Why I'm Giving Away All My Products for Free
This is either the smartest idea or the dumbest idea I've ever had.
From this point forward, membership to the Tim Stodz Academy will be completely free. I am giving away all my courses as well.
Why am I doing this?
I will tell you.
Ethan Told Me I Should Charge $10,000
Last week on the podcast, Ethan and I broke down my process to create a marketing agency that runs itself. After the episode, Ethan said "you should be turning this into a $10,000 course."
Ethan is right.
The processes I have created are easily worth $10,000. They're worth millions of dollars. This system is a big part of the reason why I have been successful.
So I thought about what Ethan said.
I've been thinking about it all week. Maybe that's not such a bad idea.
Should I go the standard route, where I create courses and membership sites and convert those sales into a high end mastermind?
Info products can be very lucrative. Not to mention, I've already proven to myself that I can build a successful membership site. I know how to create them, market them, and sell them. So why wouldn't I go that route?
Other people are doing it. People like ...
Cody Sanchez
Jack Butcher
Jay Clouse
I see the success these people are having and I know I could replicate this for myself.
So why wouldn't I do that? Why would I give this all away?
I Need to Give Away What Was So Freely Given to Me
Most of you think that accomplishments are what make you happy. You chase the next thing in front of you and you say to yourself "as soon as I hit this next point, then I'll feel good." Unfortunately, for every milestone you hit, you feel a moment of glee and joy and then ask "what's next?"
That's not how happiness works.
The secret to happiness is not achievement, or praise, or a private jet.
The key to happiness is service.
When you dedicate your life to being of service to the world, then you become filled with meaning and purpose. Your life becomes dedicated to something that is bigger than you. Your presence has meaning.
Service work is how I've stayed sober for almost 13 years. Service work is how I stay out of my head and think about other people rather than myself. It's what has given me the courage to show up for those who need me, day in and day out, for as long as it takes to be successful.
Service work is how I became wealthy and service work will help you make money, find meaning, contentment, and purpose in your life.
When I was first getting sober, I met a guy who had already been sober for almost 3 years. This man took me under his wing and he taught me how to stay sober, in the same way that someone taught him. He saved my life. He did it because someone else saved his life. These men taught me the secret, and as such, I will share the secret with you.
To keep what you have, you must be willing to give it away.
This is true in sobriety, marriage, friendship, business and life.
So when Ethan told me that I should create a $10,000 course, the first thing that popped into my head was that "this is something I need to give away."
I have something that other people need. I have a way of living that you can use to build happiness, prosperity, contentment, and purpose.
This was a gift that was given to me. The best thing I do can to show my gratitude is to give it away to someone else.
So that's what I will do.
The Best Gifts are Mutually Beneficial
I'm not a saint. My life ethic of "being of service" has an upside for me.
In fact, the best part about service work is that it's an infinite game, where everyone wins. When you share a piece of yourself, you are always rewarded in one way or another.
It's not to say that service work has a quid pro quo attached to it, but rather it's to say that success begets success and positivity begets positivity. If I surround myself with other people who are on the same wavelength as me, it's only natural that my frequency will rise to the mean.
There are other benefits as well.
From a technical marketing standpoint, I think creating very high value free courses is going to help me grow my email list. In fact, I think my email list is going to explode.
I hope to build many meaningful relationships with my academy members and I hope to see people take action with the suggestions I give them and the perspective I share.
This is no trick and no ploy, I'm creating a high level academy ... for free
My free stuff is going to be better than everyone else's paid stuff.
My intention is to build a free membership site that would rival the best membership sites out there. I am all in because I am convinced that the best way for me to get what I want, is to help other people get what they want.
This is Your One Life on this Planet, So You Might As Well Do Something Big!
I don't want to come across as an elitist, because I have every intention of growing Digital Copywriter and The Bootstrapper.
I'm an entrepreneur, I play this game to make as much money as I possibly can. My message IS NOT for you give away everything at the expense of your own success.
That doesn't help anyone.
If there is an underlying message in my work, it is this:
Your work and your ideas matter, much more than you realize and more than you give yourself credit for.
If you're reading this, I'm sure you have a dream that you think about. I suspect when you go to sleep at night, or when you sit alone in your car, you imagine being at a place in your life where you are successful in all the ways you define success.
You want to share your ideas. You want to be heard and you want to build financial security through your contribution to the world.
That's good! You shouldn't be ashamed of that and you definitely shouldn't pretend like you don't care about making money. You should care about making money, because money creates abundance and abundance creates health and prosperity for all.
The question is, how do you get there?
I don't have any advice to give you about success. I don't give advice. What I do have is experience to share. Through my experience, and through the experience of others, I know we can create a fellowship of people who hold each other up and keep each other accountable.
We can create a fellowship of people who challenge each other to do the best work we possibly can.
We can create a network of education and courses that guide people along the path of entrepreneurship, creativity and success.
It's possible. All you have to do is allow yourself to accept this gift.
Let's get started.