Chris Rock asked a young comic what he did that day. “Nothing,” the young comic said. “But I’m going to do a set tonight.” 

“You make money during the day. You collect it at night,” Chris responded. “During the day is where the money is made.”

There’s a writing lesson here: While comics and comedians are known for doing a lot of gigs—often multiple shows a night!—there’s more to the craft than that. You make the money by living your life, noticing interesting things, and making sense of it all. The jokes are just a by-product. 

There’s also a business lesson here: making the money and collecting it are two different activities. 

You make the money when you grind at work and outperform your coworkers. You collect it when you get the promotion.

You make the money when you develop expertise and business skills like sales and operations. You collect it when you get clients.

You make the money when you give away your offer, like your music or books. You collect it when you build an audience, and get invited to perform, speak, do workshops, and coach leaders.

It reminds me of a passage from The Trusted Advisor, “Start the project before you’ve been engaged.” You make the money during the relationship, as you’re generous about their advice. You collect it when the other person signs the advisory contract because they trust you.

Via Jerry Seinfeld.