The $1,000 Weekend Challenge

What would you do if you had to make $1,000 in 72 hours?

That’s what I like to ask my Creator MBA students. And they’re usually surprised by the question.

Shouldn’t they be creating a 10-year plan and starting market research? What about having 100+ customer calls to learn more about their ideal buyer?

Of course, planning is a good thing.

But when you’re in the beginning stages of online business, planning can also be a curse. And when you’ve never made $1 online, a 10-year plan is really just a baseless activity. Sounds good, but won’t really help you.

What you need, right out of the gate, is to take some action and show some results.

You need an approach that will break the habit of “planning as procrastination” and force you to do some actual business. An approach that lets you validate an offer and generate revenue fast.

So today we’re talking about the $1K Weekend Challenge.

Let’s dive in.

The $1K Weekend Challenge: Quick Validation and Revenue

Now before we get started, I want you to keep one thing in mind.

This exercise is not about fast money.

It's about taking focused action, finding smart positioning, and leveraging what you already have. And once you’ve proven you can make some money as a Solopreneur, the rest of your long-game journey gets a lot easier. That newfound confidence can carry you a long way.

Okay, here’s how this challenge goes:

Friday Morning: Choose Your Offer

Everyone is good at something. We all have experience, knowledge, and skills that are valuable to other people online.

So I want you to start by identifying what that is for you — an area where you excel. And this can be just about anything:

SEO writing, traveling overseas with pets, book editing, marriage counseling, landing page design, personal training, building SquareSpace websites, interior decorating, party planning, math tutoring, sales coaching, teaching Spanish, social media management...the list goes on and on.

Point is, the world is big and you’re good at something. Probably something you enjoy.

So what’s your thing? What have you done successfully, even just for yourself? Write some of those thing down. Or make a list of things that people come to you for advice about.

There’s one thing in there that you can get started with.

So once you’ve identified that thing, create a simple, high-value offer that you can package and deliver quickly. Examples:

• A 90-minute strategy or coaching session
• A website or social media audit
• A mini-course on a specific skill (How to do something)

The key is to choose something you can deliver without a ton of prep work. I love strategy and coaching sessions (in the beginning) because you don’t need a 50+ page deck or a pre-recorded 60-minute video. You can just jump on a call, learn what the client needs, and start strategizing together and helping them. Bing, bang, boom.

Friday Afternoon: Define Your Target

The next question you need to ask yourself is a really important one — Who needs your offer right now? And I want you to be specific.

Remember, it shouldn’t be some broad customer group like, "small business owners.”

You need to figure out the specific customer you are most likely to be valuable to. Instead of “small business owners,” think "E-commerce owners struggling with cart abandonment."

The more niche your target, the easier it’ll be to find and connect with these folks.

Saturday Morning: Craft Your Pitch

Once you’ve identified exactly who you want to work with, it’s time to create a clear, compelling pitch for your offer.

Make sure to include:

• The specific problem you're solving
• The tangible outcome clients can expect
• Why you're uniquely qualified to help
• Why prospective customers should be compelled to buy now

Your goal is to keep this concise, so aim for something you can deliver in a 60-second conversation, an elevator pitch, or a very short email.

Saturday Afternoon: Reach Out

Alright, here’s where it’s going to get a little uncomfortable. I want you to do two things:

Create 6 pieces of content with a link to your offer

1. 3 LinkedIn posts (Sat PM, Sun AM, Sun PM)
2. 3 posts for Twitter/X (Sat PM, Sun AM, Sun PM)

(Obviously, adjust this plan according to whatever social media you use.)

Start reaching out to potential clients. You might try some of these tactics:

1. DM’ing anyone who expresses interest on your content
2. Finding people online who are talking about the problem you solve
3. Posting in relevant groups you’re a part of
4. Leveraging your existing email list, if you have one

Aim to reach out to at least 50 people. It’s often a numbers game.

Sunday Morning: Follow Up and Close

On Sunday morning, revisit the conversations you started.

Who responded to your posts? What about your DMs? Any comments from conversations you had with those people struggling online? Did you receive any emails back? Did anyone submit an inquiry?

Check the groups you posted in. And follow up with anyone who expressed interest. Address their questions, handle their objections, and ask them to move forward with your offer.

And remember this: You have to ask for what you want.

If you're not seeing any responses at all, consider adjusting your message. And be sure to lead with THEM first, not you. Your messaging should be 100% all about the value they’ll receive.

Sunday Afternoon (and beyond): Deliver and Delight

Landing your first few clients might not seem like a big deal. But every successful business started this way - landing a few clients.

This is the stepping stone to a long-term, viable, sustainable business. And as you start working with customers, if you can over-deliver, you’ll unlock testimonials, referrals, and repeat business.

And that is how businesses get built.

Keys to Success

Not everyone who tries this will succeed. I suspect more will fail than will actually succeed. And that’s okay. Because there’s lessons in every single “failure”.

Here are some things to keep in mind as you tackle this challenge:

Embrace imperfection: Your offer doesn't have to be perfect. It needs to be valuable and doable in a short timeframe.

Focus on immediate value: Choose an offer that provides quick wins for your clients. Not some “180-day plan to get better.” Something you can fix for them in 24-48 hours using your knowledge and expertise.

Use urgency: The weekend timeframe creates natural urgency. So use it in your pitch. How can you make your offer attractive today?

Follow up persistently but politely: Lots of sales happen on the 7th or 8th contact, so don't be afraid to follow up. But you must be respectful of anyone who says no. And remember, any follow-up should be a value-adder (a case study, something new you’ve learned, a new thought, a new trend in the industry) not just “Hey — checking in! Wanna buy??”

Why This Challenge Works (even if you make $0)

The $1K Weekend Challenge does more than just help you learn about generating revenue.

It also:

• Forces you to clarify your value proposition
• Pushes you out of your comfort zone in sales and marketing
• Proves that you can take rapid action in your business
• Provides valuable market feedback on your offerings

Even if you don't hit the $1K mark, the lessons learned will be invaluable. You'll gain insights into what resonates with your audience, how to pitch effectively, and where you can improve as a burgeoning entrepreneur.

The most valuable lessons in my career have come directly from things I totally f-ed up. So don’t be afraid of what could go wrong. Instead, I hope you’ll be optimistic about the possibilities, and be open to learning by doing.

What's Next?

After the weekend, take a look at your results. What worked? What didn't? Use these insights to refine your offer and the marketing strategies you used to promote it.

You might even consider making this a monthly challenge for yourself. Each time, you'll find it easier (and more profitable) as you try, iterate, and improve.

And remember, the goal isn't just the money. This is about building the skill of taking focused, revenue-generating action in your business. This muscle, once developed, will serve you for a lifetime.

Are you ready for a $1K Weekend?

Put it in your calendar, and then put it out into the world!

If you make $1, $10, $100, or $1,000 tell me about it. Feel free to shoot me an email (I have an auto-responder but read all of them) and tell me what happened.

Your Results

If you're looking for some extra help, I've got a few products that could be useful depending on where you are in your journey.

If you want to grow more of a following on LinkedIn, checkout The LinkedIn OS: 25K+ students & 60 Top Voices have rated it 4.98 out of 5 and It's currently 50% off.

If you're looking to create better content for X, checkout The Content OS: 11K+ students have used it to grow their X following & build a better newsletter and it's currently 50% off.

Or, if you want a step-by-step framework for building and growing a sustainable online business, check out my flagship Creator MBA course. It's a paint-by-numbers system to help you build, launch, and grow an online business. Join 4,700+ online entrepreneurs here.

Thanks for reading, and see you next week!