☝️Learn How to Make Money Online (Without Spending a Dime on Coaching)

Sam Carlson

Nov '25 • General discussion

Wanna build an online business?

But don’t know where to start?

This is for you.

Most people jump straight into expensive courses.

Or “guru” programs.

Hoping they’ll find a shortcut.

But the best foundation?

Comes from learning the core skills yourself.

If you’re committed to the DIY path?

I’ve got you covered.

I’ll show you exactly where to start.

The books.

The principles.

The practical steps that actually build momentum.

No fluff.

No hype.

Just real skills that help you make money.

Now…

If you wanna make money online…

Real money?

You DON’T start with tactics.

You start by shaping your brain.

Here’s what shaped mine:

**🧠 The Boron Letters – Gary Halbert**

You think it’s a book about copywriting.

It’s not.

It’s a book about *seeing*.

Here’s what I mean:

Buried inside Gary’s father-to-son letters is a secret most people completely miss.

Unless you already know how to read the market like a pro.

The first time you read it?

It sounds almost too simple.

Like, “Wait, that’s it?”

But then you go out into the real world.

You work with actual clients.

You start watching people buy.

(Or NOT buy.)

And suddenly you pick up The Boron Letters again…

And holy farts!

It hits different.

You realize Gary wasn’t teaching copywriting.

He was teaching you how to see the invisible patterns in human behavior.

The subtle cues.

The unspoken desires.

The thing people actually want but would never say out loud.

That’s when it clicks.

**Use Case:** Wanna understand how to spot buying behavior in the wild?

This is your red pill.

**⚡️ The Irresistible Offer – Mark Joyner**

Forget “$100 Million Dollar Offers” for a second.

(Sorry Hormozi)

Mark Joyner wrote the original handbook on offers that sell.

AKA… How to make an offer so clear.

So fast.

And so compelling?

People say yes before they finish reading the headline.

Joyner doesn’t fluff around.

He shows you how to engineer what he calls the “3-second gut decision.”

That drives real sales.

Think about the last thing you bought on impulse.

You didn’t sit there with a spreadsheet comparing features, did ya?

Nah.

Something in your gut just said “yes.”

Before your brain could catch up.

That’s not an accident.

That’s engineering.

And Joyner shows you the blueprint.

**Use Case:** Need to pitch your product in a single sentence and get the click, the opt-in, or the sale?

Start here.

**✍️ The Adweek Copywriting Handbook – Joe Sugarman**

Copywriting isn’t about clever lines.

Not even close.

It’s about selling.

And Joe shows you how to do it like a surgeon.

Precise.

Intentional.

Effective.

He’ll teach you the psychology of slippery slides.

Seeds of curiosity.

And why the first sentence of your ad is more important than your entire funnel.

(Sounds crazy until you understand *why*.)

Here’s the aha moment with Sugarman:

Every sentence has one job.

To get the next sentence read.

That’s it.

Once you see ads through this lens?

You’ll never write the same way again.

You’ll start noticing why some ads pull you in.

And others lose you in the first three seconds.

**Use Case:** Writing rad ads, landing pages, emails, or sales scripts?

This book is your tactical masterclass.

**🧠 The 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing – Al Ries & Jack Trout**

Most marketers are playing checkers.

This book teaches you to play chess.

These laws aren’t “ideas” or “tips.”

They’re gravity.

You can’t outwork bad positioning.

And this book proves it in brutal detail.

It’s the kind of thing you read in a weekend.

Then spend 10 years learning how to actually apply.

Because here’s the thing:

Knowing the laws is easy.

Seeing them in your own business…

In your prospects businesses…

That’s where most people are blind.

Picture this…

You’re trying to compete head-to-head with the top agency in your space.

You’re working twice as hard.

Better product.

Better service.

But you’re still losing.

Why?

Because you’re violating the Law of Leadership.

(The first brand in the mind wins, not the first brand in the market.)

(It’s how UpHex is #1 in our space)

Once you see how…

You can de-throne the competition.

**Use Case:** Confused about what to say or how to stand out in your niche?

These laws are your north star.

**💰 $100 Million Dollar Money Models – Alex Hormozi**

Here’s my honest take:

Books 1 & 2 were… OK.

Not bad.

But not very original either.

But this one?

Nailed it!

This is the first time Hormozi shows you how to monetize *the model itself*.

Not just the offer inside of it.

It rewired how I think about pricing, packaging, and positioning.

And if you read it right?

It’ll show you how to make money whether you sell agency stuff, coaching, SaaS, services, or courses.

Here’s where strategy come into play…

Most people think in terms of “what am I selling?”

But Hormozi flips it.

He asks, “How am I selling it?”

Because the *how* determines the money you make.

Way more than the *what*.

That’s the shift.

**Use Case:** Building a high-ticket offer or trying to shift from service provider to scalable income?

Read this.

Twice.

**🥇 Gary Bencivenga 100 Seminar – (Rare, Legendary, Worth Every Penny)**

This isn’t a book.

It’s a master key.

Gary Bencivenga is the highest-paid copywriter in history.

And this seminar?

(Only available on bootleg DVDs or pricey eBay listings.)

It’s like downloading a lifetime of marketing mastery into your head.

It covers everything:

Persuasion.

Offer construction.

Proof stacking.

Emotional triggers.

And the mental game of making money.

I’ve spent hundreds of hours studying this alone.

You can’t fake this kind of wisdom.

And once it clicks?

You’ll write offers that convert and scale like magic.

**Use Case:** Wanna become dangerous with words and influence?

This is the closest thing to a Ph.D. in direct response.

-----

Wanna shortcut the years of guessing?

Start here.

Study these.

Then do the thing nobody does…

Apply them.

OR…

Option 2!

**“Wait… there’s an option 2?”**

Yup.

I studied all of these for a decade.

The lessons.

The principles.

The tactics.

I baked them into the Agency MVP Program.

That’s the cheat code.

You don’t have to study all the greats.

Invest THOUSANDS of hours into their teachings.

You just have to find the sicko who has already done it.

I’m that sicko.

So if you wanna build a business online?

If that business is an agency?

Then I have built the model, the plan, and the team to help you build it fast.

Wanna learn more?

Just comment “Time to win”

And we’ll chat.

Your move.

— Sam

*PS* - If you’re a sicko like me…

Here are some honorable mentions if you wanna expand your arsenal:

1. This is Marketing – Seth Godin

1. Influence – Robert Cialdini

1. Contagious – Jonah Berger

1. How Brands Grow – Byron Sharp

1. Blue Ocean Strategy – W. Chan Kim & Renée Mauborgne

1. Epic Content Marketing – Joe Pulizzi

1. The One‑Page Marketing Plan – Allan Dib

1. Hooked – Nir Eyal

1. Trust Me, I’m Lying – Ryan Holiday

1. Building a StoryBrand – Donald Miller

**PPS,** Option 1 costs you time. Option 2 costs you money. But both beat staying stuck.

**PPPS,** Don’t comment “Time to win” unless you’ve read every word above. Seriously. It’s bad for both of us if you’re not actually ready.

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