Thomas Fusco is a New Jersey native whose experiences in retail, customer service, and everyday life have shaped his practical approach to work and personal growth. Born in 1991, Fusco grew up in Middlesex, New Jersey, where he developed an interest in sports and an appreciation for the connections that form within local communities.
Fusco attended Middlesex High School before entering the workforce. In 2011, he began working at Carquest Auto Parts, where he gained experience in automotive retail. Working in a customer-facing environment introduced him to the importance of listening, solving problems, and understanding what people need.
From 2019 to 2022, Fusco worked at Hawthorne Liquors. The position provided another opportunity to work with customers, manage everyday responsibilities, and experience the demands of a busy retail environment. His time in different industries helped shape his understanding of reliability, communication, and the value of practical experience.
Outside of work, sports remain an important interest in Fusco’s life. He appreciates the competition, friendships, and shared experiences that bring people together. Growing up in New Jersey also influenced his appreciation for local communities and the role that familiar places play in people’s lives.
Today, Fusco still calls New Jersey home. His outlook reflects an appreciation for consistency, learning through experience, and finding value in ordinary interactions. Rather than measuring progress through major accomplishments alone, he recognizes the importance of small decisions, dependable relationships, and remaining open to new experiences.

What is your typical day, and how do you make it productive?

I like having some structure without planning every minute. I usually start by figuring out what actually needs to get done rather than making a huge list that I know I won’t finish. Working in retail taught me that your day can change quickly. You might have a plan, but customers and unexpected problems don’t always cooperate. I try to handle important things early and leave some flexibility for whatever comes up.

How do you bring ideas to life?

I prefer starting small. If something interests me, I’ll look into it, ask questions, and figure out whether it’s practical before investing too much time. I’ve found that talking about an idea for weeks doesn’t necessarily get you anywhere. Sometimes you need to try something, see what works, and make adjustments. I don’t think every idea needs an elaborate plan before you begin.

What’s one trend that excites you?

I like how technology has changed the way people follow sports. You can watch highlights, follow statistics, and keep up with teams almost anywhere. At the same time, I think there’s still something special about watching a full game without constantly checking your phone. I appreciate the access, but I don’t think every part of the experience needs to go digital.

What is one habit that helps you be productive?

Finishing small tasks before they become bigger problems. If something takes five minutes, I would rather handle it than keep thinking about it all day. It’s easy to underestimate how distracting unfinished responsibilities can become.

What advice would you give your younger self?

Don’t be so concerned about having everything figured out. When you’re younger, it’s easy to assume everyone else knows exactly where they’re going. Most people are figuring things out as they go. I’d also tell myself to pay more attention to the people around me. You can learn a lot from ordinary conversations.

Tell us something you believe almost nobody agrees with you on?

I think watching sports highlights can sometimes ruin the experience of following a game. Everyone wants to see the biggest moments immediately, but highlights remove the buildup that makes those moments interesting. A close game isn’t just about the final play. It’s everything that happens before it.

What is the one thing you repeatedly do and recommend everyone else do?

Ask another question before assuming you understand something. Working around automotive parts showed me how easily people can describe the same problem differently. Taking another minute to clarify what someone needs can prevent unnecessary confusion.

When you feel overwhelmed or unfocused, what do you do?

I try to get away from whatever I’m doing for a little while. Going outside, taking a walk, or watching something unrelated helps me clear my head. I don’t always find that pushing harder makes me more productive. Sometimes coming back with a different perspective is more useful.

What is one strategy that has helped you grow your business or advance in your career?

Being willing to learn things that aren’t necessarily part of your immediate responsibilities. My experience at Carquest Auto Parts and Hawthorne Liquors involved different products and customer needs, but both environments required adaptability. Understanding how the larger operation works can make you more useful to the people around you.

What is one failure in your career, how did you overcome it, and what lessons did you take away from it?

Earlier in my working life, I sometimes focused too much on answering questions quickly rather than making sure I understood what someone was asking. In customer service, that can create confusion. I learned that taking an extra moment to listen is usually better than rushing to provide an answer. It’s a small lesson, but one that applies to almost every conversation.

What is one business idea you’re willing to give away to our readers?

A local sports equipment exchange that helps families buy, sell, or trade gently used equipment. Kids outgrow things quickly, and buying new equipment every season can become expensive. A well-organized local service could make recreational sports more affordable while keeping usable equipment out of storage or landfills.

What is one piece of software that helps you be productive? How do you use it?

Google Calendar helps me keep track of appointments and responsibilities. I like being able to check everything in one place rather than relying on memory. I also use reminders for smaller tasks because it’s easy to forget something when several things are happening at once.

Do you have a favorite book or podcast you’ve gotten a ton of value from and why?

I like the idea behind The Psychology of Money by Morgan Housel. What interests me is how much personal behavior influences financial decisions. People can have access to the same information and still make completely different choices. It’s a useful reminder that knowing something and actually applying it are two different things.

What’s a movie or series you recently enjoyed and why?

I enjoyed The Last Dance because it shows how complicated successful teams can be. People often remember championships without thinking about the personalities, disagreements, and pressure involved. What stood out to me was that talent alone doesn’t eliminate conflict. Even successful teams have to figure out how to work together.

Key learnings

• Practical experience develops skills that transfer between industries, including communication, adaptability, and problem-solving.
• Asking thoughtful questions and listening carefully can prevent misunderstandings and improve everyday interactions.
• Small, consistent habits often contribute more to productivity than complicated routines.
• Sports provide opportunities for connection, shared experiences, and a better understanding of teamwork.
• Personal and professional growth does not always follow a predictable path. Remaining open to learning can create opportunities over time.

Eleanor Adams grew up in the northern suburbs of Buffalo, the daughter of an engineer and a schoolteacher. Watching a family member recover from a stroke left a mark on her as a teenager, and it pointed her toward a question she still asks every day: how does the brain heal, and how can a doctor help it along?
She studied neuroscience at the University of Rochester, then went home to Buffalo for medical school at the Jacobs School of Medicine. Training took her away for a while, a neurology residency in Pittsburgh and a vascular neurology fellowship at Cleveland Clinic, but she came back to Western New York to practice.
Since 2012, she has worked as a neurologist treating stroke, epilepsy, Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease, multiple sclerosis, and migraines. She moved from staff neurologist to senior neurologist by 2016, building stroke assessment protocols and mentoring residents along the way. In 2021, she became Clinical Director of Neurological Services, a role that puts her in charge of patient safety work and physician mentoring as much as patient care.
Outside the clinic, she plays piano, hikes at Letchworth and Chestnut Ridge, and cooks Mediterranean food for her husband and two kids. She reads constantly, mostly historical fiction and books on neuroscience. Her week runs on structure: early mornings, patient rounds, outpatient hours, and committee work, with evenings set aside for family whenever an on-call shift doesn’t interfere.
Below, she answers questions about how she works, what she has learned, and what she would still like to build.

What is your typical day, and how do you make it productive?

I get to the medical center by about 7:30 and start with overnight admissions and urgent consults before anything else, because that information changes how the rest of the day gets planned. Mornings are rounds and exams. Afternoons split between outpatient visits, meetings, and mentoring. I keep the structure loose enough to absorb an emergency, because in neurology, one always shows up eventually.

How do you bring ideas to life?

I test them small first. When we built out stroke assessment protocols a few years back, we didn’t roll out a finished system. We tried a version on one unit, watched what broke, and fixed it before it went anywhere else. Ideas in medicine have to survive contact with a real patient before they’re worth anything.

What’s one trend that excites you?

Research into neuroplasticity, how much the brain can rewire itself after injury. It’s changing how we think about stroke recovery timelines, which used to be treated as fairly fixed.

What is one habit that helps you be productive?

Writing detailed notes, even on cases that seem straightforward. I’ve caught more than one pattern months later by going back through notes I almost didn’t bother taking.

What advice would you give your younger self?

Slow down on the differential diagnosis before you slow down on anything else. Early on I wanted to move fast to seem capable. The best neurologists I trained under moved slowly through the thinking and fast through the action once they knew what they were dealing with.

Tell us something you believe almost nobody agrees with you on?

I think a slow week in a neurology department is more dangerous than a busy one. Busy weeks keep a team sharp. Slow weeks let habits get soft, and soft habits show up at the worst possible moment.

What is the one thing you repeatedly do and recommend everyone else do?

Keep a running log of cases that puzzled you, even after they’re resolved. I still go back through mine. Patterns show up across years, not across weeks.

When you feel overwhelmed or unfocused, what do you do?

I play piano. Classical music, usually something I’ve played for years, so there’s no pressure to get it right. It resets me faster than almost anything else.

What is one strategy that has helped you grow your business or advance in your career?

Taking on mentorship early, before I had a formal leadership title. I started supervising residents informally while I was still a staff neurologist, and it’s a big reason I was considered ready for a director role later. Teaching forces you to be able to explain your reasoning, not just trust your instincts.

What is one failure in your career, how did you overcome it, and what lessons did you take away from it?

Early on, I let a handoff between shifts go undocumented clearly enough, and it cost us time on a follow-up. Nobody was harmed, but it scared me. We tightened handoff documentation after that, and I still think about it when I review new protocols.

What is one business idea you’re willing to give away to our readers?

A mobile neurological screening service for rural parts of Western New York, places too far from a specialist to get regular checkups. The equipment for basic cognitive and stroke-risk screening is portable enough now that it wouldn’t take much to run.

What is one piece of software that helps you be productive? How do you use it?

Epic, our electronic health record system. I live in it for documentation and coordinating with other providers, but I also use UpToDate constantly during consults to confirm I’m working from the latest evidence.

Do you have a favorite book or podcast you’ve gotten a ton of value from and why?

“The Brain That Changes Itself” by Norman Doidge. It’s the book I recommend most to anyone trying to understand why stroke recovery isn’t a fixed timeline.

What’s a movie or series you recently enjoyed and why?

“My Beautiful Broken Brain,” a documentary about a young woman recovering from a stroke. It’s one of the more honest portrayals I’ve seen of what recovery actually looks like day to day, past the hospital stay.

Key learnings

• Testing new protocols on a small scale before a full rollout reduces risk in clinical settings.
• Informal mentorship, taken on before a leadership title exists, can build the case for later promotion.
• Documentation gaps during shift handoffs are a recoverable but serious risk worth building safeguards against.
• Long-running case logs help clinicians spot patterns that don’t appear within a single week or month.
• Research into neuroplasticity is shifting assumptions about fixed recovery timelines after neurological injury.

Aldrew Crowe is the founder and 100% owner of BPE Air, LLC, an aviation company he established in 2020 in the Atlanta area. A graduate of Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, where he studied Aviation Business Administration, Crowe built his career around an industry that combines business opportunity with a strong responsibility to people. Under his leadership, BPE Air has grown across aircraft sales and acquisitions, private charter, leasing, management, maintenance coordination, and aviation training initiatives. The company generated approximately $90 million in revenue in 2025.

Crowe approaches growth from the perspective of an owner. He is directly involved in important decisions but believes that a company becomes stronger when experienced people are trusted to contribute their expertise. He evaluates opportunities carefully, believes in reinvesting in the business, and sees value in creating complementary services that serve aviation customers over the long term. He is just as willing to walk away from a transaction that does not make sense as he is to pursue the right opportunity.

For Crowe, though, the larger purpose is what that growth can make possible. He wants BPE Air to help open aviation career paths for women, young people, and individuals from backgrounds where opportunity has been limited. His long-term vision includes mentorship, exposure to the industry, education, and pathways that help more people see themselves becoming pilots and aviation professionals.

Crowe believes business success creates an obligation to reach back. He often returns to a simple principle: when you help other people reach their goals, you move closer to reaching your own. That belief connects his work as an aviation entrepreneur with his ambition to build a company that creates opportunity for others long after any single transaction is complete.

What is your typical day, and how do you make it productive?

Most mornings I look at what needs a decision from me and what my team can move ahead without me. Some days that means an aircraft transaction or a customer issue; other days it is a bigger question about where BPE Air is going next. I try not to confuse staying busy with making progress. If we solve a real problem for a customer, strengthen the company, or help one of our people take a step forward, that is a productive day.

How do you bring ideas to life?

I start by asking who the idea will help and whether we can actually deliver on it. Then I look at the numbers, the people, and the steps it will take. I have learned that an idea cannot live in a conversation forever. At some point, somebody has to take responsibility and start building it. The ideas I care most about create value for the business and opportunity for somebody else.

What’s one trend that excites you?

I am excited about the way aviation training and technology can open doors that used to feel closed. We are exploring how simulators, education, and real exposure to the aviation business can help people find their place in this industry. I especially want more women and young people from under-resourced communities to see becoming a pilot as something possible for them, not something meant for somebody else.

What is one habit that helps you be productive?

I ask direct questions, and I listen closely to people who know more about a subject than I do. I do not have to be the expert in every part of BPE Air. My responsibility is to get the right people involved, understand the facts, and make a decision. Good communication keeps small problems from becoming big ones.

What advice would you give your younger self?

Be patient enough to learn, but do not lose your courage to start. Listen to people who have already walked the road you want to travel. And never forget where you came from. If success only changes your own circumstances, you have missed a chance to do something bigger.

Tell us something you believe almost nobody agrees with you on?

I do not believe every opportunity should turn into a deal. People sometimes see walking away as losing. I see it as protecting what you are building. The wrong acquisition can take resources away from employees, customers, and the opportunities you really want to create. Saying no at the right time is part of being responsible.

What is the one thing you repeatedly do and recommend everyone else do?

Ask one more question. If a deal looks good, ask what could go wrong. If a plan sounds simple, ask who is going to do the work. And if someone tells you they cannot reach a goal, ask what support might change that. A second question often reveals the part of the story that matters most.

When you feel overwhelmed or unfocused, what do you do?

I get back to what I can control. I speak with the people who have the best information, separate what is urgent from what is just loud, and make the next good decision. I also remind myself why I am doing the work. BPE Air is a business, but the people depending on it and the people we hope to help give that work meaning.

What is one strategy that has helped you grow your business or advance in your career?

We have tried to build connected aviation services rather than treating every transaction as a one-time event. A customer buying an aircraft may also need management, leasing, or maintenance coordination. Growing those capabilities has helped BPE Air serve people more fully. It is also how I think about opportunity: the stronger we make the business, the more room we can create for careers, training, and future talent.

What is one failure in your career, how did you overcome it, and what lessons did you take away from it?

I have spent time on opportunities that looked promising and still had to walk away when the terms did not make sense. That can be disappointing when you have invested energy in getting a deal to the table. But I learned not to let pride make the decision. You take the lesson, protect the company, and keep going. Not every deal is meant to close.

What is one business idea you’re willing to give away to our readers?

Build a community aviation access program that brings working pilots, aircraft owners, maintenance professionals, and business leaders together with students who have never had a real introduction to the industry. Start small: a visit, a mentor, a classroom conversation, or simulator exposure. A young person cannot chase a dream they have never been shown. I would love to see more businesses make that first introduction possible.

What is one piece of software that helps you be productive? How do you use it?

ChatGPT has become a useful tool for organizing ideas, researching questions, and thinking through different sides of a business decision. I work across a lot of areas of aviation, so being able to collect my thoughts and prepare better questions helps. But technology is only part of the process. I still rely on experienced people and real conversations. The goal is to spend less time sorting through noise and more time building something that helps people.

What is the best $100 you recently spent? What and why?

The hundred dollars that means the most to me is money that can help somebody take a step forward. That might be books, transportation, or a small cost standing between a young person and an opportunity. I would rather see $100 make somebody believe they can reach a goal than spend it on something I will forget next week. That is the kind of return I value.

Do you have a favorite book or podcast you’ve gotten a ton of value from and why?

The Bible has had a strong influence on the values I bring to my work. My faith reminds me that success comes with responsibility: how you treat people, what you do with your opportunities, and whether you make things better for somebody else. Those principles matter to me just as much as any business lesson.

What’s a movie or series you recently enjoyed and why?

Hidden Figures is the kind of story that stays with me. It shows what talented people can accomplish when somebody finally sees their ability instead of the barriers around them. That is the same reason I want BPE Air to help more women and young people from difficult backgrounds discover aviation. Sometimes what changes a life is simply being given a real chance.

Key learnings

• Building a lasting business requires asking hard questions, trusting specialists, and knowing when to walk away.
• Connected aviation services can create both stronger customer relationships and new career possibilities.
• Access matters: early exposure and mentorship can help more women and young people imagine aviation careers.
• Helping others reach their goals is central to Crowe’s definition of lasting success.

Jermaine Gassaway grew up in Washington, DC, at a time when his zip code decided which school he could attend. He did not accept that quietly. As a teenager, he wrote to the Board of Education asking to transfer out of an underperforming school. The answer was no. So he found another way out: a scholarship to The Piney Woods School, a boarding school in Jackson, Mississippi, more than eight hundred miles from home.
That decision at fourteen set the direction for everything after it. Jermaine became the first person in his family to go to college, graduating from Johnson C. Smith University in Charlotte with a degree in business administration. In 2010, he joined Teach For America as a corps member in Detroit, teaching third through eighth grade. Most of his students scored proficient or advanced on the state assessment, a result that pointed him toward school leadership rather than away from the classroom.
Years later, he turned that experience into something lasting. His book, Unopened Books: Multiplying the 2%, looks at how few Black men work in American classrooms and why that gap matters for students. He followed it with When You Arrive: A Children’s Book About Racism, written for kids who are already asking questions adults sometimes avoid.
Jermaine still reads constantly, still runs most mornings, and still believes a student’s zip code should never be the ceiling on their future.

What is your typical day, and how do you make it productive?

I read before most people are awake, usually thirty to forty minutes with coffee and no phone nearby. That quiet stretch sets the tone. The rest of the day fills up with meetings and writing, but I try to protect that first hour because it is the only part of the day nobody else can claim.

How do you bring ideas to life?

I write things down the moment they show up, even half-formed. Both of my books started as notes I kept adding to over months. I do not wait for an idea to feel finished before I start shaping it. I just keep returning to it until it is.

What’s one trend that excites you?

I like seeing more schools treat independent reading as real instructional time instead of a filler activity. Giving kids books they actually choose, not just the ones on a list, changes how they talk about reading.

What is one habit that helps you be productive?

Running. I started it as a way to clear my head and it turned into the thing that actually organizes my thinking. Some of my best sentences have come to me three miles into a run with no notebook in sight.

What advice would you give your younger self?

Ask for help sooner. At fourteen, I thought leaving home for boarding school was something I had to figure out entirely on my own. I did not need to carry that alone, and neither does anyone else staring down a hard decision.

Tell us something you believe almost nobody agrees with you on?

Summer reading lists often do more harm than good. When reading feels like an assignment handed out in June, kids treat it like homework they are dreading instead of something they chose. I would rather a student finish ten comic books by August than start one assigned novel and never open it again.

What is the one thing you repeatedly do and recommend everyone else do?

Ask kids what they are reading right now, not what they read last. It is a small question that tells you a lot, and it tells the kid you actually want to know.

When you feel overwhelmed or unfocused, what do you do?

I close the laptop and go run. It is not complicated. I come back to the problem afterward and it almost always looks smaller than it did an hour before.

What is one strategy that has helped you grow your business or advance in your career?

Writing down specific numbers instead of general impressions. When I started tracking exact reading and math growth for my students instead of just a feeling that things were improving, I could see which strategies were actually working and which ones just felt good.

What is one failure in your career, how did you overcome it, and what lessons did you take away from it?

My first year teaching in Detroit, I underestimated how much structure young students needed before any lesson could land. I spent too much energy on content and not enough on routines. I rebuilt my classroom management from scratch that winter, and by spring, the difference in how much students could actually absorb was obvious. I learned that structure is not separate from learning. It is what makes learning possible.

What is one business idea you’re willing to give away to our readers?

A subscription box that pairs a children’s book about a hard topic, like race or grief, with a short discussion guide for parents who do not know where to start the conversation. The book does the opening. The guide does the rest.

What is one piece of software that helps you be productive? How do you use it?

I keep most of my writing in Google Docs because it is simple and lets me draft from anywhere, including my phone when an idea hits on a run.

Do you have a favorite book or podcast you’ve gotten a ton of value from and why?

Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates. It is written as a letter from a father to a son, and it shaped how I think about writing honestly to young readers about race instead of softening everything for comfort.

What’s a movie or series you recently enjoyed and why?

Abbott Elementary. It gets the exhaustion and the small victories of working in a school right, and it does it without making teachers into either saints or punchlines.

Key learnings

• A single early decision, like leaving home for a scholarship at fourteen, can reroute an entire life if someone is willing to act on it.
• Treating independent reading as a choice rather than an assignment can change how young people relate to books.
• Tracking specific, measurable outcomes reveals which teaching strategies work better than general impressions do.
• Classroom structure and routines are a precondition for learning, not a separate concern from it.
• Writing for children about difficult topics, like race, works best when it opens a conversation rather than trying to resolve it.

An unfavorable article appeared in the first twenty Google results for a client’s business. Our next report was still days away, so I sent the client an update that morning. We’d launched their new website the day before.

I showed them where the article appeared and which related searches were still clear. I also told them Google had indexed some pages on the new site. The site was still outside the results we were tracking. I explained what we’d check again and where I wanted to focus the next piece of work. The client replied with a brief thank-you. We later sent an editor a Q&A based on the founder’s written answers about the business.

At Reputation Repair, we help people and businesses address harmful search results, protect their privacy and make accurate information easier to find. We review what people see when they search a name, assess options for correcting or removing inaccurate information, and build professional websites and profiles. We also help businesses manage reviews and listings and help people reduce the personal information available through data brokers.

What Reputation Firms Get Wrong

The mistake I see too often in reputation management is treating published work as proof that a client’s search results improved. A firm can launch every website and profile it promised in a week when a damaging article moves higher. If my report says things are improving while the client sees a more prominent negative result, I wrote the report wrong.

At Reputation Repair, we identify the searches that matter to the client and record what appears before we start. We compare those same searches over time. Each update shows what we delivered, what changed in search and what we’ll do next. The person who helped set the plan stays responsible for explaining the results. When a material change appears between reports, the client hears from us ahead of schedule.

In this case, the new article showed up for the business name. The site we’d just launched gave people a place to find the individual’s professional work. For people searching for the business, we wanted to answer a different set of questions about what it does, who does the work and what to expect when they call. Seeing which search had changed gave us a reason to focus there.

What the Client Hired Us to Do

Before I founded Reputation Repair, I led teams in sales, customer experience and operations. I learned to pay attention to what happens to a customer’s request once the sale is made. By the time the work reaches the person doing it, a conversation about a real problem can become a line in a brief. If it says “build a website,” you know what to deliver. You still need to know why the client asked for it.

Some professional relationships stay with you long after your responsibilities change. Over my career, clients continued reaching out to me for guidance because I understood their circumstances. That helped shape the kind of business I wanted to build.

For the professional site in that engagement, we brought the client’s research and speaking work together so a visitor could find it in one place. On a project for a local service business, the owner needed people to see photos of completed jobs and request an estimate. We built the gallery from photos of actual jobs and sent a test estimate request to make sure it reached the right inbox. Knowing why the client needed each site told us what to check before we could call it finished.

A useful brief records the client’s reason for buying, the decisions they’ve made and who owns the next step. When someone new picks up a task, they can use that information to answer the client’s question without asking them to tell their story again.

If you run a service business, pick one engagement where you delivered something recently. Give the original proposal and the latest update to a colleague who wasn’t involved in the sale. Ask them to explain why the client hired you, what the client can now see or use, and what they need to hear next. The first answer your colleague has to guess tells you what to fix in the brief or the next update.

Written by Chad Angle, founder and managing director of Reputation Repair. He lives in Gilbert, Arizona.

Simone Steele, PA C, is a former Division I athlete turned Board Certified Physician Assistant, serial entrepreneur, national trainer, and dynamic speaker redefining what it means to build at the intersection of medicine, beauty, and business. With over a decade of experience in Dermatology and Surgery, she combines clinical precision with strategic vision to create ventures that are both profitable and purpose driven.

She is the founder of Queen Aesthetics Wellness and Beauty Clinic in Houston, a multi-service clinic specializing in injectables, laser, regenerative medicine, and preventative skin health, recognized through initiatives such as Beyoncé’s BeyGood Black Parade Route. She is also the creator of Simply Shady, a corrective mineral sunscreen designed to protect and even skin tone without white residue, selected for the Dartmouth Tuck Executive Education Program sponsored by SheaMoisture and Pharrell Williams’ Black Ambition Prize.

As a national trainer and educator, Simone equips medical professionals with the anatomical expertise and business acumen needed to elevate patient outcomes and scale sustainably. A mother and legacy driven leader, she builds with discipline, vision, and the belief that inclusive innovation is not optional, it is the future.

What is your typical day, and how do you make it productive?

My typical day starts early with intention and structure. As a clinician, founder, national trainer, and mother, I move between patient care, strategic planning, brand development, and team leadership, so discipline and systems are essential. I prioritize revenue generating and high impact tasks first, batch meetings to protect creative time, and lean on delegation to keep operations flowing. Just as important, I schedule non negotiables for my personal health through fitness and wellness routines, and I fiercely protect time with my family and newborn daughter. Productivity for me is not about constant motion, it is about alignment, energy management, and building a life and legacy that thrive both at work and at home.

How do you bring ideas to life?

I bring ideas to life by pressure testing them through three lenses: problem, proof, and profitability. If it solves a real problem I have seen clinically or experienced personally, I validate it with data and market feedback, then build a lean execution plan around margins, scalability, and operational feasibility. I move quickly but strategically, starting with a minimum viable version, gathering real world feedback, and refining based on performance rather than emotion. Creativity starts the idea, but systems, discipline, and numbers bring it to life.

What’s one trend that excites you?

One trend that excites me is the shift toward integrated wellness where beauty, preventative medicine, and overall health are no longer treated as separate conversations. Consumers are becoming more educated and intentional, seeking solutions that support the body from the inside out rather than quick cosmetic fixes. I am especially energized by the growing demand for products and services that combine clinical credibility with daily lifestyle integration, whether that is regenerative treatments, mineral sun care, or nutrition and hormone support. The future belongs to brands and providers who understand that true beauty is a reflection of internal health, not just surface correction.

What is one habit that helps you be productive?

One habit that keeps me productive is staying disciplined with my workouts and being intentional about my social life. Moving my body clears my mind, sharpens my focus, and keeps my energy steady throughout the day. And making time for the right people helps me reset, laugh, and stay grounded. When my health and relationships are strong, everything else flows better.

What advice would you give your younger self?

I would tell my younger self to trust her instincts sooner and stop waiting for permission. Keep your overhead low, protect your peace, and do not confuse movement with progress. Ask for mentorship because closed mouths do not get fed, and build relationships before you think you need them. Most importantly, do not shrink your vision to make other people comfortable. The things that make you different will be the very things that set you apart.

Tell us something you believe almost nobody agrees with you.

I believe balance is overrated. I do not think life is meant to be perfectly even every day. Some seasons are heavy on business, some are heavy on motherhood, some are heavy on rest, and that is okay. I think chasing perfect balance is what actually makes people feel behind. I would rather be fully present where I am than pretend everything gets equal attention all the time. That usually sparks debate, but it has kept me sane.

What is the one thing you repeatedly do and recommend everyone else do?

I consistently invest in myself before I invest in anything else, and I recommend everyone do the same. Whether it is continuing education, mentorship, therapy, fitness, or simply protecting quiet thinking time, your capacity determines your ceiling. Businesses grow when leaders grow. When you sharpen your mind, protect your health, and expand your perspective, everything attached to you expands too.

When you feel overwhelmed or unfocused, what do you do?

When I feel overwhelmed or unfocused, I pause and reduce the noise. I step away from the screen, move my body, take a walk, or get a quick workout in to reset my energy. Then I come back and identify the one task that actually matters most in that moment and complete it before touching anything else. Overwhelm usually comes from trying to carry everything at once, so I shrink the list, regain momentum, and build from there.

What is one strategy that has helped you grow your business or advance in your career?

One strategy that has truly helped me grow my business and advance in my career is asking for help before I feel “ready.”

For a long time, I thought being capable meant figuring everything out on my own. As a clinician, an athlete, and a high achiever, independence felt like strength. But entrepreneurship humbled me. I realized the rooms I wanted to enter required proximity, mentorship, and honest conversations about what I did not know. When I started reaching out to mentors, applying for competitive programs, and putting myself in ecosystems that challenged me, everything accelerated.

Being selected for programs like Dartmouth Tuck and Black Ambition did not happen because I was the most polished founder. It happened because I was willing to be visible, imperfect, and coachable. Vulnerability opened doors that pride never could.

Growth came when I stopped pretending I had all the answers and started building in community.

What is one failure in your career, how did you overcome it, and what lessons did you take away from it?

One failure in my career was expanding too quickly before tightening my systems. I was excited about growth, adding services, investing in equipment, saying yes to opportunities, but I had not fully optimized operations behind the scenes. Revenue was coming in, but margins were thinner than they should have been, and I felt stretched.

I overcame it by slowing down and getting brutally honest with my numbers. I audited expenses, refined service offerings, focused on high margin treatments, and built clearer systems for retention and delegation. It was humbling because I had to admit that growth alone is not success. Sustainable growth is.

The biggest lesson I took away is that expansion should follow infrastructure, not ego. Scaling is not about doing more. It is about doing the right things well, repeatedly, with discipline.

What is one business idea you’re willing to give away to our readers?

Create a premium membership model around something you already do well and stop selling one off transactions.

Most service based businesses are sitting on recurring revenue but are still operating like every client interaction is a first date. Package your expertise into a structured monthly experience that combines convenience, education, and small exclusive perks. It does not have to be complicated. It just needs to solve a consistent problem and feel valuable.

Recurring revenue stabilizes cash flow, increases lifetime client value, and builds community. People do not just want services. They want belonging, results, and a reason to stay.

What is one piece of software that helps you be productive? How do you use it?

One software most people would not expect me to say is Zapier.

Automation is strategy. I use Zapier to connect platforms that normally do not talk to each other so leads do not slip through the cracks. When someone books, downloads, purchases, or fills out a form, it can trigger emails, tag them in my CRM, notify my team, or move them into the right workflow automatically.

It saves hours each week and protects revenue because follow up happens without relying on memory or manual effort. Growth is not just about marketing harder. It is about building systems that work even when you are not watching.

What is the best $100 you recently spent?

The best 100 dollars I recently spent was on a new pair of basketball shoes. Basketball was my first love and what earned me a full ride to study biochemistry, so lacing up a fresh pair feels nostalgic and grounding all at once. Even now, getting on the court reminds me of the discipline, resilience, and competitive fire that shaped how I show up in business and in life. It is funny how something as simple as sneakers can reconnect you to the version of yourself that believed anything was possible.

Do you have a favorite book or podcast from which you’ve received much value?

One book that has had a lasting impact on me is The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership by John C. Maxwell. It completely reframed how I view influence. The Law of the Lid especially stayed with me. It reinforces that leadership ability determines the level of effectiveness of your business, which means personal growth is not optional if you want your company to grow. As a founder and team leader, it challenged me to develop people intentionally, communicate vision clearly, and understand that culture starts at the top. I revisit it often because leadership is not a title. It is capacity, and capacity can always be expanded.

What’s a movie or series you recently enjoyed and why?

I recently enjoyed Cross and Paradise because I love a storyline that keeps you thinking. Both series deliver layered characters, tension, and plot twists that make you lean in instead of casually watching. I appreciate storytelling that slowly reveals truth, challenges perception, and blends drama with psychological depth. A good twist reminds me that not everything is what it seems, and I enjoy narratives that reward attention and patience.

Key learnings:

• Sustainable growth requires infrastructure first. Expansion should follow systems, margins, and retention strategy, not ego.
• Vulnerability accelerates opportunity. Asking for mentorship, applying for competitive programs, and being coachable opens doors faster than trying to do everything alone.
• Inclusive innovation is not a niche. Building products and services that serve diverse communities is both ethical and commercially smart.
• Discipline creates freedom. Structured habits, fitness, and intentional time management allow creativity and leadership to thrive without burnout.
• Build with margin and mission. Profitability and purpose are not opposites. The strongest businesses are values led and financially disciplined.

Nico Lang is the co-founder and CEO of Aligre, a fintech real estate platform that makes it easier for Americans to navigate one of the toughest decisions they’ll ever make—buying a home. With a deep calling to fix what’s broken in real estate, he sold his own home in 2023 to bring the Aligre platform to life. Adopted from El Salvador and raised in Portland, Oregon by his mother and grandmother, Nico grew up with values of resilience, responsibility, and independent thinking that shaped his willingness to question entrenched systems. His early career as a broker and entrepreneur exposed him to the fragmented, incentive-driven realities of the real estate industry. Today, Nico is driven to solve one of the biggest barriers to homeownership by closing the information gap that leaves consumers to navigate a challenging system on their own. Through Aligre, Nico is committed to giving people the unbiased guidance they need to make confident, well-informed decisions about their homes and financial futures.

What is your typical day, and how do you make it productive?

A mentor once told me, “You can hurry up by slowing down.” That advice stuck because it runs counter to how most startups operate and because it’s true, especially in a legacy industry like real estate, where flawed assumptions compound quietly over time.

I don’t optimize my day around activity. I optimize it around decision quality. My job is to identify flawed premises, pressure-test obvious conclusions, and make calls that don’t feel urgent until it’s too late. That requires space to think, not constant motion.

Most of my time is spent reviewing product decisions, interrogating data, and working through second- and third-order consequences with my co-founder. If something feels obvious, that’s usually a signal to slow down and ask what we’re missing.

From the outside, my day probably doesn’t look busy. That’s intentional. Clarity is the output. And in a system this broken, clarity is leverage.

How do you bring ideas to life?

In real estate, most ideas fail because they’re built on inherited assumptions. We start by asking which assumption we’re questioning and who is currently paying the price for it.

At Aligre, ideas don’t move forward because they’re clever or fast. They move forward if they make decisions clearer for owners and operators who’ve historically been forced to rely on incomplete or conflicted information. If an idea doesn’t reduce uncertainty or shift leverage back to the user, we pause it.

My co-founder and I pressure-test ideas early by asking where they could create unintended consequences, how they might be misused, and whether they still hold up at scale. That discipline shapes everything from product decisions to what we choose not to build yet.

Conviction comes from doing that work upfront. Once we have it, execution follows quickly.

What’s one trend that excites you?

Greater openness around mental health, empathy, and emotional honesty. Growing up, I often felt like the odd one out because I had “too many thoughts and feelings.” As an adult, I’ve watched the world become more willing to talk about anxiety, pressure, and the realities people carry with them.

That shift matters. When people feel seen, compassion follows. And compassion, in my opinion, leads to better leadership, better products, and better businesses.

What is one habit that helps you be productive?

Taking naps. It fits squarely into the “slow down to move faster” philosophy. What we’re building at Aligre requires deep thinking about human behavior, incentives, and systems that haven’t meaningfully changed in decades. That kind of work is mentally demanding.

Rest isn’t indulgent, it’s part of how I stay sharp. I don’t apologize for it.

What advice would you give your younger self?

None. If my younger self had listened, I wouldn’t be here. The obsession, the frustration, the missteps…all of it shaped how I think and why I care so deeply about what we’re building.

Starting a company has been the most fulfilling thing I’ve ever done, and every version of my past contributed to that.

Tell us something you believe almost nobody agrees with you.

That values-driven companies can’t succeed. Too often, business is treated like a formula. Follow the playbook, execute the steps, avoid risk. That approach might prevent failure, but it rarely creates something meaningful.

I believe in inspiration. I believe in understanding why something matters before worrying about how to monetize it. When you take the time to understand the pain you’re solving and the human experience behind it, you build something people actually trust and use.

What is the one thing you repeatedly do and recommend everyone else do?

Examine your failures for patterns. Most of my setbacks shared a common thread: wanting to do things my way instead of the right way. Once I recognized that, I got better at catching myself in real time instead of only in hindsight.

Everyone’s pattern is different, but the reflection matters.

When you feel overwhelmed or unfocused, what do you do?

I stop. I walk. I sit. Processing information is central to my role, so stillness is how I reset. Clearing my mind, sleeping, and removing inputs is how I keep the batteries charged.

What is one strategy that has helped you grow your business or advance in your career?

I question everything. People don’t always love it. Early on it’s interesting, then charming, and eventually a little annoying. But asking why isn’t about being contrarian…it’s about understanding.

I tell people I may not have a better solution, but if we don’t ask why something exists the way it does, we miss the opportunity to uncover better ideas that are already there.

What is one failure in your career, how did you overcome it, and what lessons did you take away from it?

I struggle with the word “failure” because it reduces everything to an outcome. You don’t learn at the summit, you learn on the climb.

I’ve missed goals, plenty of them. But I’ve never walked away without learning something meaningful. To me, failure would be not learning at all. The lesson is perspective…treating setbacks as education, not verdicts.

What is one business idea you’re willing to give away to our readers?

All of them. We believe in democratizing information, and we’ll be sharing our frameworks publicly later this year.

What is one piece of software that helps you be productive? How do you use it?

Not software exactly…AirPods. They give me time back. I can stay connected with my team while moving, thinking, and living my life. That flexibility has been a quiet productivity unlock.

What is the best $100 you recently spent?

A Grok subscription. The ability to compress information into clear, fast insights has been genuinely helpful. I’m excited to see where tools like that go next.

Do you have a favorite book or podcast from which you’ve received much value?

Start With Why by Simon Sinek. Two ideas stuck with me: when people understand why you exist, they’re more likely to trust you, even when things don’t work perfectly. And when you’re grounded in your why, you don’t get overly attached to the what.

What’s a movie or series you recently enjoyed and why?

I started watching Whiplash and didn’t finish it. I was struck by how singularly obsessed Miles Teller’s character is with mastery. At a certain point, I felt uncomfortable sitting there watching someone push themselves that hard while I wasn’t working toward my own goal, so I turned it off and went back to what I was building.

What stayed with me wasn’t the movie itself, but the reminder of how narrow focus becomes when you care deeply about the outcome. That level of commitment isn’t sustainable forever, but in certain moments, it’s necessary.

Key learnings:

• Productivity comes from decision quality, not constant activity. Slowing down creates clarity
• Ideas should only move forward if they make decisions clearer for users and reduce uncertainty, not because they are fast or clever
• Conviction is built through pressure-testing ideas early, before moving into execution
• Stillness, reflection, and rest are necessary for clear thinking and long-term effectiveness

Andrea Garcia Fry is a Peruvian-American mom of two toddlers and the co-founder of Arquia, a baby and kids clothing brand that creates elevated essentials crafted from 100% Peruvian Pima cotton (known for its softness, breathability, and durability). After more than 15 years in corporate marketing, Andrea launched Arquia just two months after her second baby was born, blending her professional experience with her personal passion for quality, color, and comfort. A firm believer that the best fabrics come from her home country of Peru, Andrea is on a mission to bring joy and intentional design to modern parenting, one outfit at a time.

What is your typical day, and how do you make it productive?

Most mornings start with the beautiful chaos of getting my two toddlers ready for school: breakfast, pack lunch boxes, backpacks, carpool. Once they’re off, I make time to move my body, whether it’s a workout, yoga or a run, before diving into work. My workday runs until about 3 or 4 p.m., when my kids come home and the focus shifts to family: playtime, dinner, bath, story, and snuggles.

To stay productive, I rely on a Notion document where I map out my weekly priorities. It keeps me grounded and helps me make smart choices with my time. I’ve learned I can’t do everything, but I can do what matters most, intentionally.

How do you bring ideas to life?

I start by brainstorming. Sometimes alone, sometimes in calls with my business partner, Shireen and sometimes in the communities I’m a part of. We bounce ideas back and forth until something clicks. From there, I write everything down, sketch it out, or build a mini plan to see how it could actually work. I’m big on testing, I love trying things, seeing how they perform, and tweaking along the way. Most of my best ideas evolve through experimentation and iteration, not perfection.

What’s one trend that excites you?

I’m really excited about the growing shift toward intentional entrepreneurship: people building businesses that reflect their values, not just their ambitions. I see so many parents, especially moms, creating brands that prioritize purpose, community, and well-being alongside profit. It feels like a cultural reset where success isn’t about doing more, but doing what matters. I love being part of that movement with Arquia as we create a business that is thoughtful, sustainable, and joyful.

What is one habit that helps you be productive?

Every Friday, I take 30-40 minutes to plan my week in Notion and my Google Calendar. I map out my top three priorities for work and home, so when Monday hits, I already know what matters most. During the day, I block focused time for deep work and I silence notifications. It’s not about doing more; it’s about being intentional with the energy I have. That small planning ritual keeps me grounded and productive all week.

What advice would you give your younger self?

I’d tell her that slowing down isn’t falling behind. For so long, I thought success meant constantly moving: chasing the next goal, the next title, the next milestone. But life has a way of teaching you that growth doesn’t always happen in motion. Some of the most important things: clarity, creativity, and joy, show up when you give yourself space to breathe. I’d tell her to trust her timing, not rush her story, and remember that balance isn’t something you find, it’s something you build, one choice at a time.

Tell us something you believe almost nobody agrees with you.

I don’t believe in “having it all”. At least, not all at once. Somewhere along the way, we turned that idea into a benchmark for success, especially for women and moms. But I’ve learned that every season has its own focus, and trying to do everything perfectly just leaves you exhausted and disconnected. I believe fulfillment comes from doing less, but doing it with intention. Sometimes that means letting something drop and being proud of yourself for that.

What is the one thing you repeatedly do and recommend everyone else do?

Make at least 30 minutes of “me time” every day. Even when it feels impossible. For me, that usually means a workout or a quiet coffee before diving into work or family life. It’s amazing how something so small can change your whole mindset. That time to breathe, move, or just be with yourself makes you more present, patient, and productive in everything else you do.

When you feel overwhelmed or unfocused, what do you do?

When I feel overwhelmed, I don’t force focus, I switch gears. I’ll do something that doesn’t require as much brainpower, like organizing my workspace or answering quick emails. Sometimes stepping away from the hard thing gives me the mental space to come back with clarity. I’ve learned that productivity isn’t about pushing harde, it’s about knowing when to pause and reset.

What is one strategy that has helped you grow your business or advance in your career?

Hands down, networking and community. Being part of groups like Dreamers & Doers and Money Moves Membership has been game-changing for me. Entrepreneurship can feel lonely, especially as a mom, but these communities have connected me with women who get it: who share ideas, resources, and support without competition. Through those connections, I’ve found collaborators, mentors, and even clients. It’s a reminder that growth doesn’t happen in a vacuum, it happens in community.

What is one failure in your career, how did you overcome it, and what lessons did you take away from it?

It felt like a failure when I was laid off from my corporate job during a restructuring. For someone who had spent over 15 years climbing the corporate ladder, it was a shock and honestly, it hurt my confidence at first. But with time, I realized it was the push I needed to build something of my own. That moment led to the creation of Arquia, my baby and kids clothing brand, and completely changed how I define success. The biggest lesson? Sometimes what feels like an ending is actually the beginning of something far more aligned with who you’re becoming.

What is one business idea you’re willing to give away to our readers?

A platform that connects moms with small, purpose-driven brands through curated “life stage” boxes. It could be a discovery hub: from newborn essentials to toddlerhood and beyond. Each box could feature products made by mom-founded or ethical brands, helping parents find quality items they can trust while supporting small businesses. It’s convenience with a conscience and a built-in community story behind every product.

What is one piece of software that helps you be productive? How do you use it?

Shopify. I use it to manage everything from product launches and inventory to customer insights. It keeps me connected to every part of Arquia, whether I’m uploading new styles, tracking sales, or understanding what’s resonating with parents. Having one platform that brings creativity and operations together helps me move fast and stay focused on what really matters: serving our community and growing with intention.

What is the best $100 you recently spent?

My Money Moves Membership. It’s been such a powerful investment not just financially, but emotionally. Being surrounded by women who are building, learning, and sharing transparently their business has completely shifted how I think about growth. It’s given me the confidence to make smarter decisions for Arquia and myself.

Do you have a favorite book or podcast from which you’ve received much value?

The Metabolic Miracle completely changed the way I understand energy. It taught me how much our metabolism impacts focus, productivity, and overall well-being. Learning to fuel my body properly has made me sharper as a founder, more patient as a mom, and simply more present in my day-to-day life. It’s a reminder that taking care of your body is one of the best business strategies there is.

What’s a movie or series you recently enjoyed and why?

I’ve been watching the last season of The Morning Show and I’m hooked. Beyond the drama, I love how it explores power dynamics, leadership, and the gray areas of modern work culture. The characters are flawed but real: navigating ambition, integrity, and the constant pressure to perform. As someone who’s worked in corporate and now runs my own business, it hits close to home. It’s a reminder of how much courage it takes to speak up, evolve, and lead with empathy.

Key learnings:

• You can’t do everything: but you can do what matters most, intentionally. Clarity is more powerful than hustle.
• When life feels overwhelming, purpose can be an anchor. Building Arquia gave me focus and healing through one of the hardest seasons of my life.
• Community is a growth strategy. Surrounding yourself with like-minded women changes how you build, lead, and dream.
• Taking care of your body and mind isn’t optional — it’s foundational. Even 30 minutes of “me time” can reset your entire day.
• What feels like failure can be redirection. Being laid off pushed me to build something that aligns deeply with who I am today.

Christopher Tsao is a senior corporate legal counsel whose career has focused on complex transactions, investment strategy, and business development. He has worked across private equity, mergers and acquisitions, venture capital, capital markets, and emerging financial technologies, advising on matters that require coordination among legal, investment, management, and operational stakeholders.

His experience includes assessing new opportunities, structuring investments, conducting due diligence, negotiating commercial terms, preparing transaction documentation, managing regulatory requirements, and supporting portfolio companies after closing. Tsao has also contributed to acquisitions, restructurings, product launches, reporting, post-investment planning, and expansion initiatives.

Tsao served as associate director and legal counsel at Greater Bay Area Homeland Investments Limited, where he supported investment and compliance matters involving private equity, venture capital, listed companies, debt products, and secondary investments. Earlier, as vice president of legal at Kenetic Capital, he worked on cryptocurrency and blockchain investment transactions, structured instruments, joint ventures, corporate finance matters, intellectual property, and regulatory engagement. He also supported the launch of a Bitcoin tracking product approved by Hong Kong’s Securities and Futures Commission.

At the beginning of his career, Tsao trained and practiced in the corporate group at Baker McKenzie, advising on cross-border mergers and acquisitions, private equity, venture capital, capital markets, and corporate matters. He holds an LLB from the London School of Economics and Political Science and a postgraduate certificate in laws from the University of Hong Kong. Based in Asia, he works in English, Cantonese, and Mandarin.

Tsao is also an entrepreneur and the founder and sole owner of 99 Bottles in Soho, Hong Kong. He built the bar concept while practicing law full-time, demonstrating the same combination of strategic planning, negotiation, and hands-on execution that has defined his professional career.

What is your typical day, and how do you make it productive?

My day starts early and finishes late. I get the kids ready to go to school and commute from the countryside into town. My day is packed with calls and meetings, but I go to the gym to switch off and decompress at lunch. The workday continues after I get home and put the kids to bed. I make it productive by setting out all my tasks one day at a time and gamify it by knocking them down and crossing them off one at a time. It keeps the dopamine hits coming and stops me from procrastinating wherever I am working from.

How do you bring ideas to life?

The 99 Bottles business idea came from my own experience standing outside 7-Eleven in Lan Kwai Fong drinking with friends. In Hong Kong the nickname is club 7-Eleven. It’s a popular way for people to experience nightlife on a budget, as there are no outside drinking restrictions in this city.

My wife (who was my girlfriend at the time) questioned why she was getting dressed up to stand outside 7-Eleven with my friends and I, and I thought that was a very valid point. So I created the city’s first “sexy 7-eleven” with self-serve fridges full of craft drinks, a small bar counter, and alfresco drinking on the street. It looks and feels like a 7-Eleven, but with soul, music, and good vibes only. It also has a functioning toilet. Take that 7-Eleven!

What’s one trend that excites you?

The loneliness epidemic is a global problem that is acute in Hong Kong. Particularly, people think that loneliness affects the retirees and elderly the most, but studies have shown that it’s actually the relatively young working-age people who are surrounded by people at work and in the city, but find no connection or genuine human interactions.

I think the explosion of social wellness and fitness addresses that epidemic to various degrees of authenticity, and I am constantly thinking about ways to start a second business in wellness that is rooted in delivering a superior experience within an existing business model, in the same way I started 99 Bottles.

What is one habit that helps you be productive?

My daily hour in the gym over lunch time helps me to reset mentally, releases the endorphins, and sets me up for the rest of the day.

What advice would you give your younger self?

Be open-minded. Human civilization was built by people who believed in things that didn’t really exist in the observable world, like law, money, and religion. The best opportunities arise from powerful ideas that sound outlandish and downright crazy.

Tell us something you believe almost nobody agrees with you on?

You can become anyone you want by repeatedly telling yourself that that is who you are over time. Your mind will find a way if you will yourself into it.

What is the one thing you repeatedly do and recommend everyone else do?

A lunchtime exercise routine is non-negotiable in order to keep your mind focused. Even a short workout gives me a chance to reset before returning to the rest of the day.

When you feel overwhelmed or unfocused, what do you do?

Meditating and walking to clear my mind. This helps me reset and return to what needs my attention with greater focus.

What is one strategy that has helped you grow your business or advance in your career?

I have adopted a five-year plan on where I want myself and my business and my career to be, similar to state planning cycles, and work backwards on what I need to achieve to get there.

I find five-year time periods to be optimal for several reasons. First, it’s long enough to discount distortions from a bad week, month, or even a bad year Second, it’s not so long that it’s unrealistic to have any idea where you will be. Thirdly, there are enough five-year periods in my career that each period should look significantly different than the next.

What is one failure in your career, how did you overcome it, and what lessons did you take away from it?

–

What is one business idea you’re willing to give away to our readers?

I think that physical, offline, and socially connected experiences are going to become a premium experience that people are willing to pay for. There are plenty of wellness businesses built around leisure, sport, and self-care, but those do not help provide purpose or meaning. I think there is great potential in a community-based business where users get matched with real-life everyday jobs or volunteer positions in all walks of life (everything from food kitchens, education, sports, manual labor, and NGOs). Whoever can remove the friction involved in that (curated experiences, applications, insurance, mental barriers, commitment flexibility, and logistics) can create a win-win business that gives people greater satisfaction than any wellness club can.

What is one piece of software that helps you be productive? How do you use it?

I don’t rely on one specific piece of software for productivity. I choose the software that best fits each task and use it to stay organized and meet deadlines.

What is the best $100 you recently spent? What and why?

Surf camp for my elder son and me. We have both caught the surf bug and it’s a fantastic bonding experience to be learning this sport together. It also reminded me to do things just for fun and not always to achieve some specific personal goal.

Do you have a favorite book or podcast you’ve gotten a ton of value from and why?

The psychology of money. It helped me reframe how I think about money and investing and steered me through some important market cycles where critical decisions had to be made.

What’s a movie or series you recently enjoyed and why?

I haven’t watched anything recently that stood out. I’m always open to suggestions.

Key learnings

● Finding business ideas based on your own life experiences and frustrations is the most obvious place to start.
● It is perfectly feasible to hold down a full-time career and have a side quest business that can bring you passive income for years to come.
● In the AI everything age, loneliness and a lack of purpose are epidemics that also create enormous meaningful business opportunities.

Retired financial advisor, Baltimore, Maryland, now focused on health, tennis, and golf.

Peter Maller grew up in South Africa, a long way from the Chesapeake Bay town where his story in the United States began. A tennis scholarship brought him to Washington College in Chestertown, Maryland, where he studied business management, played two years as a tennis All American, and earned Academic All American honors twice. He graduated in 1990 at the top of his business class, then went on to Florida State University for an MBA, coaching the men’s tennis team there from 1990 to 1992.

After graduate school, Maller started Maller Wealth Advisors and built it over the next 35 years, working under broker-dealer Lincoln Financial Advisors. He arrived without a built-in client base or family connections in the industry, so the growth came from the ground up, one relationship at a time. Over the years, he led a team of 21 support staff while remaining the firm’s only business-producing advisor, and the practice eventually managed two billion dollars in assets. For 14 of his last 16 years in the business, he ranked as the top advisor in his firm.

Outside the office, Maller served on the boards of Washington College, where he was later named a Most Distinguished Alumnus, Garrison Forest School, the Baltimore Estate Planning Council, and the FSU MBA School. Now retired, he spends his time on tennis and golf as a member of Caves Valley Golf Club, treating this next stage with the same structure and intention he once brought to building a firm from scratch.

What is your typical day, and how do you make it productive?

I still wake up early, the way I did for 35 years in the business. Mornings start with exercise and a short stretch of quiet thinking before anything else gets my attention. I block out tennis or golf most days, then handle whatever board or family commitments are on the calendar. Retirement doesn’t mean the schedule disappears. It just means I’m the one deciding what fills it.

How do you bring ideas to life?

I write things down and put a date on them. Every year, going back to my years running the firm, I built out a plan for the year ahead, broken into daily, weekly, monthly, and semi-annual goals. An idea without a date attached to it tends to stay an idea.

What’s one trend that excites you?

I’m drawn to how much more people my age are paying attention to strength and mobility, not just cardio. Watching friends take up resistance training in their 60s, after decades of only running or golfing, has been interesting to see.

What is one habit that helps you be productive?

Setting goals across different time horizons at once. I’ve done this since my working days: a goal for today, one for the month, one for the year. It keeps the big picture from getting lost in the daily noise.

What advice would you give your younger self?

Don’t wait for a natural network to show up. I came to this country on a tennis scholarship with no built-in client base, and the advisors who started ahead of me had family connections I didn’t have. Build the relationships yourself, and build them slowly.

Tell us something you believe almost nobody agrees with you on?

I think the first year of retirement should be treated like a trial, not a finish line. Most people plan their exit from work in detail, then wing the next 20 years. I’d rather test a schedule, adjust it, and test it again.

What is the one thing you repeatedly do and recommend everyone else do?

Exercise before you touch your phone or your inbox. It clears my head and sets the tone for the rest of the day, whether I’m walking into a client meeting or a tennis match.

When you feel overwhelmed or unfocused, what do you do?

I exercise and sit quietly for a few minutes before deciding what to do next. A clear head makes a better decision than a fast one.

What is one strategy that has helped you grow your business or advance in your career?

I set specific numbers for both assets under management and the depth of client relationships, then measured myself against both every year. Chasing only one of those two numbers tends to hollow out a business over time.

What is one failure in your career, how did you overcome it, and what lessons did you take away from it?

I started without any natural market, no family of clients to inherit and no built-in network in the industry. Early years were slower than I wanted. I made up the difference by outworking the calendar and showing up in person more than anyone else was willing to. The lesson stuck with me for the rest of my career: shortcuts rarely hold up, and consistency does.

What is one business idea you’re willing to give away to our readers?

A referral network built specifically for recent retirees who want to join nonprofit or school boards. So many retired professionals have deep experience sitting idle because nobody has connected them to the right opening.

What is one piece of software that helps you be productive? How do you use it?

I keep a detailed digital calendar, blocked out by category: exercise, family, board work, golf. Seeing the week laid out in blocks, rather than a plain list, keeps me honest about where the time actually goes.

Do you have a favorite book or podcast you’ve gotten a ton of value from and why?

I come back to James Clear’s “Atomic Habits” more than any other book. The idea that small, repeated systems beat big one-time efforts matches how I built goals for decades, in business and now in retirement.

What’s a movie or series you recently enjoyed and why?

I enjoyed a documentary on an aging tennis champion adjusting his game as his body changed. It mirrored a lot of what I think about now: adjusting the plan without giving up the standard.

Key learnings

• Building a business without an existing client base takes longer, but disciplined, consistent effort can close the gap over time.
• Setting goals across multiple time horizons, daily through annual, helps keep long-term growth and day-to-day execution connected.
• Treating retirement as a schedule to design, rather than an open calendar, can preserve the structure and purpose built during a career.
• Service on nonprofit and school boards offers a practical outlet for experience that might otherwise go unused after retirement.