Readers!

I’m feeling burnt out this week, so no long intro from me. I’ve been deep in planning, prepping, contemplating, and a lot of other “ing’s”.

I hope you all have a great rest of the week, see you all next Wednesday.

-Luke (let’s connect!)

Building a Dream While Paying the Bills

There’s a story we tell ourselves about what it means to go all in.

The belief that if you’re serious about what you’re building, then it should be the only thing you’re doing. No backup plans. No safety nets. Just full send.

But that story leaves out some key details.

One big one? You still have to survive.

What does it mean to keep going when the money runs tight? What does it mean to stay committed when you’re also trying to pay rent, stay sane, and hold onto some version of a personal life?

I had a conversation with a fellow creator recently that was a lightbulb moment for me. We were talking about side work, and I was begrudgingly sharing that I need to pick up some side work again, and that it feels like a form of failure.

At this point, he paused to explain his take on the situation. To him, picking up side work, whether that’s a freelance gig or a full time role, wasn’t taking away; it was actually helping with my ability to add to my role as a founder.

When you’re financially underwater, everything gets heavier. You can’t think as clearly. You can’t create as freely. The pressure eats your progress. Not because you don’t care, but because survival mode doesn’t leave much room for anything else.

But finding a way to make space, whether that’s financially, mentally, or emotionally, might be the smartest thing you can do.

It doesn’t make you less committed. It doesn’t mean you’re giving up. It means you’re being real about what it takes to build something that lasts. Nothing good comes in a day, and most great companies, products, fellow creators or founders you see played the long game. It only seems that they were an overnight success from the outside.

So if you’re in this place too, feeling like the dream is on pause while you take care of life, try to keep one thing in mind.

It’s not a step back. It’s a strategy so you can continue stepping forward.

Hope you enjoyed this week’s post. See you next week ✌️