I Forgot About the 30,000+ People Reading This

I haven't written in months.

Not because I was busy. I've always been busy. This is crazy to type, but I stopped writing because for the first time in a long time things are going well. Almost too well. And I didn't know how to write from that place.

Or even worse. Maybe typing about it would jinx it and make all the good things come to a crashing halt.

Writing was always therapeutic. A way to process stress, solve problems, think out loud when things were hard. But when things started working? When the businesses became super profitable, when CROSSNET was behind me, when the team was strong, when the path forward was clear?

I froze.

I told myself I didn't want to brag. I told myself I needed to protect what was working. I told myself I should just focus on the deep work.

All of that was wrong.

The Real Reason I Stopped

To be honest, I think the writer's block formed because I lost the love of writing while turning this newsletter from a fun passion project into a multi-million dollar media business. It used to be my own personal form of therapy. Where I was excited to come to the keyboard each week and type and tell you about the things I’ve learnt or the mistakes I’ve made.

As the readership continued to grow, sponsors came calling from all directions and this newsletter accidentally transformed into a place for sponsors to reach readers.

I'm here to tell you those days are over and we’re making a full on pivot.

I've learned that writing is so much easier for me when things are going bad. When there's stress, problems, a crisis to solve. I grew up in a stressful, chaotic environment. I’ve spent nearly 30 years of my life just trying to make ends meet, so when things are good, well I guess it's harder to share.

My ego didn't want me to feel like I was bragging. I didn't want to give away the secrets of things that were finally working.

But I forgot about you. The 30,000+ people actually reading this.

What I Learned While I Was Gone

In this time away, I became a better manager. A better leader. Quicker to have the hard conversations. I've never had a stronger emphasis on hiring great people and getting out of their way as I watch them build.

I like to think I specialize now in setting the vision and letting the team create the magic. I'm the engine, the voice, the direction, but no longer the hands doing every task.

It’s honestly a weird feeling. My wife & I always joke that we were both the ones that would always do the class project for everyone because we never trusted anybody else in the class to do a good enough job. We didn’t want to risk our grade with their potential stupidity. For the first time in my ten year career I’m actually letting the rest of the class step up and do the work and I can tell you younger Chris was 100% wrong.

It's ironic that I was nervous to share what's working with you guys, when I literally built an entrepreneurship community with The Founders Club thats rooted on the ethos of sharing & giving back. There's more than enough in this world for all of us to win. The people who think otherwise are the ones who don't get ahead.

I've started thinking in years instead of months. Not looking for a return on every interaction. Knowing that life is long and the more good I do in this world, the more good will be returned.

What I'm Up To Now

Have you ever heard of a Misogi? I failed to have one last year, but the year before was to run my first ever marathon in under 4 hours…. which I did! The goal is that you prepare for something that seems so tough that its a 50% chance of failure.

This year me and some of my Founders Club friends have decided to hike Rim to Rim to Rim in September at the Grand Canyon. Its a 45-mile hike that takes almost two days non-stop, walking from one end of the Grand Canyon to the other and back again. It's going to be the craziest and hardest experience of my life. I started training today with 17 minutes on the stair master hahahah

On the business side, The Founders Club is growing faster than I ever imagined. We have over 14 people vetting applications all day long. Nearly 3,000 people are applying every month. It's humbling. It's crazy. I can’t believe billionaires are actually signing up for the club and loving it.

The coolest part is that The Founders Club is becoming something special. A badge of honor. Something our members take pride in and are proud to wear.

We're gearing up for our biggest event ever on March 3rd at the COSM. The venue looks insane and the speakers are even better. This is my version of entrepreneurship Bonnaroo. We actually got a cease and desist last week so we have had to change our big event from Founders Forum to The Forum. This year’s event is 3x bigger than lasts and we have over 500 founders flying out for it. Its the one event a year that I trade in all my favors for and get all my favorite brands to come speak at it. We got some huge guests like the founders of Represent, Poppi, Juni, PrizePicks, TruBar, ClearStem and so many more.

At the COSM we have this massive 87 foot screen that we are casting a two minute intro pump up video for. I wrote this opening voiceover that I’d love your thoughts on. It’s actually the founding story of The Founders Club. Honestly, I’m only sharing it because I know you have that entrepreneurial spirit and you might resonate with it, even if you’re not in the club.

We always knew we were destined to build something special.

To live a life of our choosing. Build something larger than us. No boss. Nobody controlling our hours. A life of complete control and ultimate freedom.

But along the way, we noticed something was missing.

There was no place for entrepreneurs to meet without an agenda. In a digital world that was supposed to be filled with connectivity, we realized we were actually becoming more isolated. It was supposed to be easier than ever to meet people, but we found the exact opposite to be true.

We were tired of the trade shows. Tired of trying to explain what we did to people who didn't understand. Our parents didn't get it. Our hometown friends grew envious. We quickly learned that there's a certain pressure that comes with building something that's truly your own, and most people will never feel it.

But we knew one thing with absolute certainty: Entrepreneurship doesn't have to be lonely.

We didn't have a grand strategy or a business plan. This wasn't something we tried to build. It happened authentically because we were simply living our best life. Back in 2022, we hosted one dinner in a back room at a restaurant in SoHo. We invited a few friends, they invited theirs, and next thing we knew we had a 50-person magical dinner filled with entrepreneurs.

The magic in that first room was so infectious that we knew we had to keep it going.

We watched everyone sit down as strangers and leave as friends.

For the next 18 months, we flew city to city, connecting founders and breaking bread with thousands of entrepreneurs. The last thing we set out to build was another "networking" group. This one had to be different. We didn't have a single guarantee that any of this would work, but we knew we were going to have fun and change some lives in the process.

As time went on, every single event we hosted filled up faster than the one before.

And somewhere along the way, this stopped being our club.

It became yours.

For the first time in our lives, surrounded by community, we felt understood.

Because everything we did, and everything we built, was about creating a group of people who would be there for all seasons of your life.

It's about sitting across from someone who knows what it costs to build, bet on themselves, and carry the weight of the world on their shoulders.

The brand builders. The risk-takers. The founders who chose the home run over comfort.

Calling this our biggest event yet wouldn't nearly do it justice.

500 founders. One room. Over $20 billion in collective revenue.

This is an experience. A place to grow, get smarter, and meet your new best friends.

This isn't just another event.

This is your room. Your people. The place where you give before you take. Where you show up fully.

You're not attending. You're arriving.

Because you're part of something that doesn't exist anywhere else.

A community that feels like home and will grow with you for decades to come.

Today is an experience where you walk in as founders and leave as family.

Welcome to The Forum.

On the BODY Hot Pilates side, my wife is planning world domination. We currently have two studios open, just reached $1M revenue per location, and are planning to open over ten more in 2026. It’s crazy to think that over 5000 girls come to each studio a month.

BODY is going better than I ever thought it could. A year ago I was petrified to start a brick and mortar business. I knew nothing about real estate, building a store front, managing contractors, but I’ll tell you its all 100% doable and easier than you think. For the guys reading this, I’ll tell you what, there is NOTHING more fulfilling than seeing your wife crush your dreams. No amount of winning at your own job or in your personal life will trump seeing the girl you’re in love with lighten up and shine as bright as you always thought they could.

To see her lay in bed at night smiling, knowing that she's living her dreams and can check off that box, that's the best feeling ever as a husband. It’s going to be an amazing feeling to one day look our children in the face and tell them that mom actually did it. She lived her dream.

What's Next

I'm back. Not with a perfect plan or a content calendar. Just with a commitment to show up, be honest, and remember why I started writing in the first place.

Not for sponsors. Not to protect secrets. Not to look like I have it all figured out.

But to think out loud. To process. To connect with the 30,000+ people who are still here, still reading, still building alongside me.

Thanks for sticking around.

Chat soon,

Chris