Billy Broas

You’ve landed on my personal website. You’re probably here because of my work in marketing & copywriting. If that’s you, you can hop directly to my marketing education company: The Five Lightbulbs®

If you’re here for another reason, or simply want to learn more about me, you can find some of my interests and personal info below.

Thanks,

Billy

Topics I’m Into

Marketing

Nobody predicted I would wind up in marketing, a profession that demands you get your name out there. I’ve always been a reserved, quieter person. After a few days at a conference, I need a couch and a book.

A bit nerdy, too. My favorite class in high school was AP Latin. In college, I study biotech before switching to renewable energy.

These traits don’t exactly scream “marketer.” Yet, here I am.

Marketing appeals to me because it combines creativity and commerce. It’s a field with endless depth, a perfect playground for an insanely curious person.

To see how I approach marketing and learn my popular messaging framework, visit FiveLightbulbs.com

Online Education

At this point, it should be no surprise I enjoy working with online educators. I love to learn, so why not do marketing in an industry that interests me? I often joke that I work with online course creators just for the free access to their courses (it’s a little true.)

My adventures with online courses began in 2010, when I launched a beer brewing course. I sold the first seat to a guy named Richard for $29. Thanks, Richard.

Since then, I’ve partnered with, consulted, or trained over one-hundred educators. You can think of me as the behind-the-scenes marketing guy for top course creators.

These past few years, I’ve been primarily focused on Tiago Forte’s Building a Second Brain and David Perrell’s Write of Passage.

I’m also a guest instructor for Maven.

Renewable Energy

One morning during my junior year, a new professor visited our biotech classroom. He was from my major’s renewable energy department and was introducing himself to all the students.

This professor had so much enthusiasm for his topic that after that class, I walked down the hall to administration and had them switch me to the energy department.

Not only did this professor introduce me to a field I love, but he also showed me the persuasive power of being passionate about your work.

My work under this professor led to my first and only “real job” at a small energy consulting business. Our cozy, four-person office was snuggled against Virginia’s beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains.

I loved my job. Our clients were important organizations like the U.S. Department of Energy, regional power companies, and multinational banks. My coworkers were great, too.

The problem is I have this entrepreneurial itch. I eventually grew bored at my company, and without room for growth, felt stifled. Much to my coworkers’ surprise, I left the company to run my beer website full time.

Beer Brewing

Beer? Yes, beer.

Again, I’m a curious person, and when I dive into a topic, I freaking dive in. It was no different with beer.

Don’t get me wrong — I’ve had plenty of fun drinking beer. During those warm summer evenings in Virginia, I loved cracking a 6-pack with my buddies while we fished for croaker. But for me, homebrewing was never (totally) about having more beer to drink.

The real appeal? The many hobbies within homebrewing. Or, the hobbies within the hobby. For me, homebrewing was a fun way to learn about history, microbiology, water chemistry, and DIY projects.

It also awakened my creative side. I realized I had a passion for pairing flavors and creating something nobody has ever tasted. I felt like a chef, but for beer.

Eventually, I built a website where I blogged about beer and taught online courses. But as I started helping other business owners with marketing, my interest in my beer website dwindled. I met a guy who said he’d buy the website for $20,000 and we signed the papers.

I don’t brew beer anymore, but I do judge at competitions from time to time. Most of all, I’m a happy consumer.

Personal Life

I was born in New Jersey and raised in Virginia. I come from a big family, with 38 cousins. Our Thanksgivings were insane.

Growing up, my Dad was always doing things with his hands, and I was right there next to him. I was turning screwdrivers, shooting guns, and building remote-controlled airplanes. He subscribed to the magazine Popular Science and when it arrived, I devoured it. It’s clear who gave me my curiosity.

At the same time, I have my mom’s “woo-woo” and creative side. I’m the type to put down a book on military history so I’m not late to my meditation class. Thanks, Mom, for giving me this softer side.

My childhood friends and I keep in close touch. Our friendship was forged on the middle school baseball diamond and we’ve been through everything. Man, I’m grateful for those guys (the nutcases).

Today, I live in San Diego with my wife and our munchkins. I’m the luckiest guy in the world.

Get Ahold of Me

Send me an email: billy@billybroas.com

Follow me on Twitter: @BillyBroas