TL;DR
I had a blast as the keynote speaker at a business acquisition event yesterday (more on that below)
I was also grateful to visit the beautiful campus of Elon University to meet with senior administration for my role on the Young Alumni Council. Plus, I was just elected as President for next year! π
Travel planning could be a full-time job, I feel like I have so many open loops in my brain these days
Iβm grateful to get to play disc golf, bike around, and spend time outdoors this month - the suburbs are a nice change of pace from chaotic cities of the last 2 months
CURRENTLY
Documenting my journey

I presented to 50 business owners, investors, and searchers yesterday on digital marketing, paid ads, and AI automations. If you want to see my slides or a full video recording, just reply!
I need to get back to some reels documenting my journey, but I spent my free time prepping for this presentation this week.
Iβm always looking for content ideas on what to talk about related to travel, entrepreneurship, and AI, if you have any thoughts for me π
FINANCES
Money and Investing Updates
+70%. The monthly return on $IREN ( βΌ 1.41% ), my largest individual holding in my portfolio. Luckily I bought more when it dipped due to AI and war concerns last month! Do your own research, but I just donβt see how this renewable data center company with huge partnerships doesnβt keep crushing in the coming years. #NotFinancialAdvice
$1,000+. The price of a last-minute flight to Mexico City next week. For a four hour flight. Yikes. Gotta make sure to purchase my summer flights ahead of time - Iβm just going to hang around NC next week instead!
$1,900. The amount of credit card annual fees Iβll pay this year. Did a breakdown on this (linked here), since a few people asked.
BUSINESS PULSE
Yesterday I taught a room of business owners, searchers, investors, and friends and tried building an entire website from scratch in five minutes. It worked - thankfully the wifi at the venue was solid!
I've been posting event recaps of my attendance at The Charlotte ETA Group meetups for over a year now, and it was such an honor to be the keynote speaker for our meetup last night.
I got to answer lots of questions about digital marketing, paid ads, AI and automation tools, and Claude Code.
We have built and will continue to build the best business acquisition group in the country, and I'm proud to be 1% of the reason that statement is true! Special shoutout to my friend Sean Planchard for believing in me, starting this rockstar org, & continuing to crush it.
Again, if you want to see my slides or recording of the event, just reply.

New case study underway - Weβve helped an e-commerce brand double their ad spend over the last few months, while increasing their returns at the same time.
Donβt want to toot our own horn too much, but our team are Google Ads Wizards π§ββοΈ
Elon University - Young Alumni Council
Last weekend, I attended the Young Alumni Council retreat and was able to share my thoughts on Elonβs rise in the rankings and improvements on campus with our senior administration.
On top of that, I was elected as President for next year, which I am deeply honored and excited about!

Fantastic crew we have on our YAC!

My friend JD and I convinced the photographer we were brothers. Can you see it?
I didnβt take a picture this time, but it was also so cool to see a dozen sets of hammock poles at Elon still standing. I helped build the first one as a sophomore, and they liked them so much they built ten more.
What an awesome legacy - I got permanent structures on campus without having to donate a million dollars to name a building! π

I also attended the 10 under 10 Alumni Awards ceremony. By my calculations, Iβve got five years left to win one, and I plan on it π
WHAT IβM CONSUMING
Avatar The Last Airbender
I rewatched some episodes with some friends this week - and man, this show still slaps.
New animated movie coming out in a few months - stoked for that one.
DESK OF THE WEEK
π Elon University - Alumni Board Retreat

Always a blessing to visit Elon.
WHATβS NEXT?
Looking at Asia, Europe, the UK, and Australia as options for the summer. Excited to travel abroad again soon.
Adventure is out there!
βοΈ Matthew
SUPPORT
From time to time, I may enlist the help of sponsors to help me afford to continue writing this newsletter. And itβs pretty cool to get paid to share my story!
You can check them out 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!
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