James Altucher Gave Me Some Life-Changing Advice

It took two years for me to implement it. Here's what happened.

By Shaunta Grimes

“But business is just a vehicle for transforming the ideas in your head into something real, something tangible, that actually improves the lives of others.”
 — James Altucher

It started with a text.

I found a blog post where James Altucherlisted his cell phone number. How weird, I thought. How edgy. What kind of famous person does something like that?

He did. And he said it was okay to text him. I had the idea that there was some way I could help him with something he’d written about wanting to do.

So I texted an offer. I didn’t expect much. In fact, I didn’t expect anything. There’s a big difference between offering your phone number publicly and actually responding to the people who use it.

But he texted back.

And for hot minute, we connected. I mean, maybe I felt the connection more strongly than he did. But that’s okay, it was thrilling. And at some point, I asked him for advice.

I wanted to take my business, Ninja Writers, to the next level. What did he think I should do?

He asked for my email address and sent me a thoughtful, idea-filled response. In a nutshell, he told me that I should quit selling courses and start a subscription newsletter, based around a theme.