Did you hear the one about the gospel preacher who ran a marketing business?
Sounds like a joke, but there’s no punchline…
I’m that preacher, and this is my business.
So you might be wondering…just how did this business come to be?
Great question.
I’ve been writing for a long time, and I’ve become good at it.
- Good enough to win awards in journalism and blogging.
- Good enough to teach about it at a major conference.
- Good enough to develop a course that’s helped preachers quickly and dramatically improve their writing.
But about 10 years ago I stumbled into a specific type of writing– direct response copywriting.
This was a brand new area for me, so I did what most people do when they get interested in direct response marketing and copywriting…
I started reading books, blog posts, and whatever else I could get my hands on. I absorbed practically everything I could.
I took lots of notes…
I hand-copied classic ads like the experts say you should…
And I practiced. A lot.
Before long I was investing in online or mail-order courses to develop professional competence.
Along the way I’ve helped all sorts of people from all sorts of industries.
Tutoring…
Real estate…
Ministry…
All sorts of solopreneurs…
I’ve met and helped some interesting people doing interesting things. Like remodeling private airplanes!
But by mid-2020 I felt like I had gone as far as books, printed courses, and podcasts could take me. If I wanted to keep going it was time to learn directly from a proven expert.
So after a lot of thought, a serious talk with my wife, and a hard look at our finances I overcame a boatload of self doubt and invested to train with one of direct response marketing’s biggest and most-respected names.
Kevin Rogers.
Kevin has a training program called Escape Velocity. That program has catapulted many aspiring copywriters into great careers. This was the program for me.
I was determined to excel, and I had a strategy to do it.
I was going to be the top student, or as close to the top as I could get.
So I pushed myself beyond my comfort zone to routinely be the first one done with the weekly assignments. I figured if I were first Kevin and his team couldn’t possibly miss my work, and they’d have plenty of time to tear it to shreds and tell me how to get better.
And my plan worked…Sort of.
They saw my work. But they didn’t rip it to shreds nearly as much as I thought they might.
Turns out I was good at this kind of writing too!
Pleased with my progress I registered my writing business in January 2021. And some interesting things have happened since:
1. I’ve seen some real slimeball stuff in the marketing world. The kind of stuff that grosses people out about marketing. Stuff I refuse to do, even if it’s lucrative.
2. I’ve seen solid marketing principles exploited by unethical people who wanted to line their pockets and feed their greed…even if it hurt people.
3. I’ve noticed ethical people who could benefit from good marketing principles. But for one reason or another, they don’t. Often it’s because they just don’t know how.
I also changed my business name from Springridge Business Services to John’s World Famous. The new name is easier to remember and way more fun.
So that explains the business. Now let’s explain the website…
Here on the website you can get complimentary writing tips and marketing insights. A combo platter of things I’ve learned in 30+ years of writing and what I continue to learn. Tips you can use in your own writing.
And you can learn more about how John’s World Famous can help Christian business owners market their products ethically and effectively.
It bothers me that good guys with bad marketing are losing out while bad guys with good marketing are winning big.
So I’m here to help some good guys win.