Joshua Lisec

Choose a target market where you can sell to the decision-maker directly, not their affiliates, colleagues or family.

 

Joshua Lisec is the founder of The Entrepreneur’s Wordsmith LLC, the first Certified Professional Ghostwriter in Ohio, a multiple time #1 International Bestselling Ghostwriter, a Forbes Contributor ghostwriter, a TEDx speaker, a leading authority on author voice authenticity, and a two-time published novelist. Since 2011, he has ghostwritten forty books. Joshua is also the creator of Ghostpublishing, the new way to get published in which authors enjoy the pros of self-publishing and traditional Big Five publishing without any of the cons. Joshua has been featured in TED, TEDx, Foundr Magazine, The Huffington Post, American Express, Yahoo!, Fatherly, and numerous other outlets. Scott Adams, Dilbert creator and New York Times bestselling author of Win Bigly, recommended Joshua Lisec to aspiring authors during his June 15th, 2019 podcast.

Where did the idea for The Entrepreneur’s Wordsmith come from?

I’ve always been a writer. As a kid, I wanted to become a published novelist someday, which I did! Before I could legally drink adult beverages, I signed a two-book deal with a publishing house in Washington, DC. While promoting my books and building a freelance writing business on the side, business leaders asked for help with their books. “You write so well. I loved your novels!” they’d say. “Can you help me write my book?” I said yes, and I’ve been saying yes ever since. Since 2011, I’ve ghostwritten 40 full-length books for entrepreneurs, executives, coaches, consultants, politicians, and religious leaders.

What does your typical day look like and how do you make it productive?

The days begins at 6 a.m. and ends at 6 p.m. My wife Judy and I work in the business together while raising our son Wesley. We switch work and parenting duties throughout the day. Project management software ClickUp is essential to keeping us on track!

How do you bring ideas to life?

The ideas I bring to life are not mine–they’re my clients! I “hear between the lines” when I interview my clients. I listen to their actual words and infer from their vision for the book and their intended audience the best most emotionally compelling way to bring their ideas to life on the page.

What’s one trend that excites you?

We’re able to use smartediting software to speed up the copyediting and proofreading process so we can serve even more clients while increasing the quality.

What is one habit of yours that makes you more productive as an entrepreneur?

Get up before sunrise. For me, that’s 5:30 a.m. It’s an incredible feeling when 10:00 rolls around and you’ve accomplished more than 99 percent of people will all day!

What advice would you give your younger self?

Raise. Your. Prices.

Then…

Keep. Raising. Them.

Tell us something that’s true that almost nobody agrees with you on.

Shame is productive. If the person shaming you publicly or in private is out of line, that’s your cue to cut them out of your life. If the person shaming you is right, then it’s time to get your act together!

As an entrepreneur, what is the one thing you do over and over and recommend everyone else do?

Track every project, big and small, inside a project management software like ClickUp. It’s like having a full-time project manager working for you!

What is one strategy that has helped you grow your business?

I pay past clients, friends, and colleagues up to US$2,000 for referrals who become clients.

What is one failure you had as an entrepreneur, and how did you overcome it?

When I pivoted from freelance writing to full-time ghostwriting, I thought my primary market would be seniors who want to write their life story. The problem? My client was not the senior, it was their child or grandchild. Whenever you’re trying to sell something but you’re not talking to the decision-maker and check-writer, you’re going to have a bad time! That’s why I switched to writing business books that help my clients establish their credibility and multiply their revenue.

What is one business idea that you’re willing to give away to our readers?

It’s called software as a service as a service (SaaSaaS). Small business owners need to use software like ClickUp to run their business more efficiently but don’t have the time to figure out how to use the software. Fantastic business opportunity! You learn the software, the business owners pays you to configure and run it on their behalf.

What is the best $100 you recently spent? What and why?

I binge-purchased scented candles. Pleasant smells keep me focused as I write chapters for clients.

What is one piece of software or a web service that helps you be productive?

We use ClickUp to manage every book project from agreement signing through book publication. Every task that needs to get done (and by when) goes in there. We integrate with Google Calendar so every week’s work is laid out for us!

What is the one book that you recommend our community should read and why?

Win Bigly by Scott Adams teaches powerful and practical persuasion principles to help you get more yes’s and fewer no’s.

What is your favorite quote?

“If you want success, figure out the price, then pay it.” ~ Scott Adams

Key Learnings:

• Start every workday at 6:00 a.m. Life-changing productivity!
• Looking for new clients? Pay past clients and peers for every referral who converts. Instant business!
• Choose a target market where you can sell to the decision-maker directly, not their affiliates, colleagues or family
• Use negative emotions like shame as a tool to improve your behavior and therefore results
• Increase your productivity with project management apps like ClickUp and scented candle aromatherapy

Connect:

www.facebook.com/entrepreneurswordsmith
www.twitter.com/joshualisec

www.youtube.com/user/joshualisec