Justin's Recent LinkedIn Posts

On August 2nd, 2019, a good friend of mine told me I was making "the dumbest mistake of my career." The day before, I had walked away from a high-paying C-level role at a company worth north of $500M. I'm sure he wasn't the only person who felt that way. I think my parents might have. Most of my friends probably did. And my old co-workers thought I lost my mind. But when I looked around at everyone else's life, here's what I saw: A bunch of people who had made reasonable choices their whole lives, and ended up unhappy. What do you do with that kind of information? My only thought was to act on it accordingly. So I made an "unreasonable" choice. And that choice led me to the life I live today. One with: - Curiosity - Freedom - Autonomy - Excitement Sometimes choices that look wrong build lives that feel right. I write about these kinds of choices every Saturday in my newsletter. Join 180K+ smart and ambitious people here: https://buff.ly/A3EdMN4

When I was 27, a friend of mine made me feel very stupid about my $45,000 salary. She didn't do it on purpose. She was just genuinely surprised that I was "making so little" compared to what she was making at the same age. It stung, to be honest. Up until that moment, I hadn't really thought about whether my salary was good enough. And I certainly didn't think it was a problem. It's funny how ten minutes before this happened, I was doing fine. I was content, even. And 30 seconds after, I became fixated on how "far behind" I was. How long would it take to close the gap? Had I failed to reach my potential? How did I get here?? The truth is that you feel behind because you only know how to read the current scoreboard. And scoreboards are just snapshots of a specific moment. They can tell you exactly where things stand right now, but they're terrible at predicting what happens next. If you want to see how our journeys changed over the next 20 years, I share that in my new essay tomorrow morning. You'll be surprised what "behing behind" can look like 20 years later. Get it free here: https://buff.ly/A3EdMN4

"Strong opinions loosely held." That's a great motto to live by. It's how I try to live. I'm not always great at it, to be honest. Sometimes I fall into the trap of being "Mr. Know-it-all." Don't we all, though? It's human nature to believe that we're correct about most things we've become deeply passionate about. Especially when it comes to living a great life. But there's a simple test you can try to see if it's true... Simply ask yourself, "Do I love my life?" If the answer is no, you might not be quite as brilliant as you think. Because living a life you love is a much better indicator of intelligence than an IQ test, a degree from a fancy University, or how much money you have. I think Naval Ravikant put it best: "The only real test of intelligence is if you get what you want out of life." Sounds about right. Every Saturday, I send one email with stories, lessons, and practical ideas on building a life you actually love to live. Most of it comes from the experience of screwing up. Become the most intelligent version of yourself and join 180K+ here: https://buff.ly/6ol14zz

I fired more than 100 people in my startup career. And I hated it every time. If I'm being honest, 90% of the time, the person was better off at a different company, and we were better off with a different employee. Sometimes that's just how business works. But what bothered me the most was how quickly that person's life changed. One day, they're making a predictable salary and enjoying the benefits of a good job. The next moment? It's completely gone. I remember thinking to myself: "I certainly don't want to be one meeting away from my whole life changing." That was a big part of why I made the leap into my own business back in 2019. While there was mutual love and appreciation at work, I knew that when the board members rode into town, I was just a guy who had a number to hit. A line on a spreadsheet. Not Justin. So I decided to take the knowledge and skills in my head and turn that expertise into income. And take that income and turn it into freedom. A freedom no board member could ever take away. Every Saturday, I send one email with stories, lessons, and practical ideas on earning more from what you know. So you're protected. Join 180K+ here: https://buff.ly/A3EdMN4

Pessimists are often right. Optimists are often wealthy. It's easy to predict the downfall of everything, or be a doomer, or the one who tears down what people are building. These people operate from a place of insecurity. And when they are proven correct: - Someone fails - A business shuts down - Mistakes turn into disasters They are often the first to gloat about how right they are. But the funny part about all of this is that being right about the downfall of others doesn't pay that well. It doesn't help you network. It doesn't improve your skills. It doesn't add value to the world. It just makes you a better loser. Optimists? Builders? Creators? Makers? They're the ones changing the world. They're the ones adding value to the economy. They're the ones chasing curiosity and having fun. So let the losers be right. You've got too much stuff to do. If you're an optimist, come join 175,000+ people reading my newsletter every Saturday morning. I send one email with stories, lessons, and practical ideas on designing better work and a better life. Join us for free here: https://buff.ly/A3EdMN4

In December of 2022, I made a prediction on Twitter, long before the AI hype train: "More high performers will view one-person internet businesses as a viable option alternative to traditional work. More flexibility, high income potential, 100% ownership, & the ability to be present for their partner and children." Now that you can literally build an entire team of agents to help you, this has become even more of a reality. But most people still aren't taking action. They're hoping that what they do for work today will be the same 10 years from now. I'm not sure it will. I think that 10 years from now, having a solo business will be just as common as having a corporate job. I could certainly be wrong. But, I hope I'm right. If I am, and you want to start, come join 180,000+ weekly readers who learn how to build lean, profitable, one-person businesses in my newsletter. You'll get: - My free 2026 LinkedIn Growth Guide - The blueprint behind my $10M solo business - My 5 most tactical essays on getting started Join here: https://buff.ly/iKAl3na

A richer life can be found by filling up the 3 most important buckets. 1. Health Nothing in your life matters if you aren't in good health. You can be rich, famous, loved, adored, have the biggest and most complete family, and if you're not healthy enough to enjoy it, it doesn't matter. Cultivate a strong mind and body daily with one action. 2. Wealth Wealth doesn't mean accumulating as much money as humanly possible. It means understanding how to use financial gain to create leverage and optionality in your life. The "wealthiest" people have enough. And that enough-ness means complete freedom. 3. Relationships You can be as healthy as a horse and as wealthy as you can be, but if you don't have anyone to spend your time with, it doesn't matter either. Build an optimistic, like-minded, open, caring group of friends and family to share your life with. Now...of course, there are many other things in people's lives: - Faith - Service - Purpose - Etc. I'm not discounting those at all. All admirable and part of a well-rounded life. But once you have your health, wealth, and relationships in order... Not too shabby of a start. If that's the kind of life you're building, join 175,000+ readers in my newsletter and get one big idea every week on work, money, and freedom. You'll learn how to earn more from what you know and build a life on your own terms. Join us free: https://buff.ly/A3EdMN4

At your job, you'll likely take home about 25% of the value you create for the business. This isn't some big "secret." That's how business works. They pay you a fraction of what you generate so the company can be profitable and shareholders and investors make money. With that in mind, consider this: If you generate profit for your company, you have the skills and knowledge to generate it for yourself. The only two differences? 1. You get to keep 100% of it. 2. You need to be great at marketing. So, go study people who are excellent at it. Take notes. Watch how they write. How do they talk on video? What causes you to pay attention? All of the "secret sauce" is already out there. You just have to care enough to learn about it. If you want some help, I send one essay every Saturday that helps people turn their expertise into income and that income into freedom. After building my one-person business past $12.5M in profit, I have a lot to say on the matter. Join here for free: https://buff.ly/HFRf3Ve

Why is it that so many happy people are doing less, not more? I didn't say "rich" people. I didn't say "popular" people. And I didn't say "famous" people. Happy people. People whose lives feel as good on the inside as they look on the outside. They're doing less. I can't tell you how often I see it. Less running around. Less optimizing and scrutinizing. Less obligations on their calendars. Less scrolling on their phones all day. They're simply content. They make enough money. They're in good enough shape. They spend a lot of time with family. They have a strong sense of community. They have a purpose and a reason for working. They're slowing down and getting all of the important things in life in alignment. Because isn't happiness the ultimate goal? If you think it is, come read my weekly Saturday essay. I write about work, money, and what it takes to build a life you actually want to over 180,000 readers here: https://buff.ly/A3EdMN4

The more you do, the luckier you get. That's what my Dad used to tell me. Turns out, he's a pretty smart guy. The "luckiest" people I know often operate in a different gear, especially earlier in their lives and careers. - They read and learn more. - They reach out to more people. - They show up to more opportunities. - They share their knowledge more freely. In the end, luck is just the aggregate total of time spent learning + the sheer number of good things you've put out into the world. Is it a guarantee? Nope. Not much in life is. Does it increase your likelihood? Hell yes. So, if you're not feeling as "lucky" as you'd hoped, consider adding a few more reps this year. Read, write, connect, and share. I teach 180,000+ ambitious weekly readers how to do it every Saturday. Join my email list and accelerate your luck: https://buff.ly/A3EdMN4