Dearest Reader,
Where did 2024 go?
It feels like yesterday I was ringing in the New Year with old friends at South Bend’s finest casino. Now I am writing to you from a nose-hair cold Chiberia.
What a year. I feel I’ve lived a few lifetimes in the last 12 months.
I became a dual citizen, celebrated 5 years in biz and began the final year of my 20s.
2024 was fantastic—one of the most important years I’ve had.
This review will take more of a year-over-year (YOY) lens, comparing each quarter to where I was 365 days prior.
How To Read.
This is my third annual review.
If you’d like to read 2022 or 2023 before diving into 2024, be my guest.
It’s good context. There’s also a 5-Year Review (2019-2024) if you want to go wild.
Like last year, I wrote a quarterly letter for each quarter of 2024 (Q1-Q4). Since those already exist and were written in real-time, this review will take more of a year-over-year (YOY) lens, comparing each quarter to where I was 365 days prior.
Each section links back to its original quarterly, with selected quotes that still hold weight. If you want the fullest picture, read the letters and the annual review.
Why do I say that?
Primarily because they were written from different vantage points. The quarterly letters capture the heat of the moment—my pulse and headspace at that time. This annual review, however, asks a bigger question: how did 2024 compare to 2023?
In short: you learn new things when you look at something on a different horizon.
If you don’t write it down, you probably won’t remember how you thought or felt about the world a year ago.
Why even write an annual review?
It’s a fair question. And If I’m being honest, I have a few different motivations.
First, I love history. I spend a lot of time reading old letters, memos, and books. They’re usually the most valuable learning resource I can get my hands on because you can truly understand how someone thought in real-time. So, I feel it’s my duty to document and write down my thoughts for the learning of my future self.
Second, I adore reviews as a format. Content, and business content, in particular, is too fast these days. It’s one topic today and another breaking news story tomorrow. Yet what’s ironic is that the critical ideas of business are timeless, and nothing that truly matters in this game is net new. Reviews force you to slow down and accept that reality. My proof? All the reviews I’ve read from other entrepreneurs, publications, authors, etc, are some of their most timeless work. It doesn’t matter if you read on the day it came out or a year later; it still smacks of real, quality insight.
Third, legacy. Many people I admire wish they could remember how their thinking changed based on certain life moments, books, ideas or experiences. They know instinctively it changed, but they get fuzzy when the moments occured. I wish I could have read their annual reviews from when they first started or were in their late 20s, like me, to see what they were really thinking and feeling. Not what they told us they were thinking about on today’s cacophony of self-glorifying podcasts.
The bitter truth is that if you don’t write it down, you probably won’t remember how you thought or felt about the world a year ago. Let alone 30 years ago.
Don’t believe me? Just try to remember what you scrolled on social media yesterday.
Yep, I thought so.
Through this process, you become your own algorithm.
Through this process, you become your own algorithm (e.g., Spotify Wrapped). This is a beautiful thing as it forces you to articulate why certain moments, stories, and people caught your attention more than others. In that lies the real innovation.
I have absolutely no idea where this goes, which excites me. All I know is I will finally have a comprehensive answer to the question, “What did you learn last year?” How did your thinking change? What was your true focus?”
Anyway, here’s my recap of 2024 from start to finish. I hope you enjoy it.
Reflection.
The most natural place to start this review is to pick up where I left off in my 2023 Review. I shared the sentiments I was pondering for 2024 and wrote the following:
I: “A mix of f*ck it, can I do this?” and “If I follow my process, will it work?”
II: “Where’s my place in the world of hospitality?”
III: “How do I best show the world the depth of my mind?”
So, how did we fare?
On #1. It’s clear we can do this. I feel none of that same trepidation I did a year ago. I’ve realized, however, that confidence comes not from me following my process effectively but more so from my ability to document it. Simplifying and codifying it into a killer SOP anybody could follow and then outsourcing it to a quality VA I can train for the long haul (e.g. 1+ year plus). We did this quite well last year for content (e.g. processing library backlog) and prospecting (e.g. building city-by-by lead lists). Now it’s time to do it for sales, distribution, general administration, and supercharging everything from the PARA folders in my Apple Notes. It probably looks like one killer VA per subsidiary plus one general assistant for outreach.
On #2. I believe we’ve found our place in the world of hospitality—or at least the entry point. When I wrote my 2023 Review, part of me thought it still would have been some nouveau capital-oriented play. In large part, it was because I loved that level of abstraction. Owner-operator. Salary plus profit interest plus GP carry—a trifecta of sorts. Now, we’re bespoke analytics partners. We’ve carved out the operator piece as analysts-for-hire. Beachead is multi-unit hospitality groups. In time, we’ll serve full-service restaurants, membership clubs, wineries, gyms, hotels, bars, and hotels. We can get similar upside to being on the cap table with less BS.
On #3. The way I communicate is shifting. Interviews and op-eds were the vehicles I used in my younger days to show the world my mind. I still love doing the odd one. Bylines are cool and sexy but require a ridiculous amount of effort and don’t pay. Applying those same skills (e.g. formulating questions, research and writing) to the business — producing memos, reviews, emails, and curiosity conversations — has a far higher ROI. I still want to be published in every major publication there is, and I still feel like there’s a media-driven chapter of my life to play out. Yet the highest application of my storytelling ability feels like it is here. 4 quarterlys plus an annual review per year is a great cadence to let the world into my mind. All on my own real estate. We can certainly improve the distribution. I’ve got some fun ideas in that domain. These letters feel like they are the best ways to show off my mind without tip-toeing around an editor’s whims or the transience of the news cycle.
I call College Football America’s Greatest Export.
If 2023 was our unbrand, then 2024 was the rebrand. Over the last year, I’ve also observed some other notable shifts in myself and our business. They are as follows:
I fell in love with College Football. Blame it on Man Utd’s demise. My greencard. This being my 11th year in the USA. Marcus Freeman. NIL. IDK. Notre Dame had a great season in the end, but it didn’t look like that early doors, and I was still hooked watching the games in every conference. Underdog stories like Vandy certainly helped. I was totally consumed by CFB this year and loved it. The National Championship was better than the Super Bowl—zero doubt. CFB is a better product than the NFL, NBA and MLB. It’s on a better day of the week (Saturday > Sunday), hosted at better stadiums (Kyle Field > any professional stadium), with better atmospheres (12th Man > ? ), uniforms, helmets (looking at you, Illinois) and with players who are actually relatable (read: fewer primadonnas). I call College Football America’s Greatest Export. What do you call it? I’m curious.
I use AI, Everyday. ChatGPT came out on November 30, 2022. I can safely say I didn’t touch it until June 2024. Since then, it’s totally changed the game for me—as a “non-technical” founder by training but with a deep understanding of the tools, outcomes and wins he wants for his business. Being able to use natural language to better communicate my ideas and code is fantastic. I’m still doing all my writing myself, but it’s a formidable draft-turner. It helps make things sharper. I love training my VAs on how to use it optimally. What’s funny is it forces deep work with the token limit reset. 2025 will be the first full year I will integrate AI into every aspect of our business. It’s crazy that I have used it daily since July after a slow start.
SOP or die. I don’t want to understate the impact of Michael Michalowicz’s books on my development this year. Profit First and Clockwork are now foundational texts. Much like Weiss’ MDC and Ferriss’ 4HWW. The idea of show me your SOPs, and I’ll show you your future is just brilliant. Business is just a system. Inputs are what you must perfect and can control. Outputs are just downstream of the right or wrong inputs over time. Ideally, replicating the same motion while creating and extracting more value over time. I’ve always been routine-oriented. However, I’d never really taken the time to document that routine for someone else. That’s the difference between a routine and a system. Again, AI is a huge help here. You can build SOPs at scale and refine them using nothing more than a 5-minute LOOM.
Physical capacity = mental capacity. The book Spark first put this concept in my head. The idea that exercise is for the mind, not the body. George Heaton has said that the more you push your physical, the better your mental. I agree with that. WHOOP, weight training and weekly Pickleball have become the fixtures of my athletic life. Now, with a proper gym (read: squat rack) and sauna, there are zero excuses. It’s right at my doorstep. I’m excited. I’ve built a great baseline. Tour De Echelon et al. And it’s the right thing to do Everyday. It always transforms my mood. Grounds me. Gives me a well-needed break. What happens doesn’t matter; the day is a win if I train. I sleep better. I perform better. It’s just a revolving cycle.
My default settings are correctly calibrated. You know when you turn on a new video game, you’re prompted to ensure gameplay settings are correct for your TV, light source, and preferred controls? I feel like I’ve finally got all my preferred defaults down for the game of life. I’ve got the right relationship to content = default off-social. Right relationship to booze = default 0.0. I still enjoy the odd drink. I try to work 4 10s. Let Friday and the weekend be unstructured to let my mind explore. Write my 1,000 words a day. Publish 4x letters and 1x annual review every year. Grow the direct list of people I can send it to. Don’t try to resell other products. It’s not my game. I’m an operator. I’m an advisor. I’m a dealmaker.
I’ve got the right players on the team operating in the right systems.
Maybe the biggest takeaway is that I finally feel like I’ve got the right players on the team operating in the right systems. This starts internally with AI-empowered VAs following our operating playbooks for business development and content to a tee.
A whole year of Profit First under my belt — plus a killer financial advisor and investing platform from Carry — has just been transformational. I feel extremely clear about what I’m playing for and how it translates to the life we’re building.
My S-Corp move has been clutch. I’m running my own payroll, which is so ironic. You’re often told that as an entrepreneur, your biggest success is ditching your W2 job—until you realize that the real flex is being able to W-2 yourself forever.
Our technology stack is quality, and we’re lean internally. I’m lucky to have such great partners. They listen to my ideas, improve them, and are hungry to implement them. We’ve got products with natural intrinsic repetition (e.g. retreats, analytics).
All the pieces we need to become a fixture are on the board.
I’ve tracked my time for years now. I have three full years of time-logged data (2022-2024).
Timelog.
If that’s how my outlook changed, what about how I spend my time?
Like the Levels CEO, I’ve tracked my time for years now. Thanks to my meticulous use of Google Calendar’s Time Insights, I have three full years of time-logged data (2022-2024). I review this during my weekly, monthly and quarterly reviews to ensure I’m hitting my numbers (e.g. I’m spending the right amount of time on the things I said were priority). Takes all the guesswork out of how I spend my 168 and keeps me honest. If I notice a substantial change or an area not getting enough love, I can make a change or hire a VA to take over the work I’m just not getting to.
Comparing 2024 to 2023, here are some of the biggest changes in how I spent time:
Training. My physical capacity skyrocketed in 2024. Exercise became a non-negotiable foundational Everyday habit. I spent 416 hours exercising in 2024, ~35 hours/month. Up +116% on 2023. I’m a former decorated high school sportsman trying to figure out his long-term relationship with training sans competition. To quote James Clear, it’s become an identity rather than an activity. With a new gym, sauna, rack and ski-erg in the building, excitement is an understatement—a full year of 5-3-1 on all major lifts in 2025 is to come. Training dictates my underlying energy, focus, and capacity. More structure in fitness translates to more structure everywhere else. No on and off switch. It is simply part of my Everyday rhythm.
Hospitality. Became a substantial focus in 2024 (up 39% YOY). In a sense, this shouldn’t be a surprise. This product came from a capital raise I did in Q1 23 for a restaurant in the city. However, until H2 24, it was very much that project you wanted to give more to but couldn’t justify. Genuine commercial interest changed all that. I’m happy for it. This means the raise wasn’t all for nothing. Building the product, selling, executing, creating relationships with new partners and finding time to document it all takes real-time. I can’t wait to see what this year brings.
Process. SOP or die. I don’t want to belabour this point, but system building and process documentation have become an Everyday commitment, not a quarterly “oh yeah, let me get that done” project. Systems weren’t just being built—they were being used, optimized, and maintained. In 2023, system-building was still in the trial-and-error phase. In 2024, it became a steady, ongoing habit (up ~20% YOY). It’s time to double down in 2025, so we cover every facet of what we do.
Travel. I took fewer, more deliberate trips this year—16 in 2024 vs 26 in 2023. A 30% reduction. 2023, being our wedding year, artificially bumped up the trip number. It is so nice to have no more stacked, chaotic travel months. 3 weekends of travel in a row is my max. Travel feels embedded into the rhythm of my year. When am I going to need a break or a reset? Or, based on what’s already on the calendar, when will I need to knuckle down and get my deepest work done? That’s the driving force now. The bouncer, if you will. Travelling on my own terms has made a huge difference. Strategic travel is more fun, relaxing and less disruptive to my flow.
It forces me to confront how my time is actually spent, not how I think it’s spent.
It forces me to confront how my time is actually spent, not how I think it’s spent. 2024 wasn’t about rethinking our vision but about acting on it. Less questioning, more doing. More systems that work, more deals getting done, more momentum.
I didn’t get busier—I got sharper. They say what got you here won’t get you there.
2025 is simply about expanding our upside. The proof will be in the pudding.
I took 16 trips to 13 cities travelling 21,500 miles total.
2024
So, what’s the TL;DR of 2024?
In Q1, we celebrated 5 years in biz. I hosted a 2-day offsite out West. I published my first story for Monocle Radio. ARS told me I had a way with words. I recorded my first sunset mix for Everyday Radio. My wife and I celebrated 9 years together.
In Q2, we delivered Retreat XXVI (26) in Napa, CA. I turned 29. Had my best-ever quarter for expert network calls. Man Utd won the FA Cup. We got a new couch. I took my first trip on a luxury bus. I had my meal of the year at Mila. We completed our refactoring of all podcast episodes for Everyday Library.
In Q3, I became an Irish citizen. I spent time in Montreal and Cancun. I crafted speeches and profiles at prestigious conferences in Italy and Germany. I finished our 5YR Brand Refresh: new logos, lockups, and business cards. We celebrated our 1st wedding anniversary in Santa Fe. I also completed my first Tour de Echelon (2023).
In Q4, we delivered Retreat XXVII (27) in Laguna Beach, CA. Our building has a new gym, sauna, and workspace. We signed our first enterprise hospitality partner on the Michelin Guide. I went home to London for Christmas and landed on a new tagline for Everyday as “The Modern-Day Hold Co.”
All in all, I took 16 trips to 13 different cities, travelling 21,500 miles total.
Now for the quarter-by-quarter breakdown.
Q1: Slow Build
The theme of Q1 24 was Slow Build. Q1 23 was Refactoring.
In a way, they’re connected yet wholly different.
When I wasn’t fundraising in Q1 23, I started refactoring years of the “digital detritus” buildup in my iPhone, Drive, Kindle, MacBook, etc. As an obsessive reader and note-taker, this was no mean feat. Looking back, it was a valiant effort.
However, I quickly learnt that detritus piles up because you 1) don’t have a system to process it and 2) don’t know its final purpose. Shifting an idea into something presentable is challenging when you haven’t discerned the final container. It is akin to pinning the tail on the donkey with a blindfold, except you don’t know the shape of the animal or where the wall is. I always knew I wanted the final container to be semi-public. My gut said it wasn’t social media. The half-life wasn’t long enough.
I just didn’t know how, where or why our stories should live on.
This quarter wasn’t about breakthroughs or pivots but about turning pro.
By Q1 24, I had my answer.
Our rebrand from Everyday Entrepreneur (EE) to Everyday as a holding company at the end of 2023 was a mise-en-place moment. Everyday Radio emerged as the natural outlet for our media to date, and Everyday Library emerged as our “best-of” archive. Everything clicked. I had containers I could continue to hone over the next five years, and they would eventually become even more valuable sources of context and personal knowledge in the era of AI.
With names and structures in place—specific enough to mean something but broad enough to change—I graduated from the refactoring role to systems builder. I still organize and prune my latest Apple Notes during my weekly review.
However, we now have VAs doing the hard yards, editing, transcribing, and publishing everything into Everyday Library or Radio. For any piece of timeless content we’ve created, the goal was to generate a live URL (proof) with a Tim Ferris show-esque transcript (quality). I only read podcast transcripts.
That was my definition of good enough from a user and distribution standpoint. I’m proud to say we’ve hit that mark. Here’s a preview. We’ve brought ~60 episodes online since the Fall of 2023, averaging ~1 per week.
This quarter wasn’t about breakthroughs or pivots but about turning pro.
Showing up Everyday and doing the work, even when the rewards weren’t immediately clear, which they often never are with the most important things. It was a quarter of refinement (nod to Mark S), execution, and setting the stage for sustainable success—tightening processes, refining structure, and ensuring my business and personal habits were built for durability. It was a slow endeavor, demanding patience, discipline, and trust in the process. And we’re better for it.
Here are the quotes from Q1 24 that are still front of mind for me:
I: I said I was turning pro this year, which I define as doing what you have to do, even when you don’t want to.
II: For the first time in years, I feel in total control of my energy, time, and headspace. I know where to put them to get what I want, with a clear vision, structure and articulation for Everyday as a holding company.
III: Prompted by the rebrand to Everyday Radio, taking on a new URL, getting a new email, etc., I got super focused on cleaning up our entire podcast backlog from 2019 to the present. It’s really been amazing.
IV: Refactoring has also meant unpublishing episodes that aren’t timeless or just don’t quite fit Everyday Radio’s new remit of killer music, minds and meditations.
Q2: Work Clean
The theme of Q2 24 was Work Clean. Q2 23 was Life: A Full Contact Sport.
Talk about a stark contrast. Q2 23 was probably the most intense quarter I’ve had, period. I was in peak transition personally and professionally.
On the personal front, I was preparing to become a husband. Wedding prep was at full tilt. I celebrated my bachelor party in Vegas and, the very next weekend hosted our last-ever B2C retreat in D.C. with an exclusive tour of the White House.
On the business front, after raising $250K in 21 days, I became an investor-operator in my first hospitality deal. I was (somehow) back onto the circuit—FT Weekend Festival in D.C., Monocle’s Weekender in Asheville, and as a guest of honour at the Welcome Conference and The James Beards Awards in Chicago courtesy of Chef Katie Button and Resy. I even found the time to sit down with Foxtrot’s founder, Mike LaVitola, and write a story on their 10th anniversary at their global HQ in Fulton Market for Monocle. Incredible timing, given what ended up transpiring.
Throw in trips to Atlanta for a best mate’s wedding and a trip to Arkansas to see my little brother during his study abroad year, and it was pure and utter craziness.
I love being a curator, not a convener. I feel more in control of my own destiny.
We’ve got a tailwind. Crushed our second creator retreat in Napa Valley. Executed 100% remotely. I love being a curator, not a convener. I feel more in control of my own destiny. Capturing value commensurate with the true impact we’re creating. Hospitality is emerging. I have a sit down with the Chairman of the Illinois Restaurant Association. I send a few cold emails. The raise is long over, but I’m still cooking in hospitality—manual labour from years prior has been reduced by AI.
I’m recording my sunset mixes a year after holding that cigar bar in Atlanta. I took that guy’s words to heart. Wild. Finding an outlet that allowed me to reconnect with my love for storytelling and music was essential and integral to my vision of bringing taste and intentionality into every space I engage with. I was finding my rhythm and just working clean. I stayed focused on the motions that mattered most.
Here are some quotes from the Q2 24 that are still front of mind for me:
I: My consulting friends tell me their perpetual dream is to retire and take calls like this from the beach for GLG, Tegus, et al. I might just beat them to it.
II: I held down a cigar bar in Atlanta for two nights last year, and a top executive from EMPIRE told me I had great taste in music.
III: Nobody takes a data-driven approach to identifying, creating and capturing more lifetime value (LTV) from a restaurant’s truest fans. That’s what we provide.
IV: I want to apply my taste to the spaces and brands I rock with most in this game called life.
V: In case you missed it, I record a music show every other week. I curate a playlist of 15-20 of my favourite tracks based on the weather and time of that day. There is no intervention, autotune, mixing, or adverts. It’s just me, you, the views, and the tunes. I call this my version of NPR Tiny Desk.
Q3: On, Not In
The theme of Q3 24 was On, Not In. Q3 23 was In Transition.
Q3 23 was a comedown for sure. It’s not easy to try to process the time of your life.
A 4th of July weekend at the Lake with my family. A Ryder Cup UK vs USA golf tournament at Ravisloe CC (my favourite course in the city). Cuts & Shaves at Blind Barber for some of my boys sippin’ Natural Vino by Los Naturales. A beautiful rehearsal dinner and welcome party at Ada St. I’ll never forget MGMT blaring out on the speakers in the warm summer Chicago air, drink in hand with all my favourite people in the world around me. Stunning suite with city views at the Trump. Married at Assumption. Wedding at Ivy Room. Honeymoon in British Colombia. Seaplane. Sun. Sauna. Massages. Aperol Spritz in hand. It was all just incredible.
Returning to reality while adjusting to a new one isn’t easy. Looking back, it’s clear that I was still figuring things out. The words In Transition speak volumes even now. We’re pivoting the business. I’m teasing the library and travel platform in my letters. I still hadn’t delivered our first B2B retreat, which is nuts, so I was still in a somewhat B2C headspace. It’s so clear now B2C was never our true endgame.
I’m trying to get my greencard application done. All the medical tests, the jabs, the back and forth with our lawyer. Setting up joint bank accounts. I’m still on OPT. My visa ends in August. I was buckling up not to work or travel abroad until April 2024. It was a lot. Probably more than I even realized at the time. My sense is I was quite stressed. Although I could definitely see the light at the end of the tunnel.
Greencard in-hand. My visa woes were over for good. I’m travelling like a free man.
I’m so thankful to have made it through. By Q3 24, I’d simplified, and so had life.
Greencard in-hand. My visa woes were finally over for good. I’m travelling like a free man, celebrating my friend’s 30th birthdays and bachelor’s parties abroad. I’m grooving at a Fred again concert up in Lake Geneva. Playing golf. I’m having a blast.
I secured my second (Irish) citizenship on the last day of Q3 24 and got dapped up by the Head of Global Entry upon my return to ORD. He made the rest of the line wait until he’d finished catching up with my wife and I. The comparison is wild. I’m not sure my younger self would believe it. To think what life was like a year prior?
On top of that, a year after I returned capital, Everyday Hospitality is starting to emerge. AI has supercharged the product, taking our process and outputs to the next level. I also found joy in rediscovering the simple pleasures: curating playlists for friends, exploring new cities on foot and reflecting on my journey so far.
The Q3 24 On, Not In theme wasn’t just a business philosophy but a lifetime mindset. Focusing on the big picture and laying the foundations for years to come.
Here are some quotes from the Q3 24 that are still front of mind for me:
I: It’s true: much of my love for America stems from the fact that you can always pay to skip the line. And there isn’t a better skip-the-line pass in life than Global Entry.
II: My three rules for public speaking are one laugh, one hmm, and one wow. That’s your only job. If you can build around a killer talk around that, you’re good.
III: Much like WHOOP’s Strain, Sleep, and Recovery scores, we aim to build a slate of metrics that reveal how hospitality groups are truly doing Everyday.
IV: When we started in 2019, we went by Everyday Entrepreneur. We dropped the Entrepreneur at the end of 2022, and Everyday became the name for the overarching holding company last year. In JT’s words, it just felt cleaner.
V: I’ve kept every business card I’ve ever been given. And I’ll say some have aged better than others. Years later, even if I can’t remember the face, as long as the card is fresh, it tells me everything I need to know about that business.
VI: If you’re looking for a playlist to help you through winter, christen a new space, or get you into a particular headspace, hit me up. I’d love to curate one for you.
Q4: Home Again
The theme of Q4 24 was Home Again. Q4 23 was Foundations.
Of all the quarters, this one is perhaps the craziest for comparing and contrasting YOY. I headed home to London in Q4 24 for Christmas, having executed three B2B retreats in the past 12 months.
The last time I was home, Q2 22, I hosted our penultimate B2C retreat. Since then, everything has changed, and nothing has changed. IFYKWIM.
This starkly contrasts with Q4 23, when we were still preparing to deliver our first B2B retreat in Half Moon Bay, CA. At this point, I’d delivered countless retreats, but always as the convener—attending myself, selling tickets, and playing host.
However, shifting to B2B changed everything. I no longer had to be the convener.
I graduated to curator. In 2024, I proved I could deliver arguably an even better experience in this role. I didn’t have to be physically present to provide a world-class retreat experience. I disrupted my own playbook, and the results speak for themselves: cleaner execution, better margins, and all-around sustainable effort.
Getting on the right side of convening (curation), hospitality (analytics), and immigration (greencard) changed everything.
That’s part one. Part two?
In Q4 23, I was still waiting on my green card. By Q4 24, I’d had it for an entire year—and just secured my second (Irish) citizenship. In two years, I’ll complete the passport trifecta and apply to become a U.S. (read: triple) citizen.
WTF? Talk about zero to hero. My in-laws are playfully calling me secret agent.
This is where everything comes into focus. The thorniest issue of my life—immigration—was solved overnight. My biggest weakness for a decade became my greatest competitive advantage for a generation. It’s funny how life works like that.
A decade of patience, paperwork, and always doing the right thing paid off. Even wilder? A close friend from Notre Dame and a fellow British international student were also approved for his GC on the same day as me. We’d fallen out of touch after school but reconnected serendipitously on the same flight home to London. We spent most of our time crossing the Atlantic catching up in the galley—a full-circle moment. There is nothing better than winning and levelling up with your people.
Q4 23 was chaos. But in just 78 days, everything changed. My greencard approval gave me something I’d never had before: permanent stability in the United States.
Last but not least, hospitality.
A year ago, I made the tough—but ultimately correct—decision to return capital for a restaurant deal. At the time, it felt brutal. But in hindsight, it was necessary to set the stage for something even bigger. Resy invited me into Global Dining Access as a partner later that fall, and a year later, in Q4 24, we signed our first enterprise deal with a 10-unit group on the Michelin Guide. That’s another full-circle win.
Returning capital wasn’t a failure—it set the foundation for a brighter future. I trusted myself and found the right level of abstraction. Now it’s time to rock.
Getting on the right side of convening (curation), hospitality (analytics), and immigration (greencard) changed everything. A year ago, I felt like I was pushing against gravity—now? Everything is in motion. This is just the beginning.
Here are some quotes from the Q4 24 that are still front of mind for me:
I: I’ve long said that Christmas in America often feels like just a day, whereas in the UK, it’s a proper week-plus holiday celebration. I feel fortunate to experience the best of both worlds—Thanksgiving in the USA and Christmas in the UK.
II: In my humble opinion, College Football is America’s best export.
III: The real challenge — and $1B question — isn’t how or when to bring people back to the office but why they’ll want to stay there long term. It’s about creating compelling reasons for your people to want to exist in the physical spaces you own.
IV: I see so many brands, businesses, and individuals settling for the classic one-day event or workshop. My message is: think bigger. We can help you curate experiences that truly resonate, stand out and endure over time. If you’re not committed to doing that, what’s the point? The world doesn’t need any more bang-average events.
V: I felt it was time for a new tagline. I settled on “Modern-Day Hold Co.”
2025: Looking Ahead
As I look towards 2025, I feel an immense sense of potential.
That potential will be realized by continuing to do what we do best—advising, analyzing, and curating—while systematizing every aspect of the business. New transcripts will be published weekly, leads will be meticulously researched, and beautifully crafted emails will be sent out. My drafts folder needs to be zeroed out. 2/3 of this is already in place. Now, it’s about being ruthless in the final 1/3.
Externally, the focus is clear: grow profitably. Our products and pricing models are becoming more refined, tested, and mature, a prerequisite for GTM success. We can confidently focus on sourcing new strategic partners across the portfolio.
I want this year to be our best yet.
I’m clear on what we sell, why we sell it and who we sell it to.
This year has been exceptional. I must put at least another 4 in at this level or above.
Quotes
Now, for the quotes that will guide me in 2025.
1. “Anxiety is thought without control. Flow is control without thought.”
― Ola Orekunrin Brown (Founder at Healthcap Africa)
2. “Building software is not a real moat anymore. If you’re building a startup, your real moats are in the Three D’s: Data, Distribution and Design. Data: How well you understand your users and their behaviour. Distribution: Your unique way of reaching and connecting with your customers. Design: your taste and craftsmanship.”
― Shane Levine (Founder at Turbo Design Co).
3. “I love the idea that all our effort is stored. We may not be getting results at this very moment, but they’re coming. You will soon have an “overnight success” as people like to say, but in reality, it was the cumulation of that persistence that caused the breakthrough. It’s like temperature. At 29F, nothing happens to the ice. Same with 30F or 31F, but the moment you hit 32F, it melts. It just takes those little improvements and actions to hit that point where momentum gets rolling like a snowball. It’s the same for life: get to that snowball.”
― Tyler Bruno (Computer Science at Dartmouth)
4. “A lot of people choose where they live based on what they could do occasionally rather than what they will do Everyday.”
― Anu (Writer at Anuatluro.com)
I am excited about what 2025 will bring for us.
All my best to you and yours.
Catch you on the flip ― CGM.
