An Outlaw Lesson on Earning Legit with a Single Business Pivot

Four years ago, the gun warehouse was blown up for revenge.

Since, the feds have been building a RICO case; you’ve chased the real IRA back to Belfast after they kidnapped your son; you’ve done time up in Stockton; and not to mention, have lost countless bodies to beef with neighboring MCs.

Sam Crow is in pieces.

By now, Clay (your stepdad and president of the charter), is in so deep with selling AKs for the Irish, that he’s willing to take down anyone who goes against him — including you.

The tension could be cut with a knife.

Except, you’ve been given a new perspective from your dead dad’s manuscript. It’s clear that nothing has changed in the decades since the Redwood Originals began as a California hippie biker gang.

As VP, the future of the club is in your hands, Jax.

Just as John Teller outlined in The Life & Death of Sam Crow, a change must come to keep the club alive.

How do you do that?

By legitimizing business.

Get ready, because the club’s about to vote on entering the porn business.

Let’s get this out of the way.

Jax Teller is a #zaddy and there is nothing sexier than a man with a leather cut and a business plan.

And now that we’ve all had a chance to re-experience the brilliant mind of Kurt Sutter and his breakout show, Sons of Anarchy, there really is a lot we can learn from a bunch of fictional outlaws (and even the real Hells Angels the show was inspired by).

Particularly, how to earn legit.

For us and them, sometimes earning good money requires a pivot.

Unlike Sam Crow, you don’t have to get into porn or invest lump sums to set up.

But sometimes you do need your Clubhouse blown up (SOA season 6) to truly start from scratch and make the pivot worth it.

Let’s dive in.

Lesson 1 — Remove your rings, and cut your ties.

The best thing you can do when pivoting is to remove everything that’s going to get in the way of the new business plan, no matter what it takes.

When I pivoted away from design, several people tried to talk me out of it.

“But you’re doing so well…”

“…The industry won’t be the same without you”

Teller heard the same thing throughout the majority of the series, “We’ll have a war on our hands without those guns”.

This leads us to the next lesson…

Lesson 2 — Find replacements.

Jax set up a direct relationship between the Irish and August Marks (One-Niners) to handle equipment moving forward.

You need to do the same.

The key to a successful pivot is to not only educate others about the change, but also build a network of others who are offering what you no longer will, and refer any inquiries there.

“…between lawyers and paying for the damage, we barely earn a profit. We struck a deal with the Irish to keep the peace. We found a warehouse by the docks for Cara Cara… so it’s safe to say that Sam Crow’s future is in pu**y not bullets. Outside of guns, how you earn is up to you. If you would like, my charter will do everything it can to help you move in a legitimate direction that keeps up whole and keeps us alive.” (Season 6, EP 6)

Lesson 3 — Look at your data.

This is the most lucrative way I’ve successfully pivoted from design to Notion consulting and now to fractional operations, is by reading between the lines and using the data to your advantage.

Something isn’t selling?

Not converting?

Make a change — nothing is permanent homie.

Here’s a quick timeline of my pivot history.

• Pivot 1: Many design clients needed business support on top of a new identity, so I started offering help with internal processes, pricing, and customer journey.
• Pivot 2: During Pivot 1, I happened to make a YouTube video about using Notion for my business. This led to me becoming the 10th Certified Notion Consultant in the US. In turn, I shut down my design studio and dove head first into Notion consulting and builds.
• Pivot 3: During Pivot 2, I finally understood my mission, make business education accessible to all freelancers. I productized my agency, which created more time to fulfill that vision and launch my content subscription.
• Pivot 4… the rest is still unwritten.

Every experience you have as a freelancer is free game. You can always learn something, whether it be to change prices, launch a digital product, or burn it all down and start over.

Lesson 4 — Pivoting is Growth

One thing we clearly take from the entire series of Sons of Anarchy is the divide between the OG Redwood Originals and their children taking over.

Clay and Gemma were stuck in the old mindset of loyalty and security.

Jax could see a new way forward that put priorities back in their place.

Similarly, you need to look at pivoting as an opportunity for growth. Not a quick fix or short-term cash injection. Make sure that however you choose to pivot, that has opportunity to learn, be challenged, and importantly, be optimistic about the future.

Final thoughts.

In my spicy opinion, just rip the bandaid off. After you spend time with your data and make a pro/con list, make whatever changes you need to.

If you know your audience well enough, there’s no need to test ideas or “sell before you build”.

Go for it at full speed.

Because guess what, you can always pivot again.

Reel Work Ethic is a publication by Sara Loretta that explores characters’ career arcs and turns them into teachable freelance moments. New essays are published every Monday, subscribe here.