Proximity Newsletter #1

Great Day Good People and Welcome to the Proximity Newsletter!

What started off as just an idea has grown to an audience of over 1100 people, and specifically 286 people joining over the last week, with only one post about it! That's about 17% of my LinkedIn connections, which is great!

If you're into supporting and growing this community network, drop a comment below and share this post asap! LinkedIn’s latest algorithm boosts the reach of new content depending on how much love it gets in the first hour. This "golden hour" really sets the pace for how far our message travels. So your comments, shares, and likes right after this post goes live are crucial for keeping our community thriving. Big thanks for your support and thanks to Lars Leafblad for this helpful tip!

So I'd love to start off by saying thank you. You could give your attention anywhere in the world, and you've chosen to allot some of that attention to things I deem are important. I hope I can continue to earn your attention through 3 specific values that are important to me: integrity, transparency, and relationships.

I thought it would be helpful to not assume everyone reading this knows me, so here are a few things that I think you should know:

• Who I Am & What's my story? My name is Jesse Ross, I'm son of Jesse Ross Sr. & Shelby Jean Berry who was born in Jackson, MS and moved to Minneapolis, MN when I was a baby. I've lived primarily in North Minneapolis most of my life but I've been a round the block. I started my career in nonprofit and randomly stumbled upon business as I searched for more opportunities to provide for my family. My recent story is one of family, entrepreneurship, and community engagement, where every challenge is a stepping stone towards personal and community growth. I've founded businesses, spoken publicly, and committed myself to volunteering, driven by a desire to improve lives and empower others, especially within the black and brown communities. My journey is a testament to turning passion into purpose, learning from every experience, and sharing those lessons with others. Lastly, I love my family. I'm a husband, father of a blended family with 6 kids from 21 all the way down to my 8 year old nephew. Tyler, my soulmate, allows me to share stories of my family in the hopes that people recognize that I'm the same person in real life as the person you might read about.
• Why LinkedIn & Why a Newsletter? LinkedIn is my chosen platform because it aligns perfectly with my mission to network professionally and spread impactful messages. It's where I connect with other driven individuals, share my thoughts and experiences, and build a professional community that mirrors the values of support and growth that I hold dear. A newsletters seems to be the most stable medium outside of video to communicate with a wide range of people throughout the world.
• Why I post the things I post? Everything I post—from Morning Minutes, from photos, to tagging people—is about leveraging social media for GOOD. I aim to inspire, engage, and educate my followers, providing them with resources, opportunities, and insights that encourage professional and personal development. I have been going back and forth about this format least 2 years. Battling a few things related to writing but the biggest questions were: 1. How could I continue to add value to those I’m connected to? 2. How could I do something different and unique? 3. Would anyone actually read it if I put it out? I believe in the power of "social" & "media" to build relationships bridges, amplify voices, and foster a supportive network.
• What is part of the behind the scenes that almost no one sees? Behind the vibrant posts and uplifting messages lies a reality filled with its own challenges. I confront racism head-on, navigate industries where I've been ostracized for challenging unethical practices, and advocate tirelessly for equitable treatment and pay. All this while managing the demands of family life. These experiences, though tough, reinforce my commitment to justice and equity, fueling my drive to make a difference.

Community Highlights

Spotlight some of the new subscribers, if possible. You could include short introductions or profiles of individuals who have joined the newsletter, showcasing the diversity and richness of your growing community.

I’d like to talk about a friend of mine, Sammy McDowell . He died a week ago and he was a man who made a tremendous impact in the community. I’m really sad by this still but encouraged because he lived in his purpose. He was always willing to help people and always willing to make sure that people were taken care of. As I think about remembering him, I just want people to know how awesome of a human he was. Please support his business SAMMY'S AVENUE EATERY LLC .

Call to Action

Encourage your new readers to contribute. You can ask them to share their stories, challenges, or successes. This can help create a more interactive and inclusive platform.

• I’m inviting you to share yourself with me in a few ways: 1. By sending in stories that I can share with the broader network. 2. By asking questions (like some of you do behind the scenes) that I can share with the group. 3. By joining my podcast (yes, I have a podcast that will be released soon!). 4. Purchasing some coffee from my brand, Intentional Drip Coffee would be great. You can find it here: https://www.intentionaldrip.com We are trying to spread the word about some good coffee with a good cause.

Opportunities

Given the diversity and interests of your new audience, you might include a section dedicated to opportunities for collaboration, networking, or professional development within the community.

• I’ve been working on something that ideas to get my anti-racism conversations group back together. One thing I’m doing that I’d like to invite you to is this Saturday, May 4th, I’m partnering with the good folks at Mapping Prejudice . We are going to meet, talk about the work they do, and identify work that needs to be done this year by you and I. I encourage you to attend. More Info here: https://sanctuarycov.churchcenter.com/registrations/events/2224826
• Explore Opportunities Together: I’m currently open to speaking and consulting opportunities where I can bring my expertise to organizations that want to make a good imprint into the world. Are you or someone you know looking to elevate leadership skills, engage your community more effectively, enhance your real estate strategies, or improve your company’s culture? Let’s collaborate to create meaningful change and achieve exceptional outcomes. I specialize in these areas with a proven track record of impactful results. If interested, please reach out to discuss how we can work together.

Feedback and Ideas:

I’d love to hear ideas of what you’d like to hear/see from this newsletter. Most of you know me, my brand, and what I stand for. I trust your feedback.

Thank You Note

Thank you to the 1102 (and counting) of you who subscribed on LinkedIn and the many others who are tapped in through email form.? I’m grateful to be in community with you and excited to see what happens.

Last Words:

I didn't start this because I’m worried about the numbers. I’m grateful for them but I’m not driven about it. What I’ve learned over time is all I can do is make sure that I do everything in my power to maximize the amount of RIGHT people who find out about what I’m doing. Only time will tell if you’re the right person. You may know more of the right people. You may share it and the right person comes along. Regardless of the outcome, my job is to create as many positive inputs and see what happens.

We used to live in a society where you could go to your neighbor and borrow a tool or some flour and they would give it to you, and you would return it or pay them back with a similar favor. In this us vs them culture, we’ve gotten away from that.

I believe there are still good humans out there who are willing to go the extra mile for another human, simply because it’s the right thing to do. That’s who I do this for. That’s why I do this. So thank you for being a good human. Today, can you go help someone?

Thank you!