Better, Not Busier June 2025

What’s in This Letter

In the month of June, I kept circling back to one big idea: you can’t do this alone  and more importantly, you shouldn’t try to.
From the book edits to the startup work to learning how (not) to burn out, everything I touched seemed to remind me that we grow better together.

In this letter:

• I take some big swings in the business (and in learning to let go of control)

• I move from first draft to deep edits on the book about being a creator

• I explore what I’ve been feeding my mind: books, content, reminders, and red pens

Let’s get into it.

💼 Business & Marketing: Risk, Revenue, and Realizations

This month reminded me that risk is required and self-reliance, while noble, has limits.
I realized I’ve spent way too much time thinking I needed to be the answer to everything when really, the game shifts when you build with others.

Business Highlights:

• Shameless plug: I built Creative Philomath’s new website using Wix! This look is clean, and simple, but conveys what I want as a brand and business overall. 

• I built out our Newsletter framework using BeeHiiv. If you have not used it yet, I highly recommend it. 

• I’m laying the groundwork for CPM’s (Creative Philomath) long-term strategy. That means getting clear on startup revenue, product strategy, and how to actually build an audience (not just collect one).

• Threads and Instagram are teaching me more than expected. JD and I worked on some great reels, and I pushed out a TON of Threads posts. All of it – copy, angles, testing – has been data-driven. Every move I make in business and marketing is now filtered through that lens: what’s the story the numbers are telling me?

• I’ve been working with some designers for merch! Excited to see what is to come on that front.
  

Marketing Note:
It’s not about being loud — it’s about being measurably consistent.

I used to think visibility was about volume: post more, say more, be everywhere. But I’ve learned that shouting into the void doesn’t build trust or traction. What actually moves the needle is showing up strategically and consistently, even if it's quiet at first.

Consistency creates pattern recognition. People start to associate your name with value, reliability, and intention – not noise. And when you tie that consistency to measurable outcomes (clicks, conversions, engagement, etc.), you stop guessing and start growing.

Everything I do in marketing now runs through this filter:

• Is this repeatable?

• Is this aligned with my core message?

• And can I track what it’s doing?

Because that’s the key: If you can’t measure it, you can’t scale it.
Measurable consistency builds momentum. Loudness just builds exhaustion.

The Power of Micro-Pivots in Strategy

When you’re building something new, don’t wait for the “perfect plan.” Focus on micro-pivots, small, data-backed shifts based on audience behavior or performance.

Example: I noticed posts with X tone or hook outperformed others, so I leaned into that angle the next week. The big win? Letting data lead, not just confirm my instincts.

✍️ Creativity: Red Pens & Ruthless Cuts

I finished the first draft of my book about the struggles creators face earlier this month. That part felt good but it wasn’t the victory lap I expected.

Because the real work started the moment I printed it out.

I immediately dove into edits with a red pen, flipping through pages like a madman with something to prove. By late June, I had a full markup. Entire sections slashed. Arrows in the margins. Brutal comments like:

“Finish this thought out, dumbass.”

Which–whether I like it or not–has officially become my editing mantra.

There’s something strange and grounding about holding your own words in your hands. Digital editing always feels like it exists in a fog: you change one line, scroll a bit, tweak again. But paper? Paper is tangible. It forces you to see the work for what it is, not what you wish it were.

The shift from screen to page made it real. I could spot flow issues, pacing problems, even tone inconsistencies I completely missed before. With every mark I made, the work got tighter – sharper. And I fell in love with the process in a way I didn’t expect.

I think that’s what made this month creatively important. Not because I wrote more but because I respected what I had already written enough to make it better.

Why You Should Print Your Draft

There’s something psychologically different about editing on paper. It forces a shift from creator mode to editor mode. You’re no longer massaging lines, you’re dissecting them. You’re not immersed, you’re evaluating.

If you’ve been stuck in endless digital revisions, try this:
Print 10 pages. Grab a red pen. Sit somewhere away from your screen. Two things will happen:

1. You’ll be forced to work with what’s there – cutting off the infinite tweak loop.

2. You’ll be shocked by how much more you catch when the work isn’t glowing back at you.

It slows you down in the best way. And sometimes, slowing down is the fastest way forward.

📚 Refilling the Well: Books, Quotes, and Permission to Pause

Reflections:

Without realizing it, this month had a theme: team-building and leadership.

From the videos I binged (hello again, Alex Hormozi) to the way I thought about CPM, to even watching the show I decompress with, Snowfall, everything came back to this one truth:

“You can’t scale without a team. It’s just impossible.”

Pair that with this gem from Start with Why by Simon Sinek:

“The role of a leader is not to come up with all of the ideas. The role of a leader is to create an environment in which great ideas can happen.” (Pg. 99)
“When a WHY is clear, those who share that belief will be drawn to it, and maybe want to take part in bringing it to life.” (Pg. 134)

Then there’s this quote from Snowfall (Season 2, Episode 3, “Prometheus Rising”) by Teddy McDonald:

“Business is as only as good as the people you work with.”

And suddenly, it clicked: leadership isn’t about having all the answers, it’s about building the space where answers can emerge. That means clarity. That means trust. That means being willing to hand over pieces of the puzzle so others can build alongside you.

I’ve been working on releasing the grip. Letting people step in, offer ideas, take ownership. Not because I’m tired (though I am very tired), but because the vision is too big to carry alone. And the more clearly I can communicate that vision — the why behind the work — the more magnetic it becomes.

People don’t follow tasks. They follow causes.

And a cause without a team? That’s just a lonely to-do list.

Reading: 

I’ve been holding tight to this new rule for myself since the beginning of 2025:
Always read one book for fun, and one for growth. It’s been helping me strike a much better balance.

Books I Finished This Month:

• The Great Hunt by Robert Jordan

• The Dragon Reborn by Robert Jordan (yes, finally getting around to this.) 

• Start with Why by Simon Sinek

• The Creative Ambush by Matteo di Pascale

Currently Reading:

• The Shadow Rising by Robert Jordan

• Diary of a CEO by Steven Bartlett (lots of underlines in this one already)

Oh and somewhere in the middle of all this ambition, my girlfriend reminded me (gently and lovingly) that rest is needed and to prioritize it. If I run myself into the dirt, that’s where I could just end up — 6 feet under.
She told me: “You need to take care of yourself to be here for your dreams.”
Take time to enjoy life, notice the small things. I mean, I wrote an entire chapter on this idea in my upcoming book. Practice what you preach man.

I just need to remind myself (and with the help of my amazingly patient and understanding girlfriend):
Rest.
More output doesn’t equal faster success.
More output just equals… more output.
Quality > Quantity

🧠 Final Thoughts

Alex Hormozi said,

“Your mind is a garden. Your thoughts are seeds. You can grow either flowers or weeds.”

I’ve been sitting with that one a lot.

Every action we take, every input we allow, every project we pick up or abandon. It’s all part of the landscape we’re growing in our own heads.
This month, I’m choosing to water the thoughts that make me better, not just busier.

Hope you’re doing the same.

Until next time, keep making the meaningful.
Stay curious, stay kind, and keep creating.
 - Jacob
Founder, Creative Philomath