The importance of prioritizing health as an operator & builder
"Health, mental and physical, are essential. We should be talking more about that. And when you're independent, it's even more your onus to manage."
On early career strategy
Most first jobs are apprenticeships. Pick your job based off of your boss.
On building a multifaceted career
I consult for cash flow and staying sharp, I write a newsletter for networking and brand building, and I invest as a means of wealth creation and supporting the ecosystem, all focused on the vertical of climate. I really like that threesome together.
On growing up in a family business
It shows you pretty quickly what entrepreneurship really means. It's not glamorous. We didn't go on vacation. We didn't raise outside capital. We packed boxes and ran a business as a family.
On running a business today
When you're truly independent, the buck stops with you. In fact, everything stops with you. Literally, when I take time off, everything stops. But I feel the ownership and have the confidence to set those boundaries. That's in comparison to asking your boss before you can take two weeks off. I'd never trade the agency.
On burnout in consulting and startups
Every three years, I would have a huge burnout period. I'd have to lay in bed for a month. That's crazy, that shouldn't be happening to someone in their 20s. Health, mental and physical, are essential. We should be talking more about that. And when you're independent, it's even more your onus to manage.
On choosing whether or not to specialize
True excellence, really becoming a leader, requires being more of a generalist. But you have to prove your strategic advantage.