We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Drew Tilton. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Drew below.

Drew, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Being a business owner can be really hard sometimes. It’s rewarding, but most business owners we’ve spoken sometimes think about what it would have been like to have had a regular job instead. Have you ever wondered that yourself? Maybe you can talk to us about a time when you felt this way?

Honestly, I feel draw of a “regular” job all the time. I think it is more the imagined ease of such work that tantalizes me. I imagine myself swimming in endless healthcare—with no co-pays and a deductible as low as that old Lil Jon song. I dream of a pay check that you know is coming—and it is the same amount no matter what! Imagine that! Life would be easy, breezy, beautiful (and the readers say in unison: “Cover Girl”).

But then I wake up and realize that I tried all that… and it wasn’t as care-free as I tend to imagine it now. The question I use to snap myself back into reality is usually: “Yeah Drew, but what would you lose?” It’s not saying that 9-5 work doesn’t come with it’s advantages, but there is a definite trade off that is easy to overlook while chomping on imperfect grass on this side of the hill.

Mainly, I think of my freedom, not just of my time—which of course is a huge advantage—but also of my choice. I have the freedom to choose my family over the money I could make, the freedom to choose integrity over ease, the freedom to choose change when things are not working for me. I get to choose my values, my mission, and the people I work with. Of course sometimes that comes at the expense of something (it’s almost always money), but working at a 9-5 generally doesn’t give me that same flexibility (i.e. its usually a all-or-nothing sort of deal).

Almost invariably this reality leads me back to the same conclusion: I have my dream job.

Maybe not my dream salary (imagining me sighing at the horizon and saying, “One day…”), but that’s a trade I’m okay with, at least for now. And maybe one day the “regulars” will come calling with an offer I can’t refuse. For now though, I’ll keep riding the best wave I’ve ever experienced.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

So I am a ghost writer, developmental editor, and author coach who works with authors and publishers to help them write the best book possible. The problems I am solving depends on which of these role I happen to be occupying, but my goal is always to serve authors by helping them to grow as a writer, pursue their dreams of authoring, and/or get their impactful messages out to the world.

I stumbled into this industry years ago, after helping my former boss write a book. I haven’t looked back since. I grew up loving to be creative in all ways, but especially gravitated to writing. Throughout my past career, I was continually drawn to projects that involved written creativity and knew from the feedback that I had some raw talent there. But really my success is thanks to all the people that supported me along the way. My wife, family, mentors, publishing professionals, and more have all poured so much into me since I first jumped into the deep end of this publishing industry—and I am so thankful!

I am most proud of the authors I have gotten to work with and the way they are using their books to positively impact our world!

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

I had to unlearn the idea that people don’t want to spend money. What I’ve learned instead is that people are totally willing to spend money, if it is on something they truly value.

Of course, there are situations where the client would have paid full price if possible, but it just wasn’t in their budget (I do give out scholarships to help in such cases), but this is not what I mean.

I am talking about clients that could have paid full price, but tried to bully me into a discount. They have almost always gone on to do the little with their books, proving that it is something they don’t truly value at the end of the day. Thankfully, I work hard to not work with these sorts of clients anymore (it only took a couple of them to convince me).

If I know my prices are fair—i.e. I have spent the time figuring out what my work is worth given my skill level and the market—and they don’t want to pay full price, then I know they really don’t value what I am offering.

Are there any books, videos or other content that you feel have meaningfully impacted your thinking?

Jeff Walker’s book “Launch” has helped me to shift my philosophy from a business where I am trading my time for money to a business where I am magnifying my impact and making a more sustainable business as my family grows.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.asiocreative.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/asiocreative/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100091922366538
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/drew-tilton-90b824175/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCpREFemojcvK-5SN89H2EZw

Image Credits
Photos by Matt Swing and Drew Tilton