CRE Digital

I had career success backward in my 20s: • Build a PDF resume • Fit into a job description • Acquire degrees, certifications • Climb the ladder until "I made it" It led me to where many are today: stuck, overworked, and underpaid The smartest thing I did was build a side hustle that turned into a new career. But it wasn't pretty... • Learning new skills • Nights and weekends • Failing 1000x while I learned • Humbling myself to start over It wasn't always clear or easy to see the long-term rewards of reinventing my career. But now I understand this is the new way. You don't need more degrees. You need a modern skill stack. - Copywriting - Audience growth - Digital offer creation Work on these skills for 365 days, and you won't need to submit another resume. You can design your own career instead. I'll teach you how once a week with free guides in The Writerpreneur newsletter: https://lnkd.in/eTMYG5ki

How do you expect to become a better version of yourself without change? Your life is constant change. Your career is constant change. Your evolution is constant change. 𝗧𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝘄𝗵𝘆 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘀𝗼 𝗮𝗳𝗿𝗮𝗶𝗱 𝗼𝗳 𝗶𝘁? Schools, standardized tests, and rule-following brainwashed you to believe: • Failure is bad • Change is bad • Mistakes are bad • Resume gaps are bad But that doesn't help you in the real world where things are constantly changing. 𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲 𝗶𝘀 𝗮𝗻 𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝗽𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝗹𝗶𝗳𝗲. It's an uncomfortable feeling. Something to run towards, not away from. Next time someone says: "You've changed" Say "Good, that's the goal" Your old friends might not like it. Your old co-workers might not like it. Your old classmates might not like it. But as long as you are constantly evolving and improving as a person, who cares? Change makes people uncomfortable. It also transforms your life and attracts: • More money • More fulfillment • More time freedom Change is essential. Don't fight it, embrace it. Run towards it. 𝙒𝙝𝙖𝙩'𝙨 𝙖 𝙥𝙤𝙨𝙞𝙩𝙞𝙫𝙚 𝙡𝙞𝙛𝙚 𝙤𝙧 𝙘𝙖𝙧𝙚𝙚𝙧 𝙘𝙝𝙖𝙣𝙜𝙚 𝙮𝙤𝙪'𝙫𝙚 𝙢𝙖𝙙𝙚 𝙞𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙥𝙖𝙨𝙩 𝟭𝟮 𝙢𝙤𝙣𝙩𝙝𝙨? -- P.S. If you want to create positive change in your career... Join 2,900 reading my essays on digital entrepreneurship: https://lnkd.in/ehhTxecZ

This 30-minute routine has changed my life and cut my work anxiety by 50%... Journal "dumping" Do you ever wake up with Monkey Mind? Non-stop chatter that: • Paralyzes you • Destroys your focus • Kills your productivity The type of inner dialogue that prevents you from getting the important sh*t done. Journal dumping is the only way I know how to get rid of the chatter. So I can move on with my day. 𝗛𝗲𝗿𝗲'𝘀 𝗵𝗼𝘄 𝗜 𝗱𝗼 𝗶𝘁 𝗳𝗶𝗿𝘀𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴: 1. No phones or laptop 2. Grab a coffee, journal, and pen 3. Dump your thoughts onto the page No grammar rules. No plan. The goal is to pour out your worries. • To-do lists • I forgot to do ___ • What if I fail at ___? • What's keeping me up at night? • Where am I dropping the ball in life? It's a mini-therapy session. Let it out. This is by far the most helpful productivity hack in my daily routine. Now I can get sh*t done without those worries floating around in my mind. Simple, but essential. 𝙄𝙨 𝙟𝙤𝙪𝙧𝙣𝙖𝙡𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙥𝙖𝙧𝙩 𝙤𝙛 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙙𝙖𝙞𝙡𝙮 𝙧𝙤𝙪𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙚? I'd be a headcase without this habit.

In 2022 I quit my 9-5 job and earned six figures in my first year as a solopreneur... But it wasn't luck. I tried quitting my 9-5 in 2019 and made every mistake in the book: • No audience on LinkedIn • No idea how to get clients • No clue how to sell & monetize I'm hard-headed so I tried again in 2022. This time with leverage: • Side hustle (proof of concept) • Small but engaged LI audience • Social copywriting and sales skills And most importantly... I had a "no fail" blueprint. In the latest edition of The Writerpreneur newsletter, I share the blueprint with you: "𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝘁𝗼 𝗤𝘂𝗶𝘁 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗝𝗼𝗯 𝗶𝗻 𝟯𝟲𝟲 𝗗𝗮𝘆𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗕𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗲 𝗮 𝗙𝘂𝗹𝗹-𝗧𝗶𝗺𝗲 𝗦𝗼𝗹𝗼𝗽𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗲𝘂𝗿" Learn for free here: https://lnkd.in/e5NegpHa

Here's the formula for success and getting everything you want in life: Be a Giver first. If you give 1,000x for every time you ask... Hard to lose in life. • Give in your free content • Give in your coffee chats • Give in your relationships • Give in your DMs & emails • Give in your client meetings Do this for 90 days without asking for anything in return. Make mini deposits. The law of reciprocation will reward you. If you help others: • Make more money • Achieve their goals • Unlock opportunities You will be the first person they think of for referrals, connections, and new business. So, how do you win more? By helping others win more. Do you believe in the "Giver" mindset? Share your experience below. -- Thanks for reading. Give me a follow for more posts like this. If this resonated, share with a repost ♻️

Here's my fantasy life 5 years ago compared to my career goals today: Working in finance breeds comparison. Always someone who earns more. Always someone with a bigger portfolio. Always someone with a big house & lambo. I chased this for a long time and noticed... Everyone in the glass corner offices who I was trying to emulate seemed unhappy. The never-ending chase for more. The old me wanted: • $1M bonus • Fancy VP title • Lambos and mansions • Clout as the "Wall Street" guy Luckily I stopped chasing early and didn't waste my career comparing to others. Now I understand the simple life is best. • Am I traveling 2-3x year with my wife? • Am I working with incredible people? • Am I proud of what I'm building? • Am I learning and growing? The simple habits in life will never go out of style, and I opt out of the fancy sh*t. Writing in a coffee shop with an empty calendar... Better than 99% of Wall Street guy's schedules and stress levels. How have you simplified your life over the past 365 days? Tell me your goals ↓ -- If you want to build a career of freedom and fulfillment, I created this for you: https://lnkd.in/e-RX6KFj

Tip 22% and treat your server well. Why the f*ck would you do that? I’ll tell you why. - Servers work their ass off - Servers make money from tips - It feels good to tip well > be cheap - It shows your true character to others If I’m considering working with you, investing with you, or hanging out with you... And I see you treat a restaurant server like shit… Red flag for me. People who treat their server like sh*t make for TERRIBLE: - Clients - Investors - Employees - Business vendors - Basically anyone… Im changing it up today. Not talking about money. Not talking about LinkedIn. Not talking about branding. Why? Because the judge of someone’s character is a skill you need to learn in life. And how people treat the server at a restaurant… Tells you a lot about them as a person. Would you ever work with someone who is a jerk to the server at a restaurant?

The past 18 months have been a whirlwind. • Got married • Quit my Finance 9-5 • Started a new company • Brought on a co-founder • Grew it from $0 to $500,000 • Hung out in Brazil for 3 months • Learning how to build a remote team • On a path to 7-figures a year on LinkedIn • Moved from Chicago to Portland (loving it) It's times like these I need the reminder: "𝙎𝙡𝙤𝙬 𝙙𝙤𝙬𝙣. 𝘽𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙩𝙝𝙚. 𝙍𝙚𝙨𝙩." The opportunities you create by building online are incredible. But it takes a ton of energy. I'm learning to not overstretch myself. I'm learning to say "No" more often. I'm learning to set boundaries. Your career is not a sprint. It's a marathon. So maybe you need this reminder, too. "Slow down. Breathe. Rest."

Having a safe, comfortable job with a salary was one of the unhappiest times in my life... For some, it might be the dream. For me, I feel lost if I'm not growing. And growth often feels like: • Figuring it out • Constantly learning • Failing more than succeeding • Questioning "Can I really do this?" This is where personal growth comes from. I've learned to run towards this feeling and not away from it. On the other side of this feeling is: • Leveling up my skills • Learning to build a business • Delegating and leading others And more fulfillment in my work. If you always feel comfortable and have no hunger to grow and get better... You're doing yourself a disservice. Growth is uncomfortable. That's the price you pay for more opportunities, wealth, and freedom. 𝙒𝙝𝙖𝙩'𝙨 𝙨𝙤𝙢𝙚𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙮𝙤𝙪'𝙧𝙚 𝙬𝙤𝙧𝙠𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙤𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙛𝙚𝙚𝙡𝙨 𝙪𝙣𝙘𝙤𝙢𝙛𝙤𝙧𝙩𝙖𝙗𝙡𝙚 𝙗𝙪𝙩 𝙬𝙞𝙡𝙡 𝙡𝙚𝙖𝙙 𝙩𝙤 𝙜𝙧𝙤𝙬𝙩𝙝? -- Btw I documented my path from side hustle to solopreneur business here for you: https://lnkd.in/e-RX6KFj

The sad truth that keeps too many people from living the life they 𝗥𝗘𝗔𝗟𝗟𝗬 want... Caring what others think about you. LinkedIn is a great example. Why do most people NOT create content? Even though they genuinely want to... "𝙒𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙬𝙞𝙡𝙡 𝙆𝙖𝙧𝙚𝙣 𝙛𝙧𝙤𝙢 𝙃𝙍 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙠?" If your first 100 LinkedIn posts flop like mine (because writing is a skill)... Then Karen will probably make fun of you! "𝘿𝙞𝙙 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙨𝙚𝙚 𝙬𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝘼𝙣𝙩𝙝𝙤𝙣𝙮 𝙥𝙤𝙨𝙩𝙚𝙙 𝙤𝙣 𝙇𝙞𝙣𝙠𝙚𝙙𝙄𝙣? 𝙒𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙖𝙣 𝙞𝙙𝙞𝙤𝙩..." But the real question is: Who cares? Karen doesn't pay my bills. Karen isn't my friend or family. Karen isn't who I aspire to be like. 𝙎𝙤 𝙬𝙝𝙮 𝙬𝙤𝙪𝙡𝙙 𝙄 𝙡𝙚𝙩 𝙆𝙖𝙧𝙚𝙣'𝙨 𝙤𝙧 𝙤𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙨' 𝙤𝙥𝙞𝙣𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙨 𝙠𝙚𝙚𝙥 𝙢𝙚 𝙤𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙨𝙞𝙙𝙚𝙡𝙞𝙣𝙚𝙨? In 2024 I'm doubling down on not giving a sh*t about what Karen thinks. Maybe you should too... If you're learning something new: - Writing online - Building a side hustle - Growing your personal brand Be willing to look stupid in the beginning to unlock massive growth over time. 𝙒𝙝𝙖𝙩'𝙨 𝙨𝙤𝙢𝙚𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙮𝙤𝙪'𝙫𝙚 𝙩𝙧𝙞𝙚𝙙 𝙡𝙖𝙩𝙚𝙡𝙮 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙢𝙖𝙙𝙚 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙛𝙚𝙚𝙡 𝙡𝙞𝙠𝙚 𝙖 𝙘𝙤𝙢𝙥𝙡𝙚𝙩𝙚 𝙗𝙚𝙜𝙞𝙣𝙣𝙚𝙧?