Thomas Strider

Business & Corporate Financial Consultant (FP&A)

RightMessage

RightMessage helps pro creators and online businesses segment their audience and personalize their website, opt-ins, and email marketing. No code required.

Angel Investor

Entrepreneur Media

Contributing articles on the future of entrepreneurship.

Contributing Writer

Brainz Magazine

Contributing writer on the topics of entrepreneurship, marketing, and personal development.

Executive Contributor | Global 500 Award Winner

Helping solopreneurs close ideal clients | Learn to craft offers, develop sales systems & write authoritative content in my newsletter, the Laptop Lifestyle | Currently working in the nearest coffee shop ☕️

Short version: 

I help solopreneurs sell and scale with improved offers and system building frameworks.

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Long version:

In 2015, I worked in a hospital as a pharmacy tech. I was underpaid, overworked, and barely scrapping by... even with a 4 year college degree.

At the end of 2015, I told myself "enough is enough."

I quit. Which was risky, given I had 0 savings and 0 plan. I started freelancing, beginning with photography, then content writing. 

From 2016 to summer 2018 I worked for myself, before burning out and returning to corporate. I need a reset, and to determine better systems for entrepreneurship moving forward.

So between the years of 2018 and 2021 I was promoted 3 different times, from advisor → senior banker → sales trainer → wealth and small business consulting.

I quit my consulting job in the banking industry in 2021 to pursue a job in financial analytics for the healthcare startup, MainStreet Family Care. During this time I also began an accelerated MBA program (graduating in August 2022).

At the time I began my career in financial analytics, I launched my consulting practice, where I help service-based businesses with financial reporting, operations, budgeting, and forecasting.

To recap, In 2021 I made some massive moves:

- Shifted to a 9-5 in financial analytics
- Launched my operations & consulting firm
- Started my MBA program (graduating in August 2022)

I still operate my consulting business helping service-based companies with financial reporting and analysis.

But I also have taken all of my skills and knowledge from entrpreneurship... and launched my latest company in 2024: Coffee Shop Nation (CSN)

CSN is an educational platform for internet business owners, helping them start and grow their online business + personal brand.

We provide tools, resources, community and courses with the goal of helping people maximize their income while designing their business around their ideal lifestyle.

If you're interested in starting or growing your internet business, check out everything we offer at CoffeeShopNation.com, including our free weekly newsletter The Laptop Lifestyle.

If you'd llike to explore working together 1:1, my profile is open to receive messages from everyone. Shoot me a message and let's chat. 

Rooting for you.

Founder

The best online education platform for solopreneurs and micro-business owners.

Get online business & content creation tips for free every Friday: https://www.coffeeshopnation.com/the-laptop-lifestyle

Write Wiser by Nadine Heir

Guest Writer

Self

Writing action driven and effective copy to assist clients increase their monthly views and revenue.

Copywriter

Hira Walraven

Who would think of leaving a 7 figure job?

An employee who is overworked, underappreciated, and underpaid.

That's not the experience I had imagined accepting an offer letter from an MNC. But given my experience working with their previous local distributor, I should have known better. 

The job allowed me to fund my Master's in Environmental Engineering and give my family the luxury the last two generations have struggled to acquire.

But it took a toll on my physical, mental, and emotional health. A workplace where you have to prove your place every day is never worth it.

No paycheck is big enough to trade your health, peace, and life for.

Thus, a job I was excited to excel in turned into a real-life experience of "all that glitters is not gold".

But even bad experiences teach you valuable skills like sales, marketing, presenting, and conducting meetings.

I planned to start a career in Environmental Engineering after my master's but job hunting turned out to be a task. Still looking...

Meanwhile, Copywriting crossed my path. I enrolled in a course to learn more about this high-income skill in July 2022, and since then, I have been practising my craft.

Design Engineer

Total Construction (Pvt.) Ltd.

This offer from my previous Manager saved me from going broke.

It also came at a time when I thought my career was done for.

Association with a firm that has been accused of fraud and past colleagues being threatened with jail terms isn't a breezy professional occurrence.

I am pretty sure not many people witness such a dramatic happening.

Though the job role and the responsibilities were similar to my last position with the firm. It was an opportunity I can't say no to.

The CEO quickly put my bidding expertise and managerial skills to best use by allowing me to work on challenging projects and with every Project Manager on the payroll of the firm.

My communication skills and confidence in my expertise increased 10 folds working on competitive tenders and with experienced site managers.

I had the chance to visit many project sites to understand the workflow and various stakeholders involved in the decision-making process.

This a necessary learning for any engineer wishing to excel in their job roles.

I expected this tenure to be longer than the previous one, but an MNC tag on a lucrative job offer took me on a different path.

Planning & Coordination Engineer

SEED Ventures

Grow your earning potential by exploring new companies and business models.

That was my main goal when I applied for the role of Quantity Surveyor at the company's construction subsidy Engineur Construction.

I was told my responsibilities would include working for their support system distribution firm. 

Since, a Civil Engineer can design and budget, the position offered a different yet interesting application of my engineering knowledge.

I said: Yes.

It was a fast-paced and growth-intensive role where I learned:

- MEP support system design simulation
- Working with consultants to convert them into clients
- Technical sales based on design estimates and specifications
- Housing construction and estimation as a new contractor in the market

No future position had the diversity this job provided me.

It polished my team-building and networking skills.

We were working on a multinational automobile manufacturer’s 1 Billion worth project when things turned south.

The MEP contractors highlighted incidents of support failure due to connectors breaking and bending.

The support manufacturer’s UAE team came for a project tour to tackle the material quality objections when through investigation, the local distributor was accused of mixing poor-quality items with company-stamped products.

A volatile time it was.

Payments were withheld, and employees were given a 3 months notice to look for a new job.

As if like a saviour, my past employer offered me an opportunity to put my career back on a good track record.

Group Technical Engineer

Total Construction

This was the best position I could have ever asked for.

It had all the elements of a good work environment.

- A guiding Manager
- Compassionate CEO
- Experienced General Manager

Who trained me in my first role as a Civil Engineer.

In a few months, I was able to perform the cost estimation for various bids single-handedly while assisting the Finance Department with every Project or Bid related query.

Working with one of the city's finest Finishing Contractors has many upsides.

You got to witness modern architectural preferences and get involved in the heavy machinery’s procurement and contracting process.

Though, at times, my judgment was questioned due to a lack of experience. But my efforts to manage all the back-office tasks to streamline the company’s engineering department’s processes were noticed and appreciated.

I never believed in staying for life in a particular position, so after good 2 years, I started my search for a better role.

Which was one hell of a  ride I didn’t know I was getting on.

Writing words to scale businesses | Copywriter | Engineer

After 1.5 years into freelancing, I can say it is not a "get-rich" quick scheme. Nor is it a freedom to work from anywhere kind of hustle. 

If you are a Copywriter, you can't always work out of cafes. It is an almost impossible thing.

You can enjoy good coffee, a long walk or a vacation anytime you like. But all these come at a price, which we pay in the form of

- Planning our work day on Sundays
- Working on a holiday to not work on off days
- A mind buzzing with content ideas to write about
- A content calendar filled with dozens of never-used drafts

But in the down market time, it is the best way to ensure earning and upskilling.

I am saying this with six years of corporate experience across construction, design and manufacturing industries.

If you are a recruiter who landed on my profile through a job, I would love to know how I can help your company progress.

But if you are a fellow freelancer, hit me up, I would love to chat with you.

taplio

The Battle

Thomas Strider

Samra Junaid

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