WTF have I been doing for a year?
You want to know? Well here you go.
Welcome to the Friday Flight!
Just a nice collection of non crypto things.
Last week I published my good-bye email that I sent around to my EY colleagues in recognition of being out of EY for 1 year. Today I’m here to tell you the “what did you do” for a year.
Tchau!
Relevant Friday Flights
Taking a Career Break is the Best Thing I’ve Done (your next read ;) )
Finding Your Curiosity Through Others (for all the extra crispy)
What I’m Up To
TL;DR: I’m in Europe on Vacation.
The Things
As you reading this, know that I’m getting drunk off of Port wine in Porto, Portugal. Above photo is Porto. That’s what I’m up to. The next time you read this, I’ll be at the Alhambra in Granada.
Caught up with TPAN. Always a good catchup.
Brennan - I see you there with your company being referenced in WSJ.
What I Reflected On
TL;DR: WTF did I do for 1 year?
WTF have I been doing for a year?
I did a whole lot of nothing during my time off, and it was liberating. It was great. And in those pockets of nothing, I sometimes did a few things. I then returned to doing nothing.
Below is a recap of the things I did - and you should know this: It sounds like “I did a lot of things”, but the honest trust is I did many things for only 30 minutes a week.
Personal
Moved: I moved to the OC and also got another cat.
Video Games: I beat (or played a mind numbing amount of) Rimworld, Deserts of Kharak, Homeworld I, Homeworld II, Riftbreaker, Stray, Warhammer III, Assassin’s Creed Odyssey, Horizon Forbidden West, I 100% Vampire Survivors, and I’m a pirate in No Mans Sky.
Fiction Books: I read all of the Dune Series, and I’m 1/2 the way through the Expanse series.
Non Fiction: I read the Book of Joy + The Courage to be Disliked. I have read other books too but none that I have finished.
Therapy: I did therapy post EY, using up all the remaining sessions available. I do recommend a therapist for your post long-term employer life.
Running: Bought new running shoes in 2022. Retired them after 600 miles. Bought new ones.
Educational
Learning Brew: I did an 8-week cohort-based education with the Learning Brew Business Essentials Accelerator, which is all part of the Morning Brew brand. Very clutch. I met and developed relationships with quite a number of people. One of them I am an investor in. I now participate as an Alumni Advisory Board Member.
Building an Audience: I did a 2 weeks skill-based course called “Building an Audience” only through the Learning Brew, taught by Alex Lieberman himself. This was a clutch course for me. It has contributed to building out a North-star for my writing, as well as how I and when I publish. It also contributed to 1m in LinkedIn views.
WeAreNoCode: I paid for and did a self-paced “WeAreNoCode” course that essentially taught me how to bootstrap a great deal of many things, what tools and deals to use, and when to do certain tings. While useful, it is not directly impactful.
Startup School: I tuned in each week to a StartupSchool webinar or online social, as best as I could. I enjoyed their take. I can sum it up as: Place your thing in front of your customer. Do it again, especially if you think you know your customer.
Things Started
Online Store: I started an Ecommerce Store with a friend, whose curiosity refilled my own. We did the product research, sourcing work, packaging design, negotiations and pricing, overseas shipping and trade customs, labeling, and shipping to a fulfillment center. While it passively generate income and it has provided the ROI, I don’t know if I would do this again.
Cryptomining: I started a Cryptomining operation that pulled in $350-$500, before the crypto crash. Capital costs were on the low side as I already had existing computer components. Mostly. I also ended it 6 months in, at the time when the Crypto committed suicide.
Professional Curiosity: I started writing this newsletter in January 2022. My goal was originally to explain crypto concepts in the most non-engineering way. It has evolved to be the newsletter where I pretend to talk to my past self by remembering things, including my own explanations, stories, and recounts.
The Restatement: I started a job-board newsletter, mostly as a joke. It is mean for CPAs and CISAs looking to do anything else. It is fun when I get the time to look at job postings and say “you have no idea what you actually are looking for”.
Professional
Independent Consulting: I started my own company doing Blockchain Financial Consulting, which is based off referrals provided to me through this newsletter. Every new client and contract evolves my relationship and scope of services in the Blockchain world.
I do CFO // Finance // Accounting things of the crypto variety
I do Product things
I do specialty projects
Open to take on new projects for 2023 ;)
TokeBi: I, along with two cool people, started TokeBi project. We were able to surface the project with several people and now we’re taking the feedback and reiterating.
Conference: Gave a talk on Blockchain and Audit.
Searching: I find myself searching for accounting service providers for people I know. Sometimes even talent.
People
I’ve had the pleasure of reconnecting with old acquaintances and being referred to specific people for great conversations.
I’ve had the opportunity to group my network through so many coffee chats as facilitated through a calendly link I have and send
I essentially beat post college and post ey network stagnation.
Technology
I picked up Notion and its my 2022 superpower.
I traded out my U3415W 34” Ultrawide for a 42” OLED.
Steamdeck is GOAT.
That’s all folks!
Tchau.
This was a great reflection! I'm sure a year feels so long ago now!
This is awesome!