Why Writing Is the Most Powerful Skill You Can Develop

(Especially If You Want to Build a Business That Lasts)

Something surprising happened last week.

I’ve been writing on Substack for four and a half years. Quietly. Consistently. Just flexing my writing muscles without obsessing over subscriber numbers or chasing growth hacks.

By the end of 2024, I had 958 free subscribers and 14 paid ones. Respectable. But I knew I was capable of more—if I focused.

So this year, I decided to shift gears.

No hustle. No burnout. Just a simple system:
Write → Grow → Monetize.

I committed to just 15 minutes a day. One small task.
Not a grand strategy—just one daily note.

At first, it was a trickle. A couple of new subscribers here and there.
Then last week, something amazing happened.

I wrote a note—just one—where I shared my story.
It went viral.

Within days, that one note brought in 283 new subscribers.
And right alongside it, I quietly launched my first program on Substack:
The 90-Day Write-Grow-Monetize Transformation.

In five days, 15 brave creators joined.

All from one note.
And five emails to a small list.

That’s the power of writing.

---

In a world obsessed with trends—AI prompts, 7-second reels, and increasingly complicated funnels—writing seems almost... quaint.

It’s quiet. It doesn’t require a ring light. It doesn’t go viral with dramatic background music or auto-captions. And yet—it’s still the most powerful skill you can develop.

Why?

Because writing unlocks everything else.

Yes, it can help you build a business. But long before it does that, it sharpens your thinking, connects you with others, and helps you make sense of what you know and how to use it.

Writing isn’t just for authors or academics or hobby writers. It’s for anyone who wants to express ideas clearly, communicate with purpose, and build something meaningful—whether that’s a personal brand, a newsletter, a business, or a legacy.

Let’s talk about why.

Writing helps you think clearer, faster, and deeper

It’s easy to feel like you understand something—until you try to write it down.

Writing forces clarity. It reveals where your ideas are solid… and where they’re a bit wobbly. Every sentence is a mirror: showing you what you really think, and helping you get closer to what you mean.

No other skill gives you such direct access to your own mind.

Before it becomes content, marketing, or a lead magnet—writing is a thinking tool. The more you use it, the sharper you get.

Want to sound like a thought leader? Start by becoming a thought thinker. Writing is how you do that.

Writing is connection without complication

Unlike video, webinars, or social media posts that vanish in 48 hours, writing doesn’t need a platform update or a trending sound to be effective.

You don’t need a DSLR. Or a ring light. Or a podcast mic.

You need a keyboard. A voice. A reader in mind.

That’s it.

Writing is a direct line to another human being’s brain. You can publish something today that lands in someone’s inbox at 2 a.m., exactly when they need it most. You don’t even need to be awake when it happens.

Magic? No. Just writing.

Writing builds trust faster than tactics

You can’t scale yourself—but you can scale your words.

When someone reads your writing regularly—your blog, your posts, your emails—they start to feel like they know you.

Not just what you do, but who you are.

They trust you because your voice is consistent. Your ideas are clear. Your presence is reliable.

And guess what trust leads to?

Opportunities. Referrals. Sales. Loyalty. Community.

You don’t need a fancy strategy. You need to show up, write what matters, and let people connect with you through your words.

Writing lays the foundation for everything else

Behind every deep thinker, there’s writing.
Behind every philosopher, scholar, and strategist, there’s writing.
Behind every bestselling course or high-converting sales page, there’s writing.
Behind every standout newsletter, memorable keynote, and hit podcast, there’s writing.
Behind every successful solopreneur, there’s one quiet skill doing the heavy lifting—writing.

Writing is the engine. Everything else is just delivery.

It’s not “just” a newsletter. It’s not “just” an article.

It’s your platform. Your practice. Your proof of work.

Every piece of writing becomes part of your body of work—something future clients, collaborators, and readers can find, binge, and build trust with.

In that sense, writing is a long game that keeps paying off.

Unlike algorithms or ad budgets, writing compounds.

A blog post from three years ago? Still searchable.
A newsletter from last month? Still being forwarded.
A single paragraph in a Medium article? Still changing someone’s day.

That’s leverage. Quiet, powerful, persistent leverage.

Want to build a business? Start by writing.

I didn’t write my first story with business in mind.

I was 57, newly retired, and itching to say something that wasn’t in a corporate memo. I joined a writing group. Shared a few personal stories. People responded—not with emojis, but with emails. Real ones.

By 60, I’d published my first book. Then another. Then six more.

Somewhere between the awkward first drafts and unexpected fan mail, I realised: I wasn’t just writing. I was building a business.

Not with a funnel. Not with ads. Not with a podcast team.

With stories. With service. With words.

Writing turned my invisible knowledge into visible value.

It can do the same for you.

What kind of writing builds a business?

Let’s break it down.

Here are six types of writing that consistently turn into income, impact, or both:

1. Value-packed newsletters
   Build trust. Share insight. Stay top of mind.

2. Personal stories
   Vulnerability creates connection. And connection builds authority.

3. How-to guides
   Solve real problems. Make the complex feel doable. People pay for that.

4. Opinion pieces
   Your perspective sets you apart. Bold opinions attract the right people.

5. Client stories or case studies
   Nothing sells like transformation. Show what’s possible.

6. Simple offers
   Clarity beats cleverness. “Here’s what I do. Here’s how you can get it.”

None of these require perfection. Just intention, honesty, and usefulness.

“But I’m not a writer…”

Here’s the thing: no one is when they starts.

Writing is a muscle. You build it by using it.

You don’t need to be witty, poetic, or profound. You just need to be real.

Say what you do. Say how you help. Say it like you’re speaking to one person you genuinely care about.

That’s it. That’s the skill.

And when you do it consistently? You won’t just get better at writing. You’ll get better at marketing, teaching, selling, serving—and showing up as a leader.

Writing is your personal brand in action

You don’t need a glossy website. You don’t need a Canva-perfect logo.

You need a voice.

Your voice is your differentiation. Your writing is how you reveal it to the world.

When people feel your voice—your point of view, your style, your story—they remember you. That’s how brands are built. Not just with colors or slogans, but with resonance.

Your next tiny step

If you’ve been sitting on the sidelines, waiting to feel “ready” to write—this is your permission slip.

Start small.

A story. A lesson. A paragraph in your Notes app.

Write like it matters. Because it does.

Write like someone needs it. Because someone will.

Write like it’s a skill that can change everything. Because it absolutely can.

When you write, you clarify your thinking. You show your value. You invite connection. You build momentum.

And when you do it consistently, you’ll look back one day and realise:

You didn’t just develop a skill.

You built a business.

You created a body of work.

And you became someone worth listening to—not because you shouted the loudest, but because you wrote with clarity, purpose, and care.

Write first.
Grow next.
Monetise soon after.

Because writing isn’t just a tool—it’s the skill that unlocks every other one.

---

That’s all from me today.

As always, thanks for reading.