From Architect to $8.6M Business: My Journey Building and Buying Back Best Self
I recently had the opportunity to appear on the AppSumo podcast to share my entrepreneurial journey. For those building—or dreaming of building—a business, here’s a breakdown of the most important lessons I’ve learned along the way. Turning $550 into $2M in 9 Months What started as a $550 investment grew into a $2 million personal development brand in under a year. The secret? I pre-sold more than $300,000 worth of products before producing a single one. It was a real-world market test that validated demand and minimized risk. Architecture to Entrepreneurship I didn’t plan on becoming an entrepreneur. At the time, I was earning $30,000 a year as an architect, commuting 45 minutes each way. In 2012, I launched a side hustle: a Shopify store selling graphic prints and posters. I used Tumblr to share my artwork, and eventually, my designs were picked up by media outlets like MTV and Fast Company. As the side hustle outpaced my day job income, I realized it wasn’t the destin...