H1 '24: The First Half of the Year in Review.
TLDR: I've been busy
I’m in the habit of checking in with myself twice a year (in July and January) to stay fresh and present with what is happening in my own life. When I ignore the exercise I feel almost like my life isn’t mine and it’s just happening to a guy I know. Stopping the clock to pay attention has been one of the most profitable habits I’ve ever developed. I recommend it.
2023 was the worst year of my life. I lost both my grandfather and my mother in the same year. I honestly thought 2024 would be better — and inasmuch as no one has died, I guess it is — but many of the things I’ve experienced in the first half of the year have not been things I was seeking, at all. There have been lawsuits over money, aspersions over character, people who don’t pay what they owe, thieves who think they deserve what I own, and friends who don’t show up for you when you expect and deserve it.
In contrast, though, there have been things that have happened that are so sweet that they compel to me to bow my head in humility on how blessed a a man I am. There have been tremendous opportunities in business, chances for me to share the way I think the world should be with those who might listen, close love and tenderness with those who ride with me through my grief, dedicated professionals who want to help, and friends and family who just keep showing up with a warm word, a soft touch, and a bottle of what is needed from time to time. Like most every year, the bitter and the sweet teach me that life is for the living.
This isn’t intended to be a compressive list, I could just share my calendar for that purpose. Instead, I’m pulling out the highlights that spoke to me as important or momentous in the remembering. I read far more than I list here. I traveled a bit more than was worthy of record, but this is what I want to take forward with me.
I offer the following as a memento and a record of the first half of 2024.
What I Watched:
The Bear. I’m so conflicted by this story of a gifted chef who leaves the big leagues to start over in his family’s restaurant. His efforts to make things right with the ghost of his recently departed brother, and to redeem his family from dysfunction is an appealing premise to someone who has lived much of the same journey. The show is a mix of outright gut-punching genius, and a common banality that makes you wish the writers just took their time to go deeper and seek always the profound, but they settle for the stupidly obvious too often. S2 E7 “Forks” should be required viewing for every manager, and every employee no matter the industry when the lesson of commitment needs to be taught, and learned. The acting is pretty solid (especially Ayo Edebiri), the writing swings wildly from sublime to hacky (why are the Faks even there?), and the music is just awful. Worth the watch, though, for sure.
Escaping Twin Flames. Last year I made 2 new forever friends, Nippy Ames and Sarah Edmondson. They were both involved in the build-up, and the takedown of the NXIVM cult, and now run a podcast called “A Little Bit Culty” where they expose cults and the damage they can do to individuals and families. HBO Max features them in its NXIVM expose “The Vow”. For this reason, I pay more attention to cult stuff and this documentary on Netflix was a wild ride to watch. I won’t spoil it for you, but strap in because you will not see where it’s headed until it’s there!
Blue Eyed Samurai. I don’t watch much anime but this caught my eye. A bastard child learns to become a warrior in order to exact revenge on 3 men in late Tokugawa Shogunate Japan. The storyline is crystal clear, the art and animation are superb, the pathos comes through beautifully, and the whole journey is worth the watch. I watched it back to back to pick up on the subtleties I knew I missed the first time through. Bonus, my kids thought I was cool for watching anime!
Saltburn. I heard great things about this updated, post-modern version of Brideshead Revisited meets the Talented Mr. Ripley, but don’t know that I agree despite its Golden Globe and BAFTA nominations. I’ll let you get into the story but suffice it to say aristocratic excess results in envy from the working class and chaos ensues. Because it’s the 2020s, there has to be some bisexuality, some murder, and some outrageousness thrown in for spice. It took up two hours but I wouldn’t watch it again.
We Who Wrestle with God. Ret mentioned to me that Jordan Peterson was going to be on tour with a stop in Atlanta and he and I went to see the only Public Intellectual I keep up with these days. It was magnificent. There were 6,000 people in the State Farm Arena, everyone behaved in the most polite and solicitous manner possible, and they came from all backgrounds. There was an opening “act” of a single man playing mournful pieces on the cello and then Peterson’s wife gave an introduction and a recap of the tour itself. The man himself came out, took a deep breath and said “So …” and then launched into an incredible exigesis of the story of Moses, broke down some of the Ten Commandments, detoured to introduce the concept of R and K reproducers, and hit me between the eyes by explaining why the elites those over whom they rule. When we were leaving Ret said “Dad, that was like watching Picasso paint a picture on stage!” In reality, he was writing the book by using the audience as a sounding board and I can’t wait til it comes out so I can read it and ponder the many truths he shared. He’s still on tour, go if you can.
Ashoka and The Acolyte. Six year old me would be ashamed of 50 year old me. All he wanted was more Star Wars all the time, and I’m sitting here hating the pap they are producing under the brand now. These two series in particular are just woke and terrible. Basically Disney wants you to know that women are powerful too, and they will apply the lesson with a sledgehammer until you get it. For those of us who love strong women, it start off as “Um, of course,” but it gets insulting hour after hour after hour. In his “The Making of the Middle Ages,” medievalist Norman Cantor asserts that history written is only the reflection of the times and the psychology of the historian. The same is true here and that’s a sad commentary. Give it a miss unless you love the weakest brand of feminism you’ve ever seen, or just like Star Wars alot.
Secrets of the Octopus and My Octopus Friend. I’ve been intrigued by the octopus since I read an Omni magazine article written by a biologist in the 80s who said they were most likely alien to this planet. I think I’m more convinced now than I was then! These two documentaries do a great job of showcasing the biology of the octopus and its social psychology, as well. Sheya and I love to eat octopus. If it’s on the menu, we never miss it. These two documentaries taken together have changed that for me. Quite simply, the octopus is too sentient, too special for me to eat any longer, delicious though they may be. It’s not often that a man my age changes his mind, it’s so rare, in fact, that the examples stand out as memorable. These documentaries changed my mind, though.
What I Read:
Fahrenheit 451, Ray Bradbury. My friend, Chris McRae, asked me if I had ever read it and I had to say that I hadn’t but challenge accepted. It was like the damn thing was written for us today, at this time in our society. It’s a timeless critique of censorship and the suppression of dissenting ideas, sure, but it’s the most searing indictment of “cancel culture,” that I’ve ever seen in print. I think there is a belief that humanity has an unquenchable thirst for intellectual observation and curiosity and that over time that will overpower any censorship efforts. This is probably true in terms of government-sponsored censorship, but not in terms of the socially-generated versions, something those who promote such things now know.
Unreasonable Hospitality, Will Guider. This book has been recommended so may times that I had to pick it up. It’s good? But … look, what Will and Daniel did at Eleven Madison is incredible. I took my friend and business partner and our wives there in 2014 and have never experienced anything like it. It was dining as performance art and we thoroughly enjoyed the experience despite the price tag. The book, though, just sort of reads like liner notes to a greatest hits album instead of delivering really memorable and hard hitting ideas that can be incorporated into every business. To be fair, Will has it right: find the thing in your industry that hasn’t been innovated, the one that would create an experience out of a transaction, focus on that thing and nothing else until it’s better than anyone else could do it. But he doesn’t say that. And he should have.
Where I Travelled:
New York City. I was in NYC twice in Q1 this year, once for Emmaline’s 12th birthday trip, and once for some meetings and to help with the local university’s business school class. Emmaline’s best friend and her family traveled with us and it was divine. My girl knows what she is about in this world, and we stayed in the W Times Square to give her that energy she so craves. We went to Max Brenner for the Chocolate Brunch and it was amazing — while we chose it for Emmaline, it ended up being my favorite and restarted my already rampant sweet-tooth! We saw (and were disappointed by) Kimberly Akimbo on Broadway. We shopped, enjoyed the Bryant Street Park Christmas market, and just enjoyed the City. In March I was back for some meetings with potential clients in the M&A Advisory space and as a quasi-chaperone to a group of South Georgia kids, many of whom had never been to the City, and some who had never been on a plane. We went to the NYSE (my first time), visited the Summit at Vanderbilt One, went for training at Bloomberg, and ended it all with my second-favorite bar in the world, Raines Law. The students were involved in an asset management competition and were abuzz with the new experiences they were having. I discovered Gallagher’s steakhouse and put it in the rotation, too.
Fort Lauderdale. I had grand plans for my 50th birthday but some family challenges pulled back on them for now. We switched it up and booked a week at the W Fort Lauderdale for Spring Break instead. I go there once a year for my reading week where I just plow through 20ish books, the staff knows me and this year they really upgraded us. The kids played at the beach, the pools, and just poking around the restaurants and hotel while we intentionally accomplished nothing. My wife flew in a very special friend for the week as a surprise and we had my 50th birthday dinner at 954 Steak.
Dallas. In March, we onboarded a new distribution partner in Dallas, the very impressive Dannah Investments. My staff handled the real work but I went to show them how much I valued what we are doing together. They responded in kind, taking us to a Stars game (fun!), and some gorgeous dinners at The Mexican and Terry Black’s Dallas location.
Boston. I was really privileged to be invited by the Gathering of Titans program to return as a speaker to their program at MIT this year. The program is known as the pinnacle of achievement in the EO organization, and this year’s event was all the more poignant because the Event Chair has been diagnosed with terminal cancer. He fearlessly put out the call for speakers to bring something transcendent and I debuted my newest speech and program called “What I Want You To Know: 229 Questions to Answer Before You Die.” It was very well received and some of the people I respect most in the world — Verne Harnish, Chip Conley, etc. — were diligently at work on the homework I assigned the group, validation indeed.
Nashville. In April I was invited on a profound spiritual and psychological journey in Nashville. The experience was so impactful that I think I will always date my life in terms of me before this and then me after this. Coming at this time in my life, and helping me to pass through the veil of identity into something more transcendent can’t have been an accident, and it’s a gift I’ll always treasure. There hasn’t been a week that goes by where someone I meet doesn’t say “You seem different, lighter, happier.” I’ve already booked my next 3 trips with them.
River Ranch. My Board chose River Ranch as our retreat location this year and Sheya and I enjoyed it immensely. Our Chairman booked us into the Teepees which were fun and nice and we had the whole campsite to ourselves. We met each day around the fire to work through business challenges, and ended each day there too with a round of nightcaps and tomfoolery. My Board has grown very close over the years, becoming friends as much as advisors. It was a treat to have Sheya with me since she misses so many trips now because of the baby.
Napa. This year I was invited to attend Jason Calacanis’ retreat in Napa that he’s recently renamed the Liquidity Summit. It’s an investment themed week where the top VCs and founders in the world come together to highlight where they think dollars should and will be deployed in the future. My old boss Sky Dayton was there touting his drone taxi company, Joby, and I enjoyed hearing from Sunil Mara, the CEO of our portfolio company, Groq, on just how important and ubiquitous compute must become to support AI. There were other fun events like seeing David Sacks and Chamath Palihapitiya and David Friedberg surprise us all at dinner for a chat. We also made a quick escape to Stag’s Leap Winery on the very same day that its founder Warren Winiarski passed away at age 95.
Austin. I went from Napa to Austin to meet up with some friends and attend an AI conference focused on automating your core business functions. The conference was a total bust but I ran into Joe Stolte, the CEO of our portfolio company, Daily.ai and had a great chat. We ended up finishing his round raise in the room that day as people were blown away by what his company is doing marrying AI to the power of marketing emails.
Atlanta. I’m in Atlanta on a regular basis, of course, but when a friend called and asked if I’d like to join them in their box for the Justin Timberlake concert at State Farm Arena, I said yes immediately. Not because I’m a JT fan (but I kinda am now), but because I knew Sheya would love it. I flew us up to PDK, borrowed a friends G-Wagen, had Veuve Cliquot and macarons in the room on our arrival and made her the focus of the night. We showed up (overdressed) to the concert and it was so fun watching her hear the songs of her youth and connecting that little girl to the amazing woman she is today. She said later “Thanks for the trip,” and I replied “Same.”
Lake Travis. Two weeks after being in Austin, I headed back to facilitate a retreat for the Shoshin Warriors Forum. This is an accountability group for CEOs who continually challenge themselves to commit to audacious goals and then achieve them. I guided them through the 229 Questions to Answer Before You Die and was amazed by the work they did. There were far more answers of “I don’t know” than I had expected and I think it was symptomatic of being so heads down in business that sometimes you don’t pay attention to people and circumstances around you. I took some notes on how to get better at the facilitation and look forward to doing some more of these in the months to come.
What I’ve Done:
Flying Tiger Storage. 2 years ago I bought a derelict, abandoned grocery store with the intent of turning into a locally-owned, climate controlled self-storage space. I partnered with two experts in the field, battled through the legal and zoning process, and in January it opened with a name intended to pay tribute to the personnel at Moody Airfare Base. As of June 30, the space is 27% rented a little ahead of schedule for full lease-up. It is beautiful, state of the art, and available to any and all with self-storage needs. If that’s you, mention the Owner’s Special to the on-site agent and get one month free when you move in. I’m probably most proud of taking the old eyesore which was on the tax rolls at $1.7m, plowing $6m in investment funds into it and having it be something the community can be proud of. In the future months, we will work on upgrading the center and it’s tenant as this part of our community grows.
Financings. I’ve had an amazingly successful year so far with regard to the capital advisory work I do with startups and non-traditional projects. I’ve worked for many years to earn the right to be the answer to “Who can help us finance this?” and this year as interest rates have risen and stagnated, my phone has been ringing. I mentioned that I was proud to help Daily.ai complete their angel round. I also helped Skema AI raise some additional funds on what is going to be a mammoth win for the founding team and investors. I deployed capital personally into these companies and about 12 other opportunities as we continue to build out our investment portfolio.
Transactions. Sometimes the answer to “What do I do next?” in business is to sell the business and I was fortunate to be involved in 3 transactions this year that resulted in a successful exit for the founding team. One of my portfolio companies, AgencySpotter was sold to a new investor who wanted to breathe life into the concept and I was happy to be involved to help. Another company, Zendrop, was sold to a company doing a roll-up in the space in a transaction where we took money off the table and retained a huge portion of the resulting entity. A third company, RPC Capital, merged with another entity with the same controlling shareholders to refocus the work and achieve greater things under a new CEO. Working in a deal for me is like being Neo in the Matrix, it’s a gift I have and one I love to do. If I can help with your deal, let me know!
Professor for a Day. My local university, Valdosta State University (Go Blazers!), named me Professor for A Day in the Langdale College of Business this year. I visited 5 classes, lunched with top students, and closed the day with professors. The kids asked any questions they wanted and received candid answers — some of which they liked and others they wished they hadn’t asked. This generation of students faces many of the same problems that previous generations have encountered, but there is an urgency that seems to be on their backs that we didn’t have in my time. I tried to provide perspective and real-world advice on how to take your academic pursuits and turn them into a fulfilling career that caters to your soul.
Pathstone. Since 2019 I’ve been working on the design and execution of a Family Office plan for our family. In the past year, it’s become painfully obvious to me that the task is bigger than just me. I’ve hired others to come along with me on the journey and earn their stripes only to have them go on to greener pastures, something I understood. This meant that I had to go and find a more institutional resource to solve the problem and after wasting time with a group in Atlanta (Gratus Capital, yikes), I settled on Pathstone Financial as our Family Office partner. They will manage the public equities side of the house while I will still focus on the private equity and debt side.
What I Learned:
The expectations you hold of other people is a contract to be disappointed in them when they don’t achieve the way you know they can.
Your view of potential in other people is simply the transference of what you could do in their situation, and has nothing to do with them or their abilities.
When you help others quiet their inner critic, you’ll see more of them come forth than you even knew was inside. The same goes for you, too.