The Starbucks Barista and the $20,000 "Shift"
Hello Reader, We’ve all heard the lie: “You have to put in years of low-paid 'grind' before you’re allowed to charge premium prices.” We think we have to wait for permission, for another certification, or for a certain birthday before we can command five-figure fees. I want to introduce you to a 21-year-old kid who broke that rule. He was fresh out of college, working part-time as a Starbucks Barista, and running a small social media agency on the side with a co-founder. They were talented....
about 2 months ago • 1 min readFrom "Woo" Clients to $17.2 Million Decks
Hello Reader, If you’ve ever felt like you’re doing "High-End Work" for "Low-End Budgets," this is for you. Meet Rhina. When Rhina joined me, she was a brilliant brand designer stuck in the Creative’s Trap. She was chasing clients who didn't have frameworks, didn't have systems, and—frankly—didn't have the budget to respect her talent. She was working 10x harder than her invoices reflected, serving the "small business and woo-woo" space where every revision felt like a crisis. She didn't want...
about 2 months ago • 1 min readShe started at $0 (and hit $35k in 6 weeks)
Hello Reader, Most people think that to hit a $500k baseline, you need a five-year head start, a massive team, and a LinkedIn following the size of a small city. They think you have to "pay your dues" to the goddess of burnout before you’re allowed to see a profit. But the truth? Courage without strategy is just a fast track to exhaustion. Take Jhia. Jhia had the receipts. She had the degree, the family business operations experience, and enough "multi-passionate" ideas to fill a dozen...
about 2 months ago • 1 min read