We’re almost at the end of 2019! I can’t believe how quickly it has gone by. I’ve been done with Impact 195 for almost 2.5 years now. It’s been about 1 year since I came back from S.E.A. I’m about 8 months away from the day I quit CSS…Amazing.
Some Quick Updates
So some exciting news! My sister just got engaged on November 29th, 2019. It’s been a long time coming but we’re excited to welcome a new brother to the fam. He’s been thoroughly interrogated and he’s passed the test 🙂 It’ll be exciting to have my brother and his gf come down for the holidays. I’m looking forward to having them all together. It seems like the Lien’s are going to be slowly coming off the market.
Unwage Epiphony
So I’ve been thinking about where I can record podcasts and video material for Unwage. I wanted to convert a room into office space but that didn’t pan out. One night the idea of turning Yellowstone into a recording studio after-hours hit me. I thought that would be brilliant and a great way to use the space I currently pay for.
I took the tv’s I use as menus and turned them into a backdrop for Unwage. I thought it was brilliant and now I have a great space for recording.
What’s After Unwage?
Yesterday, I decided to spend some time exploring a new part of Los Angeles County. I wanted to spend more time to think about the moves after Unwage. Seattle/Vancouver allowed me to focus on my thoughts on Unwage and now that I feel Unwage is settled in my head, I’m ready to focus on the next steps after that.
It’s not to get ahead of myself but I feel I know what to do with Unwage. I now need to put in the work but most of the thinking is done. It’s the same feeling I had with Yellowstone (that’s just what I’m going to call the Water/Key/Phone Project). Mentally I felt I knew what needed to be done with the store and now it was just putting in the work. I needed to know what to do with Unwage and Milliardco because it kept me motivated to finish Yellowstone so I could work on Unwage.
Now that I’m almost done with Yellowstone, I can start working on Unwage but I also need to know the next steps after Unwage. Unwage will be a platform I use to build a personal brand and if it takes off, I’ll convert it into the marketplace platform for entrepreneurs. If not, I’ll keep it as a personal blog platform.
I believe that Unwage is a $5-10 million dollar play either in potential operating profit or something that can be sold for $5-10 million down the line. But I want to work on something with a 50-100 million dollar potential. I’m not sure what that is yet but I’m starting to develop some parameters on what this business would look like or be.
Strengths, Passions, and Experience – A Ten-year Journey
As I’m exploring options for what this next business is, there are several things I’m thinking about. I know that I want something that plays off of my current strengths, passions, and experience. I want something that stretches me but is also within reason. I think a $50-100 million dollar business is a stretch but doable. Trying to go after a billion-dollar business right now I just don’t think is feasible with my current skills, experience, and confidence.
I also know I want to do a business that I’d stay with for the next 10 years. That means it’ll need to have some scale to it and enough room for ideation and growth that will keep me excited for a decade. I’m not a huge management person. I like to create ideas, make them a reality, and establish systems. Once I set the system in place, I’d like someone else to take over that is more management and operation minded.
I also think I want it to have a reoccurring income component, something that is either consumable or based on a monthly purchase program like a SAAS product. I’m currently leaning towards a physical product company though since I don’t think I’d have a strong competency in software as of right now. Although, I do plan to take the time to learn computer science and coding as I build out Unwage and this other company (Whatever it happens to be).
I still don’t know what that business is but I decided to take time to explore LA and give my mind some time to wander and dream.
Exploring Uncharted LA County
I started the day by dropping off some items at Goodwill and then went to a Starbucks to get mentally organized. I NEED to mentally prepare for the day by looking at what my priorities are for that day. If I don’t, I feel weird. It’s like having a broken compass. I need to get my bearings or I feel lost.
While at Starbucks, I looked up some great places to do some thinking. This was the website I found – https://www.eventbrite.com/rally/los-angeles/17-quiet-places-in-la/. That first image on the site caught my attention. I had seen it somewhere before…I realized it was on my vision board I created a couple of years ago! I looked up the location and it happened to be in Palos Verdes. Boom! I was going there.
I also wanted to get inspired and what better place than Palos Verdes. Of all the years I’ve lived in LA, I’ve never stopped and explored PV. My first stop was the Wayfarer’s Chapel. When I got there, there was a wedding procession going on so I wasn’t able to go inside until it was over. Once I did go inside though, it was a bit disappointing. I was expecting grandeur and breathtaking architecture but I was met with dirty windows and tiny spaces. Also, it seems the founder of the building was a founder of a Christian based cult…that’s not fun.
Wayfarer’s Chapel
After Wayfarer’s, I was starving. I got some gas in my car and found a nice spot close by to eat at The Choro Man. The owner was a nice guy with an inspiring entrepreneurial story. He got his start by selling chorizo on the streets. He’s a 4th generation chorizo maker and is making a name for himself and his family. With just one restaurant and growing chorizo distribution business, he’s making his chorizo making ability into a chorizo empire.
The Choro Man
After finishing off my tacos, I went to the coffee shop next door and grabbed a nice hot latte with a chocolate chip cookie to pair with my unsweetened coffee. Perfect for the cold weather.
I saw a golf course with a beautiful view driving up to Wayfarer, so I stopped by and walked around the outskirts of it to burn off some of the food and take the time to think about what’s next. The golf course is wedged into between the Pacific Ocean and sprawling million-dollar mansions. Hard to imagine it wasn’t going to be breathtaking.
Marilyn Ryan Sunset Point Park & Trump National Golf Club
I walked around until shortly after nightfall. It was getting dark and I had reached the end of the walking path. No conclusive ideas on the next business but it was a really pleasant walk. It was reminiscent of my time in Seattle/Vancouver. I plan to check out a different part of LA each weekend. I lived here so long I figured I’d at least explore my own backyard.
Redondo Beach
On my drive back, I wanted to take the scenic route so I took the PCH1 towards Santa Monica. As I was driving, I saw a little town that looked interesting so I pulled into the boulevard of little shops. Nothing that exciting but it did lead to the beach. I decided to check it out. I still had some energy and I was full of coffee.
While I was there, I texted my brother, who is in Saigon working on a company. We texted a bit about our goals and what I was thinking about. It was good to get some feedback on my thoughts with business.
As the night came to an end, I got to see the sun completely disappear, darkening the skies to a pitch black. There is something so melodic and beautiful hearing the waves crash as the sun makes its escape into the night sky. God is definitely an artist with infinite creativity that creates works that speak so beautifully to the soul.
After a quick walk on the beach, I finally called it a night and head back home. No concrete ideas came from this little escapade but my soul was refreshed and I felt a renewing of my dreams and goals. Definitely not a bad thing.
And the sun comes up again tomorrow. To a new day friend!