It’s now been almost 3 months since I’ve sold Yellowstone. I’ve taken 3 months to just relax and unwind from the past 3 years of working my butt off. I built out Yellowstone, the backbones to two online businesses, and traded a decently sized crypto portfolio. I was absolutely exhausted. I was mentally fatigued and all I could think about is how tired I was. I felt like I’ve was sprinting and I hadn’t stopped for a long time.
I needed a break. A loooooonng break. I was thinking of taking 6-12 months off but I’m already starting to get the itch to work again. That’s a good thing. It means I’m more rejuvenated and ready to pursue the next thing. Also, I made a decent amount of money but I don’t want to burn all my capital just traveling. Also, I’m a bit tired of traveling. I think at this point, I just want a place to call home.
Moving Time!
I was initially thinking about staying in California after thinking long and hard about moving out of state. I traveled to over half the United States looking for a place that I could call home. My first inclination was moving to Austin. I checked out the city and really liked it. It was up and coming and was fast becoming a new tech center in the U.S. However, after deliberating a bit, I started to think that maybe I should stay in California. I had some friends in Orange County and they liked it. It was also in between the Valley and San Diego.
I looked into some rentals and also potentially just buying a house out there but everything seemed ridiculously priced. My mom wanted to go on a road trip and she suggested Texas. After looking at rentals in Austin, it almost made immediate sense that I should go with what I initially wanted to do. I was afraid of leaving my mom and dad without one of their kids near them since my sister lives in Arizona and my brother lives in Spain. But considering that my mom is still relatively young and my dad has relatives nearby I figured it would be okay. I plan to visit at least every quarter and so and I’m still thinking of moving back to Cali depending on how business turns out.
I’m going to Texas on January 31st and staying until February 4th to show my mom Houston, Dallas, and Austin. It will be a good chance for me to see the other cities as well before settling down in Austin. I’ll probably use the time to look at different places in Austin as well. I’m either going to rent a place on Airbnb or Sonder for a month and then use that time to find a place I really want to stay at or just find something I really like and just go for it.
I think normally this is a pretty big step for most people but because I feel like I don’t have too many attachments and I’m single, it makes it much easier to do on a whim. Regardless, it’s definitely going to be a big change. I won’t have my friends within driving distance. I won’t really know anyone out there except for a couple of friends in different parts of Texas. I know it’s going to feel a bit lonely at first. I remember feeling lonely after a month of traveling on my own to Asia. I’m sure I’ll encounter a bit of that in Austin as well. The goal is to find a church community that I can get involved with and just be more social. But I know it’ll still take time. I’m excited regardless of whatever happens.
The New Frontier for Work
While I was taking my break, I’ve been thinking a lot about what my plans are next. I wanted to come up with something that I could do for the next 5-10 years. Most of the things I’ve done in the past I had a relatively short time horizon. But as with most things, truly great things to build take more time. I want to think more long-term and build something that lasts.
I feel like everything I’ve learned and encountered in the past 15 years has come to a culmination with what I plan to do next. I’ve been caching ideas here and there like gathering pieces to a jigsaw puzzle, without knowing what the final picture looks like. Now with all the pieces in tow, I feel like I’ve been able to piece together the intended image for the puzzle and I’m pretty excited about it.
I’m a big picture, futuristic kind of guy and I love seeing something in my mind before I can move forward. It doesn’t mean I have to know all the steps that I’ll take to get there, but it helps me see how my actions today fit together to paint the big picture. It’s like an artist seeing in his mind what the final image is going to be before he starts painting. He doesn’t know all the strokes he’ll make, but he knows his final destination so each stroke he does make, he knows why he’s doing it. Without having a vision, I feel lost.
10-Year Work Plan
With all that said, I’ve articulated the general idea of what I want to do for the next 5-10 years on my VENTURES page. It might not be exactly 5-10 years but something I want to do for a long time.
The three-part business model really puts together everything I want to do:
The Venture Studio allows me to build new companies rather than just work on one. I tend to get bored after the business finds a product-market fit so by building multiple businesses, I feel like I won’t get bored. Also, starting businesses and getting them traction is what I like doing most. It keeps me in my zone of excellence.
The Merger and Acquisitions part of the business allows me to strategically buy businesses instead of having to create them from scratch. We’ll take profits from the venture studio companies and buy companies that will help either expand the customer base of our existing companies or just complement businesses we already have. Buying companies with strong revenues and customer bases is usually less risky and leads to more stable recurring revenue.
The Portfolio Management part of the business allows us to hold onto companies we’ve built and bought over the years. Most of the profits from building a company come after you’ve found product-market fit. However, that isn’t the part I enjoy but I know it’s where the money is at. Instead of running all the companies myself, we’ll hire key management personnel to run the companies. I’ll lead oversight as CEO of the holding company that houses all the companies. I won’t be directly involved in the day-to-day management but instead, focus on performance metrics and helping our portfolio companies be more successful through shared resources and insights.
All of these aspects of the business will work synergistically and keep me focused on the things I do best. I actually thought of the M&A business model because my brother works for a company that does this. I came up with the portfolio management part of the business because my brother-in-law works for an executive search company and they find management executives to run companies. I figured why can’t I do the same thing?
Non-Profit: The Wisdom Project
The other endeavor I want to take on is a Christian non-profit. You can see the overview of it here –> NON-PROFIT. This idea came to me while I was traveling in South East Asia sitting in a coffee shop a day or so before my buddy flew in. I felt like the idea came flowing into my mind and I was able to capture the thoughts through this blog. It’s pretty crazy that the ideas that stem from that day are still with me and something I can see more clearly now. It’s like everything I’ve been through has given me the ideas, wisdom, knowledge, and experience to take them on.
I know the non-profit is something I’ll be doing much longer than 10 years. It’ll be something I contribute to for the next 20 years or so. But it’s something I feel I can start after getting traction with the holding company.
Countdown to the Move
I still have several days before I actually make the move to Austin. I’m aiming to leave on February 9th. I’m not sure if I’ll be driving there or just flying out there and buying a new car. I figured I’d keep my existing car in California so when I come to visit I’ll have a car to drive around.
I’m excited about the next chapter. I’m learning to trust the Lord more and rely less on my own strength. I’m learning how to balance it all. I know the plans I have set but I don’t know how things will turn out. All I know is who holds my future in his hands. Whether things are successful not, I hope to have joy and peace through it all.
I’m also looking forward to spending more time finding a wife. It’s been long enough being single and I’m ready for this next chapter. We’ll see how it all turns out!
I’ll do a new update after the transition and I get settled. Until then, stay saucy ya’ll.