TL;DR
I try to learn something new every week. This week, it was Chinese Mahjong! And all about stamps and the “inverted Jenny.” IYKYK.
My visit to DC was a blast, even with snow still on the ground from 3+ weeks ago…
Posting content on Instagram has been a great creative outlet for me while traveling. Even got my first “hate comment” this week!
CURRENTLY
Documenting my journey
It was nice to spend a week at home before setting out on my travels!
Click above to watch.
I’m super grateful to have family and friends that support my dreams and ambitions. Thank you to everyone who has let me stay on their couch so far this year in exchange for dinner, and thank you in advance to the others who will this year! The offer always stands at my place, too (once I get another apartment someday 😅)
BUSINESS PULSE
Foundation Media
We have a few high-value prospects we are pitching digital advertising strategies to in the coming weeks. I’m looking forward to sharing more once one or multiple of them sign up as clients with our agency.
New Board Seat
This “business” won’t actually make me any money (in fact, I keep donating to the nonprofit, so it actually costs me money), but I’m honored to announce I’ve joined the Board of Directors of The Charlotte ETA Group!
We work to make business acquisition knowledge accessible to all (our events are free) and I’m stoked to increase our presence in Charlotte and beyond. This is the first nonprofit board I’ve been invited to join, and I hope it won’t be the last. I’m looking forward to using some of my talents to grow the group alongside the rest of our stellar board.
Underrated / Overrated?
Underrated: Handwritten notes. I sent a handful last month to folks who have helped me this year, and their responses back have been very fun so far!
WHAT I’M LEARNING
My 2026 Podcast Obsession is…
This week, I listened to a 5-hour podcast on the history of Hermes and a 4-hour pod on the history of Starbucks. It’s hard to not love these companies and their stories after learning so much about them.
I’d consider it more of an audiobook than a podcast, but my #1 podcast recommendation of 2026 is Acquired w/ Ben and David. There’s a good reason it’s #5 in the world for tech podcasts.
Here’s two fun facts:
Starbucks acquired the Frappuccino trademark in an acquisition of a different coffee company and the bottled version quickly became a meaningful percentage of their revenue. They also make over 100,000 drink combinations every single day, with billions of possibilities.
Hermes spends over six months on each individual silk scarf they sell and they screen-print every color by hand. I can’t even imagine doing this and how tedious it must be.
WHAT I’M CONSUMING
A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms - Another fantastic Game of Thrones spin-off. I watched the first five episodes on my flight to Portland and it’s safe to say I’m hooked. Some great twists and storytelling so far. Ep. 5 is actually sitting at 9.9/10.0 on IMDB, which ties it for one of the best TV episodes ever!
The new Don Toliver album - I think I’m up to 30+ listens already this year. If you don’t know him, I’d call it ‘melodic rap’ due to his singing. I also just purchased tickets to his May concert in Charlotte NC, and I can’t wait to see him in concert again.
FINANCES
Money and Investing Updates
$200. That’s how much I saved by calling Apple to price match my new MacBook Air. The 8gb of ram wasn’t cutting it anymore on my old one... I traded it in so someone else can use it, and upgraded to the 24gb version for my travels!
$395. That’s the annual fee for my new Capital One Venture X credit card. To some, that’s outrageous. To me, it’s just math (maybe “boy math”?) - The card comes with a $750 sign-up bonus, $400 of travel credits each year, lounge access, and more. And did I mention unlimited Tapas in the DCA Capital One airport lounge? It was a wonderful taste of Spain in the states!
DESK OF THE WEEK
📍 Washington, DC
Atrium of the National Portrait Gallery
WHAT’S NEXT?
DC was a blast this week. I even got to bike over 15 miles while there, dodging ice in the bike lanes along the way. I’m spending the next week in Portland with my brother, then I’m off to Milwaukee and Chicago to round out February.
If you’re in any of those places, I hope to see you soon.
Adventure is out there!
✌️ Matthew
SUPPORT
From time to time, I may enlist the help of sponsors to help me afford to continue writing this newsletter. And it’s pretty cool to get paid to share my story! I only want to partner with brands I identify with.
Anyways, I mentioned my journey on a recent discovery call with Deel, and they wanted to sponsor this week’s newsletter. You can learn more about them below, and find other (totally free) ways to support me via affiliate links here. Cheers!
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Not financial advice. Just a guy sharing his journey. Thanks for being here!