every big shift in my life has come from one person.
not algorithms.
not luck.
people.
there’s something i’ve been sitting on for a while. this happened back in 2024 and, honestly, i feel more comfortable telling it now obviously because i’m in a way better place haha let’s get into it
the part i usually skipped
there was a month in 2024 when i thought i was going to lose my apartment.
i was making content. a lot of it. showing up daily, posting, tweaking, trying to be useful. on paper, it looked like momentum. i was absolutely crushing it.
carousels were outperforming. i was meeting people and they were telling me how much they loved me and my work.
but man on the inside, it felt like i was pedaling hard and the chain kept slipping.
projects at the agency dried up longer than usual. we just couldn’t land work.
the weekly emails and dms that used to end with “let’s do it” started ending with “circling back next quarter.”
i refreshed my inbox like it could save me.
i opened the banking app everyday like the numbers might have changed overnight magically.
rent was piling up and landlords were on my NECK. there is a specific sound your brain makes when you’re doing the mental math of what to sell, who to message, and how much pride you can afford.
and then there’s the content spiral.
you post more because you feel behind.
you get quieter because you feel embarrassed. the algorithm becomes this imaginary judge and you start performing for it instead of speaking to people.
it’s so weird how entrepreneurship can make you feel both visible and invisible at the same time.
i remember sitting there, cursor blinking, thinking: maybe i’m not cut out for this. and right under that thought was another: or maybe i’m just one person away.
the email i almost didn’t send
i opened an old email thread with a friend i hadn’t spoken to in months. typically, I’d shout them out on here but I haven’t spoken to her about this and so she probably doesn’t know how much of a big deal what she did was to me.
anyway, back to the matter…
we had worked together on a rather small project in Singapore once. I don’t even think I charged for that project.
but i just felt the urge to send an email.
no pitch deck. no clever subject line. just an honest…
“hey, how have you been? i’m taking on a few projects this month. if you know anyone who needs help, i’d appreciate a nudge.”
i hovered. second guessed and actually ended up sending it the next morning.
a few days later, they replied with a referral. that referral turned into a call. the call turned into a project. the project turned into oxygen.
not a lottery ticket. not a viral moment. just a person. and that was enough to change the month that almost broke me and brought me the biggest job I have ever done.
one day i will share the case study on that project with you guys but man it’s crazy how that simple, email put me in calls and meetings with people I had NO business working with.
but more on that case study when it’s open to the public and I can finally talk about it.
inserts NDA clause meme
attention has always been the game
here’s the perspective shift i keep coming back to.
attention isn’t new. business has always run on it. it just used to be wildly expensive to get in front of people. tv alone represented tens of billions in ad spend every year in north america. for a long time, that was the cost of being seen.
today, we can reach almost anyone for free or close to it. a post. a dm. a short video. a thoughtful email. the gates are mostly open. we forget how much of a privilege that is because it’s normal to us now.
but access to attention and the skill of turning it into opportunity are two different muscles.
one is a publish button.
the other is a relationship.
social is the attention tool, not the home
i’ve learned this the hard way. social media is not your business. it is the attention tool your business uses.
your business lives in the conversations that attention starts.
it lives in your calendar. in your crm (customer relationship manager). in your proposals. in your thank-you emails after the work is done.
there’s a reason you can post every day and still feel like nothing is moving. because “seen” is not the same thing as “in conversation.” and “in conversation” is often just one intentional message away.
i love how some of the classics still nail the principle. content marketing usually beats traditional interruption on efficiency. in many studies it produces more leads at lower cost, which is another way of saying that thoughtful connection still wins.
three quiet signs your social is actually serving you
it creates real conversations, not just metrics. replies, dms, intros, calendar links. if you aren’t meeting new people from your content, it’s not doing its job.
it builds your modern contact pouch. old-school salespeople carried cardholders. today it’s your crm, your email list, your dm threads. the tool changed. the principle didn’t. keep the relationships warm.
it reaches people who can say yes. views are fine. access is better. tighten your message so the right people recognize themselves and feel safe reaching back.
if you’re looking for a guide on how to set up your social media for success in 2026, here’s the most recent guide i wrote on that.
when i think about that month in 2024, what saved me wasn’t a growth hack. it was permission.
permission to reach out without pretending i was doing great.
permission to ask a friend for a nudge.
permission to treat the internet like a bridge to a human, not a scoreboard.
i’m not saying never run ads or never chase scale. i’m saying most of the meaningful shifts in our lives come from a person. a single yes. a single door.
and if you zoom out, the tools we have now make that easier, not harder. the cost of getting in front of the right people has fallen compared to old broadcast-only options, and the ability to target or personalize means smaller, smarter moves can matter.
a small practice for this week
try this:
make a short list of five people who already trust your work.
send one honest, specific message asking for a referral or collaboration.
follow up once, kindly.
ship something small they can share.
and if the list is empty, start a new one:
comment thoughtfully on three creators’ posts you truly respect.
send a note that adds value, not a pitch.
repeat for ten days.
when it’s natural, ask one clear question that opens a door.
your next shift might still start with one person.
here’s my guide on how i tie this all together into a nice 15 minute daily routine
a gentle nudge before i go
if you’ve been feeling stuck, tired, or invisible, you might be closer than you think. you don’t need everyone to see you. you just need the right person to. and they’re usually one message (or post) away.
hit reply and tell me the one person you’re going to message this week. i’ll hold you to it.