Former Liquid Death & Tastemade Marketing Strategist | MBA | Boosting socials, steering through Web3, and befriending AI 🤖

I build brands, grow engaged communities, and drive real impact. With 20+ years in digital marketing, I’ve helped companies scale from zero to millions in reach, leading campaigns that get attention and convert.

At Hexens, I drove marketing for the largest Web3 security competition ever. At BitcoinOS, I built a 30K+ member community in just three months. At Liquid Death, I led viral campaigns, generating 3B+ impressions. I’ve also managed 3,000+ influencer partnerships and scaled Web3 and gaming communities to 500K+ members.

Whether it’s organic growth, paid media, influencer marketing, or community strategy, I create high-impact, data-driven marketing that delivers results. Let’s build something that lasts.

Shahab Shirmohammadi

Eric Koester

Creating Creators; Georgetown Professor & Founder of Manuscripts

I help ambitious professionals transform their expertise into published books that open doors.

Since founding Manuscripts in 2017, I've coached nearly 3,000 first-time authors. Our community has published 3,000+ books and produced 450+ National Book Award winners and finalists.

Why I built Manuscripts:

After spending years as a serial entrepreneur (ventures backed by Kleiner Perkins, Ashton Kutcher, Meg Whitman, Steve Blank), corporate attorney at Cooley LLP, and VC at NextGen Venture Partners, Georgetown recruited me to teach entrepreneurship in 2013.

The truth? I wouldn't have been accepted there as an undergraduate. So I take my responsibility as an educator seriously.

I noticed a pattern: The most successful entrepreneurs, executives, and innovators had all written books. But aspiring authors faced impossible barriers: traditional publishers who reject 99% of submissions, ghostwriters who charge $100K+, or the lonely experience of writing alone with no feedback.

So I developed a different model based on my research into ambition (the science of accomplishing challenging things): Community-Powered Writing.

What makes our approach different:

Authors retain 100% of rights and royalties (always)
Weekly one-on-one coaching with professional developmental editors
Live workshops with author circles and alumni mentors
Quality indistinguishable from traditional publishing
Launch strategies that drive real career outcomes

Results our authors achieve:
2-4x increase in speaking fees
Average deal size grows from 6 to 7 figures
10+ speaking engagements secured before book launch
Fortune 50 partnerships, White House invitations, dream job offers

My background:
2020 National Entrepreneurial Educator of the Year (USASBE)
Georgetown's only two-time Entrepreneurship Professor of the Year
Two-time TEDx speaker
Co-founder of Zaarly (backed by Kleiner Perkins, Ashton Kutcher)
Forbes Next Top 1000 Entrepreneurs (2021)
2x Inc. 5000 (#5 Fastest Growing Education Company)
Host of "The Modern Author" podcast (guests include Arianna Huffington, Dan Pink, Chris Voss, Tiffany Haddish)

My published books:
"Super Mentors" (on modern mentorship strategies)
"Pennymores" (Goodreads Middle Grade Book of the Year Finalist)
"Founder, JD"
"Green Entrepreneur Handbook"
"Starting a High-Tech Business Venture"

Where I've taught and advised:
White House, World Bank, United Nations, Fortune 500 leaders and executives

My philosophy:
Creation is in our DNA. My mission is to help you rediscover your creator instincts.

Want to write your book? Let's talk.

Venture Partner

NextGen Venture Partners is the world's first network driven venture firm, investing in early stage technology companies from a $20 million venture capital fund and a network of more than 500 founder and innovator angel investors.  We back exceptional entrepreneurs through the collective power of the nation’s top founders and innovation executives, and I was part of the initial group of venture partners who launched this network in 2012 and 2013.

This winter, I’m back coaching girls soccer, and this season, I’ve leveled up:

Quinn and Parker (4th and 5th grade)
Aven (1st grade)
And me, Coach Dad, attempting to keep it together

Last year’s team made a championship run, which was very fun.
But this year? My goal is simpler:

Don’t screw it up.

Honestly, I’ve realized that coaching 7–10-year-old girls is not about tactics.
It’s about:
•	Making fair subs
•	Remembering who loves goalie and who refuses
•	Bringing good snacks
•	And getting a few laughs during warmups

I spend most of my week writing, researching, building systems, trying to control outcomes.

But soccer? Soccer is joyfully uncontrollable.

They do dances in the middle of the game.
They ask to switch positions every five minutes.
They remind me, over and over again, that fun is the point.

And I need that.

So here’s to a season of chaos, laughter, and maybe even a few goals.

Let’s go, Lady DC ⚽

Founder & CEO, Manuscripts | 2020 National Entrepreneurial Educator of the Year | Georgetown Professor (2x Professor of Year) | Helped 3,000+ First-Time Authors Publish

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This came up during a live class with our authors.

Simon Sinek said something that immediately changed the energy in the room:

“Writing a book is hard. Anyone who says it was easy probably wrote a bad one.”

You could feel the relief.

Most people aren’t stuck because they’re undisciplined.
They’re stuck because they’re doing work that actually requires depth.

Struggle isn’t a sign you’re failing.
It’s often the sign you’re doing something worth doing.

I’ve realized something about myself lately:

I don’t struggle to make decisions.
I stall on them.

I sit on the email.
I draft the reply, but don’t send.
I hesitate to say yes... or no.
And I let the indecision hang there, taking up mental bandwidth.

Here’s the kicker:
Once I actually make the decision, I almost always feel better.
I rarely second guess it.
And I never wish I’d spent more time spinning in the “what if.”

So one of my Q1 goals is simple:
Make faster decisions.

Not recklessly. Not impulsively. But with conviction and clarity.

There’s actually solid research behind this too (yep, I did my homework):

- Studies show that when we delay decisions, it increases anxiety, not confidence.
- Decision fatigue is real, and tiny delays drain energy across your day.
- High performers tend to make decisions quickly and change their minds slowly. (Not the other way around.)

So I’m building the muscle.

A few small things I’ve started doing:
•	“Send the draft” instead of sitting on it
•	Set a 24-hour decision window for anything under 4 figures
•	Default to no, unless the yes is clear
•	Use “What would I regret not doing?” as a filter

It’s already giving me more headspace, faster momentum, and a stronger gut-check loop.

But I’d love to learn from you too:

How do you make faster, more confident decisions, especially when the stakes feel high or uncertain?
Drop your frameworks, rules, mantras, or advice in the comments.

Love help to build the muscle together.

Most outreach fails. Hard.

I just got one that said:
“Would you be open to a call to reconnect and hear about your career pivots?”

No context. No specificity. No hook. Just work for me.

If you want help from a Super Mentor, here’s the truth:

- Don’t ask for time... invite them into a project
- Be specific... make it easy to say yes
- Build a relationship... not a transaction

I broke it all down (with a template you can steal) in this week’s Super Mentors post:
How to Ask for Help (Without Sounding Helpless)

It’s packed with examples, tools, and a better way to get real support in 2026.

Let’s stop teaching people to “network.”
Let’s start showing them how to collaborate.

The Hard Truth About Mentorship Outreach... and How to Get It Right in 2026 Every January, my inbox fills up with the same kind of message: “Hi Eric, 

Open article: How to Ask for Help (Without Sounding Helpless) by Eric Koester • 3 min read

How to Ask for Help (Without Sounding Helpless)

I think I hit peak screen burnout.

Not the dramatic kind, just the slow, creeping fatigue of opening my laptop to write and immediately feeling… meh.

So two weeks ago, I tried something different:

I started writing everything, from newsletters to long-form drafts, on my phone.

No fancy app. Just the Notes app.
No spell check. No formatting. Just blank space and thumbs.

Weirdly… it’s been amazing.

I’ll sit on the couch and write instead of scrolling.
I’ll open Notes while waiting for pickup instead of reading another article.
I’ll chip away at a piece in bursts, 15 minutes here, 10 there, and it stacks.

The simplicity has been the gift.

No tabs. No red underlines. No keyboard shortcuts.
Just words.
And the quiet satisfaction of turning distraction time into creative time.

It feels oddly old school and incredibly freeing.

Anyone else have tricks like this?
Things you do when you’re tired of “real” writing but still want to create?

I’m kind of loving this lo-fi writing era.
Might never go back.

If you’re working on a serious book, this conversation might be worth your time.

We recorded it live, inside one of our classes.

It goes deeper than most public interviews.
Not tactics. Not publishing advice.

Just an honest look at why good books take time, why shortcuts don’t work, and why depth still matters.

The full conversation with Simon Sinek is up on YouTube.

“not everyone is your audience, and that’s ok”

– @Adam_Karpiak

Last week I shared how I’m trying to make faster decisions... especially the ones I tend to stall on.

Someone reached out and said, “I loved your post. But I don’t stall on everything. I just struggle to say no.”

Same. That one hits different.

Saying yes is easy. It feels good.
Saying no? That’s the one that lingers.

Which brings me to this week.

I got a very cool email from someone at the U.S. State Department.
They were hosting a group of international entrepreneurs and asked if I’d be willing to run a 2–3 hour workshop.

Part of me lit up. What an honor.
The old me would’ve sat on it. Debated. Delayed. Maybe tried to find a way to squeeze it in.

But I didn’t.

I replied 15 minutes later and said no.

Gratefully. Clearly. And without guilt.

And you know what? I didn’t think about it again until writing this post.

As I was writing that post last week, I found some research about saying no with more speed and grace.  Here’s what helped me:

1. The Clarity Filter – Does this align with my current focus?
2. The Gut Check – Would I want to do this tomorrow?
3. The “No Sandwich” – Gratitude → Decline → Encouragement
4. The 15-Minute Rule – If I know it’s a no, I send it within 15 minutes.

I’ve learned that a slow no doesn’t feel any better than a fast one.
In fact, it usually feels worse.

The research backs this up:
Dragging out a no increases stress, decreases trust, and often burns more bridges than a clear, early response.

So this week’s muscle to build?
Say no faster... and better.
With kindness, clarity, and zero shame.

And now I’m curious:

How do you say no?
Do you have a script, a mindset, a rule you follow?
Would love to hear how you’re getting better at this one too.

Let’s keep building. Together.

taplio

The Battle

Shahab Shirmohammadi

Eric Koester

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