A lot of you have been asking about Upwork specifically, and while this group is not about 'how to win clients on Upwork,' I think there IS a place in this world for Upwork discussion that isn't the hive of negativity formerly known as Reddit. So...here you go! Have at it. What's working for you right now? What isn't?

Good afternoon and Happy New Year to all of my solar-inclined solopreneurs (Lunar New Year aficionados, your time is coming). Tomorrow, 12-ish of you agreed, via blood pact, to embark on 30 days of breakneck social media posting to grow our collective audiences. You haven't forgotten, have you? To inspire and perhaps, AMAZE you, I actually got started two whole days early. Leading from the frontlines, behold the majesty of our social assault in all 7 theaters of operation: YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Nick-Bandy TicTac Paddywhack: https://www.tiktok.com/@nick.bandy Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nickbandy8020/ THE Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/8020marketing LinkedIn AKA "Facebook With A Tie": https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicholas-bandy/ The Artist Formerly Known As Twitter: https://x.com/NickBandy8020 wtf is a Threads AKA "Grok-less Twitter": https://www.threads.com/@nickbandy8020 It's really that easy! Before I "at" you and publicly call you out, who among us still doesn't understand how? Or perhaps lacks the iron will? How can we help you?

I've just written perhaps my thousandth email about durian, and it got me thinking... What kind of weird or frowned-upon food do you like to eat? For example: I remember someone who used to drink dill pickle brine from the jar. What about you? Email reproduced below for historical accuracy... ### Subject: How to get kicked out of a taxi Nhu and I have just stepped out of our taxi into a muggy Singaporean afternoon. Trembling with anticipation. The menu plastered to the wall in front of me cheekily declares: “Hold your breath.” I refuse. What should we order? Stinky Bomb? Stinky Roll? Stinky Scoop? 😵 This is heaven. This is… 99 Old Trees—Singapore’s go-to stall for the freshest, most deluxe-est durians in town. “What do you want to eat?” my wife whispers into my ear. “Something that will get us kicked out of our next taxi,” I whisper back. I’ve written about durian so much in this newsletter that you might easily mistake these emails for blog posts from a globetrotting fruit connoisseur. I assure you—this is a very serious business publication. But if you’re new here… Durian is the king of fruit. The size of a football and covered in spikes, durians resemble medieval torture devices on the outside. Let’s just say Isaac Newton was lucky an apple fell on his head. On the inside? They resemble pungent, creamy custard with the faintest BREATH of onions that, once cracked open, releases their enticing and repulsive aroma like a mushroom cloud in a 3-mile radius. For perspective… Every subway car in the city warns: No Eating ($500 Fine) No Explosives ($5,000 Fine) No Durians (Life In Prison) (No fine for the durians, but you’d better not or you’re very naughty.) After stuffing ourselves with an absurd amount of fruit, Nhu and I pile into a black minivan headed back to our hotel. The driver points nervously at the plastic bag in my lap. “That’s…that’s not DURIAN, is it?” “No! It’s just bottled water from 7-11,” I grin. He squints at me in the rear-view mirror a moment before shifting into drive…and pulling a facemask out of his breast pocket.

January we take social media by storm. Post, post, post. Siphon doomscrollers into our loving embrace. Convert them into paying customers. Easy, right? OK...HOW do we do this? I left out that little detail, didn't I? I'm not sharing this strategy with casual observers and civilians. If you're in this to win it, show me you're ready to deploy by dropping "GO" below. One more thing--even though this challenge is free for the time being, I am CLOSING the doors to new combatants before the new year begins. I want everybody on the same page so we can focus.

Have you been here for a whole 2 or 3 days already and wondered... When the heck is this guy going to give me something for free? Who does he think he is? Me too. So, here's our first contest: I've set a completely arbitrary time in the not-so-distant future. 👉 Once that time arrives...whoever's left the LAST, most recent comment in this thread wins a prize of their choice. Here are your options so far... ☝️ The One-Finger Facebook Ad: My favorite ad template for generating cash NOW, as in today, on your ad campaigns (tested on digital products but PROBABLY works with lead gen too) 📣 1-2-Many: How to get ‘gatekeepers’ to ENDORSE you to flocks of a dozen, 50, even a HUNDRED potential leads in one go…instead of pitching folks one at a time 🎩 My Mini Monopoly: The secret to me closing a 5-figure retainer on Upwork (that works anywhere, not just Upwork) and has NOTHING to do with the job, 'persuasion skillz,' confidence, or anything else you might think are important…that will seem completely UNDERWHELMING after you learn it...yet works like a charm, all the same. ⛔ The Anti-Nick Outreach System: How the PPC guy I hired wins loads of clients (I don’t do this, and I probably never will, and frankly I can’t STAND that this works so well for him...and NO HE DOESN'T EVEN RUN PPC ADS...but I’m willing to share it with you anyway. Don’t pick this option if you’re new at freelancing.) 👑 The Gold Magnet: Everyone says you gotta have a ‘lead magnet’ to give ‘free value’ or something. I have one too…but I have a BETTER way to build an audience. ⬇️⬇️⬇️ What an embarrassment of riches! But we're not done yet! 👉 If we get enough 'action' 😏 on this post, I may probably definitely introduce a few BONUS prizes... Alright? And just to make this even more complicated... 👉 If you INVITE someone to this group using the INVITE button (screenshot attached), and EITHER of you comment last on this post... BOTH OF YOU WIN. Invite 2 people? TRIPLE YOUR ODDS. That's infinite value, people. Grab your freelancin' friends and pile on in!