13,000 followers

Thank you

Grateful for every single one of you

Got a surprise for y'all...

Who the hell is David Mendes and how did he go from:

- Employed
- Unhappy
- Purposeless
- Barely getting by

To

- Unemployed
- Free
- Twitter G
- Making $$$

[Thread]

On this milestone, I wanted to do something special

This will be a thread on my journey so far, everything I learned and all the lessons I can share with you

Don't skip anything!

You might miss out of some gems if you do (including my best Twitter Hack)

Now...

LFG

So you wanna be an entrepreneur ay?

You wanna do this whole Twitter thing?

Well I got good news and bad news

It's a rollercoaster

Full of ups and downs

But that's what makes it fun and exciting

And sometimes a fucking mess too

But first, let's start from the beginning...

Chapter 1 - Who's David

Why does it matter?

Why should you care?

Well, If I'm being honest, David was a random 23-year-old Portuguese nobody

And that's why it matters

You'll see what I mean in some tweets

Don't go anywhere, keep reading, the story will get interesting

Rewind to February 2020

There he is, good old David

Dude's fucking miserable as shit

Just underwent a shitty break-up

Fucking hates his underpaid/boring-ass IT job

Barely getting by, no direction, no clue where to go

Just trying to overcome the break-up

"Fuck, man I just keep getting fucked over, I'm fucking tired of this bullshit ass mediocre life type shit, something needs to change"

I thought to myself...

But I was in no mental condition to do shit

I was completely clueless as to where to go next

So I just said Fuck it

"Fuck this, I'm going offline"

And so I did

Monk mode baby, cut connections with everyone

COVID happened too

"Great"

I thought to myself

"More time to be on my own"

These next 2 months were enlightening as hell

I did a lot of deep work on this period

Got in the best shape of my life

A lot of getting to know myself a little bit better

A lot of reflection

A lot of self-help/self-improvement content

I read two books

Atomic Habits - James Clear

12 Rules For Life - Jordan Peterson

These two books were life-changing to me

Gave me a lot of perspective

But anyway, that doesn't fucking matter right now

That's not what you're here for

I just wanted to give you a bit of an intro

Fast forward to April

Chapter 2 - The Path To Freedom

Quarantine ends

I get introduced to Money Twitter by my friend @HeroJourneyOn

I had created the account back in Feb, but again, just didn't feel ready to embark on the journey at the time

So I underwent the deep work first

So there it started

"The Path To Freedom"

Why that name?

Why anon?

I'll be as real as I can with you on this thread

I was afraid

That's why I picked anon

It's easy to start a personal brand when you already got some shit to back you up

But that wasn't really the case

But again, David's a nobody

He barely knows shit about Social Media

He doesn't really have marketable skills besides being good with people and enthusiastic (yes, these are marketable skills, if you think they aren't, you're dumb)

But he likes writing

So that's a plus I guess

So I go Anon and I start the Path To Freedom account

Mostly out of insecurity because of the factors I just listed above

Why The Path To Freedom?

It reflected the journey I was about to embark on

I knew it would also click and resonate with people

So there we go

Chapter 3 - The First Month

My first month was not that special if I'm being honest

I gained 1,000 followers, which at the time was pretty good, not a lot of people had done that

I didn't really monetize

My content was a bit generic, self-dev, just speaking my truth you know

I did start writing some threads though

I was one of the guys that popularized threads

And my threads were always killer, from day 1

Why, because even though I didn't have marketable skills, I was pretty solid at writing and I was always a great story teller

I'm pretty good at keeping my readers "Engaged" if you know what I mean (You're still reading aren't you? :D )

So yeah, nothing too fancy, I tried making my own Gumroad product

That obviously flopped hard LOLOLOLOL

Looking back was stupid as shit

But it did teach me lessons

Chapter 4 - Affiliate Marketing

At around 1k followers I started affiliate marketing

I fucking SUCKED LMFAO

I was legit trash, took my like 50 failed DMs to close my first sale

But hey, I ain't no quitter, so I kept going

Made like $25 the first week

$67 the second week

And then... BOOM

I made $400 on my third week

Mostly selling on DMs

I didn't do that much promo tweets If I'm being honest

Kinda fucking hate doing them not gonna lie

Just don't like to

So yeah, I was still working my 9 to 5

Waking up at 5/6 am every day to schedule content and study marketing and copywriting

I read Cashvertising and How to Win Friends and Influence People (Game changer for me)

Started to see some money from Affiliate marketing

You know, I was still not taking Twitter seriously or anything at the time

But the extra money was dope to be honest

Gave me more confidence

Started to make me feel like this could be a thing ya know

Chapter 5 - Second Month

On month 2 I was like "Yo this DM grinding is profitable but this shit a grind, I don't want another 9 to 5"

And I also got to 3k followers in month 2

And at the time that was pretty unheard of in the Money Twitter verse

Those were some pretty fucking good results

So I asked my audience "Do you want a growth guide from me?"

And the majority of my audience said Yes

But I didn't want to do what was already out there on the market

I wanted to make something that was mine

And so I started working on the growth guide

+70 pages

I laid out all of the information that worked for me and that I personally used and I launched it at 3k

The launch was pretty dope, along with the sales from affiliate marketing I made around $1,100 that week

My first $1k week

$1,000 in one week is a lot of money in where I live (Portugal)

I was stoked dude

And as I kept getting more money and more followers

My job started to feel more and more boring and shitty

This was when I started contemplating leaving

I was like "Damn dude, can I really make a living out of this shit?"

But I knew I couldn't slow down

So I kept pushing

Even fucking harder

Chapter 6 - Month 3 and Face Reveal

Still sleep deprived

Still sleeping 5 hours a night

Still waking up at 5 am to learn more, create more content and level up

My physical shape was starting to decline, which is normal

My cortisol levels starting to go higher

But I didn't give a fuck

The dopamine hits I was getting every day kept me going

I went on vacation with my boys

Was fun as shit

I also created my second product on that vacation (a Twitter monetization guide)

Workaholic type shit I know

I just love to create

So I created and launched it along with my face reveal at the 7k milestone

Everyone was hyped for it

The Path To Freedom revealed his face

Was legendary

Made $2,7k that week

Also had my first +$1k day

Paid for the entire vacation for me and my boys

Life was good

Chapter 7 - 10k followers, quitting my job and burnout

Month 4 was wild

Got to 10k followers, shit was nuts

But I felt like crap, honestly speaking

I had been on a high for so long that at 10k it was when it hit me

"I just quit my job"

"This shit is real"

I panicked...

Also, that's when I got some heat on Twitter for the first time

All good though

I was super fucking burned out though, I got scared of the future, was feeling some scarcity

So I hopped on a call with my friend @thedankoe

And he told me to take a break, which I did

For the next few days, I was trying to figure out where I wanted to go next...

Also the algo changed in the meantime

Was still trying to figure that out as well

I was just feeling overall super overwhelmed...

Chapter 8 - Downfall and rebrand

Then the Money Twitter drama happened as well

I think we all know what I'm talking about

I got dragged into it

I knew some people didn't like me, and that's fine

But that was a wake-up call for me

That day, I wanted to quit

I felt bad

Super down, super low

Self-pity type shit, inner bitch coming out

But again, I have this tendency of showing up the next day

And after talking again with my dear friend @thedankoe and the rest of the squad (Thank you brothers)

That's exactly what I did

That whole situation has been solved in the meantime

Everything ended up well and all parties involved are now in a better place and there's no bad blood

I'm grateful and blessed for everything

Just pointing it out so you guys don't start any sort of drama

Let's continue

Dan told me "Why not rebrand?"

And I was like "You think so?"

Dan "Yeah, I mean, why not do something that falls more into the direction you want to go in?"

Me "You know what? Fuck it, let's do it"

And so I showed up the next day

And from out of nowhere boom

Rebrand

Yeah, no prep, no warning, no nothing

Still losing followers cuz of that

But I don't really give a fuck If I'm being honest

One of the many things I learned is

You win more by just doing your thing

Don't try to fit in

Misfits always end up winning anyway

Chapter 9 - Moving forward

So I showed up the next days and have been showing up since

Still putting out content and now with a much better sense of where I'm going and of what I want to do

Creating something that will help fix a problem a lot of people have

And while I'm at it, I'll also do another thing I'm passionate about

Which is to write copy

I've gotten decent enough at it and have built enough rapport to have people pay me $$$ for my services

Still have a long way to go, but the path is set

You know... This was the mission, to begin with

But somewhere along the way, with all the crazyness going on I guess I got lost in the way

But we're back on track and better/weirder than ever

And I'm glad, honestly

I listened to my calling

That's all that matters

And all of you are witnesses

I'm taking you all with me on this journey of greatness

All of you will improve

Because that's my calling

I might not be able to help everyone

But just knowing that these words might be the guidance some of you need is all I care about

That's the mission

And the sole purpose of writing this is exactly that

I've made mistakes throughout all of my life, who doesn't

Would have I done some things differently?

Maybe, I don't know to be honest

I don't regret anything, it's a waste of time

What matters is today

Always

And remember

Circumstances don't mean shit

I'm living proof of it

Remember

David Mendes was a nobody

Never forget that

And this is why it matters

Work ethic, discipline, systems, yes, they are all important

But in the end only one question matters...

How bad do you want it?

Never forget that

Now let's get to the best part of the thread

Chapter 10 - Lessons Learned

Lesson 1 - You first

Always

When it comes to entrepreneurship, you're the captain and the ship

Your health (mental and physical) absolutely need to come first

Because if your health starts declining, so will everything else

Making sure you're at peak performance and optimized is the highest ROI thing you can do when it comes to entrepreneurship

So do some god damn self-care and keep a sustainable pace

Don't burn yourself out

Fuck that

If it costs you your health long term, it ain't worth it

Lesson 2 - There's no sauce

There's no secret sauce, just showing up and speaking your truth

Obviously, there are certain ways to do things and appeal to people but at the end of the day, all that matters is that you do your thing

Lesson 3 - Get fans and make friends

Not followers and acquaintances

Those are worthless, the beauty of this side of Twitter is the networking

Again, as I said, I'm a nobody remember?

Most of the top guys here know a FUCK ton more than me

But I do have three very good traits

I learn fast, I'm coachable and I'm good with people

I genuinely care and am interested in knowing people

And because of that, I level up fast

I've gained thousands of dollars worth of info from people

Just because of these 3 things

If you're just starting and have no experience like I hadn't

Focus on those three

Forget whatever everybody else is doing

This is your journey

Nothing else matters

So focus on that and keep going

Lesson 4 - Don't rush to monetize

Seriously

And if you do it early, be low-key about it

In the long run, building that rapport with your audience will pay itself off, trust me

Lesson 5 - Sharpen your sword everyday

Don't slack on this one

Everyday you should be putting time into perfecting your craft and improving your skills

For me that's copywriting

For you it might something else

Just put in a bit of time into it everyday

Don't get sloppy

Lesson 6 - Use the block button frequently and preemptively

Just avoid drama

But even if you do, the drama will come your way anyways so to avoid that as well use it preemptively

If you feel like there are some people that feel a type of way about you, you're prob right

So don't be afraid to block even if it "looks bad"

All that matters is, your audience and the connections you make

The rest can fuck itself off

Curate your Twitter experience

Lesson 7 - Everybody's watching

Especially if you're weirdly successful (I call it weirdly because people that succeed like I did are not the norm)

Be aware of what you do because people are indeed watching

Lesson 8 - Retreat if necessary

"If you're in a fight and you're getting beat up and you keep getting hit non stop, you can't win if you stay in the fight, sometimes you need to back off, recover and only then get back to it" - @thedankoe

Idk if any of you ever watched Dragon Ball Z

I did, this is called Zenkai

"Zenkai is an ability that is genetically exclusive to Saiyans.

The ability is a genetic trait that allows a Saiyan's power to increase substantially after recovering from near-fatal injuries."

This is social media, it's inevitable that you'll get some heat

If you're feeling overwhelmed, back off

Recover, come back stronger and go at it again

Lesson 9 - Fuck the money

No, I'm not telling you to be anti-money or anti-wealth

Just don't obsess over it, chase it or put it on a pedestal

If you do, it will be your demise in the long run

Lesson 10 - Don't do shady shit

You can win without doing shady shit

This also aligns with the previously lesson

People usually start doing shady shit precisely because they put money on a pedestal

I'll repeat

You can win without doing shady shit

So don't do it

Lesson 11 - Don't be a cheap cunt, especially with education/coaching

I spent $350 2 days ago on education

Things that will help me level up

Didn't even blink

This is a lifehack

Money is abundant, don't get attached to it and don't be afraid to spend it (not stupidly ofc)

Lesson 12 - Get mentors

You hear it all the time

Fucking Tai Lopez says it 24/7 "Mentors bla bla bla"

It's true

If you get mentors, you start playing life on easy mode

Trust me

Shout-out to my mentors

@leoncastilloVC - Mindset and High-Performance
@thedankoe - Entrepreneurship but above that, a true friend and partner

Drop them both a follow to MASSIVELY improve your Twitter experience

Lesson 13 - "Lmfao, who cares? Money don't care"

Lesson 14 - Direct response > All

Very valuable lesson taught to me by @bronzevertising, who I consider to be one of my copywriting mentors

It clicked for me when I read his DR thread

Read it, apply that shit https://twitter.com/Bronzevertising/status/1290317436382740481

If you get really good at direct response and have a traffic source

That's really all you need to start playing on easy mode

Lesson 15 - Mindset is everything

And it is

It's a lot easier to act accordingly to who you are

Change your mindset to the mindset of the person you want to become

Then do everything that person would do

Your mind controls everything

Once you do this, life becomes easy

Lesson 16 - Listen to empowering shit

I don't care if it's music, affirmations, WHATEVER

Listen to shit that empowers you every single day

For me that means Nipsey Hussle, Pop Smoke, Meek Mill and Rick Ross

To you, might be something else

Doesn't matter, just fucking do it

Lesson 17 - Meditate and don't be on Twitter 24/7

Seriously

This is Twitter, you're getting dopamine stimulated 24/7

Meditation will counteract this and help you find clarity as well

Also, FUCK OFF Twitter

Don't be on this shit all-day

It's bad for you

Lesson 18 - Pivot

Twitter should not be your end goal

If it is, you're not thinking big enough

Make bigger plans and pivot

That's what I'm doing and that's what you should do as well

Treat it as it is, an asset for connections, authority and $$$

Lesson 19 - MOVE and correct your posture

Every single fucking day

You wake up, you take a shower, brush your teeth, drink some water and go for a fucking 1-hour walk

No touching your phone, no opening up your laptop

Just walk straight

This will help you more than you think

Lesson 20 - The Best Twitter Hack

I promised you the best Twitter Hack

You + Quality content + an engaged audience

That's it

That's the best Twitter Hack

Lesson 21 - The Truth

Guess what?

It doesn't exist

The one that controls public perception, controls the "truth"

This holds especially true (pun intended) on a social media environment

Remember this

Lesson 22 - Faith

"God is by my side and the Universe has my back and as long as that remains true, I can't ever lose" - A quote by me

This is what I believe in

With every fiber in me

And fundamentally, that's the main reason why I'll win

Take away whatever you want

Lesson 23 - This thread

Did I get you reading this far?

Good

Now analyze this thread

Study it

Figure out how I got you to read this far

If you can master the art of persuasive writing and story telling, you can do anything on the Internet

Lesson 24 - If it can go wrong it will go wrong

I'm not telling you to live afraid

I'm telling you to be prepared

For every high, there's a low

You absolutely need to interiorize this

Otherwise when it hits you, you'll get fucked

Be prepared at all times

Lesson 25 - Never find yourself in a lose/lose situation

And If you do, don't be stupid

Don't try to be brave

You know what happens to "brave" mfkers?

They get killed

But you're smart, right?

Take the lesser evil and live to fight another day

Lesson 26 - Eat animal protein

Everyday

That's it

Lesson 27 and final lesson - I, and I alone, am responsible for everything I think and feel.

Once I read this tweet, my life was never the same

This is my phone's screensaver

I tell this myself every day https://twitter.com/naval/status/1278735123081392128

That's all I got for you for now

I probably forgot a bunch of shit and probably have a bunch of typos in here but hey Idgaf

Hope you enjoyed

Peace out, and I'll see you on the next one

P.S.: Y'all cool as shit, stay killing it