๐ฐ Money Doesn't Just Happen. Here's What Does...
Hey Reader,
I tuned into the Pete Buttigieg episode of Diary of a CEO expecting a political conversation. And it was that. But somewhere in the middle of a very long and very good conversation, Pete said something that made me take notes for this week's email send because it was not about politics at all.
He was talking about how people look at entrepreneurs and wealthy founders and assume that money just sort of... happens around them. That somewhere between the idea and the outcome, something magical occurred and a result appeared.
And he is right that people think this. I see it every single week.
People watch someone else run a business or produce a show or build an audience and they see the result.
They definitely don't see see amount of people-labor behind-the-scenes.
They do not see the infrastructure.
They do not see the pre-production.
They do not see the editing budget and the distribution strategy and the years of relationship building and the failed launches and the reinvestment and the very specific decision to treat content like a marketing asset instead of an afterthought.
They see the pizza. They do not see the tomatoes. (This article is a couple years old but I double dog dare you to guess how many people are on the team for Diary of a CEO. Hint: it's more than 49.)
This is the myth I have been working to dismantle at Sasquatch Media Grounds since day one. And it is exactly why I built the summit on September 25th around one very specific thesis: your show should make you money. Not eventually make your money... and certainly not magically. You make money in anything you do in your business through a very real set of activities that have a very real sequence and require a very real investment of time, money, and intention.
Here is what that path actually looks like, because I want you to see the full picture:
1๏ธโฃ You start with an idea that connects to a paycheck. Vague content strategies can fuck all the way off at this point. We are talking about a specific idea with a specific audience and a specific reason someone would pay you.
2๏ธโฃ Then you do the marketing, because nobody buys from someone they have never heard of. Marketing feeds the ecosystem that operations run on. Marketing consists of things like your YouTube videos, your podcast episodes, and your email newsletters just like the one you're reading from me now.
3๏ธโฃ Then there is everything else that nobody puts in the highlight reel on social media: networking and relationship building, creating the actual pathways for people to give you money, doing the mindset work to accept revenue without sabotaging it, getting comfortable being visible, handling the technical reality of recording and editing and distributing, and (ultimately) building a community that creates growth instead of just noise.
This is not a passive income story. Just as it is not a "create once, earn forever" fantasy. This is a business. And businesses require the kind of work that Pete Buttigieg, of all people, reminded me is still the thing that separates the people who build something real from the people who are still waiting for the magic to happen.
He also said something about founders that I want to leave with you: the best thing about them is that they see something that could be and blow through every wall between them and getting it done. The worst thing is that because they were uniquely good at one thing, they sometimes imagine they are good at everything.
Unless you're running my business for me, I have sobering news for you: You need help with your media content. It's not because you're bad at something, it's because your zone of genius is not my zone of genius.
Know your zone. Build your infrastructure in it. Get help for the rest.
That is what September 25th is for. ๐ซCheck out the Sasquatch Summit details below. โคต๏ธ
๐ฆ Six Weeks Out. Clock Is Ticking.
September 25th. Vancouver, Washington. Thirty seats. One day.
โOne question: why is your content not paying you back yet?
I have been getting coffee chat requests for six months straight from people who are showing up consistently and still wondering why the money is not following. My boos, that is not a talent problem. It's not because you lack charisma or hustle. You have a systems problem. And that room on September 25th exists to solve it.
The sidelines feel safe. They are not. You already know why someone else is getting the opportunities: it's because they're in the arena making decisions... and you can be too.
This summit is for one type of person: someone who wants their podcast, YouTube channel, newsletter, or livestream to create revenue instead of cost it. No massive audience required. No influencer aspirations necessary. You do need to stop treating your media like a liability and start building it like the marketing asset it actually is.
One more thing. Do you believe you will still be creating in six months? If yes, this room is for you.
General admission is $197. A founding Dojo membership is also $197 per month and includes your ticket, the full replay as a private podcast, post-summit expert sessions, and everything that keeps building after the day ends. That founding rate closes permanently on September 25th and goes to $497 after that.
Same price. Completely different value.
Option #1 ๐ Grab your summit ticket for $197 with replaysโ
โOption #2 ๐ Join the Dojo at the founding rate with included ticketโ
๐๏ธ Gossip from the creator trenches...
๐ฏ Do You Miss Your Top 8?
Apparently some people miss MySpace enough that the founders are attempting to bring it back, static pages, old algorithms, and your top 8 friends included. I genuinely do not know how to feel about this. Some things are better left as fond foundational memories and a cautionary tale about platform dependency. But here we are. Big sigh.
โGet nostalgic and party โโ
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๐ธ Your Rates Might Be Aimed at the Poverty Line
If you are of a certain age, your mental scale of what constitutes a livable wage may need a serious update. I have seen some pricing lately that made me wince on your behalf. Respectfully and with love, let me introduce you to what rates look like when your business actually pays for your life.
โGet your updated reality check โโ
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๐ฃ The Details Matter. A Lot.
Ted Lasso keeps delivering this season and this activation is a masterclass in what happens when a brand does something genuinely extra for its audience. You probably cannot do it at this scale, but you can absolutely do one or two special things that make people feel seen. In the age of AI when everyone is craving human connection, the extra effort is not just noticed. It is the whole point.
โBarbecue Sauce โโ
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Let's Hang Out
I released a 90-minute Astrology and Tarot forecast covering July through December 2026 for $47. The second half of this year has a lot going on energetically and I had an absolute blast recording this. Several of you grabbed it immediately which tells me we are onto something here. This is my first experiment in bringing readings back in a sustainable way and it will not be available forever.
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Participate + Join In
PDX peeps! This is for you... Dojo member Jodi Ballard-Beach is putting her strategy work into action in real time. She and her sister have been building a sustainable plan for Goss Night at The Siren Theater on Mississippi, and it is happening this month. This is exactly what it looks like when someone in the Dojo stops planning and starts doing. Grab tickets or enter to win a pair at this link. See you there!
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