He paid me $5K for...nothing

Author

Dakota Robertson
May 18, 2025

In 2023 my client, Anselmo, paid me $5K to join my ghostwriting cohort.

But he made a whopping totale of $0 as a ghostwriter…

And the funny thing?

He told me it was one of the best investments he’s ever made.

(And no, not because he got to experience my 40-year-old dad humor up close and personal).

When Anselmo first joined Growth Ghost, he was living in Australia, trying to crack the code on that magical “wifi money.”

The goal?

Get paid to work from his laptop so he had the freedom to travel the world and the finances to take care of his mom.

He had a background in sales, but he wanted to give ghostwriting a shot.

So, I ran him through my program and showed him the secret sauce.

But later, he realized:

“Wow, Dakota was right, pineapple pizza is the superior and I need to dedicate my life to spreading the holy religion.”

Okay, kidding…

He actually realized he loved sales, just not doing sales at the jobs he liked in the past.

So Anselmo pivoted.

Through a Growth Ghost member, Mike Bolton, Anselmo met some big players in the sales space.

And now?

He’s doing sales for an Airbnb coaching program.

Anselmo and I are also hanging out in Colombia together almost every day.

(Just last night we gave ourselves type-2 diabetes from binging pizza, ice cream, and cookies lol).

The Hidden ROI

Anselmo made $0 from ghostwriting.

So why the hell did he say it was one of the best things he’s ever done?

Well, it’s not always about the skills you learn, but the people you meet.

See, when Anselmo joined Growth Ghost, he didn't just invest in coaching...

He invested in access to a valuable network of ambitious entrepreneurs, freelancers, and business owners all on similar journeys.

And that access turned out to be worth much more than $5K.

While most people obsess over "what skills will I learn?" they completely miss the boat on what actually creates life-changing success:

Who you're surrounded by.

When I designed Growth Ghost, I deliberately built it around 3 pillars:

  1. Skills (the what).

  2. Systems (the how).

  3. Community (the who).

Most program only focus on the first 2.

But here's the truth nobody tells you:

The right introduction can be worth more than 1,000 hours of skill-building.

For example, I get these messages ALL the time from people looking to hire ghostwriters.

So I link Growth Ghost members with them.

And they get results like this…

The Question Most People Never Ask

Whether it’s my program or any other program, most people ask:

"What skills will I learn?"

But the smarter question is: 

"Who else will be in the room with me?"

Because while skills can get you a paycheck...

The right connections can create entire life trajectories you never imagined.

Anselmo didn't "fail" at ghostwriting.

He succeeded at finding his path, which was only possible because he was in the right room with the right people.

And that's worth way more than $5K.

That's why when you join Growth Ghost, you're not just getting my frameworks for landing high-paying ghostwriting clients (though you definitely get those too)...

You're getting access to a network of people who are all actively growing, connecting, and creating opportunities for each other.

A network that continues paying dividends forever.

So when people ask me what makes Growth Ghost different, I tell them:

"We don't just teach ghostwriting. If you’re showing up and taking action, we also connect you potential clients."

Happy Sunday

Your Canadian friend,

Dakota “Who, Not Just What” Robertson

P.S.

If you want to learn how to learn one of the most profitable skills of 2025…

And get connected with high-ticket clients…

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Personal Update

I usually work all day, every day.

But yesterday, I had an extremely unproductive day.

  • I woke up late (10am).

  • I ate like crap (pizza, ice cream, cookies).

  • I did 0 work (I watched Instagram reels and played the new Oblivion video game remaster).

And you know what?

I didn’t feel as bad about it as I normally do.

I’m making a conscious effort to not feel guilty when I have days like this. Feeling bad about days like this only perpetuates the feeling of burnout.

We’re all human and it’s okay to have days like this once in awhile.

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