before
Every so often I come across a post and my inner dialogue screams “yes omg how did he know exactly how to put into words what I’ve been seeing on the internet for the last x years” - Such good stuff in here Josh. Everybody and their bro wants to be pontificating about random shit but they never do the work to earn that position. Great write up and super helpful for me as I’m in the early innings, maybe even pregame show, of me starting my own thing. Super helpful!
Glad the article resonated and was helpful
Awesome to hear you’re in the early innings, what are you targeting / thinking about?
A 5 step course aimed at disrupting the manosphere!! - only slightly kidding. Still tweaking on it, but I’m fulfilled when I’m helping and connecting with people, learning, teaching, educating, coaching (yuck it sounds weird to say)..so I’m in the process of taking steps to how I can materialize this and help men(for now) know themselves and find alignment on their path being be better men. There are lots of restless, floating, etc. men who get attached to the wrong stuff. I’m hoping to be some of the right stuff.
Nice I’m following along, I wish you luck. Let me know how I can help
Amazing article and analysis. And you are 200% right. This is one of the reasons why I got so tired of Instagram.. people saying “passive income”, “work from your phone 2h a day”, etc… but actually not disclosing that before they got to that point, they worked their ass off. Even though they say like money just appeared in their account like magic. And I say instagram because that’s where I saw it the most, but for sure it’s in other places as well. Anyway, again, great analysis, I started following you and Dan and I cannot wait to see your coming posts ;D
It is wild on instagram for sure - I’m still getting a ton of these on my feed. Welcome to the family!
This is good. It reiterates what I’ve been noticing lately - that you can consume other people’s content and take their advice and stuff, but you don’t have to copy them. It really comes down to doing what you want to do. And often that means unlearning a lot of what you consume online.
What a surprise banger!
This article is excellent my friend. You are very gifted.
Absolutely spot on with this break down. 🙏