S Brian Smith 🪜

I free founders from ops, sales, & management | Founder @ Strategy Ladders | Coached 1000s of B2B and Agency owners | Stop struggling, start enjoying business ownership 🏖️

Most founders of 7-figure B2B service companies reach a plateau where "strategy" isn't the problem—execution is. After years of consulting on the "how," my team and I shifted exclusively to building and running these high-growth engines for you.

Strategy is often used as a shield to avoid the hard, grinding work required to scale. Scaling to 8 figures requires two things: Great Lead Flow and an Excellent Team to execute it. Without these, your strategy is just a dream.

We have traded playbooks for performance, focusing on three specific levers:


➡️ Cold Email (B2B Labs) We deploy enterprise-grade outbound infrastructure that in-house teams can't match.

Scale: 10,000+ emails per week without risking sender reputation.

Performance: 40%+ open rates and $17.5M+ in revenue directly attributed to outbound.

Targeting: Hyper-targeted lists verified to ensure you only speak to high-intent prospects.


➡️ Google Ads (B2B Labs) Capture buyers actively searching for your solutions right now.

High Intent: Focus on decision-maker search targeting and aggressive negative keyword strategies.

Speed: Immediate visibility for high-intent keywords without waiting for SEO.

➡️ Modern Recruiting (Talent Labs) Hire faster and better without traditional placement fees or job-board spam.

Speed: We deliver an exceptional candidate shortlist in 7–14 days.

Vetting: Every candidate is screened for skill, motivation, and culture fit.

➡️ A Selective Approach to Consulting I still provide 1:1 consulting, but only for founders who can prove they have, or are able to build, the team and lead flow necessary to scale. People are no longer willing to pay for strategy without execution. And I’m no longer willing to provide it.

Build your engine: www.strategyladders.com

Founder & Head of Strategy

The Strategy Ladder Program delivers MASSIVE results to agencies, consultancies, and service businesses.

If your business is 25-85 employees, partially or fully remote, and you're stuck trying to "level-up," I will transform it with you.

The Strategy Ladder System will get you UNSTUCK. You'll develop a bullet-proof strategy that grows with your business, streamlines operations, scales your revenue, and sets your business up to continue to grow without you.

The Strategy Ladder System doesn't just change your business. It will transform YOU. You'll undergo a mental reset that frees you from the anxiety and beliefs that tie you to the day-to-day in your business. You're the leader of your business - if you don't change, your business never will.

The Strategy Ladder System has worked for over 400 entrepreneurs, delivering & implementing strategies that have:

💥 Scaled an agency from $150k to $4mil ARR in 10 months

💥 Increased a digital marketing agency’s productivity levels by over 450%, dramatically increasing profitability

💥 Streamlined a SaaS product’s roadmap, reducing development costs by 45% while increasing execution speed by over 25%.

💥 Developed and executing a repositioning strategy that landed a web development agency a long-term contract with a Fortune 100 company

💥 Repositioned of an app development agency that grew recurring revenue from 2% to over 50% of total revenue within three month

💥 Built a sales organization of 65 sales people in two years

💥 Orchestrated & executed a legal & and business strategy that lead to a sale of key assets of a SaaS platform for a significant premium over the market value of the company

Elon Musk Didn’t Build Tesla. He Built a Story.

🔹 2004: Musk invests in Tesla but isn’t a founder. In 2009, he sues the actual founders until they’re legally forced to call him one.

🔹 2013: He announces Hyperloop, claiming it will revolutionize transportation. Over a decade later, nothing exists. He later admits it was just a stunt to stop California’s high-speed rail project.

🔹 2016: He promises full self-driving Teslas by 2017. In 2019, he claims 1 million robotaxis will be on the road by 2020. It’s now 2025—still waiting.

🔹 2014: Tesla showcases battery swap technology, claiming it will allow instant recharging. Never happens—but they get millions in government subsidies anyway.

🔹 2020: Musk personally vows to fix the Flint water crisis. That didn’t happen either.

And yet, people still believe him.
Because story beats reality.

🚀 His companies miss deadlines by years (or forever), but investors stay excited.
 🚀 He fakes demos and sells visions, and people line up to give him money.
 🚀 He turns PR disasters into proof of his genius.

For founders, here’s the takeaway 👇

Execution matters, but narrative moves markets.

You can have the best delivery in the world, but if you don’t own the story, someone else will.

Story beats reality. Musk understands that better than anyone.

Now, the real question: do you?

Do you agree that story trumps reality? Or do you realize it's true but it makes you ick... 

Drop your take below. ⬇️


✌️🧡🌮

Plug & Play Growth Engines to get you to 8 Figures | Cold Email ($17.5M+ Generated) | Google Ads | Elite LATAM Recruiting (7-14 Day Shortlists). Strategy is dead ☠️ execution is everything 🚀

Most founders don’t validate offers. They decorate them.

Most founders “test” a new offer like this:

- Rewrite the website
- Post 12 times on LinkedIn
- Debate the pricing for 3 weeks
- Call it “market research”

That’s not testing.

That’s hiding.

If you're not actually getting in front of customers.
It's just a "wait and see" approach.

Cold email is one of the fastest ways to test a new offer in the real world.

New messaging. New ICP. New angle.
In-market feedback in days, not quarters.

Why cold email is the perfect offer test

Because it forces the only questions that matter:

- Do they care? (opens + replies)
- Do they understand it? (clarifying questions vs “sounds cool”)
- Do they want it now? (calls booked + urgency)
- Is the price insane? (pushback, negotiation, ghosting)

3 real examples

1) New ICP test (same service)
You run a dev shop. You want to shift from “anyone who needs code” to Series A B2B SaaS with messy onboarding.

Email 50 heads of product.

If 10 reply with “this is literally our problem” - you’ve got something.
If 0 reply - it’s not the ICP. Or your hook sucks. Either way you know fast.

2) New angle test (same ICP)
You sell paid media. You’re torn between:

“lower CAC”
“fix lead quality”
“speed to pipeline”

Run 3 mini-campaigns: same ICP, different promise, 100 prospects each.

Whichever gets the highest *positive reply rate* wins.
Not likes. Not vibes. Not your opinion.

3) New offer test (new packaging)
Instead of “retainer”, you pitch a 14-day Sprint:

Audit + plan
1 campaign shipped
KPI targets
fixed fee

If prospects say “love the sprint, what’s next?” you’ve got a wedge into the longer engagement.

How to test an offer in 7 days

Day 1: Pick ONE variable
Don’t change everything at once.
Choose one:

- ICP
- Pain
- Promise
- Offer format (sprint vs retainer)
- Price point

Day 2: Build a tight list (200-500 people)
Specific beats big.
Example:
“VP Ops at 50-300 person logistics companies using NetSuite”
not “ops leaders”

Day 3: Write 3 hooks
Each hook is one sharp “they care about this” claim.

Examples:

“Most agencies don’t have a lead problem. They have a follow-up + capacity problem.”
“Your funnel isn’t broken. You’re multiplying zero.”
“You’re one resignation away from chaos - and you feel it.”

Day 4-6: Send 50-150/day
Keep volume clean. Track replies manually if you have to.

Day 7: Read replies like a scientist
Categorize every reply into:

- Yes / interested
- Not now
- Wrong person
- We do this already
- Confused
- Hostile

Then adjust ONE thing and run it again.

What “good” looks like (simple scorecard)

- If you can’t get 1-3% positive replies, your offer isn’t landing (or your list is trash).
- If you get replies but no calls, your CTA or proof is weak.
- If you get calls but no closes, your offer/price/positioning needs tightening.

Cold email isn’t just lead gen.

It’s a lab.

You can find out what the market wants… while everyone else is “building the funnel.”


✌️🧡🌮

Mexico is a war zone... only if you believe the news.

I've lived in Mexico for 5+ years. I'm a US Citizen and permanent resident of Mexico.

It is 1450% safer here as a US citizen than ANY major US city (more below). The citizens & police are friendlier and more helpful.

Every single US citizen who visits me is shocked at how safe they feel here, walking the city, especially at night.

What you are seeing on the news = PROPAGANDA.

Mexican news sources and some of my well connected friends all confirmed the involvement of US special forces in the "removal" of El Mencho.

The US is involved.

The timing is not an accident.

Just take a look at the USD vs Mexican Peso graph.

The US has been losing purchasing power since January.

Mexico is preparing for the World Cup.

The US has a strong history of disrupting the economies to the south of them. 

Recall 1997... Cuba's hospitality industry was fast growing and Cuban "dissidents" (aka absolutely not CIA 🙄) launched a 💣 campaign against Cuban hotels.

What you're hearing about in Mexico is no different.

Mexico has taken a slower approach of disrupting the cartels.

Why?

If you cut off the head of the snake, many smaller ones appear.

But they aren't organized. What you're seeing now will disappate.

What the US news isn't telling you?

The cartel members are clearing out civilians before creating chaos.

It's well known - there are severe consequences for harming a civilian. It rarely happens.

Here's the stats that the US isn't telling you:

78% of firearms seized in Mexico come from the US.

Over 90% of the drugs that flow through Mexico are consumed by US consumers.

There's been a 75% reduction encounters with drug runners at the US boarder due to the crackdown in Mexico.

So what's the real problem?

It's not Mexico.

It's the US fueling the violence... violence that largely, if not entirely, spares civilians.

More stats:

< 0.1% - The percentage of tourists & expats who experience violent crime in Mexico.

1.45% - The percentage of people in the US who experience violent crime in the US.

You are statistically 14.5 times more likely to be a victim of violent crime as a US Citizen in the US.

Don't believe what you are reading or seeing in the news and social media.

Sensationalism draws eyeballs. The truth is far less interesting.

What you're witnessing is an attempted assassination... of the Mexican economy.

Come at me in the comments güey 👊

Viva 🇲🇽

If you think your $1,000/month “EA” is going to unlock your calendar and scale your business…

You’re LARPing as a CEO instead of leading.
You didn’t hire an Executive Assistant.

You hired a Virtual Assistant with a fancier title and a broken job description.

And now you’re wondering why you’re still stuck reviewing your own travel itinerary, juggling Slack messages, and chasing your tail in ops hell.

Let’s fix that.

🧠 First, understand the difference:

Virtual Assistant (VA):

• Task-taker
• Needs clear instructions
• Good at executing a known to-do list
• Will take 2–5x longer to do a task you could do in your sleep
• Great for clearing clutter
• A clone hire (not a growth one)

Executive Assistant (EA):

• Strategic partner
• Anticipates needs you didn’t vocalize yet
• Handles ambiguity
• Adapts to your working style and makes you sharper
• Enables you to operate in your zone of genius
• A force multiplier, not a checklist completer

If you’re hiring an EA and getting VA output…
That’s disappointment on a payroll. Don’t call it delegation.

Many founders fail at this because they’ve never had a real EA before.

🛠️ So how do you fix it?


Step 1️⃣ : Stop being vague.

Write a real role description.

→ Is this person handling your inbox or planning investor roadshows?
→ Do they need to coordinate between departments or just book travel?


Step 2️⃣: Hire for initiative, not obedience.

A good EA doesn’t wait for permission. They preempt chaos and build order.


Step 3️⃣: Pay what the role is worth.

You want a $100K partner to run point on your calendar, communications, and priorities?

Then don’t shop for bargain-bin help with champagne expectations.


Step 4️⃣: Give them context, not just commands.

Your EA needs to know your rhythm, your goals, your blind spots.
The best don’t just manage your tasks, they manage your attention.

Founders: You don’t need more hours.
You need more clarity.
And the right assistant is the unlock for both.

Start treating the EA role like a leadership hire not a tactical afterthought.


👉 Ready to hire an Executive Assistant who will transform your work and life?

We have pre-vetted, highly experienced, Executive Assistants ready to go. 

Our matching process delivers EA's that are primed for success in your organization and our on-going support and guarantee ensures you get results that matter to you.

DM me to get started.


✌️🧡🌮

I built a business I am proud of, but I stopped doing the work I was made to do: the work I love most and do best.

I have spent too much time building the machine and not enough time doing the work that lights me up.

For over a decade, I worked 1:1 with entrepreneurs and high performers to help them overcome the biggest challenges in their lives and businesses.

Mental blocks. 

The mindset shifts required to reach the next level.

Relationship challenges.

Understanding themselves more deeply and how that version of them can make the greatest impact in the world.

Developing and trusting intuition.

Learning how to stop playing checkers and start playing chess. In life and in business.

And, of course, business strategy.

I love that work.

And I am really, really damn good at it.

But truthfully, I got caught up in building Strategy Ladders.

I still run Strategy Ladders, and I am proud of what we have built.

But somewhere along the way, I hired consultants and coaches to work with clients, got a little too much ivory tower syndrome, and became overly focused on running the business instead of doing the work that truly lights me up.

It is time to change that.

I am taking on 3 private 1:1 clients for the next 3 months.

This work is about massively shifting your mindset, breaking through barriers, and putting you on a faster path toward the life and results you know you are capable of.

Nothing is off limits.

Business is always part of the conversation, but business is rarely the full story.

Your business is a mirror. It shows us where to look.

I have walked clients through partnership breakups, births, deaths, PR crises, divorces, business sales, and the mindset shifts required to navigate all of it powerfully.

If you are ready to face challenge with deeper energy, sharper thinking, and a new level of self-trust, now is the time.

DM me.

Or comment SHIFT below.


✌️💛🌮

If your leads doubled next month, would you grow or crash?

Most $2.5M to $25M service businesses are brittle in one of two ways.

They can sell, but delivery breaks.
Every new deal creates chaos, churn, and margin leaks.

Or they can deliver, but pipeline breaks.
The team gets quiet. The founder starts “testing ideas” again.

Scaling is not vibes.
It is boring math.

Predictable demand.
Execution capacity.

Quick doubling test:

Can you create 10 new sales conversations every week on purpose?
If your best operator quit tomorrow, do you still ship on time?

If either answer is no, that’s the bottleneck.
Not your website.
Not your brand.
Not your “strategy.”

What breaks first in your business if demand doubles in 30 days?

Most founders at $2.5M to $25M think they have a growth problem.

They're wrong.

They have a clarity problem.

They can’t answer 2 questions clearly:

1. What is our ONE growth constraint right now?
2. What is the next 30-day move that fixes it?

So they default to motion:

New web site.
New service line.
New hire.
New software.
New “strategy.”

None of that is strategy.

Here’s the fast diagnostic I use:

If you had to grow 30% in the next 90 days, what breaks first?

A) Demand (not enough qualified conversations)
B) Conversion (calls happen but they don’t close)
C) Delivery (you can sell it but can’t ship it cleanly)

Most teams are stuck because they try to solve all three at once.
That’s how you get expensive and average.

The play is boring and effective:

Pick the constraint.
Run one lever hard for 30 days.
Measure strictly.
Then stack the next lever.

👉 If you’re A (Demand):

Cold email is still the fastest way to manufacture qualified conversations on purpose.

👉 If you’re C (Delivery):

You need execution capacity and redundancy so growth doesn’t feel like a hostage situation.

A strong LATAM team is the highest value move I see for that.

Now the big one....

👉 If you’re B (Conversion):

You don’t have a lead problem. You have a “this isn’t an obvious yes” problem.

Two fastest fixes:
1. Increase lead intent

Paid ads can work here if you already know:

who you serve
what you sell
what you charge
what “good fit” looks like

Not because ads are magic.
Because they let you buy attention from people already searching.

2. Improve the offer and positioning

Most founders try to “sell harder” on calls.
The real win is making the offer easier to buy.

The tell:
If prospects say “sounds good, I need to think” you have ambiguity, not objections.

My favorite way to fix this fast:
Use cold email as a positioning lab.

Test:

niche language
pain language
outcome language
proof angles
pricing anchors

Until replies and booked calls spike.

👉 What’s your main constraint right now (A / B / C)? 


(don't worry, Shark got some steak 🥩)



✌️🧡🌮

A bee does not waste its time trying to convince a fly that honey is better than 💩💩💩.

Writing about creative work and human potential

D1 Football ➟ Writer, Podcaster & Creator Consultant

Jack Moses

It’s easy to underestimate the power of becoming an extremely prolific writer.

Writing is the backbone of business. Every message you send, social post you script, business plan you create, and lead you nurture is writing. Even a 5% improvement in your writing, compounded across every area, creates an extraordinary difference.

Writing forces precision. In this noise-filled world, clear writing is how you cut through noise to the signal. If you can write clearly, people who are actively filtering for signal will find you and your ideas.

Writing is the best way to consult clients. I aim to consult my clients primarily in written form because it forces sharper thinking. I don’t want to ramble in a voice memo. I want to cut to the signal. It saves them time, and gives them clearer directives.

Writing, maybe most importantly, is how you sharpen your thinking. Constantly asking AI for advice atrophies the mind. Writing to discover clarity within yourself strengthens it.

The best business people you know are usually the best writers. This is because they’re also the best thinkers. 

Spend more time writing. Even if you’re not directly a writer, every area of your life will improve as a result of honing and practicing the skill.

Writing about consciousness, wealth creation, and human potential ∞ One-of-One Writer begins April 15 (early-bird enrollment open)

Wealth does not equal money.

Wealth = time, freedom, and autonomy.

I don't have a ton of money in my bank account.

But I do what I love for work.

I do what I want 99% of the time.

I can live anywhere I want in the world.

I can choose to work as much or as little as I want to.

I can wear whatever I want, and wake up when I want.

How?

I've built leverage and trust through the internet.

40,000 people read my writing or listen to my ideas.

I am connected across industries and niches worldwide.

I have figured out how to monetize my passions, curiosities, and interests -- with maximum autonomy and minimal obligations.

People pay me for both my unique insight and expertise...

And my energy, frequency, & vibration (sounds esoteric, but it's true).

I write every day online.

I create offers, products, and events that my audience wants (that I also want).

I aim to help people improve their lives through free and paid content (the point of this post in particular is to break your beliefs on what's possible).

And now, I've created a life of time and location freedom - that equals wealth for me.

I've worked at this obsessively over the last 4 years.

And while I may not have stacked the numbers in my bank account yet, I have reached the skill level, network, and sovereignty where I will never have to work a job I don't choose to a day in my life.

By conventional measures, I am not rich or incredibly successful.

By my own internal standards, I wouldn't trade places with anyone making more than me at the expense of their own freedom and passion.

My philosophy is this:

• Define wealth on your own standards
• Block out everyone else's opinion
• Build a personal brand online
• Combine hard skills (marketing, sales, offers, writing) with soft skills (spirituality, psychology, people skills, etc)
• Network your *ss off
• Commit to the game for 1-3 years
• Become so good they cannot ever hire you or put you in a box

You don't have to wait til your 50 to live the life you want.

You can skip to the end and live a life of wealth (freedom) now if you go against the grain, take strategic action, continue to self-actualize, and become so valuable to the world that you can get paid to be yourself -- on your own time and your own terms.

"How are you able to just run retreats in places you've never been?"

The truth is, I don't think about it much anymore.

If I have an idea to run a retreat in a cool place, I'll whip up the website, put it out there, and see what the response is.

I don't really second-guess if I'm "ready."

I trust that when the moment comes, and the people arrive, I'll know exactly what to do.

But it wasn't always like this.

The first time I co-hosted a men's retreat in Austin, Texas, in 2024, I was nervous as hell.

I think I was the youngest of the 10 or so people there.

I was scared to say the wrong thing in front of the group or to give the wrong advice to someone asking me a question.

I thought I had to be some enlightened spiritual guru who had mastered all his desires to be worthy of organizing and hosting a retreat.

It wasn't until one of the retreat members, an older guy of about 50, said to me:

"Jack, you don't have to be doing any of this 'right.'"

That was the most liberating thing I'd ever heard.

If I didn't have to do anything "right," I could just be me.

And when I simply allowed myself to just be me, I could paradoxically serve others the best.

That single sentence prompted the realization that now allows me to spin up retreats at the drop of a dime when inspiration hits:

I don't have to be perfect to run a retreat.

All I have to do is be myself.

And who is myself?

Well, I'm not "perfect" or some pure spiritual guru.

I like to go out and have a few drinks. 

I'll rip a cig from time to time with a friend over dinner.

I have days where I get nothing done and scroll too much.

I also have moments when I'm overcome with anxiety and insecurity.

I am nowhere near perfect.

But I am beyond needing to be perfect to be okay with myself AND create experiences that elevate others.

I've realized none of my imperfections mean I'm not equipped to run a retreat - or run a coaching business or community.

So, I'll say the same thing to you.

Stop waiting to be perfect to serve others.

Waiting to be perfect is the greatest sign of an over-inflated ego.

It is your ego that is scared of embarrassment or of not being seen as perfect.

But it is your SPIRIT who can help another human being and give them love EVEN WHEN you still perceive yourself as imperfect.

So choose courage from your spirit and let go of the ego's worries.

Launch your retreat.

Launch your group program.

Launch your coaching business.

You don't have to be perfect to help another human being.

You just have to create a container for their growth, teach them something you know that they want to know, and direct your attention and energy at them to help facilitate their transformation.

The greatest act of embodiment is to lead with courage even when you're doubting yourself.

So stop waiting to be an enlightened millionaire to help another human being and go out there and live your dharma anyway.

Message me to join the Italy Writing Retreat July 2026 🪶⭐️

Never fight your nature.

If you were the type of kid who stayed up til 3am playing video games, allow yourself to build your online business into the late hours of the night without guilt or pressure from performance-optimizer types.

If you were always the student who finished the presentation 30 minutes before class, allow yourself to hit a buzzer-beater when making a presentation for work.

If you grew up loving being outside all day, every day, engineer your work and lifestyle so that you can do the same as an adult.

The truth is, you and you alone know the way to unlock your optimal performance.

You'll find the way back to your natural expression by uncovering what you were doing naturally in childhood.

The source of your abundance is not a job, a client, or a product.

It is the universe itself, the infinite field of consciousness that is constantly growing and expanding.

When you recognize this source and live from it, you no longer need anything from anyone. There is always someone else to receive abundance from or another possibility for abundance to be created. 

From this open state, you are most creative. From this unattached state, you can truly receive.

Infinite consciousness and scarcity consciousness cannot coexist simultaneously. Reside in infinity, and trust in the infinitely creative intelligence of the universe to channel through you to serve the rest of humanity. 

The universe will always give you exactly what you need in each moment, so long as you're listening and doing your best to live in accordance with it.

Becoming a deadly writer is paradoxically the most powerful thing you can do in the Age of AI.

Writing is applied thinking. Right now, less and less people are able to think for themselves. They outsource their grocery lists and text messages to AI. Even worse, many outsource their business models or career decisions.

Undoubtedly, this will lead to people becoming incredibly lost. 

Unless you are able to think critically for yourself and use your intuition to make decisions, you will end up on a path that is not the desire of your heart, but the desire of your mind at best — and the rationale of a machine at worst.

Who will they then turn to for insight? Whose perspective can they trust when their personal AI has become a Tower of Babel?

The unique thinkers. The thought leaders. The people who have trained themselves to think for themselves through the practice of writing about their lived experience.

it is nearly impossible to think clearly without a consistent writing habit, epecially in this world of hyperstimulation.

Write first for your own sake. To clear the mind, to find out what you really think, and to sharpen the sword of you decision making.

Then, write for the sake of others drowning in noise and searching for truth.

The signal they’re looking for is your sovereign thinking and direct experience.

Lifestyle creation is the meta skill.

Your life is nothing more than your day to day experience.

If you can create a life where you live your dream day every day, you’ve won.

There are 4 key stages to unlock this:

First, unlock the ability to live anywhere in the world. This step is usually remote work, freelancing, or taking a hit to your ego and volunteering somewhere you love. 

Second, unlock the ability to only do project based, asynchronous work. This probably narrows you down into a freelancer or consultant of some type. You must become the top ~ 5% in the world for your skill to reach this stage.

Third, unlock the authority to only take calls on your own time. This is high level consulting or coaching. You no longer bend to other people’s needs. They bend to your preferences because you’re so valuable. This level requires world class authority and credibility.

Fourth, unlock the freedom to transcend calls and project based work altogether. At this point you’re a genuine creator. You get paid to create and build whatever the f*ck you want. You don’t have to do anything you don’t want to do - ever.

These steps are not easy. Each requires skill development, psychological integration, cross-disciplinary study, and a global network and reputation. But the path is there. Thousands have already walked it, and so can you.

The key is to avoid optimizing for salaries, career paths, prestige, and other people’s validation. Instead optimize for mobility, freedom, and leverage.

At first, people will think you’re crazy. In a few years, they’ll be paying you to teach them how to do it.

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One of my favorite things to do is write in inspiring places with a cappuccino…

I first discovered a love for writing and travel when I was backpacking in Italy with a friend in 2022.

It was there that I had the first seed of an idea to ditch the corporate world and find a way to make money online so I could be free and travel.

I began writing a newsletter and then on X, and then built a full-time income from my writing in early 2023.

For the past few years, I’ve been traveling the world, and writing has been the passion that’s stuck with me and the vehicle for making money.

But the biggest benefit of writing online has been the people I’ve met. I have friends all around the world. I’ve lived and traveled with many of them. Most of my best friends are from Twitter. It’s beautiful to bring online connections in person. It feels like the highest expression of the internet.

So… I decided to combine these areas of passion - writing, travel, business, and people - into an experience:

The Lake Como Writing Retreat.

It’s a 7-day retreat for creators, writers, and builders with a heavy focus on writing, creativity, and connection in beautiful Lake Como.

You will be able to work on a book, a series of articles, journal for yourself, or write anything you desire during the time there.

I’ll also be facilitating workshops on writing, creativity, and flow psychology — as well as business-oriented workshops to understand the mechanics of social media writing & marketing for attracting an audience and building a business off the backend of your writing aligned with your passions.

And we’ll also have a ton of fun going to dinners, chilling at cafes, walking on the beach, swimming in the lake, and having philosophical conversations over wine (or water).

There are 8 spots available.

You can find details and apply by clicking into this post below:

https://lnkd.in/e8hRJgFC

People don’t buy quality or value. 

They buy status, feeling, and frequency. 

I can buy a leather bag here in Thailand for $2. If you used the same fabric, put a Gucci logo on it, and dropped me into a designer store in LA, the bag suddenly costs $250. 

Why?

Gucci has a vibe, an aura, and a collectively recognized status of prestige around it.

To the right person, $250 or $25,000 doesn’t matter to them if it gives them the feeling and symbol they want.

Price is mostly arbitrary.

Obviously, creating high-quality things is best practice for customer satisfaction, reviews, and word-of-mouth marketing. 

But realize you could probably charge much more for the same product or service if you could create a vibe of luxury, status, and exclusivity around your product or service.

Position yourself as the authority. Create an aura of luxury and prestige in your products and services. Prioritize creating a vibe over creating something perfect.

You will be able to charge much more for your same offers and attract higher quality customers.

“Naturally, if you are a hunter of butterflies, you would want to be where there are butterflies. Instead of chasing them around with your net and exhausting yourself, you would instead want to hold the scent they are attracted to.” Frederick Dodson

I am so bullish on the real world.

Group events. Cookouts. Sports. Parties. Animals. Music festivals. Phoneless dinners. Co-living centers. Healing centers. Retreat centers. Beautiful views. Group adventures. 

These things light me up. Tech, ai, and materialism continue to disguest me more every day.

The pendulum has swung too far. A small group of nerds will continue to obsess over ai, automation, effiency, and the intellect. But those of us connected to our hearts and spirits are becoming disgusted by it. We want real, and we want human. 

Expect a huge countersurge of irl businesses and events in the next few years.

The $1,000 game:

Go to dinner with a few of your entrepreneurial friends.

Set a number of money you’d like to make during dinner.

The number should feel a little unrealistic but this will force your mind to be more creative.

Clarity may come instantly on a message to send or an offer to launch. If so, do it right then in the moment.

If no clarity comes, that’s what your friends are there for. Mastermind and scheme until something comes through (it will).

By the end of the dinner, you should have either made the intended amount of money, or put a project in motion / sent the right messages that will lead to the money. 

I did this a few months back with a friend and sent the messages that made $4,500 in 3 hours.

Try it out and see what happens for you.

2 years ago I f*cked off from business and backpacked Thailand.

3 months into my hiatus, I was struck by lightning.

Ideas. Clarity. Mission. Purpose. 

I’d stay up until 7am writing, building, recording, and filming.

I couldn’t pull myself away from work.

I ghosted everyone I knew and locked in to a degree I’d never experienced.

“Work” shifted from an obligation to something I couldn’t not do.

And it was because I took all rules and expectations off of myself and allowed myself to do whatever the f*ck I wanted.

- 11am - 1am dance sessions in the bar
- 1am - 7am creative work sessions
- 1pm wake ups straight into a cappuccino and more creation

My sleep was fucked.

I was vaping and smoking cigs.

I locked myself away in my room for 12 hours a day.

But it was THE BEST I ever felt in my life.

It was in that time I discovered something:

What it felt like to be truly free.

No rules.

No limitations.

No self-created judgement.

I dropped all expectations and constantly stripped away any self-judgment that would arise.

And on the other side I found infinite energy and effortless action while throwing my entire concept of “optimization” out the window.

This state is what I’m working at returning to now.

The freedom
The lack of rules
The intrinsic passion
The never ending creative flow 

It’s why I’m writing this at 1am (even though my mind says I “should” sleep).

Think back in your life to a time you felt most ALIVE.

What were the traits?

What were your habits?

What was your routine?

What was your mindset?

What were you working on?

Now, how can you bring that into the NOW?

For me, the biggest thing is taking rules off myself.

Writing in bed with blue light til 2am.

Taking a break to hit a reggae bar down the street and play pool with some girls from the Czech Republic.

Drinking (at least) 5 cappuccinos and 5 orange juices a day.

I know, it’s not optimal.

But I feel alive again.

And I’m optimizing for aliveness over optimization any day of the week.

So what makes you feel alive?

How can you bring true freedom into your work and life?

Your ego will be scared to let go of self created rules and artificial structure.

But you just might reach a new level of inspiration and creativity when you allow yourself to do exactly what you want to do in each moment.

Business is a game. By shifting our perception, energy, and attachments, we can become better players.

New article:

Open article: The Game of Money by open.substack.com

How to Build an Agile Coaching Business in 2026

Scarcity vs. Abundance Consciousness

Article:

Open article: Scarcity vs. Abundance Consciousness by open.substack.com

“I’m going to just have to do things I don’t like to do sometimes.”

“Making money is hard.”

“Entrepreneurship is a battle.”

All choices.

When you speak these things over yourself, you cast a spell that becomes your reality.

On the other hand, if you say:

"I can do what I love all the time."

"Making money is easy for me."

"Entrepreneurship is a game I like to play."

These beliefs will become your experience (but only if you truly believe them).

Your experience with work is exactly as you believe it should be.

Choose only beliefs that empower you and bring you more joy, act in accordance with them, and allow your business to transform into the work of your dreams.

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Jack Moses

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