How To Be A Good Student: 7 Lessons Learned Mentoring 12,000+ Writers

If you want to get the most out of education products, read this.

I am the co-founder of 2 of the largest writing programs on the Internet:

• Ship 30 for 30: A beginner writing program for people who want to start writing online.

• Premium Ghostwriting Academy: An advanced writing program for people who want to earn a living ghostwriting.

To date, we’ve had over 12,000 writers go through these 2 programs, generated over $10,000,000 in lifetime sales, and have helped our students generate millions of dollars in combined revenue themselves. We also have a <1% refund rate and an average NPS score of 74/100 (meaning 74 out of 100 students surveyed had an amazing experience and would recommend to a friend), which is rare in the online education space. We are very proud of these metrics, and deploy significant resources to remove every possible bottleneck for our students.

Our goal is to make it as easy as possible for them to do “what is required” in order to achieve their desired result.

Unfortunately, human beings are fickle pickles.

And no matter how easy you make things, humans have a miraculous, almost magical ability to talk themselves out of taking action.

Which is what inspired me to write this.

After mentoring 12,000+ writers, I have observed some patterns between “good students”—people who extract tremendous value from our programs (so much so that the price they paid seems laughable relative to the upside they’ve unlocked in their lives)—and “not-so-good students”—people who put forth a sneeze of effort, run into the tiniest bit of friction, and then throw their hands in the air and proclaim, “This doesn’t work! It’s impossible! My niche is dead! Online education is a scam!”

Building and selling education products has given me a tremendous amount of insight into the mind of the “average person.” I’m using the word “average” here without condescension to imply a moderate baseline of skills. Most people who enter our programs are capable but lack some combination of hard & soft skills required in order for them to elevate to the next level as writers, ghostwriters, and 1-person business owners.

…which is why they join our programs!

I am a student too.

Now, with all that said, I am no different.

When I was first starting out, I struggled with all these same things—and I, too, lacked both the hard & soft skills required in order for me to get out of my low-paying full-time copywriting job and start achieving my financial & professional goals as a writer:

• I struggled to stay focused on any 1 goal or task for longer than a week (sometimes days, or even hours).

• I struggled to break faulty beliefs in myself that were clearly holding me back (despite my thinking that “I was right” and everyone else was wrong).

• I struggled to ask for help. I thought buying education products, or paying for some coaching meant I wasn’t smart enough to figure it out on my own.

• Etc.

So everything I coach writers through—again, both on the hard skill side, but also the soft-skill & emotional side—are things I have personally experienced over the past decade.

And I continue to try to be the best student I can whenever I buy education products myself, attend events, or join masterminds.

To date, I have spent $500,000+ on digital education products & programs.

You can read the full thread here.

• I have spent hundreds of thousands of dollars joining high-ticket masterminds (to surround myself with other smart people, and to continue normalizing new levels of success).

• I have spent tens of thousands of dollars on training programs (to keep learning myself).

• And I have spent thousands and thousands of dollars on mini-courses, digital downloads, audio classes, and books over the years (in a constant search of improving myself & my craft as a writer).

So when I preach the importance of investing in your own education, I am not trying to shill our products & programs.

In fact, I write & share so much for free on the Internet that if someone never wants to become a customer, that’s fine. I share because I struggled to learn these things as a writer, and I genuinely want to pay it forward and help other people not struggle as long or as much as I did.

But…

If you DO join one of our programs, then here are some things I have noticed as patterns amongst our most successful students.

And how you can get the most out of ANY education product you buy.

Lesson #1: Successful students don’t question whether the method “works.” They find a way to make it work for them.

There are 2 types of people who buy education products.

• People who are determined to prove it doesn’t work for them.

• And people who are determined to make it work for them, no matter what.

This is why, by and large, online education is so polarizing.

Because half the room will buy a course and call it a scam. And the other half of the room will buy the same course, maybe ignore 90% of the advice but apply the 10% they find most relevant/helpful—and turn their $200 (or whatever price they paid) investment into a business that generates hundreds of thousands, or even millions of dollars.

Same product. Same education.

But two completely different types of people consuming the information.

This is something I notice not very many customers question within themselves.

They don’t consider the possibility that maybe, just maybe, the product or course or program isn’t the problem.

MAYBE… they’re hell-bent on staying stuck, and will go to great lengths to prove that’s the case.

Now, I don’t want to be dismissive here: there are a lot of bad education products out there. And yes, there are some “scammers.” But by and large, I would say this is the minority and not the majority. Most education products offer way more potential value than their promised price point.

Take Ship 30 for 30, for example.

When we were running Ship 30 as a cohort-based course, we charged $800. Now, to some people, $800 is a lot of money.

But what’s the potential upside of taking Ship 30 for 30?

• You learn how to write online.

• You learn how to build an audience.

• You learn how to provide value within a niche.

Basic, baseline skills that, in theory, could help you generate hundreds of thousands, even millions of dollars online.

This is not hyperbole. We have had many students achieve these kinds of outcomes (even though we don’t “promise” this will happen—obviously).

Example from one of our Ship 30 graduates:

1 person takes Ship 30 for 30 and insists they don’t learn anything new, our strategy won’t work for them, they don’t think our approach to writing works anymore, their niche is saturated, etc. etc. etc.

Another person takes Ship 30 for 30, same exact content, same exact program, same exact advice, and turns their $800 investment into $295,000 of revenue.

Student Tip:

If you buy a product or program with the mindset, “I’m going to see if this works for me,” I promise, you’re going to find a way to prove to yourself that it doesn’t.

But if you buy a product or program with the mindset, “I’m going to make this ROI positive, no matter what,” I promise, you will.

Lesson #2: Successful students squeeze as much juice as possible out of every resource.

Let me tell you a quick story of the most successful student in our Premium Ghostwriting Academy:

Matthew Brown joined PGA back when we first started the program.

Small group. We called it a beta-cohort (telling everyone we are going to build this as we go).

And he said, Day 1: “My goal is to be your most successful student & biggest case study.”

So again, going back to Lesson #1, notice how before the program had even begun, he was walking in with the mentality, “I am going to make this work for me.”

And he did.

But I also wasn’t surprised because I can always tell where someone is headed based on their actions & habits:

• Matthew showed up to every live session (and took notes).

• Matthew made use of every live clinic whenever he had a question.

• Matthew always raced to get assignments done as quickly as possible.

• Matthew went back through the curriculum multiple times, and always tried to figure things out on his own before asking for help.

• Matthew sent a weekly progress report to his coach, constantly updating where he was at in the journey & asking for feedback.

• And Matthew continued to double-down on his own education—and later joined our Mastermind so that he could continue being mentored by me.

When he first joined PGA, he was brand new to ghostwriting making $2,000 per month.

And now, a year later, he runs his own ghostwriting agency making $40,000+ per month.

You would be surprised how many people don’t make use of all the resources we give them.

They don’t finish the curriculum.

They don’t attend more than 1 or 2 live clinics or Hot Seat sessions with me.

They don’t send their 1:1 coach updates—and when they do, it’s another excuse as to why they weren’t able to get anything done this week.

…and then 3 months later, they turn around and say, “I don’t think this works for my niche.”

No, you just didn’t do anything and thought results would just magically rain down from the sky.

Student Tip:

Make it your mission to exhaust every possible resource and squeeze as much juice as you possibly can out of the product or program. It should be obvious, but the more you put in the more you will get out.

Lesson #3: Successful students ask why things aren’t working.

Another pattern I have observed is that a LOT of people, when confronted with an obstacle, jump to the conclusion:

“This doesn’t work.”

But that’s not what any successful problem-solver, in any industry, does.

Instead, people who become successful no matter what are people who turn the obstacle into an open-ended question. They don’t say, “This doesn’t work.”

They ask, “How come this isn’t working?”

There’s a big difference.

People who say, “This doesn’t work” don’t realize their bottleneck isn’t actually a hard-skill issue.

The mere fact you are (so easily) coming to this conclusion means the bottleneck is a faulty belief within yourself.

Which means it’s emotional.

• You faced an obstacle, felt uncertainty, and decided to defer responsibility (it’s not your fault, it’s somebody else’s—whoever told you “this works” when, clearly, it doesn’t).

• You faced an obstacle, didn’t ask for help, and weren’t curious about where you might be going wrong.

• You faced an obstacle and gave up.

I don’t blame people for doing this because I made this same mistake for years.

So it’s not “the mistake” I take issue with.

The challenge is when you point this out to someone and they get defensive. They don’t want someone else to challenge the cop-out they’ve been using for years, maybe decades, to get out of hard things when things get hard.

These are the hardest students to manage.

And no surprise, they are also the least successful.

To be fully transparent: I spend more time in our programs coaching people out of “This doesn’t work” thinking than I get to spend responding to “Why isn’t this working?” questions. And, without question, this is one of the most taxing parts of running an education business. Because truthfully, I would way rather spend my time problem-solving and jamming with students about how to solve whatever unique obstacle they’ve run into. I enjoy that stuff. I love puzzles!

Student Tip:

So, if you want to get more out of an education program, don’t be one of those defiant students on a campaign to prove “This doesn’t work.”

You will collect way more gold if you’re curious and flip it to a question:

“Hey Cole, I did XYZ but it didn’t yield the results I was hoping for. What do you think? Why didn’t this work? What am I getting wrong?”

Lesson #4: Successful students think abstractly & metaphorically.

Most people are literal, linear thinkers.

If I explain how to write really great newsletter content, for example, the vast majority of students will ask, “Do these principles also work for thought leadership articles?”

And there’s nothing wrong with this question—as a beginner, it makes sense.

But beneath the question is a skill deficiency in how to think abstractly & metaphorically.

Similar to Lesson #3, most students who struggle (to learn anything) have a hard time imagining how steps or principles or frameworks in 1 domain can apply to another. Whereas successful students who tend to unlock the biggest outcomes, the fastest, jump to the conclusion on their own.

They (excitedly & curiously) think:

• “I bet these same principles also work for thought leadership articles!”

• “And I bet these same principles also work for writing social content!”

• “And I bet these same principles also work for landing pages, and product copy, and even ads!”

Successful students see something work in 1 context, and immediately ask themselves HOW it can work in other contexts.

Whereas most people fail to make the connection.

Linear vs Abstract/Metaphorical thinking is a huge separator between successful and unsuccessful students.

And yes, this is a skill that can be built.

For 2 reasons…

• It allows you to see opportunities at unlikely intersections. All innovations happen at the intersection of two opposing, seemingly unrelated topics, skills, or industries. And most people who see two opposing things next to each other don’t see how they can be related—whereas people who are open to thinking abstractly & metaphorically can find a through-line (allowing them to capitalize on a unique opportunity!).

• It allows you to move faster. When you need to wait for someone to be prescriptive and linear with you, you can only move as quickly as the person giving you instructions. But when you allow yourself the freedom to think abstractly & metaphorically, you can move at light-speed—because you’re open to trying things on your own, and learning through experimentation.

Now, do you HAVE to be a great abstract/metaphorical thinker in order to get value out of education products?

Of course not.

But I have noticed—in many of our most successful students, as well as within myself—that it is one of those skills that practically guarantees success.

Student Tip:

If you struggle with this, and are more of a linear & logical thinker, the first step is recognizing this will be a new skill to build. And the only way to build the skill is to… try!

Do it, do it consistently, then focus on doing it better and better.

Lesson #5: Successful students have a bias towards action & trust their intuition.

They understand that imperfect action > “perfect” inaction.

If there’s one quality I see in every single person who takes one of our writing programs and struggles, it’s chronically overthinking.

They’re smart. They’re capable. They might even have an above-average baseline of experience.

And again, I get it. On my bookshelf are the dozen leather-bound journals I kept during my 20s where I wrote, and re-wrote, and re-wrote a hundred more times my “perfect strategy” for achieving my goals.

Lots of journal entries written. Basically 0 action taken on any of them.

This was a bad habit that took me a long time to unwind in myself—so I’m compassionate when I see others struggle with it too. But it’s important to internalize that overthinking is not “something you’re born with.” It’s a learned behavior—a bad habit. And bad habits can be undone.

You just have to be willing to go on that journey.

Successful students don’t overthink anything.

Maybe more importantly, these students know that “making a mistake” isn’t that big of a deal. A misstep is hardly catastrophic—and they have more to gain by just keeping the ball moving forward.

Unsuccessful students, on the other hand, will spend 7 months contemplating their niche.

I had a great mentor in Chicago in my 20s who used to say to me: “Cole, entrepreneurship isn’t about knowing the answer. It’s about saying ‘Yes’ before you know the answer and trusting yourself to figure it out as you go.”

That had a profound impact on me—probably because I watched him embody it on a daily basis. He’d promise things to clients we had never done before at our small agency, and then somehow, 3 months later, deliver the promised project or result. We figured it out.

And I try to pass that same lesson along to every student in our programs.

Student Tip:

When faced with a decision, ask yourself:

• “Is this a 1-way door?”

• “Or a 2-way door?”

Most decisions in life are 2-way doors: you walk in, realize you’re in the wrong building, and walk back out—no harm, no foul.

A 1-way door is more permanent—like telling your co-founder you want out of the business, or inking a partnership agreement agreeing to give up 25% of your revenue in perpetuity.

1-way doors should be considered carefully and thoughtfully.

But 2-way doors? Like cold DM’ing a random prospect, picking a niche, or posting your first piece of content?

Those should be given approximately 37 seconds of critical thought and then run through at full speed.

Lesson #6: Successful students trust the process.

When you buy an education product or program, you have to realize that what you’re really buying is that person’s methodology.

• Yes, you get text & video courses.

• Yes, maybe you get some templates you can use.

• Yes, maybe you get 1:1 support, or coaching, or accountability, etc.

But what you’re REALLY buying is the “way” this person does the thing you’re trying to do.

Which means the way you get the most out of the product or program is by TRUSTING THAT METHODOLOGY.

Even if you ultimately decide it’s not for you. Even if you ignore 90% of it and only keep the 10% that resonates most, or is most applicable to your goals. The point is, you will get the most out of the experience by trusting that methodology for a period of time.

Unsuccessful students, however, question the entire process.

Which is sort of like buying a Betty Crocker cake, looking at the recipe—2 eggs, milk, butter, stir, etc.—and saying, “You know what? I’m going to do something different.”

• So you use apples instead of eggs.

• And you use truffle butter instead of regular butter.

• And you throw in a dash of paprika because why the hell not.

And then after the cake is baked, you take a bite, hate it, and email Betty Crocker Customer Support and say: “Your cake is horrible! Everyone at my party hated it!”

Well, yea. You didn’t follow the recipe.

Student Tip:

Whenever you’re learning a new skill, find someone you want to learn from and then commit to trusting & following their methodology for at LEAST 3 months.

3 months is not a long time. And I promise, it won’t be wasted time either.

If someone else is doing, or has done the thing you are trying to do, there’s a reason why it’s working for them. So, trust them. Follow in their footsteps. Make it work for you. And then, AFTER you’ve successfully adopted their methodology, decide which parts you want to keep and which parts you want to leave behind as you graduate to the next level.

Lesson #7: Successful students don’t change vehicles every time they get stuck.

Lastly, and I think this is the most important lesson of them all…

The most successful students understand that you will face ALL the same problems no matter which “business vehicle” you pick.

Because it doesn’t matter if you get into:

• Ghostwriting

• Or Graphic Design

• Or Paid Advertising

• Or Dropshipping

• Or Real Estate

• Etc.

Every single business vehicle requires you to learn the same fundamental skills:

• You have to learn how to sell

• You have to learn how to market

• You have to learn how to fulfill

• You have to learn how to create irresistible offers

• You have to learn how to keep clients/customers happy

• You have to learn how to collect payments & do basic accounting

• Etc.

Unsuccessful students don’t get this.

They run into an obstacle, or something they don’t “like” (cold outreach being one of the most common), and immediately come to the conclusion:

“This isn’t for me.”

And the way they go about solving that problem is by looking for a DIFFERENT business vehicle…. not realizing they are going to run into the same fundamental problem or skill-deficiency just in a different industry.

Which is why so many people stay stuck in the infinite loop of “trying lots of things” but never excelling at any one of them.

The inverse, though, is also true.

When you commit to one business vehicle, and you take the time to climb the levels and acquire all the fundamental skills, those skills are universal.

I know nothing about e-commerce, but I guarantee you if I started an e-commerce brand tomorrow I would be more successful than the average person at it.

Why?

• Because I’ve learned how to sell.

• I’ve learned how to market.

• I’ve learned how to create Irresistible Offers.

• I’ve learned how to fulfill, and keep customers/clients happy.

• Etc.

Transferring skills is easy.

The mistake is swapping vehicles when things get hard thinking “a different vehicle” will be easier.

It never is.

Student Tip:

It really doesn’t matter what you pick. Pick literally anything, any skill you’re halfway interested in learning.

Just stick with it—for at least a year.

My preference is to treat skills in 4-year chunks, almost like going to college again. Whenever I want to build a new skill, I make a commitment to that skill for at least 4 years. Hard to do something for 4 years and not get pretty good at it!

If you do that—even if you ultimately decide you don’t want to do “that thing” anymore—I promise, all of the skills you acquire will be universal. And the next thing you choose to do will be 10x easier.

But if you don’t, and keep swapping vehicles hoping the next one is easier than the one before it, you’re going to spend a lot of time running in place.