BIO (incomplete) LOADING…
BIO: Father, husband, kid at heart, no longer a claims investigator, always an IT guy, history fan, part-time traveler, ex-military, gum-shoe detective, crypto mining enthusiast and I spread smiles faster than COVID.
– Just kidding FB
Honestly, I’m the nicest guy you’ve met since Tuesday.
I’m just that smart, good looking, techie type that wants to send you emails about business stuff.
I even got the certification from that crypto tax summit last month too. Wanna hear about that? Too bad. I need coffee first…
Seriously, though. Someone at Disney needs to protect Lucas Arts from Kennedy before she destroys a storyline or something.
#StarWars #GoFavreau
Do you have character, or are you a character?
Hey, I’m Chris. I’ve been preaching the importance of branding since before it was cool. I gave up trying to educate the public 10 years ago, but I met some great people along the way. I’ve gathered a lot of business tools and training, from stocks and real estate to internet marketing and social media marketing.
So if someone should ask “Are you an IT guy or a marketer?” I’ll answer “Yes.”
Have your hobbies overtaken your day job?
Do you wear multiple hats too?
But wait, there’s more…
Last year, I was looking at crypto like a kid in a candy store.
I created an LLC and went all-in.
Today, I’m looking at ChatGPT and thinking of all the ways to use it that the average marketer likely won’t.
More on that later.
UPDATE: Jan. 2023 – Well, that was fun! I dropped $$$ before the market crash and now have some paperweights that require electricity. (/facepalm) However, buy low, sell high still applies. Those miners that were selling for 88K last year sell for 1500 now. – So “Take two, they’re small”, right?
I’ve had the pleasure of learning internet marketing and social media marketing from some big players. Each time I would test a guru’s strategy, I’d start off with a new page, no list or fan base and I would “go all-in and take massive action” as Chris Record would always say. That advice paid off more than once.
This Instagram-for-Business tool, the “Hashtag Ladder Cheat-Sheet” will help you finally get some traction on your IG profile. It’s just one of several strategies I learned along the way.
Don’t be that guy who thinks he knows how to use hashtags but still uses F4F. Get the free cheat-sheet before they’re all gone!
NOTE: This is not a miracle fix if you have crappy content, scattered interests, and literally a $0 marketing budget. But if you understand the difference between you chasing customers like using F4F and customers chasing you like when they find your content on the Explore page and chose to follow you… Well, then click the link above & get the FREE PDF. You’ll do well with it.
2015 I Tested Chris Record’s top FB strategies on a new page with no list and I was able to build a FB page from 0-11K followers in 60 days using a $1K budget @StrongIsTheNewSexyFans
I was able to get penny clicks (in a niche I had no business being in) and I was able to start GEO targeting demographics.
2018 I Tested Ben O’Berg’s top Instagram business page strategies with again, no list, new niche, etc. I built a new travel page from 0-180K followers in 11 months @AdventureMafia and became one of his top students. I did on-boarding of his new clients for about 6 months, and we put on a small conference at his house. However, I haven’t touched my IG in years.
2020-21 During COVID I Moderated a Discord channel for traders. This is a great way for a business to support their products.
Coming Soon – This Podcast collaboration with Joe has been in the works for a while.
Coming Soon – YT channel (2 different projects).
It’s only a little extra work to film the Podcast and stream it or repurpose the content for YT and other platforms.
I “aped” into the market, as I was bound to figure it out.
In 2006, while handling insurance claims at my desk, on my lunch-hour I “aped” into the stock market, as I was bound & determined to figure it out. I got lucky and doubled my money within 6 months. I then started selling off my positions so I could buy training and eliminate luck from the equation.
I learned how to use the MACD to spot momentum at the Teach Me To Trade conference. I went on to double my little tax return each year for the next 4 years in a row. More importantly, this was the start of my journey.
2009 I found my way into a 30K education in real estate investing. Like wholesaling, auctions, fix & flips, land lording, tax & legal strategies, etc. Unfortunately, the R.E. market dipped later that year, but the knowledge was invaluable. The connections were huge.
So I seized the opportunity to take my instructors out to lunch or dinner in hopes of gleaning some “insider” info. – WOW!
By showing some kindness, these guys returned the kindness with their presence.
“..knowledge pays the best return.”
– Ben Franklin
However, switching strategies & going long has been brutal on my small portfolio.
Once you find what works for you, don’t keep searching for other strategies and setups. Just keep fine-tuning the one strategy until you’re rich. I unfortunately, tried to be all thing to all people. Don’t. Just be the one expert who helps them do that one thing really well instead.
Lessons I learned from millionaires, at lunch.
Occasionally buying lunch has been some of the best money I’ve spent!
They’re a talented pool of folks that I’ve had the pleasure of rubbing elbows with.
This is just my top 4 lessons condensed into a short & totally FREE PDF.
Get your FREE Lunch Money Tips now.
This is just the beginning of my new @home adventure.
ASIC vs GPU Mining Rigs
ASIC stands for Application Specific Integrated Circuit. Basically it’s a purpose built machine that mines crypto 24/7. While GPU mining is using high end graphics cards to do the heavy lifting. I’m starting a mini crypto mining farm for energy efficient crypto miners.
The snapshot above, shows my desk and 4 small box Goldshell miners, a MNTD helium hotspot and a MatchX M2Pro mounted on the wall. The pic doesn’t show everything as it’s only a snap of my desk, but it’s a great start for anyone looking to get into crypto mining.
Scientist Using Crypto For The Environment?
Basically, there are several low-power or semi-green crypto projects coming out now. One that is both profitable and helpful for the environment is PlanetWatch. Their scientist reward miners in crypto for their air samples. Maybe I’ll do an unboxing clip on that later and tag @SenWarren #greencrypto
– Any suggestions on that?
While that seems like a cool project, make no mistakes, the next miner I want to add are like the ones that were selling for 88K each last year. However, in Jan. 2023, those miners are like dirt cheap. The newer ones are out and are only like 5K.
Did You Survive The Fall? – “Now What?” – Here’s What We’re Doing In Crypto…
We invested basically our savings. I don’t want to say, but 10’s of K’s. I do not doubt the crypto we are mining. We think it’s going to be in the top 5 over the next 5-7 years. We may be wrong, and we are willing to make a pivot. However, this market recalibration is not swaying us from the decisions or path we have already set on. It only shows how reckless and irresponsible our elected officials are. We’ve moved a long way in just a few election cycles, right? Remember when they used to balance the budget?
In short, we made some very calculated decisions leading up to this. We spent extra to go with the best business & tax attorney known for his great reputation defending entrepreneurs. Unfortunately, we still made near zero in 2022 (/facepalm). – Yeah I actually started driving for a 420 delivery company. It’s a dangerous job with not many options as a mid-size company getting squeezed into a lower tax bracket. I can’t believe I’ve been doing it for a year. I think some of them have started to wonder why I have stayed. LOL
Yeah, we’re buying miners, and setting them up where our mini-farm is powered by solar energy. Doubling down, right? So we’re kind of betting on 2025. If we’re right, by the time anyone realizes it, it will be too late to acquire any of the good miners. If we’re wrong, we’ll have lost big.
Last year the KD5’s were selling for $88K/each in the US. The new ones are more than 2X as powerful and today they’re only like $2K. But beware they cost $300/month in electricity unless you add solar panels. 😛
WLTB a LAUNDROMAT in Wellington/FT Collins, CO
We’re not changing course but we are making minor pivots. Along with our miners, we may create another LLC or entity for asset accumulation among other things. I don’t want to giveaway too much here, but our next two expenses are the additional miners as we double down and we’re also going to setup a retirement LLC so that we can do 2 things. One, protect the money we make by taxing it early and moving it to a tax protected ROTH IRA or something. Two, it allows our new money to grow in a retirement account, like a SD-ROTH IRA or even a Crypto IRA. Yeah, you just gotta be in the “know” and use the right firm, then setup your accounts correctly, use a good attorney (no online/fast-food advice – a real attorney who actually invests would be wise here), etc. – So we plan to make it, move it (tax it) and grow it. – Will all of our future retirement/social security, be taxed as income, like a loophole? We hope not, but we still plan on pursuing money and income as a tool to be charitable.
Right Now: WLTB a LAUNDROMAT in Wellington/FT Collins, CO area.
We could close a deal like this w/i about 30-60 days if we’re given all the docs needed.
49er Game 2019
Laura started liking Jimmy G but I noticed Kittle had sticky hands.
Anything for the shot, right?
For fun and only took a few minutes.
Like that cheesy ’70’s stache?
49er Game 2021
Laura likes going to the games.
Happy wife, happy life…??
Chichen-Itza, Mexico
It was a long, hot day. The locals wanted to buy my UFC hat. /LOL
Way of the Warrior Martial Arts
Vicious animal style Kung-Fu, street Jiu Jitsu w/ a Karate influence.
Mayan Ruins, Mexico
Don’t skip on the cenote visits too. So refreshing. Was a lot of fun.
For Branding, Right?
Everyone has a brand, by design or by default. – Lida Citroen
If you don’t change your direction, you’re bound to end-up where you’re headed. – John Childers
Met with John in 2006, but he’s now retired. He’s the one who first sparked my curiosity for business & investing.
Your job was not created to pay you what you’re worth. It’s meant to pay what the job is worth. The only person that will pay you what you’re worth is you. – Myron Golden
Met Myron when he was the NVOWS Stock Trading Instructor in 2015. We had diner and talked marketing the whole time.
You can get anything you want in life, as long as you help enough other people get what they want first. – Zig Ziggler
Mindset
Don’t let the opinions of the average man sway you. Dream, and he thinks you’re crazy. Succeed, and he thinks you’re lucky. Acquire wealth, and he thinks you’re greedy. Pay no attention. He simply doesn’t understand.”
– Robert G. Allen
Perspective
Most middle-class Americans tend to worship their work, to work at their play, and to play at their worship. As a result, their meanings and values are distorted. Their relationships disintegrate faster than they can keep them in repair, and their lifestyles resemble a cast of characters in search of a plot.
– Gordon Dahl
Motivation
Don’t strive to have just enough to be comfortable. Otherwise, if you were the Good Samaritan, the guy would have died on the side of the road because you wouldn’t have had enough money to pay the innkeeper. You need to be prepared & available to help.
– Me
Who at your house runs toward danger? Who responds to your fires, is trained in CPR, or can get your cat outa the tree?
Those running towards conflict are likely to be leaders, survivors or both. They often have purpose & conviction. Either join them, or get out of their way, right? – If I follow you, it’s either a compliment or I need you to step aside and make a path for responders.
One of my greatest strengths can sometimes also be a weakness. However, I didn’t learn how to spell Team with an “i”. I learned it in the military where I developed a sense of pride, ownership and accountability for my role as a team player. 20+ years post military, one of my co-workers had a heart attack and immediately left a critical void in an office of 80+ while she was out.
So without notice, hesitation or training I stepped up to handle total losses in a fast-pace desk for over 4 months. My QA was the bomb! I was almost just a fast as this awesome lady was who had been doing it for over 17 years while I was at Kemper Insurance. (I was at Kemper Insurance handling claims for 5 years cause at this point in time, it was more stable than IT contracting).
– Who’s got your six? Hopefully not some “one-way check valve” who’s only out for themselves, right?
If you’ve read this far, you might have gotten to know me, like me & trust me a little, don’t you think? So don’t be surprised when I start testing funnels, conversions and driving traffic. I’ll continue to test strategies, tactics & tools until I master every piece that I need. On that note Chat GPT is really hot ATM, but the smart ones will apply their marketing knowledge and increase their efficiency not eliminate jobs. Watching how companies use AI and how AI evolves is becoming interesting to watch. I like how Patrick Bet-David uses AI to empower his team.
I’m starting to play with ChatGPT together with Canva to use AI to create social media & story posts. Canva is used for so many things, its no wonder so many of us have it. But have you designed & saved your Brand Templates yet? I’ll definitely start using AI in some way. I recommend marketers find a way to use this w/o looking spammy and unnatural. That means, you actually have to think and apply your marketing strategy to the way you use the tool. You may even rewrite that, summarize it, make it funny, etc. Be smart and it will increase your efficiency. Be dumb and the future AI will likely flag your content and potentially impact your SEO.
I got some secret stuff around the corner too. I’m also wrestling with how much of the funnel & product I want to design from scratch. Which domain to use, etc. LOL. Yeah, which one, right?
Back in 1999-2000 I was a Workstation Engineer for a Microsoft Solution Provider servicing the State of CA. I designed the desktop images, built & deployed them to the Board of Control, CalExpo (twice), DHS (gave to their team to deploy), etc. However, back then it was cool to buy & hold domains. At one point I had like 40+ domains I was parking on. Some were exact match, and others were brandable years before EMD’s or brandable domains became cool. So yeah, I still have a few cool ones that should be worth bank, I just haven’t developed them or anything.
Which brings me right back to addressing the purpose for this site. I test & play-around with this site, but IDK how much more testing I want revealed here. I’ll likely save my really cool stuff for other domains. So if I offer a product or service here, it would need to be appropriate for this audience. I’ll keep the lid on that genie bottle until the right time comes.
Don’t look now, but I’m already flirting with funnels, and have experience building large professional social profiles. I’ll add ConvertKit and will likely start testing conversion rates & driving traffic. Part of me thinks its not much more to also create the product & membership site. – More on later… Hit me up on Discord before I buy my time back…