Cast Away Consultant
@AwayConsultant
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Building a small business, rebuilding my body, and loving my family | Stand Strong Fencing | Former: political consultant, mediocre college athlete
Atlanta, GA
Joined September 2023
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2024 is going to be big. Nearly 15 years into my politics and consulting career…I bought into my first franchise!
After considering many entrepreneurial routes I decided Stand Strong Fencing by HorsePower Brands was the right fit for me.
A thread on my decision-making process:
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My 5yo son was chatting up a girl on the playground tonight.
Very innocently spitting his best game.
I stopped my wife from yelling across the yard to him when it was time to go.
Instead, I handed him my keys, said we were taking his mom’s car home and he could drive himself
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@SunShakSunday
I don’t want to compare notes. But I will commiserate in your comments.
It almost embarrasses me sometimes!
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@roblabonne
Good for him for utilizing the connections.
We send our kids to private Christian school because of the educational opportunities but, most importantly, to protect them from some of the worst parts of what they would be exposed to in public schools.
It is wildly expensive,
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Today I officially am open for business as a Stand Strong Fencing franchisee!
I am excited and more than a little nervous about what the coming months will bring.
Last week I spent 5 days in Omaha, NE for intensive pre-launch training. It was a game changer.
Despite joining
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Guys, it’s done. My SBA loan is closed.
Generally the process was fine, but the last week was really miserable.
The lender pushed me to change my plan on purchasing a work vehicle. Then the closing got delayed and pushed up against my departure for a family vacation.
I had
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@hoytcrouch
Please do not tell everyone about how fencing is a great market and totally overlooked right now! 🤫
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Just got a nice email...
I've been cleared to close with the SBA!
From everything I hear, the fun is about to begin.
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@sweatystartup
Nick, this is a genuinely endearing post.
Horrible for your brand.
Highly recommend you delete and tweet a controversial opinion on something immediately.
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“Your franchisor isn’t going to bring you enough leads and you are actually going to have to go out and sell.”
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This video hits hard. My relationship with my father has had the most profound impact of any in my my life.
Unlike in the clip, my dad wanted to be involved in my life. More than anything.
But he and my mom divorced when I was just 2 years old. He was legally limited to a
One of the most powerful TV scenes ever.
It’s a shame life has to work like this.
But these young men grow up and become the most uncompromisingly present fathers that exist.
The trick is breaking the cycle.
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Ohhh baby
First shipment of Stand Strong Fencing swag - I mean marketing materials - arrived today.
It’s getting real!
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X friends, I could use your perspective.
My son is starting kindergarten next year and we would really like to keep him in the local private christian school where he attends a junior kindergarten program.
But the costs are quite high and we live in a very good public school
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@BowTiedBull
The difference between the top 10% and top 1% is really something else. Whole different ballgame at that point.
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This app is unreal.
I commented on someone’s post unrelated to my company in any way.
Shortly afterwords, this complete stranger went out of his way to connect me with a friend who worked for one of the fencing companies in my area to help me better understand the market.
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@planetMitch
@roblabonne
Why did automatically you think I was referring to the kids when I mentioned the worst parts of public school?
I was talking about the curriculum and values being taught (or not!).
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@FranchiseMnA
Ha! My first car was a 1994 white Volvo 940.
Definitely a social hurdle I had to overcome!
But I agree it made me work harder to get into something better.
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Update:
The groom is now asking everyone to reimburse him for their meals at the rehearsal dinner
Update:
We were an hour late to the dinner portion of the rehearsal.
To the restaurant at the bottom of the snowy mountain
The same mountain we were in top of all day
Looking forward to the late night drive up in the snow
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Folks, I just got word all my SBA Loan paperwork passed initial review.
Whew!
I am horrible at this type of work and am so relieved by passing this hurdle.
Still have a ways to go, but everything from here on is more suited to my strengths.
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What's it like buying a new (to me) truck in the South?
I've had the truck less than a week and...
My father in law called me out of nowhere to tell me he's sending me his old bedcover that he can't use anymore because he totaled his truck hitting a dear at 65mph.
My neighbor
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@sweatystartup
$150k a year ain’t what it used to be.
People need to stop with the ‘90s frame of reference that a “six figure” job means you’ve made it.
If he is good, his upside is double that in a few years.
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Get this: I had my first local networking meeting for Stand Strong Fencing on Friday afternoon.
This morning before noon I have already received TWO referrals for big residential jobs from that single conversation.
Holy smokes.
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Never fear, Mighty Dog Roofing is here!
My local Mighty Dog Roofing saved the day after bad storms caused roof damage over the last few months.
I reached out to a mom and pop in November and apparently the job was too small to justify getting me an estimate.
After one quick
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First estimate in the books.
Yeah, they need a new fence.
Today I officially am open for business as a Stand Strong Fencing franchisee!
I am excited and more than a little nervous about what the coming months will bring.
Last week I spent 5 days in Omaha, NE for intensive pre-launch training. It was a game changer.
Despite joining
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Big step towards launching this morning: I hired my GM.
I will be in the business every day, but we need a GM to grow at the pace I want.
Confession: in 2022 and 2023, I simply failed at making good hires in my political work. Tons of turnover and unnecessary stress.
This time
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Thoughts from my first week live as a Stand Strong Fencing franchisee:
1) We were busier than I expected. 12 appointments in our first 5 days. The call center did great and set appointments with 70%+ of leads. Our sales rep starts Monday, so this was a team effort to cover the
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@buddy7
Thank you, Buddy.
I think we will end up doing private school and figuring other ways to save, and make more, to figure it out. This is the one area I don’t want to underinvest in.
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Supporting my local crumbl franchisee tonight
They are probably killing it, but just in case things are slow I brought 7 of us for a quick dessert.
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Everyone talks about the wild emotional swings in SMB ownership.
But what about the wild emotional swings when considering your own success?
Most days I am somewhat satisfied with where I am, but have much bigger goals. Some days I am down on myself.
But earlier today I
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I will be honest…I am incredibly frustrated.
Instead of focusing on selling and competing with other companies my GM and I are spending all our time fighting process and distributor nonsense.
We still have multiple large quotes outstanding because we can’t get the info we
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@girdley
WhY SpENd sO muCH MOnEY ON (the place you will spend a disproportionate amount of time with the people you love most in your life)?
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@constantraise
@Ladder_Larry_
I looked closely at ETA and concluded that the risk profile of my inexperience, a PG, high interest rates, and the amount of leverage required to buy a worthwhile business did not even come close to penciling.
Hope all these ETA gurus can sleep at night.
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I am not going to share all the tea, but a little birdie told me that the first Stand Strong Fencing franchisee to launch is having a heck of a first month.
Hope that translates to my territories as well when we launch next month!
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I am feeling sentimental tonight. We are wrapping up our first family vacation since our youngest was born. These words just poured out after the boys fell asleep.
---
To my son:
I miss you
Even though you are here next to me,
Your golden head laying softly on my shoulder
You
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@AJA_Cortes
My son literally asks “why is mommy driving” anytime she gets behind the wheel when I am in the car.
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Wrapped SBA loan closing drama...
To leave for family vacation...
To deal with massive client drama...
And franchise onboarding...
Working hours every night after the family goes to sleep...
Sleeping poorly due to stress and gut issues...
And trying to be present during the
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Sunday night reminder to myself.
Here’s hoping you remember to enjoy your good old days.
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Walked my first potential job today!
An acquaintance is in due diligence on a new home and will need to install some new fencing in the front yard.
As we walked, the potential size of the job continued to grow.
If they end up going with the largest option, it would be 500+
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Probably shouldn’t tweet this, but this is exactly why I looked for an industry (fence installation) where PE likely isn’t rushing into in the next 2-3 years.
🤞
Home service investors should take note.
Independent operators have new competition. With deep pockets and an eye on hyper consolidation.
After Alpine Investors 4 year run in HVAC…
They are now full steam ahead in roofing (Vertex) and restoration (Guardian).
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“This life. Our family. This house. I have never been happier.”
My wife said this to me last night as our family was enjoying Sunday night together.
Last summer we relocated from DC to GA to be closer to family. It was hard.
We had been there 12 years, almost our whole adult
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@spencertbarber
“With a 20% down payment, if you’re buying a home for 1.4M, your payment will be $8150. At $300,000 of household income, it's very attainable.”
Help me with the math here.
300k yearly = 25k/mo.
After taxes, that is likely $16k-17k/mo.
It may be doable, but 50% of a high
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X is cool.
Had a gentleman reach out ahead of his discovery day with Stand Strong Fencing, the franchise I recently purchased.
We just chatted a bit, no pressure. I just gave him feedback what I have experienced so far.
He is looking at SSF and one other brand. He's very
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Important updates here:
One groomsman had leave today because he hurt his back showing off at the gym last week and was in so much pain he couldn't walk or stay for the wedding
Another groomsman broke his collar bone in 4 places on the slopes today
A bridesmaid broke both left
One of my best friends demanded a ridiculous wedding.
Total groomzilla.
So now I am sitting in a ski lodge out west waiting around for a Tuesday wedding.
So I can fly home Wednesday.
Assuming it ever stops snowing.
Really trying to have a good attitude.
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I won't embarrass him here, but I just got a very thoughtful congratulatory gift and note from someone I met on X. They were wishing me well on my journey with Stand Strong.
Takes notes, youngsters.
It's always worth the time and effort to go above and beyond with personal
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Do I have a bad attitude?
You'd never know it from talking to me; I'm a pretty chill guy.
And I'm a really positive and understanding boss.
But I REALLY don't like being told what to do.
It's a little ironic. Being a bit of a perfectionist child, I made a great employee and
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@ShannonJean
@gvh41
Good advice. Blocking off dinner and kid bed time definitely relieves the guilt of longer hours. I am currently working (and tweeting) in my basement on that same routine.
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My son came in my office a few minutes ago and began talking my ear off.
I listened and gently asked him if I could have a few minutes to finish my work.
He said ok and walked away, a little sad.
2 minutes later he came back with this.
This is my “why.”
What is yours?
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Not that too many of you have been wondering where I've been, but...
I'm stuck in SBA application purgatory.
It's not the end of the world, but the process takes many hours, especially if you have a somewhat complicated financial situation and need documents produced by 3rd
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My goal for X is to provide real value to folks who will benefit from learning more about the daily nitty gritty activities decisions that actually define entrepreneurship.
No self-important tweets about how hard being an entrepreneur is.
No platitudes. No lame chest thumping.
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What I am doing this week: creating the actual business infrastructure to launch my franchise.
Forming a Business Entity
This is easier than most people think. Your Secretary of State’s website should have a decent how-to guide. If you are intimidated and have extra cash, there
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I just realized that amount I *underestimated* my 2023 taxed owed is more than my first W-2 salary.
Lots of ways to measure progress. This one hurts a little more than others.
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To be perfectly honest, when I joined SMB X I kind of rolled my eyes at all the “high and low” talk on here.
But my consulting practice was relatively new and before long I got hit HARD with a totally unexpected client crisis.
Nothing I could have predicted or prepared for.
Want that entrepreneurship life?
This is it:
Chilling, enjoying the ride, people watching you thinking "this guy has it made".......
Then BAM!!!
Blindsided. Unpredictably destroyed by something off the radar.
No time to wallow in self pity, got to get up and fight!
As
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@realEstateTrent
I agree with this take, though sometimes cash flow management requires a little variation on the theme.
But if you're a small business, fast payment is one of the best ways to endear vendors to you and build strong trust.
Also gives you the moral high ground if they try to
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Call center conversion rate from lead to appointment.
Yeah, I know they won't be able to keep this up.
But it's awesome so far!
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Here’s what I did Friday and this weekend to move the ball down the field towards launching my franchise:
Welcome Call
Joined the SSF team for an intro call. I have already spoken to a few of them throughout the onboarding process, but it was helpful to hear basic expectations
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@MattRollinsSMB
I think we are just going to figure the rest out. Can’t bear the thought of skimping on my kids
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@BowTiedBroke
This level of detail and transparency should be really helpful for young folks. Thanks for sharing what are surely tough moments in your career.
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Tomorrow is my last day in Omaha for my pre-launch training.
I will be honest, when I arrived I felt totally unprepared.
But the end of the first day a wave of relief began washing over me.
So many loose ends have been tied up this week. While you can never be “ready” to
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What is my strategy for acing a big meeting?
Walk it out!
We all have been there. Check the clock. The big call you've been preparing for is 45 minutes away.
I don't know about you, but I never actually accomplish anything in the final stretch before one of these events.
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Me now that my company is live and money going out the door is no longer an “investment” but now an expense.
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Update:
I got hit with a powder cannon during the gender reveal.
It’s a girl.
Update:
They made us stand outside in tuxedos on top of the mountain for 20 minutes to take pictures.
At least the view was nice
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Wanna know one of my biggest regrets?
Not having a mentor as a young man.
Lord knows I needed one.
But there was one dad of a neighborhood friend who was the next best thing - Tom.
After college, I was lost. I had “retired” from my sport after dedicating thousands of hours
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Quick parenting story:
My 5yo is an amazing kid, but has never shown an ounce of interest in sports.
Until last night.
On our nightly post-dinner walk we passed several high school boys playing basketball.
They were in all their bro glory: flip flops, backwards hats,
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I am in beautiful Omaha, Nebraska this week for in-depth training ahead of my Stand Strong Fencing launch.
Other than being a little wary of tornados, I am pumped to be here and dive deep with the corporate team and the other franchisees.
Launching something new is a scary
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@FranchiseMnA
Great lessons. There are sales, and then there are relationships that lead to sales. Know which KPI you're chasing.
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@AllyTaft
My wife and I needed about a decade away from our parents.
Then we had kids.
Now we invite them over alllllll the time.
Funny how that works.
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One of my best friends demanded a ridiculous wedding.
Total groomzilla.
So now I am sitting in a ski lodge out west waiting around for a Tuesday wedding.
So I can fly home Wednesday.
Assuming it ever stops snowing.
Really trying to have a good attitude.
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If the answer is “good” it means the question was bad.
Only lame parents get "good" answers.
• How was your day? "Good"
• How was practice? "Good"
• What do you want to eat? "Good" 😂
Dear Parent, you know what I mean!
5 simple techniques to foster better conversation 🧵
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@SMB_Attorney
Doing pretty well. But a few line items are definitely worthy of a second look.
Food is likely more than $23k/yr post inflation
Home maintenance is absolutely going to be more than $5k/yr on a $1.5MM home
Car insurance for two luxury cars is going to be more than $2k/yr
They
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Asking X again for some advice: who on here can recommend a personal finance coach?
My wife really wants to get better at budgeting, but doesn’t want *me* to tell her what to do 😅
I’m thinking it would be an initial deep dive meeting with some occasional progress check ins.
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Just spoke with a former colleague who moved back to her home state.
Married into one of the state's wealthiest families.
Lives on a massive ranch.
They always say if you want to be a pro athlete, you gotta pick the right parents.
But if you wanna live like a queen, you gotta
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@MalcolmPools
When you’re *actually* old, these weekends will undoubtedly be some of your fondest memories.
I hope my boys and their buds choose our house as the rally point like yours have.
Would love to hear some more stories of the chaos they cause!
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Cole's post is awesome, but also raises some uncomfortable feelings for me.
I have gone to therapy/marriage counseling before and think it can be a great tool.
And I largely think sharing these things is a net positive so others feel comfortable taking steps to better
I’ll spend 7k on therapy this year, because of days like today it’ll be worth it
Over the weekend a friend of mine asked a group of us if we go to therapy
“I go basically every week, I’ll spend about 7k on therapy this year”
Today is why
I woke up and I felt terrible, not
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I need help hiring a sales rep in metro ATL.
Where have y’all found the best candidates?
Job postings have not worked. My network has not been fruitful.
Going to have to get creative.
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I absolutely cannot get enough of this video
US doomers are idiots
Long America!
The Houthi terrorists have won the toss and elected to receive.
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I have so few followers that I didn't even notice the bot purge
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What's it like running a small business? I don't know, we launch in 10 days.
BUT
I can tell you that the vehicle wrap installer sent me a picture of my truck this evening and the phone number on the wrap is wrong...
It was correct on the proof I approved. But I didn't get to
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@FranchiseMnA
@TylerPurcell24
Don’t delete. People shouldn’t think that mid-six figures is unattainable.
Building a business is a lot harder than a six figure corporate gig. If that’s intimidating, then they should rethink taking the big swing.
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@jcolesimpson
@realDonaldTrump
@Newsweek
Cole can do it all! Install roofs, on the ground reporting, and even some political punditry.
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@BowTiedBroke
Great advice.
I grew up in a divorced household and left town right after college. I needed the space.
After finding my own way and having a few kids, I moved back home.
We now see “the grandparents” weekly and have a much better relationship with everyone.
They are all
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Where I live. Where I bought my franchise. I'm betting a lot of time and money that Chris is right.
My plan is to double down on the Southeast over the next 10 years.
The Texas Triangle is cool, but what about TennAlaGa?™️
Ignored by the world, poised for insane growth:
Fact: Huntsville, AL is FULL of PhDs w/ more engineers per capita than anywhere
TennAlaGa is anchored by 3 economic powerhouses:
Nashville
Atlanta
Birmingham
And then
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Can’t wait to send my kid to a state school so he can chase girls, drink beer, and be way too invested in the football team.
NY Mag profiled an Ivy League college admission consulting firm working with parents of New York private high school students.
Here is the setup:
▫️190 clients paying $120k each a year for their child ($23m total revenue)
▫️In exchange: children get basically 24/7 access to a
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Using only food, where are you from?
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@sweatystartup
Those who know, know.
That sign is definitely dirty, but a pressure wash ain’t gonna cut it. Need some penicillin too.
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My body is a mess.
Last fall, I realized that none of my other goals were being met because health issues were holding me back.
Long running gut issues and old injuries from my time as a D1 athlete have slowly grown worse over the years.
I had to completely rethink my
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As someone leaving politics for the private sector, let me shed some light on Nick's about face:
Rich guys enter politics because it is exciting. You get to feel like you are genuinely making a difference. Cutting a big check to your alma matter doesn't give you the same high
I regret my earlier tweet about Bill Ackman.
He’s positively impacting a lot of things and I think his mission is worthy.
I’m glad there are a lot of people like him out there.
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@FranchiseMnA
@TATENAWYER
Don’t you know you are supposed to fight with everyone in your mentions to boost your reach?
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