Monday Musings - Hire My Talented, Full-Time Team

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Hi friends,

A few months ago, I made the very difficult decision to shut down Write of Passage at the end of this year. To make a long story short, we've impacted thousands of students with a product people adore, but we never figured out the economics of the business (read more about it here).

One of the hardest parts of this decision is that I'll no longer have the joy of working with the full-time team that's helped me build the company. It's a talented and passionate bunch, and every single one of them has earned my complete endorsement and appreciation.

The sole purpose of this email is to help them find their next jobs. If you're hiring or know anybody who is, I've shared short write-ups from all the team members below, which you can also find on this page.

Here's the team, with messages from each of them individually:

1. Dan Sleeman: VP of Product​

Hi everyone — Dan here! Write of Passage has been called the “gold standard” of online courses – thousands of students have given the program a cumulative NPS score of 75 (higher than Apple!). I’m teaming up with Write of Passage co-founder Will Mannon to help other online learning programs reach similar heights.

If you or someone you know runs an online course, and you want to seriously improve the program quality, I want to hear from you. With our help, you’ll be bragging about your product and making way more money – all while it runs smoother than a Japanese bullet train. Email me at danjsleeman@gmail.com to get started.

We especially want to work with groups outside of the creator economy. Think home services (HVAC, plumbing, construction), real estate, consumer goods…etc. Millions of people in these industries buy online courses built on outdated infrastructure – like paying to join a Facebook group (!). We’re hoping to bridge our cohort-based course know-how to these other parts of the Internet.

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2. Matt Tillotson: Director of Customer Success​

If you’re looking to rally a partner or contractor network to drive your business forward, let’s chat.

I've spent my career in tech, consumer services, and online education with two key things in mind: writing in a sharp, compelling way and building high-performing teams that actually deliver. At PODS, I built a partner network that included companies from the Fortune 500 to garage-office entrepreneurs–and trained franchisees to support us in their local markets. We grew partnership revenue from $5m to over $65 million. At Write of Passage, I've led a global crew of contractors to run 500-person cohorts, pulling off an NPS of 73.

I love bringing together talented people, hitting big goals, and navigating the occasional turbulence that comes with fast-paced work.

When I’m not wrangling words or teams, I’m reading, writing, or working out to make midlife a time of growth. I write about that here. Reach me at matttillotson@icloud.com, and I promise to keep the dad jokes to a minimum.

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3. Chris Monk: COO​

Hello, I'm Chris. I’m a Fractional COO, Finance Demystifier and Workshop Facilitator helping early stage startups get a grip on their business operations to position themselves for rapid scaling.

I help founders who are frustrated with the time they are spending on operating their businesses. I free up their headspace to focus on building their companies and not worrying about the day to day whilst giving them a better understanding of what is happening with both their people and their money.

I joined Write of Passage in May 2022 when we had a lot of great ideas but not a lot of plans. I helped the founding team turn their vision into a plan, got the trains started and kept them running on time.

I built the financial models and workflows, created and operated the business processes and took ownership of recruitment, technology and people operations. I implemented a best in class remote first management system drawing on the best of the Mochary Method, Radical Candor and the WHO recruitment process.

You can ask anyone at Write of Passage about our processes and I’ll happily use their answer as a reference without needing to see it.

If you’re interested in hiring a Fractional COO, contact me. My clients already include a media company, a biotech startup, an AI education business and some cool folk launching a fleet of electric haulage trucks in the US. I’d love to add more great people to that list so please drop me a line on LinkedIn or chris@chrismonkweb.co.uk.

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4. Garrett Kincaid: Editor in Chief & Curriculum Director​

Hi, I’m Garrett, a writer, editor, and writing coach. I’m writing to help others practice introspection, and I’m coaching to help writers become better self-editors.

At 19 years old, I self-published my first book. Since then, I’ve been writing essays and short stories on dreams, philosophy, and Nature. Right now, I’m working on a book about the 81 days I spent trekking through Iceland. I’m open to freelance writing opportunities in the genres of popular philosophy, film reviews, and adventure journalism. If you're looking for a contributing writer for your publication, email me: garrett@garrettkincaid.com.

As a coach, I help writers go faster and further than they could on their own. Like a semantic sherpa, I’ll guide you from base camp to the summit: publication. Most writers struggle to see their work through the eyes of the reader, and most writers struggle to finish what they start. So, I offer (1) in-depth feedback on structure and style that cuts out the guesswork and (2) coaching to keep you on track. Come to me with your most ambitious project; I’ll make sure you finish it and that it’s the best thing you’ve ever written.

I'm offering free feedback on 10 essays. If you're interested, submit your essay here.

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5. Grace Capobianco: Writing Lead​

I help companies develop a killer brand voice. I love storytelling like Chopin loved the keys. And I write copy that feels like art and sells like crazy.

I’m on a mission to subvert soulless corporate jargon with personality-rich writing. My words have trekked a wide range of industries — from alternative education to financial advising to health and wellness. My bread-and-butter copy projects are sales emails and websites. (Although, I thrive when handling a diverse slate of projects. I’m a former D1 athlete who loves a challenge.) You can learn more about me and my writing right here.​

In my next role, I’m looking to flex my writing skills, grow my marketing brain, and do meaningful work alongside smart, creative people. If you’ve been wanting to build a brand voice that doesn’t put people to sleep, let’s set up a coffee chat. Feel free to email me at gracesydneywrites@gmail.com.

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6. Sherry Ning: Brand Writer​

Hi, I’m Sherry.

I left management consulting to write about things that everyone has experienced but don’t know how to describe. I’m a cultural critic, a literature enthusiast, and I do with words what Raphael did with colors.

You might know me as @SchrodingrsBrat on X (formerly Twitter) or you may have seen my work on www.sherryning.com. At Write of Passage, I write the weekly newsletter that is read by nearly 40,000 every week, with 1,000 new readers every month.

Most importantly, I love working with founders and creatives. Everyone should work with the soul of an artist and the mind of an entrepreneur—that’s why I’m focused on helping smart, ambitious visionaries become the best versions of themselves.

If you’re looking to build a brand identity for your next venture, publish a personal manifesto, or learn how to write and think with crystal clarity, don’t hesitate to email me at sherryzxning@gmail.com.

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7. Harrison Moore: Writing Mentor​

I’m Harrison, a self-proclaimed writing nerd and creativity obsessive.

After winning an O'Shaughnessy Scholarship and completing Write of Passage, I landed roles as Editor, Gym Leader, and Writing Mentor. I take discovery calls with prospective students, helping them raise their awareness and take ownership of their practice. Students often credit my intuitive questioning and deep craft knowledge with their decision to enroll. I’ve achieved a 46% conversion rate in student sign ups using this approach.

Before joining Write of Passage, I built a $2,000,000 company (think Slack for large construction sites), where I raised funding from Europe’s leading tech-for-good VCs, hired teams, and managed product development.

I’m an artist at heart, with a BA and MA from the Royal College of Art in London. My superpower is building communities around creative and entrepreneurial projects. I’m particularly passionate about cohort-based learning. I co-run a cohort-based course about alternative business education, and I write a blog about thinking creatively.

If you’re building a product or service that helps people to be creative, I’d love to help. I especially like conducting user interviews, writing creative briefs, facilitating workshops, and coaching creatives 1-on-1 using the GROW Method.

You can reach me at harrison@thenewworkday.com.

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8. Tyler Donahue: Head of Marketing​

Hello, I led marketing and sales for Write of Passage for the last year. It was beautiful to work with a product and community so loved by its customers. A special place, no doubt.

Before my stint at Write of Passage I built an agency that helps teams outsource RevOps like marketing, sales, customer service and database management — helping big brands & creators like Jacuzzi & Jubilee. TLDR: We got good at helping companies outsource parts of their RevOps to overseas teams, ultimately saving money and allowing core team members to focus on what they do best.

If you're interested in strategizing your outsourcing efforts (free of charge), message me at Tyler@hirecharm.com. I’m here to help! Cheers, Tyler.

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That's all for now. If you're hiring, reach out to our team members directly. And if you know anybody who's hiring, please forward this email to them.

— David