Being Content AND Ambitious (Q4 2022 Update)

I used to think the pinnacle of entrepreneurial success was selling a business and living a life of leisure.?In 2018, I had a buyer lined up and was ready to retire.?

Thankfully, I came to realize that my ambition would be barking at me to be productive.?What I decided is that having financial and time freedom would not be sufficient.?I would need to find a renewed sense of purpose and meaning in my life.?I had been devoting more time to non-profits, but was not finding it to be as rewarding as I had hoped.

I decided to go in a totally different direction.?My business model always involved outsourcing and subcontracting.?I never wanted the responsibility of managing a team.?My fear was that building a company would not allow me to spend my time as I please.

I am so grateful that I pushed past my own limiting beliefs.?I have never been happier with my role or my results in business. After earning more in 2021 than ever before, 2022 topped it. More important to me, I was able to do that working ~35 hours a week for 40 weeks and just a few hours the other 12 weeks (I’m never 100% disconnected).?

The past few years I have experienced the joy of creating a team that can achieve my goals far faster than I ever could realize on my own.?We recently had our annual planning meeting, and the feelings of gratitude overwhelmed me.?Everyone is rowing in the same direction to accomplish what’s important to me (and them, as well as for our clients and investors).

I now feel I have the best of all worlds. I have financial and time freedom and I’m motivated and excited to build a business that has a meaningful impact on so many families.

I never learned about this phase of one’s career despite reading 1,000+ business books since graduating college and more recently consuming social media content related to success.?Yet, I know I’m not alone.?

I have the good fortune of working every day with 8 figure net worth entrepreneurs earning 7 figure incomes. Many of them are content and ambitious too.?Too often, they have the false belief that a sale will improve their life.

Money is such a taboo topic that it’s uncomfortable to share how amazing it is to be financially independent yet still working because it provides meaning and purpose.?

I always thought that work was a means to an end. I enjoyed every role I had (except when I was a dishwasher the summer before I went to high school), but still expected that I’d prefer more leisure time once I didn’t need more money to live the life I wanted.?

I was simply uninformed and short sighted. Building a business that allows me to contribute in ways that I find rewarding and valuable is a gift unto itself. Perhaps I would have started working towards that end sooner had I learned the joy it could bring. Hence why I’m sharing it.?

In 2023, I hope you find opportunities to reach new heights of purpose, passion, and profits. I’ll be working on that myself.?

Business adVentures

My push to reach more audiences generated 5 podcast interviews and 5 live presentations.?After reflecting on my speaking goals, I decided to narrow my focus to zoom-based presentations and live events where I can return home to sleep.

One exception will be for MyEO Deal Exchange, where I’ll continue to volunteer.?At this year’s conference, I led six sessions over 3 days.?It was rewarding, energizing and a great way to contribute to an organization from which I have received so much.?Next year, we will be in Austin and if you want to join me, let me know because tickets are going to be limited and by invitation only.

Perhaps the most meaningful experience this quarter was hosting our family office annual retreat in Fort Lauderdale.?Our team hosted a cocktail party for my partners and clients, we did two exceptional days of planning, and spent the evenings feasting on food tours while getting to know each other outside the office.

Our family office revenue doubled in 2022, certainly a cause for celebration.?It allowed us to continue to build a high-quality team of attorneys, accountants, and financial planners to manage the unique needs of entrepreneurial families.?

Our biggest miss this year was finding good real estate investments.?We walked away from many deals and only closed one significant transaction.?The silver lining is that we don’t have to do a deal to generate fees to cover our overhead.?Our business model is built on our ability to only make investments that we’d make it if we were exclusively using our own capital.?In the end, I know our discipline will pay off and I’m optimistic that we will see an avalanche of opportunities later in 2023.

Family Adventures

We kept up our tradition of going to Disney’s Not So Scary for Eden’s 12th birthday.?Halloween falling on a Monday was a reminder of how smart other countries are to celebrate the Saturday night prior to the 31st.?Amanda still enjoyed sliding full size candy bars down her chute to nearly 100 visitors.

The girls also took a quick trip to NYC for Eden to meet up with her camp friends, enjoy Harry Potter’s Broadway show, see her bestie who’s been performing in Music Man, and say hi to my parents.

Eden’s been enjoying her dance classes, performing well in school and smitten by her new boyfriend.?They became fast friends when he immigrated from South Africa to join her school.?His romantic, handmade flowers and poem asking to make things official were very cute.?Since he and his family never celebrated Hanukkah, they came over for some traditional holiday foods, light candles, and exchange gifts.?

Jared’s girlfriend and her family came to celebrate Hanukkah, too.?Two other nights, Jared and Eden had over longtime friends.

Amanda and I didn’t find opportunity to invite over our friends, a tradition disrupted by Covid and kept away by the kids’ busy schedules this year.?We did host my EO forum and spouses for a holiday dinner, cracking the seal on having guests back in the house.?Plus, Amanda took off her mask and mingled at our indoor EO holiday party.?My hearing loss and the loud atmosphere made for a short night, though.

Jared hit a few new milestones this quarter.?Another all A’s report card, his first travel soccer weekend in Tampa, an overnight with his girlfriend’s family to Orlando for Christmas and receiving his first car!?I wasn’t sure what to get him and he didn’t care – he just didn’t want something flashy or expensive.?A 14 year old truck with 200k+ miles seems to fit the bill while he learns the rules of the road.?As the mechanic said, “wrap him in a lot of metal”!

Amanda and I did a little better this quarter with our day dates, but my travel schedule impeded on some fun.?We did a few days on the boat as a family and with friends before it became inoperable and 7 weeks later we are still awaiting parts to get things running properly.?Unfortunately, the boat jokes hit too close to home, so please don’t share your favorite ?.

We ended the year with a trip to Puerto Rico where the kids did a sleepover with Uncle Ron and together we popped down to visit my CXO Jenna and her husband Peter in their unique neighborhood, Palmas del Mar.?From San Juan we took off on a cruise to six beautiful islands to play in the crystal clear bright blue waters that Amanda and I had visited nearly 20 years ago aboard the same vessel.?

Cheers to an amazing 2023!?If I can serve you in any way, please let me know.

With Love,

Noah

PS ∞ Whenever you’re ready, here are three ways I can help you:

1.??????If you want to become Rich Beyond Money, click here to download my free e-book.

2.??????If you want to learn more about our real estate investment strategy or invest directly with my family, visit www.TalkAboutRE.com.?

3.??????If you want to learn how my family office can help you Earn Predictable Income, Create Your Ideal Life, & Build Your Legacy, fill out our short intake forms on www.TalkToFreedom.com.