I’ve been hustling hard since I was 18 years old and haven’t stopped. As I get older, I’ll question the grind for a few days here and there—then I remember it’s who I am.
The best part of what I do is getting to employ the most amazing people. God has given me incredible humans to do life with, and the relationships are deeply fulfilling.
The hard part? It’s usually for a season.
People you grow a bond with, care about, and accomplish amazing things alongside… eventually leave. Some retire. Some move on. Some stay. But every person I’ve ever hired, I’ve done my best to challenge and make better.
I got into management at 20, leading people twice my age. Some of those relationships still stand today.
Being an employer is hard. You love the people you battle with, and watching them go never gets easier. But no matter how many times you get hurt, you forgive and embrace the next person all over again.
To my fellow business owners and leaders—I know it can feel lonely.
Your goal isn’t to feel good or loved. It’s to care for and out-give your people. Your impact should go far beyond a transaction of labor for cash.
As leaders, we’re called to care for and love our people. That’s the calling. That’s the work.
Google lost ~5% of traffic share in the past 10 months (35.11% → 30.53%).
Everyone thinks AI search ate it.
Well…
▪️ AI search: 0.22% → 0.26% (+0.04pp)
▪️ Social: 7.67% → 8.24% (+0.6pp)
▪️ Paid: 13.99% → 17.15% (+3.2pp)
^ that’s across ~75k websites in @Ahrefs’ panel.
(HINT: visit chatgpt-vs-google(DOT)com to see more data)
...
AI search gained almost no traffic share. And it makes sense. AI search is zero-click by nature. It answers questions, it doesn't send traffic.
The real winner? Paid.
Businesses are losing organic clicks from Google and compensating with ad spend. They have no choice. They still need customers on their websites.
So Google pushes AI Overviews, organic traffic drops... and businesses respond by giving Google more money for ads.
..or at least that's my read on the situation.
What's yours?
@FBICyberDiv@FBI@TheJusticeDept How bad does it need to get before you shut down Pegasus and what bad actors in Israel are doing to American homeowners and small businesses. Never heard of any issues with Russians but every week another company reaches out to me about the people in Israel.