Phil PowisChief Wisdom Keeper @ Sacred Business Flow

The Elevator That Paid $10k #substack #shorts

6 May 2026 · 1 min

Watch on YouTube

1:25

In this YouTube short, the speaker argues that in‑person networking delivers far higher ROI for freelancers and professional service providers than purely online outreach. He recounts a personal anecdote: at a marketing conference, his copywriter friend Jeremy met a well‑known entrepreneur in an elevator, introduced himself, and was later hired for a six‑figure copywriting gig—something that likely would never have happened through Facebook ads or cold emails. The speaker also reflects on his own early career, when his beer‑brewing business was failing and he relied on face‑to‑face meetings, traveling across the country to build relationships. He now balances international Zoom work with a commitment to attend a monthly in‑person meetup in San Diego, emphasizing that handshakes and real‑world connections are essential for sustainable freelance success.

Chapters

Yeah, the relationships are really important. That's something that like you don't see just because what you do see is all the public stuff. It's all the social media, the email list growth and everything. But very early on, you know, when that ship was sinking on my beer brewing business and I was trying to get going with the marketing, the consulting side of things, I was very active in person. So I was flying all over the country. I was going to events, hugs and handshakes, not direct messages. And so I think, you know, especially in these days, I think the more that you can do in person and build those relationships. I remember I was at a, you know, if there's anyone on here like who does freelancing professional services, I remember I was at a conference with a buddy of mine, Jeremy, and he was a copywriter. It was a marketing conference, right? And we get into the elevator and there was a woman there who everyone knew, like pretty big name entrepreneur. And he was introducing himself to her and he goes, oh yeah. And she asked, what do you do? He goes, oh, I'm a copywriter. And she says, oh, I need a copywriter. Please give me your card. And I was like, Imagine if he was trying to, if he didn't go to the conference and he was trying to reach her with a Facebook ad. He really, he didn't do anything. He got into the elevator, introduced himself, said, I'm a copywriter, and she later hired him and paid him tens of thousands of dollars for copywriting. Right? Like it is, it's a good ROI. I'm trying to do more of that myself in San Diego here because so much of my work has been internationally over Zoom. But like I make a point now every month I go to an in-person meetup in San Diego.