Editor’s Note: We Did It.

Permission to be Powerful has officially crossed 10,000 subscribers. Wild. I promised myself that when we got here, I’d republish my favorite article, Blackballed.

To mark the occasion, here’s my Big Fat Mega Dump of every place you can find me online...

* Facebook

* Twitter/X

* YouTube (Mr Congress)

* YouTube (Permission to Be Powerful)

* TikTok

* BlueSky

* Mastodon

* Telegram

* Amazon

* Kick

* Twitch

Follow all of these at your own risk—your timeline will never be the same.

Now, on to Blackballed…

Dear Permission to be Powerful Reader,

A few years back, a survey asked 300 copywriters one question:

"What’s the worst thing that can happen in this business?"🤔

Some said writing a promo that flops.

👉 "Zero conversions. Client pulls the plug."

Others said pouring your soul into a campaign, only for the client to shelve it.

👉 "We love it—but we decided to go in another direction..."

Some said it was writing a promo that makes millions… but someone else gets all the credit.

👉 "Congrats to our Copy Chief for this record-breaking launch!"

But that’s not what I answered…

The worst thing that can happen in this business?

👉 Getting fired.

👉 Blackballed.

👉Your life’s work gone overnight.

This is a true story.

But except for my own, I’ve obscured all the names and identities for reasons that’ll become clear.

I’m Anton Volney, and I thought I’d never write again...

I grew up in a tiny third-world country in the Caribbean—3,000+ miles from the U.S.

I clawed my way into the world of New York Times Bestsellers like Ramit Sethi…

Forbes 30 Under 30 Entrepreneurs like Neil Patel…

And eventually, for the biggest self-help icon of them all…

Tony Robbins.

My words printed millions.

And then—

One moment, I was on top…

The next—I was erased.

Because of a weak man with a laughably fragile ego...

(Seriously, bro, I know some good therapists who will help.)

I spent 15 years chasing this dream.

And I had learned my craft from the best in the world.

Yet, it collapsed in the blink of an eye.

This journey wasn’t quick.It was slow.

Painful.

Then…

When I was 36, after 15 years grinding in the dark, my career detonated overnight

And suddenly, my words are in front of MILLIONS.

In print on Times Square.

Then, out of nowhere—

I was locked out.Kicked off Slack.

Colleagues—silent.

I had “Rapid-Onset Blackballing.”

I wasn’t just fired.

I was radioactive.

"You’re undeserving."

Whatever that means.

I went from being the MVP to being persona non grata.

I’ve got one last promo for the next biggest client I’ve ever landed.

It’s a small consolation prize compared to Tony Robbins… but this could make me a killing.

This was my Alzheimer’s Promo for Behind The Markets.

The stakes?

Six figures in royalties—IF I beat the control.

Fifteen years boiled down to one moment.

No second chances.

The deadline is in 48 hours.

I’ve spent years preparing for this moment.

One launch.One sales letter.One chance to prove I belong at the highest level.

I’m watching my competition.

One guy played it too safe—his promo was dead on arrival.

Another tried to be clever — subscribers didn’t take the bait.

They’re talking about the biggest names in the room—guys with resumes stacked a mile high.

But they missed the mark.

I can make my name right now.

“Go get it…”

And if I have a perfect launch…

The BEST work of my life…

I can beat the control and cement my name in the industry forever.

Then?

Ball out so hard I have to invent new ways to waste money.

Ice cream for breakfast...

Hire a butler to stand in the corner and clap every time I send an email.

I even thought about getting my anus bleached because it was the biggest waste of money I could think of.

My Copy Chief is telepathically telling me to check my hook…

"Check your hook."

I check my hook.

Strong lead.

Killer Offer.

Perfect funnel.

Set up for the close… and…

Watch sales start flooding in.

Now, two things you need to know before this offer goes live:

The first is that when the offer isn’t clear, you take big swings.

You make bold, risky claims to break through the noise.

The second is that your copy’s selling power largely depends on what’s called The Big Idea…

If you’re a beginner, this is what triggers the “lizard” part of your brain to activate wild, irrational desire.

If you’re an experienced freelancer, you’ve got a handful of winners under your belt.

Mine?

A killer control.

One that prints money.

It’s locked in.

Right.

So, how does this happen?

Flatline.

Zero conversions.

No sales.

It happened because of one bad clinical trial.

And the results came out the night before — it shattered my Big Idea.

Right at that moment, I didn’t have time to calculate the odds of that happening—because I was about to watch my hopes and dreams go up in smoke.

"Back up! Back up!""Kill the launch!""We’re pulling the offer!"

None of this has anything to do with Tony Robbins…

I’m only mentioning it because I wanted to say to whoever answered that the worst thing that could happen in copywriting was a promo that flopped…

Seriously?

F**k you.

Until next time,

Dancer, Writer, Buddhist

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