Epic Goal Setting And Confession
I have a confession....
This email is in an email sequence.
And so was the last one.
Full transparency; they all are.
I personally write them all each week (I know you were concerned about that) But THEN, they go into the sequence that you're in right now.
I'm not sure why that's an issue, or why I feel guilty about that... maybe it's because I want my readers to feel like they are being written to right this very second and not part of an impersonal automated sequence...
But I can tell you that's the furthest from the truth as to why I have an ongoing email sequence.
First, let me break down my process for you here really fast before I try and justify my blatant disregard for newsletter etiquette.
BUT BEFORE I DO THAT --
I'm an entrepreneur and think like one. I live and breathe this stuff.
It's a blessing and a curse, but my mind is always thinking about different business ideas, business concepts and existing businesses that I can invest in, purchase or connect with.
And I know I'm not the only one who thinks this way. My intent in this community is to share these things that I'm learning with other like-minded side hustlers building their empire.
Step By Step
Each week I take an extensive and unnecessary amount of notes from the books that I'm reading and the newsletters (I should make a list for this) I subscribe to.
Those notes are on a variety of subjects all related to business, entrepreneurship, growth mindset, business acquisition, start ups, content creation, AI, copywriting, time management, philosophy, programming, parenting and MUCH more.
I have a note in my phone called Best Blurbs (solid name, right?) and each note from my "reads" gets entered and linked to where I find it.
Along with my reads, I'm always on the lookout for other entrepreneurs doing awesome things that are "Best Blurb Worthy". I like to compare it to when you're thinking about buying a specific car. When you start thinking about that car, you end up seeing it on the road everywhere you go. For me, that's how it is with entrepreneurs and cool businesses. I'm passionate about building and acquiring businesses as a way to change the trajectory for my family. When I hear of others that are doing the same, I can't help but befriend them and pick their brains.
Those "brain pick sessions" also find their way in to my notes and what I write about. FOR EXAMPLE 👇
I was eating lunch the other day and talking to my beat partner. He was telling me about the flag football league that he has his kids in. I'll be honest, I was half paying attention at first. My kids aren't at the flag football age yet...
I'm going off on a tangent here, but follow me for a sec. He was telling me that each of his kids costs $350 to play.
JUST in the kindergarten - first grade category there are about 100 kids. The other categories are 2nd - 3rd grade, 4th - 5th grade, 6th - 7th grade and then 8th grade. Each category has about that many kids. They run 2 seasons, a shorter winter season and a handful of tournaments.
He had caught my attention at this point. Let me summarize the main points for you:
- $350/ kid
- ~400 kids
- 2-3 seasons
ROUGHLY, that's 420k... for a flag football business!! Who would've thought??
It's conversations like these that I pay attention to. These are the things that fire me up and that I learn from. Its like Dumbledore's line in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban:
"Happiness can be found, even in the darkest of times, if one only remembers to turn on the light"
I love that quote... and that movie.. and the book... BUT I like to think of this quote a little differently than originally intended.
"Businesses can be found, even in the most unexpected of areas, if one only remembers to believe in opportunity."
👉 What I mean by this is that there are AMAZING businesses and business ideas EVERYWHERE. You just need to first believe that the opportunities do exist.
They are everywhere... Which might feel overwhelming but I like to think of it as abundance. There is an ABUNDANCE of opportunities to learn, grow and do amazing things to change your life forever, you just have to be looking for them.
And that's what this newsletter has become.
A way in which I am showcasing these opportunities.
It's a place that I'm sharing these lessons with you and being FULLY transparent about the journey that I'm on and what we are trying to build.
Because I know that if you are as passionate about building your empire as I think you are, it's nice to know that you're not alone.
There's far too much fluff out there. Everyone is hiding behind fancy words, exciting video editing and social media posts. It all ends up creating a vortex of consumption.
The eager entrepreneur goes in search direction.
For someone to guide them on the path to the life they want to build.
And when they express those desires to the world, the hungry vultures pray on their dreams.
The eager entrepreneur gets sucked into the vortex of constant consumption. WITHOUT action. And that's the real issue. That's the real tragedy. And that's what we aim to break free from.
Learning is nothing without the step that follows ➡️ Application (TAKING ACTION).
I like to call this "Taking The Stairs Mentality".
If you're still reading this, either you're related to me and I subscribed you without your consent (just kidding, I wouldn't do that....🙈) OR you have that mindset.
Taking the stairs mentality means that you are willing to do the hard things that no one else is willing to do.
You know the difficulty and effort that it might entail, but you also see clearly that the results will be tenfold.
While the rest of the world stands in line, single file, moving slow on the escalator of life, you take the stairs with speed; two at a time.
As you wait for things to be perfect and for the "right moment" to happen, those with the Take The Stairs Mentality are making the money you wish you made and living the life that you wish you lived.
I write all this because I deeply DEEPLY understand. I am in this with you right this very second. I am battling each and every urge to "wait for the perfect moment". I am feeling all the imposter syndrome and as Steven Pressfield calls it, the resistance. I get it because i'm IN IT.
I might have a cool looking email sequence and a moderately put together social media presence, but it's still very much
IN PROGRESS.
And that's okay. Don't wait for perfection, inspiration or motivation. The only "tion" you need is acTION.
In light of my confession and being open about the process with you, i'll leave you with two things.
1️⃣ I write another newsletter called "Sunday Doughnuts". I talk about it more HERE. But basically it's a more personal take on the journey I'm on as a father, husband, entrepreneur, police officer, athlete, business owner and all the other many variables that in combination make me, ME.
Perhaps I don't need to have two separate newsletters since they seem to overlap more often than not, but here we are. If I waited until I had this question figured out, I wouldn't have any newsletters. What I've created, as messy and unfinished as it might be, is a result of action.
2️⃣ I'm not one for New Years Resolutions, but I'm HUGE on personal growth. What I did was essentially took the entirety of 2023 and broke it down in all aspects I could think of. I systematically went through and evaluated each part of the year in several different categories and then set out a blueprint for what I want 2024 to look like. All of it was very personal and vulnerable and might not pertain to you directly, BUT the format of how I did it will. I wrote and published it HERE.
If you genuinely make it through that read and we're not already friends, let's be friends. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for spending that much time on something I wrote. Truly.
Final Note
I've already been a little more wordy than originally intended. I'll finish with my favorite content of the week.
Founders Podcast By David Serna. In particular his episode on John D. Rockefeller. Absolutely mind blowing episode. I immediately ordered this book after.