I Didn’t Start as a Writer. I Started as a Seller Who Needed Better Marketing.
Back in 2001, I was selling software for a living. My biggest problem was that I didn’t have the marketing materials I needed to close deals. My employer couldn’t help. So I wrote my own.
It worked. Leads came in. Sales took off. And I realized I could write copy for a living.
By 2004 I was moonlighting as a freelance copywriter, working nights and weekends. Two years later I left my corporate job and never looked back. I went on to co-write The Wealthy Freelancer (named a Top-10 Small Biz Book by Small Business Trends), launch the High-Income Business Writing podcast (1.3 million+ downloads across 101 countries), and coach more than 1,600 freelance writers and solo marketers to earn more in less time.
That’s the backstory. Here’s what matters now.
Then the Ground Shifted.
When AI tools hit the market in late 2022, I did what a lot of writers did at first. I pushed back. I thought it was hype. Another shiny object.
Then I started using them. Hard. Every day. In my own work, in my coaching, in my content. And I saw something I couldn’t ignore.
AI wasn’t just a productivity tool. It was taking apart the entire project bundle that freelance writers have sold for decades. Research, drafting, formatting, adapting: all of it was getting cheaper by the month. The old model, where you get paid primarily for producing content, was cracking open.
But something else was happening at the same time. The strategic work, the judgment calls, the editorial oversight, the ability to tell a client what’s worth creating and why: all of that was actually becoming more valuable. The writers who saw it were quietly repositioning. And they were building stronger businesses than they had before the shift started.
I Decided to Go Find Out for Myself
I didn’t just study this shift from the sidelines. I went back into client work.
I started working with corporate clients, organizations, and home services companies. Not as a writer. As an AI advisor and implementation consultant. I built custom AI tools. I trained small teams. I designed workflows. I even created AI-powered products of my own, including this one.
I watched my own role evolve from writer to strategist to builder. I didn’t plan the evolution. I followed the constraints. And I discovered firsthand that the combination of deep professional experience plus AI capability is far more valuable than either one alone.
That’s what I teach now. Not theory. Not “here’s what I think might work.” Frameworks and systems that come from work my clients and I are doing in the field today.
What I Help Writers Do
I help freelance writers and copywriters do two things, in this order.
First, build AI systems that make your work faster, sharper, and more consistent. That’s the foundation. You can’t reposition if you’re still fumbling with the tools.
Second, use that foundation to see the bigger picture and act on it. Once your AI systems are dialed in, you start noticing opportunities you couldn’t see before. Clients who need strategic guidance. Teams that need AI training. Interesting problems that need solutions you’re now equipped to build.
A whole spectrum of paths opens up. Some writers upgrade how they serve current clients. Some package consulting and training offers. Some build productized services. Some launch entirely new ventures. The foundation is the same. The destination is yours to choose.
I deliver this through the following offerings:
And for experienced professionals ready to build AI consulting offers, the AI Consultant Accelerator.
Link to live sales page, which will redirect when registration is closed. We may want to create a wait list opt-in on that page soon.
No need to hyperlink this one. I may create a landing page soon, though.
Ready? Grab a Free Copy of My New Book.
AI and the Great Rebundling: How to Stay Indispensable When Everyone’s Using the Same Tools
AI isn’t taking away your job. It’s taking apart your job. And that’s a very different thing.
In this short book, I’ll show you the pattern behind what’s happening, why it’s happened before in other industries, and how creative professionals who see it clearly are building more valuable businesses than they had before the shift started.
You’ll learn where value is migrating as content production gets cheaper. Why your years of experience are worth more now, not less. And the specific paths forward that can propel your business forward in this new landscape.
This isn’t a “how to use ChatGPT” guide. It’s a strategic playbook for what comes next.
On a Personal Note…
I grew up on the island of Puerto Rico and moved to the U.S. when I was 12. English was my second language (and now my first).
I’ve been an entrepreneur since I was a kid. I had a candy store out of my carport when I was seven. I sold greeting cards, popsicles, and popcorn. I mowed lawns every summer. I pet sat. And I had a paper route by age 11.
I love entrepreneurship!
As a military brat, I lived in (and visited) some interesting places, including Japan, Korea, Alaska, Hawaii, and Guam. I graduated from Kadena High School in Okinawa, Japan, where I met the girl who eventually became my wife.
My first job out of college was selling fire hydrants and sewer pipe. Good thing I was already engaged. Because “I sell sewer pipe” is not a great pickup line.
My wife and I have two boys and live in suburban Atlanta. We’ve lived here longer than anywhere else, which is saying something for a military kid who never stayed in one place very long.
When I’m not working, I’m usually cooking, hiking, playing drums, or working on a pencil sketch. Music and drawing have been constants in my life since I was young. They keep me sane when the work gets intense.
