In a recent LinkedIn post, Nicolas Cole 🚢👻 shares a candid account of hitting rock bottom at age 30, only to rebound and achieve significant entrepreneurial success. The article details his personal journey through business failure, financial loss, and the subsequent rebuilding of his career, offering insights into the resilience required for building a profitable venture.
Cole 🚢👻 recounts a particularly challenging period around his 30th birthday, marked by the shutdown of his first business, difficult employee and client terminations, and substantial financial losses. He describes the emotional toll, stating:
“When I turned 30 years old I had just: n• Shut down my first business n• Fired 20 people on 1 Zoom call n• Fired 70 clients (kept 8 to pay the bills) n• Lost $250k in crypto (COVID crash) n• Started playing World of Warcraft againnFelt like a total failure.”
This period of profound setback, which included developing shingles due to stress, could have signaled the end of his entrepreneurial ambitions. However, Cole 🚢👻 emphasizes that this low point was a catalyst for a remarkable turnaround.
The Turning Point: Reframing Failure
A year after this nadir, Cole 🚢👻 reports a dramatic shift, having launched two new businesses and become a “liquid millionaire.” He frames this experience not as an anomaly, but as a testament to the volatile nature of the entrepreneurial journey.
“Life is a rollercoaster. Time to strap in,” he advises, underscoring the need for mental fortitude when facing inevitable ups and downs.
Lessons from a Failed Venture
Cole 🚢👻’s first business, a thought-leadership ghostwriting agency for founders, ultimately failed due to a perceived lack of essential business-building skills. He highlights the stark reality of walking away from nearly two years of intense effort with minimal financial return.
However, this failure provided the crucial lessons needed for future success. According to Cole 🚢👻, the skills he lacked the first time around were instrumental in building his current, highly successful email ghostwriting agency. He notes the significant revenue generated by his new venture:
“And since January, it’s already generated $181,000 in revenue with an incredibly small team.”
This demonstrates a strategic shift from his initial approach, focusing on the specific skills required for a scalable and profitable writing business. Cole 🚢👻 suggests that the path to building such a business lies in acquiring and honing these specific competencies.
Building a Profitable Writing Business
Cole 🚢👻 points to his current email ghostwriting agency as evidence of what can be achieved by learning from past mistakes. He contrasts the outcome of his first business with his current success, where a lean team drives substantial revenue.
The key takeaway, as articulated by Cole 🚢👻, is the importance of developing the right business acumen alongside creative or service-oriented skills. While his initial venture was a significant personal and financial blow, it served as an invaluable, albeit painful, learning experience.
“But since then, I’ve built the skills to scale a new email ghostwriting agency to $1,000,000.”
He further elaborates on the specific skills needed to build a profitable writing business in a linked article, suggesting that the transition from failure to success hinges on strategic skill acquisition and a resilient mindset. Cole 🚢👻’s narrative serves as a powerful reminder that setbacks are often precursors to greater achievements in the business world.
📝 About This Content
This article is based on insights shared by Nicolas Cole 🚢👻 on LinkedIn.
📅 Originally posted on September 12, 2026 | View original post on LinkedIn →