Lew Smith
Founder of Reluctant Creations
When Lew Smith started creating content 4 years ago, he wasn't chasing a media empire or a full-time creator career.
He was an IT and sales technology veteran with 26 years in the industry, making videos on the side, early mornings and late nights, squeezed between a demanding job and a family.
Now in the past year, he's landed a $72,000 annual brand deal, walked away from consulting offers many creators would kill for, and (the same week he inked his biggest contract) typed up his resignation letter and hit send.
But the road there looked nothing like an overnight success.
In fact, Lew's very first brand deal is a masterclass in what not to do.
Giving It All Away
3 months into creating content, a company in Israel reached out and asked to use some of Lew's videos.
He was flattered, and said yes.
"I knew nothing at that point in time," Lew recalls. "I didn't get compensated for anything. And I gave a bunch of stuff away that I shouldn't have."
He still works with that same company today (the relationship did survive) but the pattern was set: free product, free content, no strategy, and no idea what his expertise was worth.
Lew’s Turning Point
One day, Lew was watching one of Nick Nimmin's Saturday livestreams when he mentioned Justin Moore (founder of Creator Wizard). If you want to understand how to work with brands, Nimmin said, there's no better person.
Lew had never heard of Justin.
So he looked him up, started watching videos, and got hooked. He blew through Justin's recorded trainings, and was already craving more.
So naturally, Lew registered for a live cohort Justin Moore was running (which he specifically signed up for real-time interaction with a Sponsorship Pro). What appealed to Lew the most was the ability to ask questions directly, and to learn alongside other creators in the group.
"I get more from that than from just watching videos online," he says. "That's just my own learning process."
The very first thing he implemented changed his business overnight.
Gifted to Paid
The lesson that hit hardest for Lew was one of Justin's foundational principles: stop trading content for free product.
"Gifted to paid was the first thing that I immediately instituted, and it made a big difference for me," Lew says. "Because free stuff is cool, but it doesn't pay the bills."
This foundational principle is what Lew uses now when brands reach out expecting freebies. "Some of them laugh, and some of them tell me to go away, and that's okay," he says.
"Justin taught me to stick to my guns on a lot of these things. And I refuse to ever waver from it, because it works."
But changing from free to paid was only the foundation* What turned a decent side income into a life-changing deal was something Lew learned next…
The R.O.P.E. Method in Action
When a small-business owner (who Lew met through a local networking group) started talking about wanting to build trust in his market, Lew had a decision to make.
He didn't jump to a price or offer his expertise for free.
Lew had learned better.
"Do not ever quote a price without knowing what the brand's goals are," Lew says. "That was a huge lesson that I learned day one in my training [with Justin Moore]."
Instead, he got on the phone to understand exactly what the business was trying to accomplish, and then reached for Justin's R.O.P.E. pitch method. He didn’t say "I can make you a video" or "I can make you 3 videos.” Lew framed the opportunity around outcomes the brand could relate to, based on their stated objectives.
"Those are two different worlds," he explains.
"If I'm a brand and I know exactly how that's going to be meaningful for me, versus, 'Hey, I can get some videos out there that might create more awareness'... it's a night and day conversation."
This time, Lew grounded his pitch in proof.
He showed the owner what he'd already done for another client, Newborn Brothers (a caulking supply company he creates content for). Then he laid out how they could work together, and a timeframe that would move the needle for the business.
Only then did he mention money.
Lew’s 3-Offer Pitch (That Secured Him The Deal)
Lew built 3 packages, following the structure Justin teaches:
Option one was deliberately priced high. "I knew they wouldn't do it," Lew says. "And I told him, I'm not sure that this is the right option for you."
Option two was the comfortable middle: some upfront startup costs baked in to cover the heavy early work, then a smaller monthly amount with less content. "I said, this would be a good option for you,” Lew said.
Option three was the stretch. It included one video every week, dedicated monthly content, working together as a true team. It was 50% more per month than option two, but Lew removed the startup fees entirely and made one condition clear, which was a 12-month commitment.
The owner didn't flinch.
He chose option three.
$6,000 per month, every month, for a full year.
$72,000 total.
The Unbreakable Rule
There was one moment in Lew’s negotiation that could have derailed the entire deal before it even started.
Ownership.
The owner of the brand asked about rights. He wanted to know whether the videos (once paid for) would belong to his company to use however and whenever they wanted, forever.
And on this, Lew doesn't bend.
"I never give ownership to anyone. That's one thing Justin taught me. Do not ever give anyone rights in perpetuity. It's the cardinal sin, for lack of a better way to put it, of content creators."
Lew walked the owner through why, reason being his face and his voice are going out on the brand's channels, so he needs to own that content. If the brand wants to use it, they can, but that's a separate, paid conversation, complete with usage comps.
"At the end of the conversation, he said, 'Now I totally understand why you do this. And I completely agree with you,'" Lew recalls. "He's like, 'Send me the document, and I'll sign it today.'"
Lew was stunned. "Like, what?"
The Resignation Letter
When the signed contract came back, Lew turned to his wife.
"I said, I think this is the final thing where we're going full-time with this," he says. "And my wife was more excited than I was."
The morning of his interview for this case study, before he hopped on the call, Lew finished typing his resignation letter which ended a 26-year career in IT.
"It wouldn't have been possible without Justin," he says, getting emotional. "I'm so thankful for him as a human, for him as a teacher, and for the content that he shares."
"Sales is a totally different world than working with brands. Justin helped me bridge that gap in a way that I don't know anyone else would have been able to do."
Lew’s Secret Weapon
Ask Lew what sets him apart from the creators still struggling to land deals, and he'll point to 3 things:
"Video pitches are the secret sauce to getting brand attention. Justin taught that to me," Lew says. "Every single time I've ever done one, I have 100% always received a response."
He almost didn’t want to share it.
"It's rare that I come across someone who's doing video pitches. I talk to a lot of creators, in groups, at conferences, and I ask how they're reaching out to brands. No one ever says video."
The obvious pushback is that video pitches sound like a ton of extra effort. But Lew sees it the opposite way.
"I actually think it takes less work. If you can stand in front of a camera and talk through the key things from the R.O.P.E. pitch method, succinctly, give enough detail for them to want more, I can do five video pitches in the span of five minutes. Just by pressing record five times."
Lew's Advice for Small Creators
For creators sitting between 5,000 and 10,000 followers, wondering how to land their first paid sponsorship deal, here’s Lew’s advice:
Never quote a price before you know the brand's goals. It's the fastest way to leave money on the table, or scare a brand off entirely.
Get on the phone and use R.O.P.E. Understand what they're trying to accomplish, then pitch outcomes they can relate to (not a menu of deliverables).
Send the video pitch. Almost nobody does it, which is why it works. Every video Lew has ever sent has earned a reply.
Underpinning all 3 is the mindset shift Justin drilled into him from the start: creators work with brands, not for them. They're consultants, not vendors. And their face, their voice, and their content have defensible value.
"Having that process, knowing exactly what I'm going to do every time a brand reaches out, I can sleep at night," Lew says. "I don't have to worry about what I'm going to say. I just know what I'm going to say."
Lew's story is proof that you don't need a massive following or a full-time content schedule to command serious money. You need the right frameworks and the confidence to hold your ground.
If you want the same tools Lew used to go from giving content away for free to landing a $72,000 deal, Wizard's Guild gives you a Pro Sponsorship Coach in your corner for every pitch, negotiation, and deal. Learn more at wizardsguild.com.
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