I didn’t plan to have that conversation.

I was just at a local coffee shop, getting a break from my laptop and my thoughts, when I noticed an older man in his 60s sitting across the room. 

Nothing strange—except for the fact that he had a laptop beside him and was typing away with a calm focus.

That caught my attention.

Most men his age I know are either retired, watching the news, or complaining about tech. 

But this guy? 

He looked like he was doing business.

So I walked up and struck a conversation.

We got talking, and I told him I was into online business. 

That’s when his face lit up. He said something that stuck with me:

“You guys are lucky. In my time, we didn’t have the internet like you do today. You can literally make money from your thoughts.”

Then he told me he makes an average of £4,000/month. 

Not from consulting or some big business gig. 

Just by sharing what he knows… and letting AI do most of the heavy lifting.

Here’s his story:

He had retired a few years ago and was struggling to find a new sense of purpose. 

Retirement wasn’t what he thought it would be. 

The silence, the slow days, the feeling of being “done”.

One day, he decided to start sharing his journey on Facebook—his mistakes, lessons, thoughts on retirement, and advice for people preparing to leave the workforce.

He started using ChatGPT to turn his thoughts into helpful content. 

He’d type a few sentences, give ChatGPT some guidance, and boom—it would write the rest.

Then he created a simple course: “Finding Purpose After Retirement.” 

He didn’t sell it. 

Instead, he just posted about it and asked anyone interested to comment. 

He got over 1,000 comments.

He took the content, turned it into a simple PDF, and uploaded it using a free landing page on Systeme.io (free for up to 2,000 subscribers). 

He then shared the link with those who commented, and within just a few days, over 1,000 people visited the page and subscribed to download it.

Now, every time he posts on social media, he also shares updates and insights to his growing email list.

But here’s the surprising part (not the annoying kind): 

He found affiliate programs offering helpful tools and trainings for retirees…

…many of them paying four-figure commissions per sale.

So each month, he writes a few emails using ChatGPT as ideas come to him, shares his thoughts and experiences with his list, and adds promotional links to helpful products at the end of his emails—no fancy automation involved.

£4,000/month. 

From retirement boredom to passive income. 

At 60+.

I was impressed. Genuinely.

We talked some more, and I gave him a few tips to scale it up with automation. 

He was grateful. 

We exchanged contact and said our goodbyes.

But I couldn’t shake the thought.

Maybe this whole online thing is simpler than we make it.

So I Put It to the Test

At the time, my son was struggling to concentrate while studying. 

We tried everything. 

But eventually, I found a little hack that helped him fall in love with reading.

So I decided to tell the story.

I made a short post on my social timeline, sharing what worked. 

And the comments started rolling in—especially from other parents.

I went straight to ChatGPT, dropped in my story, gave it some context, and asked it to write a helpful guide on getting kids excited about reading.

It did.

I cleaned it up, made a nice-looking PDF, and created a landing page on Systeme.io to collect emails.

Then I posted the offer:

“Want the guide? Drop a comment and I’ll send it.”

900+ downloads.

And here’s where it gets fun: 

I set up a simple email sequence inside Systeme.io. 

I grabbed a few parenting-related affiliate products from Clickbank, and wrote emails around them—again, with help from ChatGPT.

Within one week, I made $1,431 in commission.

Total time spent? 

Less than 3 hours.

Why It Worked (and Why It Can Work for You)

• I wasn’t trying to sell. I was telling a true story that connected.

• I used a problem people actually cared about.

• I gave real value before asking for anything.

• I let AI help me move fast.

And you can do the same thing.

Here’s How to Try This Yourself

1. Look around your life:
   What are YOU experiencing that others can relate to?
   Parenting?
   Freelancing?
   Burnout?
   Faith?
   Side hustles?

2. Share the story online:
   Make a short post on Facebook or Instagram.
   Be real.
   Be helpful.
   Ask people to comment if they want more.

3. Use ChatGPT to write a short guide:
   Turn your experience into a useful PDF.
   Let AI write 80% of it.
   Just guide it with good prompts.

4. Create a free landing page on Systeme.io:
   Upload the guide.
   Add your follow-up emails. (You can use AI to write these too.)

5. Find a good affiliate product:
   Clickbank, JVZoo, ShareASale, even Amazon.
   Pick something that aligns with your topic.

6. Drive traffic: 
   Post again.
   Share your story.
   Drop the link when people ask for it.
   Watch the signups.

7. Let the follow-up emails promote the product:
   One value email.
   One product mention.
   One testimonial.
   Keep it simple.

My Advice To You

You don’t need tech skills. 

You don’t need a big audience. 

You don’t even need money.

Just a real story. A useful idea. And the willingness to try.

It worked for a 60-something retiree. 

It worked for me. 

And I believe it can work for you too.

Are you going to try it?

Let me know. I’m here if you need help.

Patrick

ADDENDUM

Following this plan is easy.

The only place you might experience some hiccup is turning the leads to buyers.

That’s the job of your email series.

And beyond sending a few emails, if you want to keep making consistent income from the leads, you need to send them consistent emails.

This is part of what I do for a living, and brings me $18K average monthly.

Click the link below to get access to my monthly email plan and the ChatGPT prompts you will need to write the email.