Ven

Today I say goodbye to my 30s. It was a wild decade: -Launched my first supplement company (Holy Land Health) in 2015 and went from $1MM rev that year to $23MM the second year. -Had to meet with 9 district attorneys in Oakland after they sent me a letter about that company (it worked out alright). -Launched an agency (Red Ox Consulting) that did $10MM+ in revenue in a single year. Hated that business. -Made $1MM+ in freelancing income for 4 straight years (while running businesses). Did it by charging $50k per sales letter for clients. -Wrote hundreds of sales letters that generated billions of dollars. -Saw the emergence of AI occur, embraced it, and accepted that the days of charging $50k a sales letter were over. -Founded a call center (Turtle Peak) and sold it for 7 figures. -Founded a SaaS and sold it for 6 figures (FreeAdCopy). -Founded Copy Accelerator (CA Pro these days), through which I've helped 500+ DTC brands who collectively have generated $10BN+ in revenue since working with them. -Bought out my original co-founder of CA Pro for 7 figures. -Became a guru and built a personal brand. -Realized I didn't want to be a guru and stopped doing it. -Made millions of dollars selling courses and info, including RMBC which is considered one of the best copywriting courses of all time, and more recently RMBC II. -Did live events that generated millions of dollars in a single 3-day period. -Stopped doing those events because I didn't like pitching/selling from stage. -Flew private 50+ times. -Bought a Bentley. -Became an "investor" with 7 figures put into movies, an agriculture startup, tech startups, multi-family real estate, food startups, etc. -Saw most of that money disappear as those companies/projects went bust and multi-family got crunched due to high interest rates. -Became super illiquid -Realized being an "investor" sounds sexy until you need cash and all your money is locked up in things -At one point I sold a Rolex to help cover mortgages (at the height of my liquidity crunch). -Recovered from that, but stopped spending like a celebrity. Most of the time I fly Comfort+ but rarely splurge for first class. Also stopped putting any personal expenses on credit cards. Went from monthly credit card payments of $200K+ to payments of like $10k or so on average. -Had my first daughter in 2018. -Almost got divorced in 2022. We separated and were in arbitration. -Stopped drinking alcohol (along with my wife - and yes our drinking was related to us almost divorcing). -We saved our marriage. -Had our second daughter in April. -Marriage is in the strongest place ever. -Met an endless list of celebrities, billionaires, etc. -Saw my best friend since childhood get diagnosed with cancer in his mid 30s and die right before his 38th birthday. -Saw another best friend since childhood also get diagnosed with Stage IV cancer at age 38. Spent weeks at the hospital in LA supporting him last summer during/after emergency surgery to remove multiple infected organs. He's doing okay right now thank God. I try to visit him at least once every 3 months. - Did $10MM+ in real estate transactions - these ones have mostly worked out pretty well. -Got in great shape thanks to my friend Glenn Dawson and ResetU. -Survived attacks from enemies trying to destroy my business. -Finally stopped bouncing around to things and got hyperfocused on the telemedicine business I run, which did $20MM in our first year and is doubling that in our second year. — Honestly there's so much more I could put. It was a very busy decade… But ultimately, the biggest transformation as I come out of it is a feeling of maturation and focus. I'm thankful for the experiences I had. The good and the bad. The wins and the dumb mistakes. All of it... But as I turn 40, the most beautiful thing is how much simpler my life feels. Family: They come first. I love being a dad. I coach my oldest daughter's softball games. I'm up early in the morning with our 6-month-old. I don't go out and party. When I'm not working or working out, I'm with my family. If it's not work time and I'm not with my kids, it's because I'm out on a date with my wife. Business: I say no to every new business opportunity that comes my way. I say no to pretty much any speaking invite or opportunity. I don't launch new info products or courses (with the exception of RMBC II). I don't have any interest in investing in random businesses. I'm good with CA Pro and telemedicine and that's it. Finances: I spend less. Money goes out of my account every month and into an index fund. Every now and then I'll buy some individual stocks. I don't do speculative stuff. I don't spend money on PJs or ultra-luxury cars. I still like nice things, but I buy them rarely, and there's never a compulsive need for "more." We have a nice house and even if I had a billion dollars, we probably wouldn't move. The house is great and the neighborhood is full of families and kids that my daughters can play with. Who cares about a house that's bigger. Health: I work out every single day. I eat pretty healthily. I'm as mentally and physically strong as I've ever been. Spirituality: I meditate regularly and I give thanks to God for everything I have. — And that's the tweet. Long. Maybe self-indulgent. Maybe contains lessons. I don't know… But I'll only turn 40 once and there's something about big milestone events that can leave a man feeling reflective.