The future of work favours writers

In 1997, a small-time investor named Jeff Bezos wrote a letter.

It wasn’t anything particularly flashy. It was a clear, well-structured document outlining his vision for Amazon.

That letter became legendary and was revisited by business leaders for decades. Bezos could communicate his vision in writing, rallying investors, employees, and the public behind an idea.

Today, in an era of remote work, AI, and digital businesses, writing is more important than ever.

Those who can articulate ideas clearly, persuade, and be relatable will thrive. The future of work belongs to writers. Good writing sits at the core of all effective communication.

Fewer and fewer people are working manual jobs anymore. We’re shifting to knowledge work.

Even though AI is replacing a lot of work, people still need a human to lead them. AI can write a book, but who’d buy it? They need your story. The context of you. Writing helps you create this context.

In the meantime, AI is diminishing the need for many of our skills—skills we thought had us set for life.

Without a sense that we are needed, our sense of purpose is also being eroded, and this will accelerate for those who don’t adapt.

The life raft is personal branding. Your community attaches itself to it. And the oars steering your way: writing.

I believe everyone now needs a personal brand.

Even if you choose to use different forms of media, like video, audio, or visuals, to share your message, your writing shapes the core of it.

The clarity of your ideas, positioning, offers, and story all start with words.

And your email newsletter still sits at the centre of a strong and impactful personal brand.

Without an online identity, you’re vulnerable, especially if you rely on the old ways to make money and create impact. That’s not to say that writing will be your sole source of income in future.

However, writing creates the necessary awareness around you as a person that could lead to other income streams, agreements made, and opportunities created. We’ll be discussing monetisation options in later chapters.

Your personal brand, which you can develop through writing, makes people aware of you. Just one story you share online about an emotional moment in your past can generate large numbers of interested followers.

Relevant people. Your people. These are people who will take action because of your words. They will buy from you and support you and your cause. They will buy your products and your books and enrol in your workshops.

In the early nineties, few saw how groundbreaking the Internet would be. It has democratised opportunity for many of us.

Writers can flip open their laptops, turn on their wifi in a bustling café, and build audiences, brands and businesses from scratch, without pesky gatekeepers.

Writing changed my life in this way. Writing allowed me to take advantage of this new technology that connects us all. It allowed me to separate myself from the traditional world of working for a boss while I was relatively young.

Remote work is now mainstream, and writing allows us to be location-independent. In an uncertain world, we need this choice. You don’t want to be reliant on any one location.

Anything could go wrong. Governments change, disasters hit, unrest ensues, and our autonomy can be taken from us in an instant. But not if you’re location-independent and have options.

Consider this your green light if you’re hesitating or wondering if writing is worth the leap.

Yes, it is.

And the best time to start was yesterday is now.

*The above is an excerpt from my latest book, ‘The Never-Retired Writer: How to Turn Your Ideas Into a Life of Freedom, Income, and Purpose,‘ releasing in a few weeks.

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