hi and hello and welcome to Both Are True. As you all probably know, I’m not exactly the best at MAKING MONEY and MONETIZING and OTHER THINGS YOU NEED TO DO ON THE INTERNET TO ACTUALLY MAKE THIS A CAREER.
Some say it’s part of my brand. Others say it’s dumb as shit.
Either way, I need help, so I asked my pal Tarzan Kay to take over my newsletter and share some tips on how to do good with money without losing your soul. She did not disappoint. Here ya go:
How to get rich online without becoming a girlboss (from someone who knows)
Hey.
I’m Alex’s friend Tarzan, a reformed girlboss with a decade-long career as an internet marketer.
Alex rejected a previous version of this email. He pointed at the picture I included and, trying to be gentle, said, “Uhh, I feel like, sort of, like,...is this real?? Was this really, like, this wasn't ironic?”
Fair.
It was from my girlboss era, and it looks nothing like the Tarzan that Alex knows. I used to be one of those people he’s always poking fun at. You know, who starts emails saying stuff like, “By the end of this email, you will have everything you need for your first 6-figure payday.” (Not that that was my original opening line because it totally wasn’t. 👀)
So that Alex doesn’t reject Version 2 of this email, let me show you a different picture, of present day Tarzan.
That’s me with the guitar.
I’m leading a song circle at my friend Laura Sprinkle’s business retreat in Maine. Song circles are a side thing I do for pleasure, because it spreads joy. That skirt I’m wearing is so old the fabric is practically see-through, and I didn’t even brush my hair. A far cry from my old life. I’m still rich by my pre-girlboss standards, but my business is a lot more honest, and I feel a lot more me.
Here’s the picture Alex was confused about, for context.
Observe my smooth, pale skin. Gaze upon my professional coiffed hair and $250 makeup job. I bought those fake bills from AliBaba and used them in photo shoots for YEARS.
Both ways can work when it comes to making online. I’m living proof. When it comes to making money on the internet, you can be a gussied up girlboss promising people, “If I can do it, so can you,” or you can just be you—a multifaceted human who is occasionally brilliant and equally often makes bad decisions and feels like they don’t know anything.
Both are true!
I’ve been on the internet marketing scene for a decade, teaching about email marketing and newsletters, and I know how to make money online. I know what works for normal people and what only works for beautiful charismatic charmers like the woman you saw in that picture.
But what does it actually take if you don’t own a pair of $800 sequined Gucci pants like I used to wear on stage? Let’s investigate.
What it really takes to get rich online (the no-girlbossing way)
First, get used to feeling like a loser.
You’re going to fail more often than you succeed. And even when you are succeeding, you’ll look at people around you who are more successful, and still feel like everyone ever born is smarter than you, and building their businesses faster.
I’ve had more loser days than I can count. Some days I can’t get past the fact that my email list has been stuck at 10K subscribers for, like, four years, and people who just started yesterday - total babies like Alex Dobrenko - have 17K. Nevermind my peers who have more than 50K. I hate them. Except for the ones I love—one of the best things about building an online business is how many friends I’ve made all over the world. That alone has made building a business worth it.
But yeah, tenacity. You need a buttload of it.
Next, have something to sell that costs more than a thousand dollars.
Do not think you’re getting rich selling a $25/month membership. That only works for people with large pre-existing audiences. So unless that’s you, think of something you could sell for $1000, or better yet, $5000. It’s so much easier to get 20 people to pay you $5000 than it is to get 333 to pay you $25 every month for a whole year.
And the result is the same: $100,000 → The magic number that gets you into the 6-figure club.
(And yet Alex is doing exactly the thing I just said not to do. Both are true, folks. It’s annoying. Binaries would be so much simpler.)
—> NOTE FROM ALEX: wait no but Alex is not!! Alex is NOT rich and is barely BARELY in the 5-figure business TARZAN IS THIS MY PROBLEM DO I NEED TO SELL A MAGIC SERUM FOR 10k??? also is that how you spell 'serum' absolutely disgusting if so
Also, start a newsletter and write one at least twice a month.
I’m biased about this because it’s what I teach and how I made my millions. You already know the arguments—you don’t own your followers, the algorithm could change at any time, blah blah blah. But writing a newsletter will help you define your values and separate you from your competitors. And again, if you’re looking for 20 people to pay you $5000, your email list doesn't have to be huge. I’ve seen loads of people build multi 6-figure businesses with less than 3000 subscribers (NOT SELLING $25 MEMBERSHIPS!).
—> ANOTHER NOTE FROM ALEX: ok obviously this doesn't make sense. but what if I sold $8/month memberships??
Email is how things are sold on the internet. Everything else is supportive, but email is often the last link clicked before a transaction is made. So don’t wait until five years from now to start your list.
Finally, get support from mentors who are not total assholes.
That needs its own section because there are so many dickheads on the internet. But there are also a ton of rad humans doing interesting work that you can learn from and collaborate with. So let's talk about how to find them.
How to tell trustworthy people from rich assholes
The internet marketing scene can be the absolute worst. Trust me, I know how much you hate it. I could write you 18 emails about the stuff that pisses me off—saving that for my book tho. (Subscribe to my newsletter so I can tell you when it comes out.)
If someone tells you that your mindset is the reason your business isn’t working, GTFO.
Internet marketers have hundreds of ways to explain why their proven system didn’t work, and almost all of them point back to you being the problem.
The most nefarious of these explanations is mindset. But remember: it’s not a mindset problem if you don’t want to use flashing red countdown timers and lie to people about “3 spots left.” Congratulations, you’re human! A good leader will listen and validate your concerns, and help you find a way that feels good for you.
Treat testimonials with extreme caution, as well as the people who use them.
I’m speaking to you as someone who uses testimonials, btw. But how they’re used is important.
In the internet marketing world, we’re trained to praise our leaders. Especially in coaching. Everyone wants to be the teacher’s pet. People will barely get off a sales call and be writing a testimonial about how much money they made before the contract has even been signed. It’s how we validate our purchases and feel good about ourselves for making good choices.
But building a business is not easy and it’s rarely fast.
Anyone publishing testimonials that say otherwise is trying to convince you of these things without outright saying it themselves. We all know how hard it is. Beware of the business leaders who says “yeah, it’s gonna be hard” but then follows that with a testimonial from Jessica who made a $10K sale five minutes after signing up. RED FLAG!
That’s just a little of what I have to say about assholes on the internet. Subscribe to my newsletter for more.
Random lessons about business that didn’t fit anywhere else
A few final words, so this isn’t all doom and gloom boo hoo it’s so hard.
🌱 Look for leaders and teachers who are interested in helping you build the type of business you want to build, not replicating what they built. Pay for that support. You’re going to need it.
🔮 People say “trust your intuition” but intuition in business is earned. All your bogus investments and failures are how you earn it. That’s what you can’t see on your loser days. You’re always getting somewhere even when it doesn’t feel like it.
📧 Internet marketing has a sneaky way of chipping away at your self-confidence. Put boundaries in place so you’re not just reacting to what lands in your inbox. A lot of marketers like me will let you turn off a promotion you don’t want and stay subscribed. Use those features. If they don’t offer this, ask.
🙅 Don’t trust people like me more than you trust yourself.
💸 Don’t spend more than a few thousand on any program when you don’t have regular and ongoing access to actual humans who built the program and can teach you the skill you’re trying to learn.
Okay, now I’m just putting random thoughts into bullets. Time to wrap this up.
If you liked this email you’ll love my newsletter, Emails, but better. Lots of people say it’s the best thing in their inbox (after Both Are True, obvi). A lot of customers paid me money and did not feel like a victim of another sneaky sales funnel. I’m known in business circles as some who will not bullshit you.
Internet marketing can be done in a way that doesn’t make you want to crawl out of your skin. Sign up so I can show you how.
~ Tarzan Kay, Grand Daddy of Email Marketing + Newsletters
Here’s my website.
Did I mention my newsletter?
okay I swear this is helpful but when I got to the "think of something you can sell for $1000" bit I actually cackled
It’s so nice to know I’m not alone in the world of “could technically make money but too inept”. Loved this!