Introduction
The landscape of online education and personal branding has shifted. In 2025, while many struggled with “trust recession,” elite creators saw record-breaking growth. My business generated over $1.5 million, and more importantly, my students collectively crossed the $5 million mark.
As we enter 2026, the opportunity to build wealth through expertise is at an all-time high. However, the old “Gary Vee style” of endless giving without a business engine is dead. To dominate this year, you need a radical shift in strategy. Here are the seven fundamental rules I am following to ensure 2026 is the biggest year yet for myself and my students.
Rule 1: Money First, Audience Second
Since 2016, the mantra has been “build an audience, and the business will follow.” In 2026, we are flipping the script. Focus on the money first.
Why? Because having a high-converting offer worth selling is what makes content worth creating. When you know your product changes lives, your motivation to produce 150 YouTube videos or 900 Instagram clips isn’t about “likes”—it’s about driving traffic to a business that works. The audience is simply a byproduct of the massive volume required to scale your revenue.
Rule 2: Stop Being an “Industry Prostitute”
An industry prostitute is a creator who lacks their own offer and is forced to sell their audience’s attention to the highest bidder through brand deals.
The math is simple: a brand pays you $10,000 because they expect to make $100,000 from your traffic. Why give away that margin? Moreover, every #ad post erodes the trust you’ve built with your followers. In 2026, sell your own offer. Whether it’s a PDF, a toolkit, or a high-ticket coaching program, owning the product is the only way to achieve true financial sovereignty.
Rule 3: One Offer, One Platform, One Million Dollars
Shiny Object Syndrome is the silent killer of creator businesses. Diversification is a trap for those who haven’t reached scale yet.
Until you have made your first million, stick to:
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One Platform: Become the master of either YouTube (long-form) or Instagram (short-form). Don’t try to be everywhere at once.
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One Offer: Perfect one transformation for one specific avatar.
Even with a full team, I prioritize focus over redistribution. Mastery beats being mediocre on five different platforms.
Rule 4: The 5x Student Result Rule
The “Info-product space” isn’t dying; shitty businesses are being snuffed out. In 2026, flashy marketing and Lamborghinis are no substitute for product quality.
Your customers should be making a minimum of five times what they pay you. If you cannot prove student wins, your business will die. Trust is earned through results, not promises. Your primary job is to obsess over the transformation your students achieve.
Rule 5: Less Strategy, More Humanity (The 90/10 Rule)
AI can generate perfectly scripted, “valuable” content in seconds. Because information is now a commodity, people choose who they learn from based on relatability.
Stop over-scripting. Be the same person you are with your friends. I follow the 90/10 Rule:
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90% of Content: Raw, unfiltered, and based on real life (my watches, my espresso machine, my rants). This builds “Know, Like, and Trust.”
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10% of Content: Strategy-based Video Sales Letters (VSLs) designed to convert that trust into business.
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Rule 6: Launch Lean and Build Iteratively
Perfectionism is a form of procrastination. The best products are built with the “scaffolding still up.”
Launch a Minimum Viable Product (MVP) and deliver it live. This allows you to:
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Take real-time feedback from paying customers.
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Fill gaps in the curriculum as they arise.
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Build tools and frameworks that solve actual problems rather than guessed ones.
Iterative building ensures your product is always evolving and remaining relevant to the market’s current needs.
Rule 7: Master Your Revenue Generating Action (RGA)
You cannot just post content and “pray” for sales. You need a predictable system to drive revenue. You must choose between two primary models:
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The Sales Path: Setters, closers, and high-pressure phone calls.
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The Launch Model: Creating periods of extreme urgency and scarcity.
I personally choose the Launch Model. By only being open for 40 days a year, I create an environment where people make their own decisions without being pressured by a salesperson. Find your RGA and master it.
Conclusion
2026 will be the year of the Authentic Authority. By focusing on money-backed content, owning your offers, and obsessing over student results, you can build a business that isn’t just profitable, but sustainable for the next decade.
If you’re ready to stop being an industry prostitute and start building your legacy, it’s time to get to work.
