People love the overnight win. That story sells. But that’s not how real growth works. My path proves that. It’s messy, fast, and full of pivots.
Here’s my take: success comes from stacking hard reps, not waiting for perfect timing. You move, learn, and adjust. Then you do it again.
The Myth Of Linear Success
There’s a popular script that says you pick a lane early, grind in that lane, and it all lines up. That script is wrong.
Momentum beats perfection. The right next move, made quickly, wins more often than the perfect plan that never happens.
“21, I went into real estate just as a great recession hit.”
“At 22, I made $350 and started FameWizard and pivoted out of real estate.”
“At 23, I realized what entrepreneurship really was as I built that company.”
“At 24, we hired a CEO for FameWizard, and I moved on to start Swag of the Month.”
“At 25, I sold Swag of the Month and joined Science Incubator and helped launch ellie.com.”
“At 26, we sold ellie, and I started advising and consulting for a lot of brands.”
“At 27, I started Hawke Media.”
“And now at 38, we’ve worked with almost 6,000 brands, over 250 people here, and it’s gone pretty well.”
What My Twenties Taught Me
The recession didn’t end the journey. It started it. Early hits and misses built judgment and speed. That’s the point.
Hire leaders sooner than feels safe. At 24, we brought in a CEO at FameWizard. That move let me start Swag of the Month, then sell at 25.
Short cycles create fast learning. Launch, listen, cut, scale. That rhythm carried into Hawke Media at 27.
- Take the first job or project as a test, not a life sentence.
- Measure progress in learning gained, not titles earned.
- Trade ego for speed. Bring in a CEO if it grows the pie.
- Sell when it funds the next step. Don’t cling.
- Build range. Consulting sharpened pattern recognition across brands.
Those choices stacked. Today Hawke Media has worked with almost 6,000 brands and employs over 250 people. That scale came from fast pivots, not a perfect map.
The Core View
Your twenties are for reps, not polish. Test many paths. Keep what works. Ditch what doesn’t. Speed is a skill, and you can train it.
Failure is data. A $350 year at 22 wasn’t a dead end. It was a signal to shift and build something better.
The Counterargument—And Why It Falls Apart
Some will argue for staying the course. Stick with one lane long enough and it pays off. Focus matters, yes. But focus on what’s working.
If the market says no, listen. The goal isn’t loyalty to a plan. It’s progress. That difference is everything.
How To Put This Into Practice
You don’t need a perfect idea. You need the next step. Here’s how to start now.
- Set a 90-day experiment with clear metrics. Decide before you start what “stop” or “scale” looks like.
- Ship weekly. A draft, a pitch, a landing page. Output creates feedback.
- Borrow operators. Advisors and hired leaders compress time and mistakes.
- Index on customers, not applause. Revenue is the truth serum.
- Make one hard cut each quarter. A product, a channel, or a process.
This is how you build momentum. Small, fast bets. Ruthless learning. Compounded over years.
The Payoff
At 27, I started Hawke Media with this mindset. Years later, the team serves thousands of brands. The path wasn’t clean. It was effective.
Stop waiting for certainty. Start moving with intent. That’s how you build something real.
If you’re early in your career, choose action. If you’re seasoned, reset your cycle speed. Make the next decision quicker, and let results guide the one after.
That’s how momentum happens. That’s how you win.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: How do I know when to pivot versus push through?
Pre-set guardrails. Define success and failure metrics before you start. If you miss them twice in a row, pivot. If you hit, double down.
Q: What’s the first step if I’m stuck in a slow role?
Launch a 90-day side project with clear goals. Use it to build skills, test demand, and create leverage for your next move.
Q: Isn’t frequent change risky for reputation?
Random churn is risky. Intentional experiments are not. Share your learning, show your results, and people will respect your clarity.
Q: How did hiring a CEO help so early?
It freed time to start the next venture while the first kept growing. The right leader expands the pie faster than a single founder can.
Q: What metric matters most at the start?
Customer traction. Paid revenue beats likes, press, and awards. If people buy and come back, you’re on the right track.
