Hey Reader,

One winter morning when I was twelve, I sat at the kitchen table eating cereal, staring out the window at the largest snowflakes I'd ever seen. Every other kid in Boise was sledding. I was homeschooled, which meant no snow days.

My mom spoke up: "You know, Nathan, school doesn't have to take a set amount of time. The sooner you complete your work, the sooner you can go sledding."

Two hours later I was on the hill.

That morning I understood something I carried with me for years. I didn't have to wait. I could move as fast as I was willing to work. A few years later I applied the same thinking to finishing all my high school requirements by 15, teaching myself web design at 16, and launching my first business at 19.

But it took me longer to apply that same mindset to money.

For most of my early career, I assumed financial progress worked the way everyone said it did. Work hard and wait—for a raise, a promotion, or for your boss to recognize you. Progress happened on a predetermined schedule as long as you kept your head down and played by the rules.

Then I came across Jason Fried arguing that making money is a skill you can get better at over time. You wouldn't sit down at a piano for the first time and expect to play a concerto. So why would you expect to build wealth without deliberately learning how?

The traditional career mindset focuses on what you can earn. The skill-based mindset focuses on what you can learn.

Dan Go, a personal trainer, lived this out when his client base dropped off during an economic downturn. He could have taken on more clients and dropped his rates to compete. But instead, he recognized he needed to learn how to market himself online and build an audience. This required a whole new set of skills, so he hired a mentor to coach him—the same way he coached his own clients on fitness. Once he learned online marketing, he never struggled for clients again.

The traditional career mindset tells you to work harder within the same system. The skill-based mindset tells you to figure out what skill you're missing.

Once you truly believe that making money is a skill, every career decision starts to look completely different.

This concept is something I go deep on in my next book, The Ladders of Wealth, which publishes in October. I’m excited to share it with you.

What money-making skill have you been putting off learning?

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PODCAST

How To Actually Become A Successful Creator In 2026

Chase Reeves has been in the creator space since the early days. He and I met over a decade ago at World Domination Summit, and he's spent years building creative work across music, design, and now content creation across YouTube and Instagram.

In this episode, we get into what it takes to build a sustainable creator business in 2026.

We also spend time on something a bit deeper: What happens when you find yourself becoming known for something that isn't your deepest work? That question drives a conversation about developing taste and building something that's aligned with who you are.

​Watch or listen to episode »​

VLOG

Behind the Scenes: Inside the World's Biggest Creator Event

I was invited to speak at the 1 Billion Followers Summit in Dubai. It was a massive event, with thousands of creators, and ton of incredible speakers, including Mr. Beast.

This was my first time visiting Dubai. It reminded me of Las Vegas, but fancier.

I spoke on a 360º stage, which I'd never done before, and met so many creators I've known for years online but never had the chance to meet in person. I spent time with Marie Forleo, Chris Do, and Simon Squibb, and somehow ended the trip at an invitation-only penthouse gathering with Will Smith.

Watch the vlog to see how it all went.

​Watch video »​

Have a great week!

—Nathan