At 24, I was a BlackRock trader making $180K. I was burned out and...

82 views May 17, 2025 ~4 min read

At 24, I was a BlackRock trader making $180K.

I was burned out and hated my life.

5 years later, I’ve built 4 businesses and made $15,000,000.

Here’s the underrated career pivot that helped me earn an extra $10K/month (and love work again):🧵

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The wake-up call hit hard.

At BlackRock, I watched a 38-year-old colleague ask permission to attend his son's Little League game.

His boss said no.

In that moment, I saw my future flash before my eyes:

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15 more years of climbing the ladder only to be trapped in a golden cage?

The breaking point wasn't about money—it was about freedom.

So I started to look for a way out:

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I spent every morning walking and devouring podcasts—but I had nowhere to apply it.

So, I started a simple weekly newsletter to force myself to improve my learning through writing.

That ONE consistent habit changed everything:

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For 9 months, I published religiously to just 400 subscribers.

Then I decided to try something different: 

Write a Twitter thread every day for 30 days.

Day 28: A thread went viral, and my subscriber count jumped overnight.

That's when the unexpected happened:

Someone sent me a DM and asked if I'd ghostwrite content for them.

When they asked my rate, I froze. I had never made a single dollar online.

Too afraid to quote a price and get rejected, I said:

"I have no idea. This would be my first time. How about I do it and you pay whatever value it provides?"

I spent the entire weekend obsessing over their content.

15 hours of research, organizing ideas, and curating their thinking.

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I delivered the draft and waited anxiously.

Their response? "This is sooooo good! Super helpful."

Then came the magic moment:

$5,000 hit my PayPal account.

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I thought it was a typo.

This blew my mind—I'd discovered the hidden gold mine of Premium Ghostwriting.

But what exactly is Premium Ghostwriting?

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It's creating high-value content for thought leaders, executives, and businesses who:

• Have expertise but no time to write
• Need help scaling their message online
• Know quality content is an investment, not an expense

5 reasons why it's the GOLDEN opportunity of 2025:

1. Demand is skyrocketing

Every business, influencer, and executive needs to build a personal brand with quality content.

But most don't have the time. No one does.

The rise of LI, newsletters, and thought leadership has created unprecedented demand for ghostwriters.

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2. AI won't replace it

ChatGPT didn't kill writing careers—it killed mediocre writing.

Premium Ghostwriters now utilize AI as an assistant, enabling them to deliver higher-quality content more quickly.

My partner Nicolas Cole said it best:

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3. It's location-independent

While tech companies cut thousands of jobs, Premium Ghostwriters are thriving.

Why? 

Because personal branding is now a mandatory business expense, not a luxury.

And you can do it from anywhere with WiFi.

4. The earnings potential is uncapped

Too many writers are stuck charging pennies per word, competing globally in a race to the bottom.

Premium Ghostwriters command $5K - $15K for single projects—writing Educational Email Courses, thought-leadership articles, social content.

5. It's the perfect starter business

You don't need:
• A fancy degree
• Startup capital
• An office or employees

Just consistent writing and positioning.

And here's the best part: ghostwriting teaches you EVERY skill needed to build your own audience and business later.

The flywheel works like this:

1. Learn to write online
2. Rent your pen to others & grow their brand
3. Build relationships with successful people
4. Learn their business models from the inside
5. Apply and scale your own business

Here's a framework I think about a lot:

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This is exactly how I built my 7-figure portfolio of writing businesses: Ship 30 for 30, Premium Ghostwriting Academy, Typeshare, and Write With AI.

All because I started with that one $5K ghostwriting gig.

So, what would I do if I had to start over in 2025?

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I'd become a Premium Ghostwriter focused on creating in-demand content for high-paying clients:

• Newsletters
• Social content
• Educational Email Courses

Then I'd leverage that experience to build my own audience and business.

But how do you land creators, founders, and executives as ghostwriting clients?

Demand has never been higher—but you have to position yourself correctly to land these industry leaders as clients.

This free, 5-day email course will show you how: x.premiumghostwritingblueprint.com/?el=DickieP250…

Thanks for reading!

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At 24, I was a BlackRock trader making $180K. I was burned out and...

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