On January 27, I had lunch with a friend and fellow entrepreneur. We met in 2011 as members of EO Accelerator and have kept in touch since then. On this particular day, our goal was simply to catch up, since we hadn’t seen each other in over a year. We talked about what was going on in our lives and about our plans. I reflected on my journey and what I learned while building CCAW over more than a decade.

My friend listened and encouraged me to share that story with more people. I was pretty resistant to that suggestion because I’m very private, and I brushed it off until he said this: “It may seem normal to you, but not many people have founded and built a company to over $10 million in revenue. Let alone accomplish this in their thirties. Sharing your story could encourage others.” He was right.

According to Verne Harnish, only 4% of companies make it to $1 million in revenue. I grew CCAW to many times that. He was right, I’ve achieved something unusual.

My friend told me his story and how he’s sharing it with the world. I discovered that even after all these years, I wasn’t aware of many things that shaped him.

After hearing him out, I decided to share more. The truth is, I’d always known that I wanted to share what I’ve learned, but I’d never got around to it. To give me the kick I needed, my friend proposed a 60-day accountability challenge: we would both commit to sharing more of our story and what we’ve learned along the way and to holding each other accountable. I loved the idea. Here are the rules we set for ourselves:

• Duration – 60 days (March 9 to May 8).
• Post type – Video or written.
• Accountability – By 11:59 p.m. EDT every business day (weekends optional), we will text each other links to our posts.
• Content – New, thoughtful, and meaningful. Posted publicly, attached to our name and face, and permanent (Facebook and Instagram stories don’t count).
• Fine – Missing a day will obligate us to send $50 by Venmo or Cash App to the other person. On May 12, the total amount collected will be donated to a charitable cause.‍
• Recap and reflection
• By May 13, each of us will send the other a text summarizing the lessons we’ve learned, what we now do differently, and our three biggest takeaways.
• Sometime the week of May 11, we’ll have lunch together to celebrate.

This past Friday (May 8) marked the end of our challenge, and I’m happy to report that I’ve posted every single day (even weekends) for 60-plus days. Thank you, Ethan, for sharing your story, suggesting this idea, and holding me accountable for following through!

And thank you to everyone who provided feedback and support. I received lots of encouraging words from people who found my posts helpful, which motivated me when I had writer’s block. I’d love lots more feedback, good or bad, about my posts in the last 60 days.

I learned a ton about myself, but more importantly I hope I helped others. I truly enjoyed this process and I plan to continue posting daily!

Today I caught up with an entrepreneur friend. At the end of the call, I asked if there was anything that I could help him with. He asked if I could help get a college student an internship in AI, machine learning, programming, or a related field. The pandemic, he explained, has made it very difficult for students to obtain internships.

In college, I participated in INROADS. This organization prepared students for and connected them with internships at great companies. My older brother interned every summer because of his participation in INROADS. Naturally, I followed in big bro’s footsteps. That decision was pivotal. Not only was I introduced to other highly motivated students across the country, I also learned how to operate in a fortune 500 company and got a front row seat to national politics. My internship was year-round with one of the top lobbying organizations in Louisiana. My bosses were highly connected in politics and state government. That experience led to interning with a US senator in Washington, D.C., after my sophomore year. My final summer was spent as an IBM intern traveling around the country.

Those three internships had a huge impact on me. The work experience and the relationships that I developed helped prepare me for not just corporate America but also entrepreneurship.

The pandemic has changed things for most businesses. If you can, though, please consider giving a student an opportunity to gain experience this summer, even if it’s only part-time and unpaid. It could be the catalyst for great things in the student’s life.

How did an internship help your journey?

This week I had the pleasure of attending Techstars Demo Days “in” Boston and Boulder. These events are held in cities all over the world and historically they’re hosted by each city’s local Techstars Accelerator. Accelerators are three-month programs in which entrepreneurs receive “funding, mentorship and access to the Techstars network for life.” Because of the pandemic, all spring 2020 demo days are virtual (I’m not sure if virtual attendance used to be an option). I jumped at the chance to learn about new companies and ideas in various places.

Techstars accelerators give entrepreneurs access to a lot of really smart people—including past and present entrepreneurs in the Techstars network—who can help them fast-track their progress and otherwise support them. Demo days are a great way for entrepreneurs to get introduced to customers and potential investors.

Techstars has seven additional demo days scheduled in May and June. You can register for upcoming events and review past ones (including viewing pitches) here. If you’re interested in hearing about new problems and solutions, consider taking a look.

Today I had an interesting conversation with a buddy. We talked about how certain environments accelerated our success. He believes that proximity to success increases one’s own likelihood of success and I agree with him.

When I started CCAW, I was working out of an apartment and had zero interaction with other entrepreneurs, which was pretty miserable. I felt isolated and had to do everything myself—after first teaching myself how to do it. Eventually, I joined EO Accelerator, headquartered the business in Atlanta Tech Village, and then joined EO’s Atlanta Chapter. Each was a stepping stone. While I was in EO Accelerator, CCAW was doing less than $1M in annual revenue, but I was mentored by EO members whose companies had crossed that threshold. The path to $1M suddenly became clearer. Before the move, we had almost zero technology. At Atlanta Tech Village, I was surrounded by tech companies, so I could bounce from floor to floor getting technical questions answered. Building tech became a lot easier and we surpassed $1M in annual revenue. Once I joined EO, I was surrounded by local peers who had built companies with annual revenue from $1M to $100M+ and who were willing to help in any way they could. The path to $10M spread out before me.

Without proximity to these groups, would we have exceeded $10M in revenue? Maybe. Did it help us get there faster? Without a doubt.

My experience tells me that being around people who are where you aim to be makes it more likely you’ll get there. Success seems more real when it has names and faces. You learn little secrets through osmosis. You can find out the details of their journeys, get game-changing intros, and ask for help strategizing. Proximity isn’t the deciding factor in your success, but it can be very influential.

How has proximity accelerated your success?

I recently caught up with an acquaintance who happens to bean entrepreneur. We discussed what’s happened since the last time we spoke and what’s on the horizon. He mentioned that a recent change of scene allowed him to focus better and feel more at peace. He’d been feeling distracted by how well some of his peers are doing and under self-imposed pressure to reach headline-grabbing heights. I was reminded of a quote I like:

Comparison is the thief of joy.

~ President Theodore Roosevelt

This entrepreneur has a thriving company. Revenues are growing and his team is expanding. By most measures, he’s achieved a remarkable level of success. Now, is he the most successful entrepreneur of all time? No. Has he made the cover of Forbes? Nope. Has he built a great company he can be proud of with happy customers? Absolutely!  

My big takeaway was that even accomplished people feel insecure. Successful people, like everyone else, have their moments—or days, weeks, or months—of self-doubt. They just may not be as open to admitting it. Fortunately for this entrepreneur, he is self-aware enough to recognize what was distracting him and make changes to mitigate the problem.  

How do you avoid comparing yourself to others?

More and more state governors are issuing stay-at-home orders to protect people from exposure to the coronavirus. Consequently, many of us are spending more time inside than we usually do. I assume that some view this positively and others negatively. Either way, the orders are a short-term fact of life that we have to deal with.

Though far from ideal, this is a rare opportunity for some people (including me). Today I thought about what I can work on that will have long-term importance to me and that requires some concentrated time.

Here are some of my ideas:

• Research things of interest – I’ve been interested in trading stock options for years. Now I have time to read about it.
• Care – Call a wiser family member (Mom, Dad, Grandma, Grandpa). Considering the effect this virus is having on wiser (read: older) people, I’m sure that most of them are anxious (even if they’re not saying so). Calling to check-in will make them feel cared about.
• Work on a project – Now is a great time to work on anything you’ve been putting off around the house. I’m unpacking a ton of boxes.
• Check on friends – I have great relationships with a decent number of people that I don’t talk with more than once or twice a year. I’m reaching out to see how they’re doing.

If you’re already staying home, what are you doing? If you’re not, your time may be coming—consider making plans.

In a previous post, I shared what I learned from my first company. It taught me a ton, but I never figured out how to transition it from a hustle to something sustainable. That realization, my desire to make my parents proud, and an urge to keep up with my classmates resulted in my happily agreeing to work for EY in Atlanta. To be totally transparent, I also wanted to move to a big city and travel on someone else’s dime. (Side note: I almost accepted a job in San Francisco —until they casually mentioned I’d probably need four roommates.)

Personal finance has been a hobby since adolescence; that was a big part of the reason I majored in finance. The summer after college, I was curious what my financial life would look like with a real job in a big city. I’d never lived outside Louisiana, earned a salary, or had benefits before. I decided to create a budget for my new corporate life in Atlanta. My forecast was crude, but the exercise was helpful. Even though I’d studied finance and read avidly about personal finance, my knowledge gap was HUGE. I decided to fill that gap and get perspective from others. My hope was that I could avoid financial pitfalls.

I decided to try to get my forecast posted on a personal finance blog and ask for feedback from its readers. Getting any response from bloggers was a 50/50 proposition, I figured, and I expected a demand for compensation if they did reply. There was no downside, though. From my previous experience, I had learned the value in simply trying.

I emailed my forecast to a popular personal finance blogger. To my surprise, he agreed to post it and didn’t ask for payment. You can see the post, my forecast (don’t laugh), and the feedback here. The feedback came in quickly and was pretty diverse. There were financial suggestions, as expected, but also advice on how to live life. All these years later, I’m still surprised and thankful that this blogger and so many of his readers were willing to help me out by sharing their experiences and perspectives. Their feedback helped me prepare for life in a new city and transition smoothly to corporate America.

Here are my takeaways from the experience:

• ‍Perspectives – Everyone views life through a unique lens. For a variety of reasons, we don’t all see things the same way. There is value in trying to understand other perspectives (even if you don’t agree with them). Listen with an open mind.‍
• Knowledge gaps – Nobody knows everything. Seek knowledge from credible sources and people. It will help you make good decisions.‍
• Right answer – The right thing to do may be something suggested by someone else. Getting to the right answer is more important than being right. This is from Ray Dalio’s book, and I agree 100%.‍
• Ask for help – People are often willing to help. Think carefully about what you’d like them to do for you. A specific ask will make it easier for them to help, so they’ll be more likely to say yes.