Declan

Building @slamco_

[Dcai @_dcai]

Here’s my official 3-step guide on how to LOSE $1,000,000

Step 1: Make $1,000,000…

[Declan @declangessel]

@aadilpickle @slamco_ reality has broken

[Dcai @_dcai]

I spent my life savings to try building a cafe.

It humbled me.

[aadilpickle @aadilpickle]

I spent a week with Farza Majeed. In his own words, he's "just a guy that loves creating things for others", such as:

- a $100k/year eBay business selling CDs as a teenager
- Zipschool, a better way to homeschool your kids via live classes for 150,000 students
- Buildspace, a school for people to work on their own ideas, helping over 200,000 people become app developers, content creators, musicians, writers, or doing anything else they loved

Farza is like the internet's big brother. He makes it seem so simple to follow your passion, because he's because he's been doing it for years. He never gives advice, just tells his story and hopes people learn something from it. You look at him and think, "if he can do it, why can't I?"

Everyone in Silicon Valley wants something from you, but Farza literally hasn't charged his users for the past 5 years. I'm often shocked at how he's able to afford rent, yet I'm also fairly certain he's going to be a billionaire.

After burning out, he's back to founding another company. I wrote for @sfalexandria_ about his journey, how he changes the lives of everyone he meets, and what keeps him going.

https://t.co/WTsSn8G4ha

[Dcai @_dcai]

every morning i sit down at my desk and ask myself the same question

"do i build or do i share?"
"do i build or make another tiktok?"

building is always easier. there's always something new to make.

but sharing is hard. it means putting yourself out there to be judged.

i recently started posting a youtube video every day, and it's helped a lot.

it stopped me from asking "should i share this?"

and forced me to ask "what should i share?"

[Dcai @_dcai]

We're hiring a storytelling graphic designer to turn our YouTube videos into Instagram carousel slides

Apply below!

[Dcai @_dcai]

I dropped out of college to open a cafe for unemployed people. Would you pull up?

[Dcai @_dcai]

my grandma watches my youtube videos every day

last week she told me “no one else is watching. you should make something more interesting”

she’s right. i’m a founder who’s sunk over a million dollars into this company posting daily vlogs that get a few hundred views

i made a video about why, and why ever founder should be making content

[Declan @declangessel]

@wordisbonz @fdotinc i'm excited to watch

[shani 🌱 (sf) @sha_zng]

i met january this year with a lot of dread

for most of last year, i was working from my room. i thought that's what hard work looked like, being alone and heads down for so many hours, but it was incredibly lonely.

for the last two months, i had the absolute delight of being part of an incredible community: SLAM & Co

i was working alongside some of the most sincere, talented, and warm people: ceramicists, video game designers, bakers, engineers.

it is so rare to find a community that feels good down to it's bones, and Slam has done the near impossible of achieving was that.

i have felt nourished by the time I spent there. If you're also a solo entrepreneur looking for community, take this as a sign ✨

[Declan @declangessel]

shani once said "Work can be literally anything you want if you know how to sell it"

she's carved out her own path making a living from art

by doing things like
painting portraits at tech events
writing poems during mother's day

we made a video about her story and how there are so many ways to carve out your own path in this world

[SLAM & Co @slamco_]

This is Shani (@sha_zng).

She makes more money painting at tech events than she does at her tech job.

We had a conversation about how artists can make a living from their creative work.

[Declan @declangessel]

@dantioxidants @wabi y'all have been cooking!

[Dcai @_dcai]

POV: you run a company with your friends

[Dcai @_dcai]

today was day 3 of Declan eating souvla every day

also day 6 of documenting turning an empty warehouse into our dream workspace

i hope you enjoy the video. lmk if you have any feedback

[Declan @declangessel]

@alexmazansky @cafebonney @_dcai @slamco_ glad you like it!

[Alex Mazansky @alexmazansky]

this is awesome, keep it up @cafebonney @declangessel @_dcai @slamco_

[Declan @declangessel]

We made a video about Meghan, who left her accounting job to pursue her dreams

She started a business selling sudoku journals

This is a video about her story, it's really worth a watch

[SLAM & Co @slamco_]

This is Meghan.

She’s making a living off of a book.

It got her on the career ladder, got millions of views on TikTok and even got Billie Eilish to like her post.

This is what she does in our space.

[Dcai @_dcai]

We rented out an entire building in San Francisco

To make the Hogwarts for founders, artists, creators, and makers.

We just got the keys, and I made a video about it

[Declan @declangessel]

@donaldjewkes @RoKhanna @coffeebreak_YT i'm excited to watch

[Dcai @_dcai]

I spent 24 hours with Niv, a baker, before she held her first ever cake pop-up.

We talked about how she got into baking, her love for storytelling through food, and why you should start before you’re ready.

Here’s the video