Twitter Growth, 7-Figure Side Hustles, And Working On Wall Street (Q&A #1)

Summary

Dicky Bush reflects on his transformative five years post-college, detailing his weight loss, career shifts, and social media success. He shares insights on growing a Twitter following, scaling his side hustle 'Ship 30' to seven figures, and balancing a full-time job at BlackRock. Bush emphasizes the importance of consistent content creation, strategic pricing, and the value of small, agile teams.

Takeaways

• 🏈 Dicky Bush reflects on his journey from playing college football to becoming a successful entrepreneur and social media influencer.
• 🏋️‍♂️ Dicky lost 100 pounds and gave up alcohol, demonstrating significant personal transformation and discipline.
• 💼 He worked as a hedge fund trader at BlackRock, gaining valuable experience in finance and the global economy.
• 🐦 Dicky grew his Twitter following from zero to 280,000 by consistently posting content and engaging with his audience.
• 📈 He built a side hustle, Ship 30, into a seven-figure business in 18 months while working full-time, showcasing his dedication and work ethic.
• 📚 Ship 30 is a writing course designed to help people start writing online by writing every day for 30 days, emphasizing the power of daily practice.
• 💡 Dicky emphasizes the importance of focusing on inputs (consistent content creation) rather than outputs (follower count) when building a social media presence.
• 🔄 He advises against waiting for the 'perfect time' to start a project, encouraging immediate action and overcoming the fear of imperfection.
• 💰 Pricing strategy for Ship 30 involved starting low to generate word-of-mouth and gradually increasing the price while adding more value.
• 🤔 Dicky learned the value of working with a small team and the importance of conversation in refining ideas, both from his time at BlackRock and his entrepreneurial ventures.
• 🔄 His experience at BlackRock taught him about the unpredictability of finance, the benefits of a lean operation, and the importance of taking ownership of one's work.

Q & A

What significant changes occurred in Dicky Bush's life in the five years after his last college football game?

Dicky Bush lost 100 pounds, gave up alcohol, worked as a hedge fund trader at BlackRock for four years, started a Twitter account growing it to 280,000 followers, and built a side hustle to seven figures in about 18 months, which allowed him to leave his full-time job at BlackRock.

How did Dicky Bush's Twitter following grow over time?

Dicky started with zero followers and reached 1,000 in the first 30 days. It took seven months to reach 10,000 followers, another seven months to hit 50,000, and then another seven months to reach 100,000. By the end of 2022, he had 280,000 followers.

What was Dicky Bush's initial strategy for growing his Twitter following?

Dicky started by posting a single Twitter thread every day for 30 days, which led to viral threads and a rapid increase in followers. He then committed to publishing five tweets per day, two atomic essays per week, one high-quality Twitter thread per week, and making one new friend every week.

What is an 'atomic essay' according to Dicky Bush?

An atomic essay is a screenshot essay where one can concisely distill one point. It provides more detail than a tweet but doesn't require the length of a full Twitter thread.

How did Dicky Bush manage to balance his full-time job at BlackRock with his side hustle and other commitments?

Dicky focused on intense bursts of work, working on ship 30 from 5 to 8 AM, then his full-time job from 8 AM to 5 or 6 PM, and taking care of his health in the evening. He prioritized business and health, understanding that balance might come later in life.

What is ship 30, and how did it evolve from a simple writing challenge?

Ship 30 is a writing course that helps people start writing online by writing every single day for 30 days. It started as an accountability group for Dicky and evolved into a full-blown digital writing curriculum with community live sessions and more.

How did Dicky Bush approach pricing for ship 30 initially, and how did it change over time?

Initially, Dicky charged $50 with a money-back guarantee if participants wrote every day for 30 days. The price was then raised to $99 for the next cohort without the money-back guarantee. As the value increased, the price was raised to $699, reflecting the added value.

What were some of the key lessons Dicky Bush learned from his time at BlackRock?

Dicky learned the fundamentals of how markets work, the benefits of working with a small team, and the power of consistently talking out ideas with others. He also realized that many finance professionals are unsure about many of their decisions, similar to other fields.

How did Dicky Bush's perspective on his future in finance change during the COVID-19 pandemic?

During the pandemic, working from home made Dicky realize that he didn't enjoy finance as much outside of an office environment. This realization, along with having more free time, led him to start writing and eventually building ship 30.

What advice does Dicky Bush give for those starting their journey on social media platforms like Twitter?

Dicky advises not to focus on follower count but on inputs, such as consistently creating and sharing content. He emphasizes the importance of volume and repetition in content creation to improve and resonate with the audience.