Mike Samuels - The $200M Coffee Shop Copywriter

In this issue, I'm going to introduce you to Mike Samuels. For the majority of the last 6 or 7 years he has worked from various coffee shops in Hedge End near Southampton, UK.

Hence the imaginative nickname.

But this start to the newsletter alone should hint at someone who goes against the grain. Something I both admire and enjoy.

His journey from local personal trainer, to in-demand copywriter and course creator, is remarkable.

As of December 2024, he has written words that can be traced back to $200M+ in revenue. When he tells us this, he's keen to add that most of that is for his clients, but he does get to keep some through his own services, courses and masterminds.

Since bceoming a copyriter he has written for some leading brands and has been a copy coach for one of the worlds leading mentorship programs.

But for me, where Mike is a cut above the rest, is in his own coaching and mentoring business.

Later, I'm going to share some actionable tips from Mike that can mean a life of freedom if you choose to use them.

I would also encourage you to follow him on social media and join his email list. You'll get so much value just by reading this clockwork like twice weekly comms.

You'll see he's not one of those guru's without substence too.

Plus, one of the things I want you to take away is how you can do very well online without every communication being a sales opportunity.

And without a humungous email list or follower count.

I've known Mike for several years now and I am grateful to call him my friend.

I've known of him for a lot longer though.

He and I share a similar past in that we were once personal trainers, working for ourselves, in the same area of town.

So I used to see his name around, usually when I was trying to get my keywords ranking higher in Google.

I'm not saying he outranked me but I did have a dart board with a photo of him on it.

Luckily for him, I'm terrible at darts.

I was also an interested bystander when he transitioned from a personal trainer to copywriter back in the mid 2010's.

Curious Beginnings

I asked Mike where he got the entrepreneurial flare from.

I am fascinated by why people start their own business so it's often the first question I ask.

Statistically, business owners are inspired by parents who are also entrepreneurs.

This is not the case for Mike and it's incrediby rare. It was something that came to him as he didn't like to look of a life as an employee. He hated the thought of being cooped up in an office being told what to do.

Alongside that, he had the idea he wanted to build his own dream, not someone elses.

He does share a story of how his dad told him to stop whining about college and his part-time job he had in a DIY store and that was the kick he needed to start taking control of his own future.

So after a stint working in a gym as an employee he rolled up his sleeves and embarked on the journey of entrepreneuership.

He tells me at around aged 14 he was chubby. And girls, at least the ones he was interested in, didn't jibe with chubby.

So he started to lift weights and run. Not at the same time, but you get the idea.

I didn't ask him if it did the trick with the ladies, but it led him down the path of helping others to get in shape.

So that's when he skipped college and university to become a personal trainer. (after the aforementioned nudge from papa)

As I've come to know Mike, it's things like this that make me warm to him. He rejected the conventional path of his peers to persue what he felt was best for his goals.

One of the things you will learn about Mike, and I hope you take away, is his dedication to his goals.

When Mike sets his mind to something, he commits like few I have met.

(As a side note. He's into Ultra Running now where he runs hundreds of miles at a time. Some of the races he has won despite being relatively new to the sport.)

I'll tell you more about his commitment philosophy in a bit.

He got himself into fantastic shape physically. Not least because he knows you have to walk the walk in that game. But also had an unrivalled knowledge of strength and fitness. (and presumably sans the chub, the ladies too)

He decided to make his mark in London as a personal trainer, with designs on emulating the success of trainers Dan Roberts, Nick Mitchell and Nate Green.

Mike gave it his all in London, but at just 18 at the time, he had many lessons to learn about business and decided to return to Southampton. By no means a failure in his London venture, but not the level of success he set himself.

Back in the South, he steadily built up a full schedule of clients, earning great money. But he had the issue most service providers hit at some point and that is capacity and ceiling of earnings.

Realising this, he started to coach clients online as well as writing articles for his own blog and well known fitness publications.

With his fitness writing he had a taste of earning money from his laptop instead of driving to his clients homes all day.

A taste of freedom

After a few articles he wrote on his own blog went viral and landed him a full diary of online coaching clients he started to realise the power words have.

Or more importantly for his future, that he could write words that sell.

Another lesson that Mike can teach is the importance in investing in yourself.

He did this with his copywriting skills and bought a number of courses but also invested significantly in mentorship.

After a short while he was up and running writing copy in the fitness niche.

It was investing in his skills and himself that moved the needle quicker for Mike.

He began working with his mentors and their clients on copy and he developed an in-depth knowledge about persuasive copy.

This and some introductions from mentors and clients meant Mike could transition from online PT to full time copywriter.

He was now writing copy for some big players in the Supplement and Health and Fitness niches that were to be some of his biggest successes.

Later he became a copy coach for one of the leading business coaches helping their clients write better copy.

By mid 2017 he had a broad range of experience writing everything from winning sales letters to emails and more.

He'd worked with a huge spectrum of businesses and niches and was now ready to launch his own offers.

This is where the freedom really kicked in giving him, location, time and money freedom.

Biggest Lesson

Mike launched some of his own courses. The flagship being The Freedom Kickstarter. It was a smash hit and he started to make significant increases in his income.

The course itself is considered one of the best out there and is a comprehensive training. It’s seen over 400 people transition into new lucrative careers as writers. (many of whom you might see online today)

But the lesson is this.

Before Mike launched anything himself. He spent years building up his own audience. To this day he told me he has sent at least an email to his list every week for 8 years straight.

He is fiercely consistent and persistent about it.

Those on his list know that 90% of his emails are value packed.

Very little selling.

Which, if you have been using the internet recently is all a lot of other businesses do.

So when he launches something he is rewarded with healthy sales because he has built up enormous good will. Even though his list is not the biggest in his niche, it's certainly one of the most responsive.

And that is what I think is Mike's remarkable power. He is consistent to the things he commits to.

That means:

• His fitness and health

• His content

• His clients results

• His finances

How does he make his money?

As with most successful entrepreneurs, he has a number of income streams.

His day to day income is made up from his copy services, course sales, a physical newsletter and a membership program.

He has also invested in property too.

He clearly respects those who have bought from him and also those who haven’t. For example he doesn’t have endless deals or affiliate offers that others in this niche do. (He doesn't go bragging about earnings too like some of those online folks)

If he recommends something to his audience, it’s because he knows it will benefit them not because he gets a few bucks from it.

(as a side note, he runs an unadvertised event once a year for clients. He pays for it himself at great expense. I've been to a few and they are designed to help his students get more from their courses) He doesn't have to do this - many others wouldn't.

For now though, he earns a very good income by working just a few hours a day. He has a lovely lifestyle full of travel, a great place to live and time to enjoy it.

I think we can all learn from that attitude.

He earns well, doesn’t live beyond his means, could take off months at a time if he wanted to.

And that helps with the type of work he all accept.

Advice:

There are some important lessons I’d like to share with you that I’ve learned from Mike.

Commit and be consistent - whether it’s running an ultra marathon or posting on social media or sending emails to your list. Keep going. He recommends sticking to some thing that you are comfortable with but send emails at the same time (s) week so your audience expect it. Stay top of mind with your content

Be true to yourself - share your opinions. It’s the best way to build a loyal tribe. Repel as well as attract.

Seek out help - whether it’s a course or paying a coach or mentor. Pay people or the shortcut. There is no substitute for this.

Don’t live beyond your means. - That includes when you get started in business. Save money and maybe even keep the day job while you build up those funds to help support your start in business.

Trust yourself - Mike has chosen what he feels is the best route for him at any given time. From skipping university to starting different businesses. He’s pivoted in terms of his business at times to suit his goals, he’s partnered when it was right to do so and invested in new skills when needed.

This last one is big:

Go to live events - there is no substitute for being in the room with those you want to emulate. He’s won incredible opportunities and levelled up his network by travelling all over the world to events. Yeah, it takes time and money but it pays dividends in ways you”ll struggle to measure.

You have the blueprint now, but Mike has an excellent course for copywriters you can take.

But in true Mike fashion he’s not pushing you to a webinar or offer, If you want to connect with him then visit, copywithmike.com and learn more abut him there.

See you next time

Tim