Luis Lan

You can do less and still charge more. You just have to understand this one thing. Getting paid more doesn't have to mean you're giving a company more deliverables. Sometimes it comes down to giving them the right deliverable. That only happens when you ask better questions. Because a lot of the time, what they actually want is not what you assumed they wanted. And if you build your offer around your assumption instead of their real goal, you end up doing more work than necessary for less money than you should be making. That’s why alignment matters so much. When you understand what they actually care about, what a win looks like for them, and the goals that they have. You can focus on the thing that matters most to them. And when you give them more of what they really want, it becomes a lot easier to charge more. Not because you are doing more. Because you are doing what matters.

Writing a book is a grind. Here are 3 things I’d tell anyone thinking about writing a book. I never thought I’d actually do it. But finishing one has easily been one of the more rewarding things I’ve done. If I had to boil it down, these are the 3 biggest things that helped me. 1. Be consistent. Do not worry about writing a ton every single time. Just get in the habit of making progress. A little writing done consistently adds up a lot faster than waiting around for the perfect day to write. 2. Write first. Edit later. For me, writing and editing use two different parts of my brain. The second I start trying to clean things up while I’m still getting ideas out, it messes up my flow. Just get the words on the page. You can always make them better later. 3. Use tools that match how you think. Wispr Flow helped me a lot because I can talk way faster than I can type. Being able to speak my ideas out made it a lot easier to keep up with what was in my head and build out chapters faster. Writing a book is not really about waiting for inspiration. It is about finding a process you can stick to long enough to finish. That’s the hard part. And also the part that makes it worth it.

Some of the creators in the room were clearing $100k a month. That’s part of what made yesterday’s invite only creator event in Austin so good. It was not just a room full of creators. It was also full of a lot of the people behind the scenes helping some of the biggest creators grow. Getting to trade notes, hear what’s working, talk through what people are seeing across content, sponsorships, offers, and growth, and get a better sense for where things are heading in the creator economy. Being around people operating at that level is unmatched. It honestly changes what feels possible. There are some big things coming up for Creator Collective Austin, which made the whole thing even more exciting. Huge shoutout to Jeremy, Ken and Mark Duval for putting it all together. Events like that are hard to replicate. And strengthens the fact that Austin is one of the best places for creators Access and conversation like this are rare. Really glad I got to be part of it.

There’s a version of me from 3 years ago who probably wouldn't believe where I am today. Not because everything has played out how I wanted. It hasn't. Professionally there were moments where things felt slower than I wanted. Messier than I wanted and A LOT less certain than I wanted. But one thing I’ve learned is that life has a way of working itself out. Not on my timeline. Or the way I pictured. But it does. You just have to stay in the game long enough for it to happen. There were seasons where I was applying for jobs and heard nothing for weeks. Seasons where I was balancing work, family, uncertainty, and trying to keep momentum when nothing felt fully settled. And if I’m being honest, there were plenty of moments where it would have been easier to assume it just was not going to work. But that’s usually the moment when persistence matters most. A lot of people quit when things still look unfinished. They stop too early. They pull themselves out of the game before things have a chance to turn. Sometimes your lucky break does not come from being the most talented. It comes from being the person who stayed with it long enough. I’m not where I want to be yet. But I’m also not where I used to be. And that counts for something. If you keep showing up, keep building, keep applying, keep learning, and keep going when it would be easier not to, things have a way of moving. Maybe not all at once. But enough to change your life over time.

I get dozens of AI slop emails a day. People running sponsorships probably get hundreds. So if you want to reach brands, your outreach cannot sound like everyone else’s. It's not enough to just send the emails anymore. You have to cut through the noise. That’s one of the reasons I recommend Sponsor Magnet. It helped me build a better outline for how to reach out to brands in a way that actually gets attention. Justin put together a framework for how to reach out in a way that feels more relevant, thoughtful, and more likely to get a response. And right now, that matters more than ever. Because the bar is no longer just having a good offer or audience. It's being able to communicate it in a way that makes someone stop and pay attention. If you’re trying to book more sponsorships or just get better at reaching out to brands, I’d recommend reading it. Good outreach is becoming its own edge.

Happy to announce my new title. 2X Girls Dad. Eagerly awaiting my DWAD (Dad With Only Daughters) membership card in the mail. Here's to many sleepless nights for the foreseeable future. But on a serious note. My better half is a rockstar and a champ. After a couple of days in the NICU we are heading home. Shout out to all the moms out there for all they do ❤️