This summer has felt like one big transition.

And apparently I'm not the only one. It feels like damn near everybody around me is switching something up right now.

New jobs.

New businesses.

New cities.

New relationships.

New chapters.

Mine just happens to involve a little bit of everything 😂

And speaking of new cities…

Yeah, I'm moving again. 👀

Where?

I'm keeping that part a surprise for now.

But a new city is officially en route, and in a weird way, it feels like the perfect time for it.

Because honestly, this transition goes back further than this summer.

In early 2021, after some of my first big successful ventures, I remember knowing exactly what I wanted to do next:

Expand.

Expand my experiences.

Expand my opportunities.

And most importantly, expand my network.

I knew staying comfortable wasn't going to do that for me.

So I left for Texas.

I started out in San Antonio, eventually made my way up to Dallas, and what was supposed to be me expanding my world turned into an entire chapter of my life.

Now, a few years later, I can feel that chapter coming to an end.

I had a birthday pass in June, made the decision to shut down Betstr for now, started preparing to say goodbye to Dallas, cut some people loose, dealt with some completely unnecessary distractions, and somehow ended up more excited about what's next than I've been in a long time.

The biggest thing I've learned this summer?

Let people go find their own lane.

Don't force shit.

Don't force partnerships.

Don't force friendships.

Don't force somebody to match your energy.

And definitely don't keep dragging along half-steppers just because you see what something could become.

Let them go.

Sometimes giving somebody the freedom to go their own direction gives you the clearest picture of whether they were ever supposed to be going yours.

And after everything this summer, I have a MUCH better understanding of what I'm looking for in partners moving forward.

Betstr Is Done — For Now

I officially decided to shut Betstr down for now.

I've already gone into detail about what happened, so I'm not going to turn this into another Betstr blog. If you're curious, you can read the full story separately.

But closing that chapter did something unexpected.

It gave me room to reopen another one.

Back to Something I Put on the Back Burner

Before Betstr, there was another project sitting on my back burner.

And I've resumed it.

I don't want to say too much about it yet, but saying I've been locked in would be an understatement.

I'm excited as fuck about this one.

Sometimes stepping away from an idea and coming back to it later is exactly what it needs.

You're sharper.

You see the market differently.

You've learned more.

And you start seeing opportunities in the original idea that you couldn't see the first time around.

That's basically where my head has been.

Building.

Tweaking.

Thinking.

Building some more.

Repeat.

Then, Of Course, Come the Distractions

Because apparently you're not allowed to just peacefully build shit 😂

There have been distractions.

Bad business.

People I've had disputes with over money and what I believe was taken from me.

And situations involving people like @1td_win that could've taken up way more of my attention than I was willing to give them.

But eventually you realize something:

You cannot spend builder energy fighting poverty mindsets.

Somebody else can spend their entire day hiding, playing tough online, arguing, scheming, or whatever else they have going on.

Have fun.

I've got shit to build.

At a certain point, chasing every distraction becomes a bigger loss than whatever somebody took from you in the first place.

Protect your time.

Protect your attention.

And keep moving.

Goodbye, Dallas

And now we're back to Texas.

I'm saying goodbye to Dallas.

Dallas has been an important chapter for me.

I've met people here.

Worked here.

Built here.

Learned here.

Won some here.

And shit, I've made the most money I've ever made in my entire life here.

So I could never sit here and act like Dallas wasn't good to me in a lot of ways.

It was.

Remember, I originally came to Texas because I wanted to expand my world and my network.

Looking back?

Mission accomplished.

Dallas also toughened me up in ways I don't think you fully understand until you actually move here and experience the city for yourself.

You learn how to move.

You learn how to deal with different personalities.

You learn how to stand on business.

You learn how to become a little tougher, a little sharper, and probably a little less naive.

And I'll always appreciate Dallas for that.

But that impatient, angry-ass vibe this city can have? Yeah, I've had enough 😂

Everybody's in a rush.

Everybody's irritated.

Traffic got somebody ready to fight at 8:13 in the morning.

People are impatient as hell.

Sometimes it feels like the entire city drank three Red Bulls and woke up pissed off.

And I swear more people are ready to leave Dallas than they'll publicly admit.

Just go look at the Dallas Reddit forum lmao.

I'm definitely not alone.

But for me, it's not really about running from Dallas.

It's more about knowing when a chapter has given you what you were supposed to get from it.

Dallas gave me a lot.

Money.

Experience.

Connections.

Tougher skin.

Lessons I'll probably carry for the rest of my life.

I came to Texas wanting expansion.

I got it.

Now I'm ready to expand again.

And wherever this next city takes me, I'm walking into it a completely different person than the one who packed up for Texas in 2021.

And just to be clear — Dallas isn't disappearing from my life completely.

I still have business here.

I still have connections here.

I still have relationships and opportunities that will bring me back.

So don't be surprised if you still see me touching down in Dallas from time to time. 😂

I'm not leaving everything behind and pretending this chapter never happened. Dallas became way too important to my journey for that.

It just won't be home anymore.

I came here to expand, and that's exactly what I did.

Now it's time to take everything I gained here — the connections, experience, tougher skin, lessons, and growth — and see what I can do with it somewhere new.

Dallas, it's been real.

But it's time for the next chapter. 👀

Half-Steppers Can Find Their Own Lane

This might be one of the biggest mindset changes I'm carrying into whatever comes next.

I'm done trying to convince people to run.

If you want to walk, walk.

If you want to stop, stop.

If you want another lane, take it.

No beef required.

I'm just not slowing myself down trying to make everybody keep pace anymore.

That applies to business especially.

I want people around me who actually want to be there.

People who communicate.

People who bring ideas.

People who take initiative.

People who don't need to constantly be pulled forward.

People who see something worth building and naturally start figuring out how we make it bigger.

Because I've learned that somebody being a good person doesn't automatically make them the right partner.

History doesn't automatically make someone the right partner.

Even trust doesn't automatically make someone the right partner.

Alignment matters.

Interest matters.

Effort matters.

Communication matters.

I'm Excited Again

That's probably the easiest way to summarize where I'm at right now.

I'm more excited about what's next than I've been in a long time.

New project.

New city.

Smaller circle.

Less bullshit.

A better understanding of who I want to build with.

And a much clearer picture of where my energy deserves to go.

This summer taught me a lot about just letting things happen naturally.

Let people choose their lane.

Let people show you how interested they really are.

Let people walk away.

Let chapters close when they're supposed to close.

You don't have to force everything to stay together.

Some chapters ended differently than I expected.

Some people went their own way.

Some distractions showed up that I definitely didn't ask for.

Cool.

Let everybody find their lane.

I'm finding mine too.

And for the first time in a while, everything feels fresh again.

I'm back working on something I'm genuinely excited as fuck about.

I'm preparing for a completely new environment.

I'm taking everything Texas taught me with me.

And instead of spending too much time looking backward at what didn't work, I'm way more interested in what's directly in front of me.

Fresh city. Fresh project. Fresh perspective.

I don't know exactly what this next chapter is going to look like yet.

And honestly?

That's probably the part I'm most excited about.