Before I started Ship 30 For 30, I was a former podcaster turned agency owner/consultant.

I had half a book finished, a graveyard of blog posts, $1000s in online writing courses, and no motivation or process to keep me creating regularly. I knew I needed to keep creating content in order to grow my brand and personal profile, but the stalled out anytime I thought about writing.

When I rejoined Twitter and discovered Ship30, it was clear that this was something special.

Coincidentally I got a discount code at the same time, and immediately signed up. That first cohort, I wrote ~15 atomic essays.

The only reason I stopped writing was to start podcasting. I ended up recording over 70 episodes of a brand new show. Ship30 got my creative juices flowing, and I couldn't stop!

Shortly after my first cohort, Cole and Dickie launched Write The Ship - the 202 of writing online to Ship30's 101. It was a masterclass, and is now included with every annual Ship30 membership! That alone is worth the year.

Write the Ship led to an annual Ship30 membership, and I've been an on/off cohort participant ever since.

If you're considering joining Ship 30 For 30, you're already a step ahead of the competition. The community is welcoming and worthwhile, even without the cohort itself.

The real secret is the courses though. Dickie and Cole have added self guided deep dives into every aspect of brand building and writing online.

• Data Driven Twitter
• Headline Mastery
• Writing As A Business (Write The Ship)

Those courses weren't available when I first did Ship30, and it was 100% worth it without them. Now that they exist, joining is worth 10x more!

Whenever I take an online course, I grade it as I go using a standardized framework:

1. Personal Impact On My Work

Did this change the way I think?

About Twitter - Massive change in thought. About writing in general? Yes, I see it as a must have skill for success at every level.

Did this change the way I act?

Content Creation - 100-200% increase in output. Writing every day, podcasting weekly.

Did this improve my work while taking it?

Definitely. I write, ship, and tweet better and faster.

2. Does it Deliver On It's Promise?

100% Absolutely Did?

Absolutely

Desired results achieved?

Better at twitter + Writing more? - Definitely.

Good ideas, but no implementation?

As a challenge cohort, this has implementation baked in. Key to finding success with this sort of work.

3.  Is There An Active Learning Community Attached?

Are they easy to find/interact with?

Via Hashtag on Twitter yes. Circle platform can be a bit dead in off seasons.

Are they receptive and engaged?

Yup. One of the best groups I've interacted with. I've made lifelong friends.

Are they interesting and teaching each other?

Another definite yes, community is their advantage.

4.  How Accessible Is The Content?

Is it available anywhere anytime?

Twitter is, but some of the courses are not.

Is it easy for low bandwidth setups to interact?

Twitter Is, Circle is OK. Video zoom is not

Is the content available forever? or just during a time period?

Time period, but many ways to keep the cost at or near $0 month over month using affiliate bonuses.

5. Price/Value Ratio?

How valuable is the network?

Very cool people, worth the $$$ I spent. Your Twitter will grow rapidly if you post essays there.

How valuable is the knowledge?

High value in community. New courses are better than the original content.

How valuable is the progress/accountability?

Low accountability, but they're actively working to solve for it with the new ALumni Captain program. Progress is visible and fast with follow through.

In short, I give Ship 30 For 30 a 4.6/5.

Given the fact that it has opened up a new career path for me that's already brought me over 100x the cost of the courses and community, I don't think I could grade it any other way.

What does it need to get that last .4 to reach 5/5?

Not much, they've been doing a ton over the past few months to improve the community with personalized matching, a job board, and the new courses.

I haven't been through all the material yet, and the sheer amount is nearing a flood. I think the key to reaching a perfect score would be seeing them continue on this track of building pathways for growth and monetization as a writer.

Maybe building out courses for newsletters and Medium specifically, or going even deeper into Twitter with engagement groups?

I'm not sure exactly what the right fit is, but I have no doubt that Dickie, Cole, and the Ship30 crew will figure it out!

If Michael's story resonated with you, click here to hop aboard the next Ship 30 for 30 cohort.