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- Not Good Enough Was Never the Problem.
Not Good Enough Was Never the Problem.
Alternate Intelligence for Business Builders - Issue #48

Welcome, Coach Will here…….
Listen, people who know me know I'm absolutely obsessed with golf.
Been swinging clubs since I was ten years old. Spent entire summers on the course. I was that kid.
Got pretty damn good at it too.
Good enough to start dreaming big. Good enough to imagine myself out there with the legends - Jack Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer, Lee Trevino, ChiChi Rodriguez.
I wanted to be just like them.
Practiced until my hands blistered. Put in the hours.
I was good. Really good, actually.
But not good enough to go pro.
And here's where this story gets interesting...
Years later, I realized something about that experience that applies to exactly what you're dealing with right now.
You're good at what you do. Really good.
Ten, fifteen, maybe twenty years of experience. Hard problems solved. Real results delivered.
But somewhere along the way, you noticed something that makes absolutely zero sense:
People with HALF your experience are charging TWICE your rate.
They're not smarter. They're not more talented. And they're definitely not working harder.
So what the hell are they doing that you're not?
I spent years asking myself this exact question.
Tried all the obvious answers: raise your rates, add more services, deliver more value, work longer hours.
None of it worked the way I expected.
Then something clicked, and everything changed.
The highest-paid people in any industry don't do MORE of what everyone else is doing.
They do something completely DIFFERENT.
They're not climbing the same ladder faster.
They stepped onto a completely different ladder altogether.
✈️ UpLevel The Game
Okay, here's what most people think: Better skills → Higher rates.
Nope.
Dead wrong.
Here's how it actually works: Higher level → Higher rates.
Look, there are four distinct altitudes in every industry. Four completely different ladders you can climb.
And most people?
They spend their entire career stuck on the first one, never even realizing there are three more above them:

Now let me show you why this matters so damn much.
Down at ground level - the Implementor stage - you're grinding away at maybe $150/hour if you're lucky.
Let's do some quick math that'll make you wince.
To hit $25K per month at that rate, you need 40+ billable hours. Every. Single. Week.
That's before taxes eat a third of it.
Before you factor in all the unbillable admin garbage.
Before you realize you just escaped your corporate job to build yourself an even worse one.
Fun times, right?
But here's the kicker:
The leap from $150/hour to $1,500/hour has absolutely nothing to do with working harder.
It's not about becoming a better technician.
It's not about putting in more hours or getting another certification.
It's about climbing to an entirely different level.
Different game. Different rules. Different money.
💬 Coach Will: "You don't get paid more for doing more. You get paid more for operating where fewer people can breathe."
❌ Most People Stay Stuck
Here's what actually changes as you change levels:
Ground → Specialist: You stop doing everything and become known for one specific thing.
Not "a marketing person." You're "the person who fixes broken funnels for SaaS companies."
Specialist → Advisor: You stop doing the work and start directing it.
Clients pay for your judgment, not your keystrokes. Your deliverable is a decision, not a document.
Advisor → Architect: You stop solving problems and start designing systems.
You don't fix what's broken. You rebuild how the whole thing operates.
So why do most people never climb?
Two reasons. Both deadly.
First: They try to raise rates at the same level. That's like running faster on a treadmill—you exhaust yourself in the same spot.
Second: They use AI to implement more. More deliverables. More output. More work crammed into less time (often with marginal success).
That's the trap.
AI doesn't elevate you. It makes you a faster hamster on the same wheel.
Still stuck at ground level. Just spinning faster, and faster, faster……….more…….
And here's the kicker: While you're using AI to crank out more grunt work, someone else is using it to climb to a higher altitude entirely.
Same tools. Completely different game.
⚒️ The AI Angle (Use This, Not That)
Here's what I've watched this play out over the years:
AI is not about speed; it's about upleveling your game.
The wrong way to use AI:
Generate more content faster
Automate more tasks
Cram more output into less time
The right way to use AI:
Delegate the ground-level work so you can operate as a Specialist
Automate research and analysis so you can operate as an Advisor
Model systems and scenarios so you can be the Architect
The goal isn't to use AI to do more of what you're already doing. The goal is to use AI to handle the layer below you — so you can sell guidance instead of hours.
Same skills. Same expertise. Different level.
💬 Coach Will: "AI should make you more valuable, not more busy. If you're using AI to do more of the same work, you're missing the point entirely."
⚡ AltLevel™ AI Power Prompt: Self Audit
Act as an expert business positioning strategist and revenue architect.
Background: I will provide details about my current service delivery, pricing, and client profile. Your role is to evaluate my true operating altitude and identify the constraints, patterns, and opportunities that determine whether I am functioning as an Implementor, Specialist, Advisor, or Architect.
My Services: [DESCRIBE YOUR SERVICES]
My Current Rate: [YOUR CURRENT RATE]
My Typical Client: [TYPICAL CLIENT]
My Question:
I need a rigorous altitude analysis. Using the information above, perform a full self-audit and answer the following:
1. LEVEL CHECK — Based on my services, pricing, and clientele, what level am I *actually* operating at (Implementor, Specialist, Advisor, or Architect)?
2. GRAVITY TRAPS — What specific behaviors, pricing structures, deliverables, or positioning patterns are keeping me stuck at this level?
3. THE NEXT RUNG — What exact changes would I need to make—structurally, strategically, and behaviorally—to rise one level?
4. THE REPOSITIONED OFFER — Rewrite my services as they would appear at that higher altitude, with upgraded positioning, language, and value framing.
5. THE NEW NUMBER — What would be a realistic price point for this elevated offer, given market norms and the transformation level?
If anything is unclear or you need additional details to improve your response, please ask me for clarification.
✅ The Bottom Line
Look, the top earners in your industry aren't working harder than you.
They're just working at a higher level - where the air is thinner, and competition practically doesn't exist.
AI isn't a speed tool.
Use it to climb. Not to run faster at ground level.
And here's what most people miss entirely: Your rate ceiling has absolutely nothing to do with your skills.
It's about the next level.
Same skills. Higher level. Completely different number.
That's it. That's the game.
Most people will never figure this out.
They'll keep grinding at ground level, wondering why they're exhausted and underpaid.
Don't be like most people.
📊 Quick Poll
What level are playing at right now? |
No judgment. That's where I started, too.
🎬 Let’s Wrap It!
Here's what happens when you change the game…….
Same expertise. Same years of experience. Completely different money.
As you move up levels, you work less, earn more, and the competition practically disappears.
At ground level, you're fighting with thousands who can "do email marketing."
At the summit?
You're one of maybe five people who can architect an entire system.
So here's your choice: Keep grinding at ground level, spinning faster on the same old hamster wheel.
Or climb to where the real money lives. Same tools. Different level.
Completely different life.
Do you know where you want to play? I do…….
See you next week!
-Coach Will
P.S. Thanks for reading this. And seriously - keep the comments and feedback coming. It's been incredible so far.
Quick ask: I'm looking for a few people to give me testimonials in exchange for my Altlevel AI Playbook. If you're interested, hit the link below to join our community and shoot me a note. I'll get you set up. Connect with Will Here!
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