ZeitGeist with Derek and Connor

Connor Widmaier

Two Childhood best friends learning out loud. cswidmaier.substack.com

Episodes

  1. How Connor Became a Persuasive Writer + our Plan to Retire at Age 30

    05/05/2022

    How Connor Became a Persuasive Writer + our Plan to Retire at Age 30

    Welcome back to Episode 6* of the ZeitGeist Podcast with Derek and Connor! In today’s episode, Derek and I talk about Persuasive Writing, and the classic book, Think and Grow Rich. But since we recorded this conversation a lot changed in my life. I signed up for Ship30for30 from Dickie Bush and Nicolas Cole. In short, Ship30for30 is an online cohort-based writing course that teaches you the fundamentals of digital writing and holds you accountable for 30 essays in 30 days. Joining Ship30 has more than 10xed my writing output over the last two weeks. If you are curious, you can find my daily essays on Twitter:https://twitter.com/CopyWriteConnor I would have paid thousands I paid $250 to be a part of the April Cohort (they give “scholarships” if you ask) but if truth be told, it’s laughably affordable for the value you get. I simply can’t say enough good things about the course or Dickie. Here are Dickie’s best Twitter Threads about writing. (more helpful than a college course & free): By the way, Dickie, who played football at Princeton, recently quit his job at Blackrock (the super prestigious investment firm) to build full time on the internet. Cool guy. Ship30for30 (Epic Course): If you want to start a daily writing habit and learn all about writing online, you can sign up for the August Cohort. August Cohort Ship30for30 I already persuaded my friend Shivam in India to sign up: Can’t wait to hear from him in August. Lastly,, here is the ghostwriter’s digital products Derek and I mentioned in the podcast: https://joshualisec.gumroad.com/ (But Ship30for30 is better) P.S. My Most Popular Essay This WeekHow Being Cheap Can Cost You Your Pants In Constance, Germany, everyone rides bikes. After I moved here, a teacher gifted me his old bike. The bike was perfect except for the cracked leather seat. But, I never replaced the seat because I wanted to save money. That proved to be a costly mistake. Short Term (First Order Consequence) In the short term, I saved money. Instead of spending 25 bucks on a new seat, I kept using the defective (but workable) seat. But, I wasn’t in Germany for the short term, and soon my cheapness caught up with me. Long Term (Second Order Consequence) The result was I lost my favorite pair of pants. Let me explain.Last year, my grandfather bought me a pair of carpenter pants. I love those pants because they are breathable, durable, and have perfect pockets. So, I wear them most days. But that also meant I sat on the cracked seat with them most days. After a couple months, a hole started to develop right on the deepest leather ridge. When I took my pants to a tailor, she said they were beyond repair because too much of the fabric was thinning (in the exact pattern of my bicycle seat).If I wanted to replace my pants, it would cost 75 dollars plus the hassle of getting them to Germany. The Moral of the Story Your short-term wants don't usually satisfy your long-term needs. Part of growing up is aligning your short-term actions with your long-term desires.Don't be like me. Save your pants. Thank you for reading ZeitGeist. This post is public so feel free to share it. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit cswidmaier.substack.com

    38 min
  2. Amazing Money Making Secret of A Desperate Nerd from Ohio! (We break down a Gary Halbert Sales letter for you)

    04/21/2022

    Amazing Money Making Secret of A Desperate Nerd from Ohio! (We break down a Gary Halbert Sales letter for you)

    Welcome back to Episode 5 of the ZeitGeist Podcast with Derek and Connor! In today’s episode, Derek and I breakdown what makes a Gary Halbert sales letter so damn persuasive. If you’re unfamiliar with Gary, he is a Copywriting legend who sold over one Billion USD of product by mailing letters to people and having them reply with a check or cash. Insane, I know. But because his letters performed so well, they are one of the best places to learn practical psychology and understand what makes humans tick. If you enjoy the show, please consider sharing it with your best friend. Thank you! Why I Changed my Mind about Sales If you’re a normal person, you probably consider sales as something negative. Maybe you picture the used car salesman who pushes a lemon onto a struggling working mother. Or you picture a fat cat banker stuffing his pockets on the backs of working-class Americans. At least that’s what I used to imagine. But now I changed my mind. Everything is sales You see, I discovered that sales is not taking advantage of people and in fact, practically everything you do is “sales”. * Going on a date? * Have a job interview? * Need a favor? You’re selling yourself. * Want your friends to watch your movie? * Want to spread your message on social media? * Want to convince your child to eat broccoli? You’re selling your idea. Often it’s unethical not to sell For example, A Roth IRA is a special retirement account where all future withdrawals are tax-free. (Investopedia) Opening a Roth IRA is one of the biggest ‘no-brainer’ financial moves for a young person. So, it would be unethical not to sell your brother on the idea of opening a Roth IRA. (Shoutout to Kurt I hope you have an account) If you believe in something, it is your ethical obligation to sell it to other people. In fact, Aristotle believed the same thing: Those speaking the truth have an obligation to be persuasive. (from Selected Political Speeches Cicero) It’s Never Been More important to be Persuasive Sales and persuasion are the two most essential skills that anyone can have today. Why is that? Because if you can write persuasively, you can write words that sell at scale I’ll say that one more time If you can write persuasively, you can write words that sell at scale This is the best time ever to be alive And the people who understand this are providing massive value and reaching financial freedom at a speed previously only available to Vanderbilts, Carneigies, and Rockefellers. I’m not kidding: Before the internet, these opportunities were not available. You couldn't reach every person for free and you couldn’t broadcast your unique point of view without permission. The best you could do was write someone a letter in the mail which was 100x riskier and less effective. That’s why I respect the legends of direct response mail marketing like Gary Halbert: If you want to become more persuasive one of the best ways is to study the great direct mail sales letters. (Like this one from the WSJ in our last essay) The inherent cost of sending a letter via mail created a feedback loop that meant only the most profitable letters could survive. Studying them will change your life. Here is one of Gary’s best: Amazing Money Making Secret of a Desperate Nerd from Ohio Bonus for Paid Subscribers: Thank you for your support! You can read my notes on the greatest sales letters of all time here: Principles of Persuasive Writing (This list will be doubled within the end of the month because I have new notes to transcribe.) This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit cswidmaier.substack.com

    28 min
  3. 01/26/2022

    Derek Branch — Real Estate Investment Consultant

    Derek’s Background Derek Branch is a Real Estate Investment Consultant at Alden Pacific Investments (API). Derek is a special guest not only because he was my first childhood friend but also because of his ability to inspire people to think bigger and create the reality they wish to have. In 2015, Derek and I flew out to California to visit my brother, then a student at UCLA. A surfer at heart, Derek fell in love with sunny LA. He studied Finance and Accounting with an Italian Minor at Loyola Marymount University. He now lives in the South Bay of Los Angeles. Lastly, shout out to Ren and Charlie from Manhattan Beach. They overheard our conversation at a bar and encouraged us to start a podcast. Here is that manifested. Our Conversation Derek and I can talk for hours. In fact, we did before and after the recording and every time I speak to him, I get smarter. Some topics we recorded: * The value of having a mentor early in your career * Derek’s top sales tips * How to get comfortable asking questions * Why fear is a cue for success, not an obstacle * How to create wealth with leverage * Why reading and focus is a superpower * The unique challenges and opportunities for our generation Network with Derek Dbranch789@gmail.com Derek's LinkedIn Books: Influence Raising Capital This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit cswidmaier.substack.com

    58 min

Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
2 Ratings

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Two Childhood best friends learning out loud. cswidmaier.substack.com