The Red Pill Round Table: Blogging and Entrepreneurship

This week’s Red Pill Round Table was inspired by my trip to Budapest and my growing desire to get the hell out of my prison cell cubicle.

As always, check out Goldmund and MP’s blogs.

What was the inspiration for your first book?

Goldmund Unleashed: I had been blogging for a little while and watched my audience grow pretty quick…that combined with emails and questions from readers really inspired me to write more.

Being in Mexico, having crazy adventures daily, feeling a sea-change in my mindset, and having my abilities as a player advance to extremely high levels, gave me plenty of content to document in a book. The time was a true turning point in my life and something I think a lot of men can relate to.

Masculine Profiles: Honestly, my inspiration grew out of curiosity and a bit of boredom. While not the best answer, I really just wanted to put something out there for fun and the topic of my book was one of the few things I knew about. So I sat down and got something out on paper. It was an incredible feeling to write a book and definitely brought out a bit of pride inside me, but now I want to improve.

I have an update coming out for my first book and a first draft of my second book completed. I believe both to be far superior to my first attempt at self-publishing. However, no matter the quality – being able to publish your first book is an exciting and inspiring event in any man’s life.

This Is Trouble: Let me start by saying this – my first book was a flop. I think I’ve sold maybe ten copies since I released it a year ago. At the time, I was running a lot of night game and had a good knowledge of San Diego’s nightlife scene. A little research showed me that “San Diego nightlife” got 1,000+ Google hits a month. I figured that if I converted 5% of those searches, I’d be golden.

In reality, trying to use my little niche site to compete against the likes of TripAdvisor and LonelyPlanet for “San Diego nightlife” searches was a foolish endeavor. Thankfully my second book hasn’t flopped as badly.

What advice would you give to new authors?

Goldmund Unleashed: Write about what you know. If you are interested in something, go out and live it, breath it, fuck it, and make it a part of you. Then you might be ready to share.

And be prepared to bleed.

Masculine Profiles: Just do it. While corny and cliché, you won’t regret it – even if you don’t sell a fucking copy. While we all want to sell the shit, you must focus on and enjoy the whole process.

Find something you know about and are passionate about (ex. having copious amount of sex with loose women through a dating app) and then put that shit on paper. Just don’t be surprised when you spend late nights staring into the blank abyss of a blank Word document.

This Is Trouble: There is never a “right” time to start. My game was mediocre at best when I first started penning this blog. But writing everything down allowed me to keep a record of it and held me accountable. Even if you don’t think you are ready doesn’t mean that someone won’t appreciate your ideas. Hint: someone will. Just write from the heart and share your failures, as well as the successes. It won’t be until down the road that you can write from a position of authority.

What would you tell new bloggers?

Goldmund Unleashed: Ask yourself why you are blogging and make sure you are happy with the answer. Your satisfaction with why you are doing it is going to give you the fuel to keep going. Having your own vision is going to keep you writing and will keep your blog original. There is always going to be content to write about, but it’s going to be found off the computer and out in the world. Go after it.

Masculine Profiles: Pretty much the same shit as I’d tell new authors: write from personal experience. Even if you’re wholly right-brained and only want specific, actionable advice – you have to add some personal experience to it.

And write more. You may be horrid now, but if you put 100,000 words down over the course of a year then you’ll be happy with your improvement as a writer. I’m no hank Moody, but I know I’m getting better. And again, improvement is always a process and the process is often the best part.

This Is Trouble: Don’t do it if you’re hoping to get rich quick. Not everybody can be Tim Ferriss. Best advice I can give: write consistently (at least twice a week, minimum), network with other bloggers, get on every aggregate you can, and respond to every comment. Also, get your mailing list set up from the get-go.

Would you recommend college/university?

Goldmund Unleashed: If you go at it with the right attitude I think it’s the best place to be for men in their early 20s. I lived like a monk during my time at university: no sex, most of the time in the library, a lot of time wandering around the city or out in nature thinking, and I had a night job.

My goal in life has always been to live simply, have employment that I enjoy thoroughly, and have plenty of free time. Having a degree from an Ivy League allowed me to pick and choose exactly where I wanted to live and work…and have lots of my own time.

Masculine Profiles: Fuck yeah!

While going against the “company line” of the Manosphere (so to speak), I’d tell every young man to attend university if he wants to. I loved every bit of my university experience and it shaped the man I am today. Sure, you’ll run across liberals and feminists on occasion, but it’s ignorant to think those morons run the social side of a college campus (stay away from most Northeastern schools and Berkeley).

If a man focuses on avoiding student loans as much as possible, ignoring the not-so subtle indoctrination and focuses on finding an education that will serve him into the future – he’d be an idiot not to attend college. It doesn’t have to be the best years of your life, but it can be a hell of a good time.

This Is Trouble: I just graduated about two years ago, so I think I’m pretty qualified to answer this – yes…for most. But, the grass isn’t greener. I hate my corporate job and haven’t made a secret of it. If you have a sense of adventure and freedom, you probably won’t enjoy working in an office. And most of the time, college leads to that path.

I do think that man should go for the first year and experience the crazy parties and hook ups. If it’s not for you, you’ll know deep down by the end of the first year. It’s not much different than corporate life – you listen to someone who rarely knows what they’re talking, have a set schedule, and do tedious bullshit that doesn’t advance you or really, benefit anyone.

What got you in to blogging?

Goldmund Unleashed: Ayahuasca. When I was really deep in the visions during the ceremony I was told that I had to share my experiences and views.

In my 20s I suffered from the worst social anxiety you could ever imagine for about ten years. It was truly crippling. I overcame that anxiety through study and practice and…well now look at me.

I truly want to inspire guys to go out and live life to the fullest. Whether it be through women, nature, art, literature…anywhere where truth and beauty can be found. When I get emails from guys who express their appreciation and recognition for my work, I feel like I’m playing my role properly.

Masculine Profiles: I’d read some of the heavyweights in our corner of the Internet for a while and I wanted to get my voice out there. I’d been indoctrinated throughout my youth and had some fucked up thought process. Guys like Roosh and Mike helped me see things differently.

And once I did, my life changed completely. So I wanted to share my thoughts and find my voice. It was mainly a personal thing, a way to get things or ideas out (off my chest). Does it help some dudes? I’m not really sure, but I know at the very least any new guy that checks my site will probably see a differing viewpoint from what he’s been told his whole life.

This Is Trouble: All I wanted was a place to write about my online dates and track my progress. I figured I’d start a blog and get a few kicks out of it. Yet here we are today – I’m the perfect example of someone who started with very little aspirations and managed to turn my blog into a (relative) success.