🔥Fireside Chat: How I got sponsored by The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
Sitting back home (Colombia) overlooking the Andean mountains, I just remembered a funny story from my 20's Reader
I might have committed fraud.🥵
Not proud of it today but hear me out...
I was born and raised in Colombia and moved to Canada for better opportunities.
As an international student, I paid $40K+ in yearly tuition while locals paid just $10K for the same education.
For perspective, one year of Canadian university cost me the equivalent of 8 years of full-time minimum wage work in Colombia.
So I often had to choose whether I went out to party or to a $15 Chinese restaurant that week.
Could not afford both.
Pasta and canned tuna were my best friends for years.
One day, a classmate who used to call himself "Mr. Sweet Abdullah" called me on a Saturday morning.
His voice seemed either hungover or indicative of someone who had yet to sleep after partying.
This kid used to party 5+ nights a week and spent obnoxious amounts in bottles at the clubs.
I found out that the Saudi government not only paid for their students to study abroad but also provided them with a super generous monthly allowance for additional expenses.
So Mr. Sweet Abdullah asked:
"Nico, I know you're good in school.. listen..
I need help with tomorrow's essay.
I have not started it and I cannot fail.
If I paid you, would you do it for me?"
"Sure, I replied."
I charged him a couple hundred bucks and sat down to write.
He got an A+ and what started as a last minute save, became my first unofficial business venture.
He told his friends and his friends told their friends.
Within months I was the "go-to" guy for many middle eastern students who were too lazy to write their own homework.
Everything I wrote was guaranteed to get them an A or A+.
These students even tagged me in their graduation photos as an inside joke—I had practically earned their diplomas.
Years later, Mr. Sweet Abdullah called again:
"Listen Nicolas, I'll pay whatever you ask.
I'm at a job interview in Dubai and need to write a marketing campaign.
Could you answer it for me?"
That's when reality hit.
I was helping unqualified people secure positions they hadn't earned.
I was contributing to fraud with real-world consequences.
So I stopped immediately and started thinking about ways to earn a living with integrity.
I applied these skills to my own ventures.
- Writing helped me sell $600+ of art prints overnight when I was a painter.
- It built my tattoo brand into a $50K/month business while more talented artists struggled at $5-8K.
- Through words, I've sold out Ayahuasca retreats, breathwork ceremonies, online programs, and high-ticket coaching services.
I started to write because I needed money...
I continued because I discovered it's the highest leverage skill for building wealth.
It allows us to share our message through create content that stands out amidst the 1-3Billion pieces of daily uploaded posts.
And to build worlds that our dream clients want to be a part of.
Good story telling is the key in moving our audience, making them feel something.
And if people feel you, they trust you.
If they trust you they will buy from you.
And if they buy from you, you can serve them.
If you’d like to learn what took me 13+ years of daily effort and mistakes to master, I’m hosting my WORDSMITH workshop this Wednesday.
In just 90 minutes, I’ll share my most valuable writing insights.
It’ll be via Zoom and recorded for those who cannot attend live
Click Here to register.
Talk to you tomorrow!
-Nico Canon
