Jonathan Cotten

President and CEO of Easy Step Enterprises, dba The Good Feet Store in VA, NC, MD,DC,OH. Love Jesus, my wife, our 5 kids, and 13 grandchildren. Go Hoos!

[Jonathan Cotten @JonEasystep]

@petebvt They started a summer course entitled “Common Sense Business Decisions”. Yesterday was the first class.

[Jonathan Cotten @JonEasystep]

@HeatMis46503672 @JohnSchick @alexinman We will give you honorary admittance to the Hoos Cattle Enthusiast Club. This is not granted to just anyone so don’t take it lightly.

[Jonathan Cotten @JonEasystep]

@JohnSchick Not much barrier there for sure!

[Jonathan Cotten @JonEasystep]

@JohnSchick @alexinman @HeatMis46503672 See, you got it on me. I want to go to the King Ranch someday.

[Jonathan Cotten @JonEasystep]

@alexinman @JohnSchick @HeatMis46503672 That’s real life experience on the ranch for sure. I had them shipped from Texas. I first saw them when I was 16. My ancestors were West Texas cattlemen in the early 1900’s so I thought I would bring a little Texas to Hanover County.

[Jonathan Cotten @JonEasystep]

@HeatMis46503672 @JohnSchick If I could be on TV and get paid for it? Now that would be a novel idea. Currently it is the reverse. 😏

[Jonathan Cotten @JonEasystep]

@alexinman @JohnSchick @HeatMis46503672 Just to be clear, @JohnSchick is the real deal. I am the rookie although I spent many a day in my teenage years on the farm. Having fun now. Most days at least.

[Jonathan Cotten @JonEasystep]

@JohnSchick @HeatMis46503672 Yes sir! 6 new calves.

[Jonathan Cotten @JonEasystep]

@HeatMis46503672 @JohnSchick City slicker?!?!🤣🤣🤣
If we are talking about a drama then let’s go. Here is my city slicker foo-foo pet.

[Jonathan Cotten @JonEasystep]

@JohnSchick Same issue here.

[Jonathan Cotten @JonEasystep]

Anthony Gill continues to show up in all the right places. @TAPSorg Good Grief Camp is the ultimate experience for those experiencing military loss. The only bummer is that he was there in the morning and I was there in the evening. Love seeing his support.

[teams4taps @teams4taps]

We’re big fans of @WashWizards Anthony Gill!

Anthony stopped by @TAPSorg Good Grief Camp this morning to spend time with our surviving military children.

Grateful for his continued care and support of TAPS 🇺🇸❤️🏀

@nbacares

[Jonathan Cotten @JonEasystep]

Congrats @TmHenske! Can’t wait to watch the TEDx talk. You have made a tremendous impact on UVA athletes and beyond in helping them establish a strong foundation in financial literacy. Well done sir!

[Tom Henske @TomHenske]

10 years ago I read this book and remember thinking, “Wouldn’t it be cool if one day…”

Still waiting for the TEDx talk to officially be released… but pretty wild to see a dream slowly become reality.

Manifest. 💭🎤

@total_cents
#TEDx #TEDTalk #PersonalFinance

[Jonathan Cotten @JonEasystep]

@pikrallidasc Totally agree about the immense value of holistic education. The antidote to the downside of AI is maximizing relationships.

[Jonathan Cotten @JonEasystep]

How are universities answering this challenge? What is the objective market data saying about the value proposition of a college degree in 2026? I am hearing a lot of anecdotal stories and seeing broad indicators that graduates are facing tough headwinds now in the job market.

[Shadow Intel @TheShadowIntelX]

Elon Musk just put the entire university system on trial.

Not the curriculum. Not the professors. The premise.

Musk: “You don’t need college to learn stuff. Everything is available basically for free. You can learn anything you want for free.”

For a thousand years, universities held one monopoly. Access. You paid the toll or you stayed ignorant.

The internet erased that in a decade.

Every lecture. Every framework. Every textbook. Free. From any screen on Earth.

The six-figure tuition is no longer buying knowledge. It is buying a signal.

Musk: “There is a value that colleges have, which is seeing whether somebody can work hard at something, including a bunch of annoying homework assignments, and still do their homework assignments.”

That is the product. Not intelligence. Not creativity. Not vision. Compliance.

You are paying $200,000 to prove you can tolerate bureaucracy on a schedule.

Musk: “Colleges are basically for fun and to prove you can do your chores. But they’re not for learning.”

The entire system is a sorting machine for corporate HR. It does not measure what you can build. It measures whether you can sit still, follow directions, and deliver on command.

Four years of obedience dressed as education.

Musk: “If you’re trying to do something exceptional, you must have evidence of exceptional ability. I don’t consider going to college evidence of exceptional ability.”

The system optimizes for average. It rewards the compliant. It certifies the patient. It quietly filters out everyone who refuses to wait for permission.

The ones who reshaped the modern world never finished the test.

Musk: “Gates is a pretty smart guy, he dropped out. Jobs is pretty smart, he dropped out. Larry Ellison, smart guy, he dropped out.”

They did not drop out because it was too hard. They dropped out because the speed limit was too low.

The most dangerous thing a university does is convince a generational talent that finishing the syllabus is the achievement.

It is not. It is the floor.

A degree is a receipt for compliance. The future has never belonged to people who finish their homework. It belongs to the on

[Jonathan Cotten @JonEasystep]

The goal of “building champion men” is such a powerful mission. Congrats @fishercamac !

[Virginia Football @UVAFootball]

Champion Men on and off the field

@fishercamac has been named to the @TheLottTrophy Watch List

#GoHoos 🔶⚔️🔷

[Jonathan Cotten @JonEasystep]

I am for asking the questions. I hate institutional or organizational sacred cows. Ask, is going into a lot of debt for something going to get a great return in the long-term? If it works then do it. If the numbers suggest otherwise then consider other options. There are more and more young people graduating from college and can’t find suitable jobs. Their preparation seems out of alignment with the market. I love working with young people to help them move forward and it frustrates me.

[Jonathan Cotten @JonEasystep]

I understand your perspective yet I see a lot of objective data suggesting there is strong basis for his assessment. The main issue I have is from a business standpoint and I see a lack of justification in the market from a cost/value standpoint. Again, speaking from the business angle. I don’t have much qualification for other fields.

[Jonathan Cotten @JonEasystep]

@mrg7175 @TravisKoshko Definitely helping. Out in the pastures today and what has fallen so far is impactful with more to come. Slow steady soaking rain is beautiful to see.

[Jonathan Cotten @JonEasystep]

@CornerMediaCo @BarstoolGruden @CollegeSportsCo @UVAMensLax @VirginiaSports @jakemalasek This is cool. While you are at it @CornerMediaCo, give Mr. Gruden an education on the sterling creds of @ADWilliamsUVA . Based on some of his posts, he needs some education.

[Jonathan Cotten @JonEasystep]

Your approach has so much wisdom, Mark. I could share a lot from my own personal experience back in the day, my perspective of watching 5 kids progress through their educational journey, engaging with employees over the last 12 years, and now seeing 13 grandchildren grow up where the older ones are beginning to make decisions. This is an issue that I am concerned about for the future of this generation.