If you can get wifi in your bedroom, you have all the tools you need to transform your financial future.

The level of your income will rarely exceed the level of your skillset.

You get paid for the problems you solve. The more unique your skillset, the more unique the challenges you can solve. And the more you get paid.

If you can combine your technical skills with digital marketing skills, you’ve got a recipe for success.

I know many people who are technically proficient but can’t communicate with an audience. I know people who are great presenters but have no substance beyond a flashy style.

As Ryan Holiday says,

“It’s not enough to be good at a skill.

You have to be able to sell it.”

When you combine disparate skills in a unique way, you are no longer in competition with anyone. Master these skills to transform your financial future.

#1 This Is The Most Fundamental Skill

Learning how to write online is fundamental to any digital business you create.

You don’t need to be an expert to start writing online.

Writing online is not about creating knowledge, but rather curating knowledge.

There are too many great books to read in a lifetime. A scientific research paper is published every couple of minutes. Access to information used to be expensive and scarce. Knowledge is now abundant and cheap.

In short, there is nothing new under the sun.

The value you add through writing online is curating and translating the best ideas into actionable steps in an entertaining or novel way.

The best writers on Medium are not technical experts. They are language translators. They are able to communicate complex ideas simply.

When you write frequently you start to build an audience, I’ve been able to get meetings with high-level executives because they have followed or seen my writing.

For instance:

#2: Learn To Build, Then Learn To Sell.

Copywriting is how you sell anything online.

The idea of ‘selling’ might make you want to take a shower, but copywriting is how you communicate the value of your product or service to your target audience.

Good copywriting allows you to sell a ream of paper to a tree or ice to an Eskimo.

The best copywriting I’ve seen includes these three elements:

1. Explain benefits instead of features:

2. Provides 3–4 solution-focused points (any more than 4 and people start to get confused):

3. Social Proof:

Without good copywriting, even the best product or service will die.

#3: Curate Your Digital Persona

You can’t thrive in the digital economy without social media.

Love or hate Zucks, social media is here to stay. But you can either learn to use it to your advantage or be left behind. The choice is yours.

Social media is where you build an audience around your personal brand and values.

Resumes are dead. Your online presence is the digital ‘proof of work’ you can use to win clients or get a new job.

Every social media platform is different. Even if they are owned by the same people. Instagram functions differently from Facebook. Twitter is fundamentally different from LinkedIn.

The key thing to understand about every platform is:

• Algorithms.

• Logic and etiquette.

• The type of audience you are reaching on the platform.

I personally invest heavily in creating content on LinkedIn. It’s where my target audience hangs out. Since posting 5 times a week on LinkedIn, my career has been transformed.

I’ve decided to double down on LinkedIn and recently completed Justin Welsh’s LinkedIn Operating System course.

The quality of my content has improved and my engagement stats have gone through the roof.

#4 Learn how to DM interesting people

Men, don’t treat social media like a dating site. Especially LinkedIn.

Yuck.

Social media is an opportunity to connect with like-minded people and build a tribe around you. Don’t be silly. Keep your willy out of this.

Direct messaging people on social media is an art. I follow the formula of:

• Introduction: Provide a brief background on you. Don’t give them your life story but enough to understand who you and what you do.

• Explanation: The impact/inspiration this person had on you.

• Give: If possible, add value. This could be by sending through a resource or providing positive feedback on their latest creation. They are humans too and enjoy genuine positive feedback.

• Ask: For a meeting/time to chat. Make it convenient and provide a clear purpose for the meeting. Never use the phrase ‘pick your brain’. I hate it with a passion.

• Acknowledge: They are busy and might not have the time. Give your idol a chance not to reply. Often it’s not a ‘no’ just a ‘not right now’. Don’t be dishearted if they don’t reply. Try again in 3–6 months.

Since using this formula, I’ve been able to meet some incredible people virtually and in person.

#5 Learn Basic Content Creation Skills and Invest In Good Equipment

In the industrial age, oil was king.

In the digital age, content is the new prince on the block.

There is an overwhelming appetite for video, audio and written content.

Learn how to create and distribute high-quality content for free in different formats and lengths. If you suck at editing video or audio, outsource to the pros on Fiverr or Upwork.

You might have to invest in equipment such as the new iPhone, microphones, or a camera but the investment pays dividends. No one will care about your content if your quality is sh*t.

Content is your ticket admission to connecting with anyone in the world. Content allows you to build your tribe, audience and supporters.

I’ve built my consulting business on the back of the content I was posting on LinkedIn. People started reaching out to me for freelance work. I eventually quit my 9–5 job and went all in on myself.

You are only one piece of viral content away from creating the life you want for yourself.

#6 Learn to speak the language of the robot

The robot revolution is already here. It is just unequally distributed.

Imagine having a million workers available for your command to do your work. You just need to understand how to speak to them. That’s coding.

Those who can speak the robot language through coding will thrive. Those who can’t speak the language will be at its mercy.

As Naval Ravikant said:

Closing thoughts

The only thing standing between you and your dream life is your skillset.

The best part? You can learn all of these skills for free on the internet.

Everything is figure-out-able. You have the most powerful tool in human history in your pocket. You have access to more high-quality information than most Presidents prior to the 1950s.

If you have the budget, you can pay for courses on Teachable, Udemy or Brilliant. You can get some great courses for less than $50.

The means of learning are abundant, it is the desire to do so that is scarce.

If you can learn these skills, you can create and monetize digital assets and exchange them for financial assets.

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