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Key Takeaways The American dream is shifting. Many of today’s workers are motivated less by ladder climbing and more by sharing their expertise and making a decent living while doing it.
I built a solution to help creators get paid for the work they were already doing. It’s a one-stop shop that removes the friction that prevents them from building true online growth.
The most successful creators understand the specific need their brand fulfills and share their journey authentically, which helps build a real connection with their audience.
As an Asian-American kid growing up to an immigrant mom in North Carolina, I was taught to follow the rules (no exceptions). I was a Boy Scout, graduated top of my class and was hired by Goldman Sachs immediately after graduating undergrad. I had followed what I thought was the “right” path. I was living in the greatest city in the world (New York City, of course) and working at one of the best companies in the world … but none of it felt right.
Like many others in corporate America, I walked away from the high-powered banking job. Not because I couldn’t do it, but because it wasn’t my dream. Spending 100 hours a week working for someone else felt like living in the wrong skin.
After leaving Goldman, I went to Stanford Business School and started thinking about what’s next. Like everyone else in 2020, I was making stupid dance videos on TikTok when I realized I could also use social media to promote myself, my skills and whatever job I would land next.
Instead, what I found was much more meaningful: an online creator community authentically sharing their talents with the world.
The passion of these creator-entrepreneurs, the businesses they build and the way they bring people together through their shared digital community is, I believe, the essence of today’s American Dream. Regardless of generational differences, the American workers I talk to are (for the most part) no longer motivated by ladder climbing; they — we — are motivated by sharing our knowledge and expertise with others, and also making a decent living while doing it.
Dare to dream
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