Chase McGee

Notes, reflections, and insights from my journey so far. Currently growing Focus Digital.

[Chase McGee @schasemcgee]

My life has been shaped by people who have been generous enough with their time and knowledge to help me along my journey. For the past ~18 months, I’ve been mentored by @ineffable111, and he has fundamentally changed my life—and the life of my future family.

Here’s the story:

It was the heat of summer, and I was selling alarm systems door to door for Brinks Home Security. The work was tough — 12-hour days in 100-degree heat, facing countless rejections in hopes of hearing just one yes.

One day, I saw a tweet from Evan saying he was looking for someone to mentor. I had no idea who he was — and I only saw the post because of a retweet from @ZubyMusic.

Most of the time, if something seems too good to be true, it is. But something about this tweet struck me as genuine, so I wrote a message, proofread it (probably 10x), and sent it.

I was surprised to hear back, but I was very glad I did. I had never interacted with an entrepreneur at his level, so I was just excited for the opportunity to speak with him, even once, and hopefully find a direction to run in.

I went to a Starbucks before knocking doors one day to talk to Evan on Zoom. He listened attentively to my crazy dreams, desires, and what I wanted out of life.

Fast forward to today—Evan has helped me start and grow my own company to a full-time staff of six, serve clients across the U.S., and build a business that will take care of me and my future family (by taking care of others and their families, which is awesome).

He has shown me what it means to be an entrepreneur, how to manage the emotional volatility and stress that comes with it, believed in me when I was doubting myself, been there for me in the midst of personal challenges, and become one of the few people on this planet I consider to be a true friend.

I’ve learned that the journey is treacherous, the nights are long, the mornings are early, and the tomorrows are unknown. But what is living if not to see how it turns out?

Evan has shown me that the only limitations in life are the ones you put on yourself, and that success is best measured by the impact you have in the lives of others.

Mentorship, at the core, compounds impact. My hope is to continue what Evan started, and to find others to help in the way he has helped me. While I don’t feel ready yet to take on the responsibility of someone else’s success, I do want to start sharing what I’m learning in hopes that it helps others on their journey.

[Chase McGee @schasemcgee]

@IMJustinBrooke I’m in

[Chase McGee @schasemcgee]

@andy_wlker @tannerdripjobs Just sent you a DM! @tannerdripjobs

[Chase McGee @schasemcgee]

@ZubyMusic You should have @ineffable111 on! I think your audience would enjoy his story—from having the best admissions essay to Columbia, to choosing entrepreneurship over one of the top law schools in the country, to building five wildly successful companies.

[Chase McGee @schasemcgee]

@ineffable111 It is very cool to see this process starting for someone else!! Changed my life

[Evan Bailyn @ineffable111]

I'm seeking a young person to mentor. The last time I tried this experiment on X, I met my current mentee, @schasemcgee. Chase will reach $1M+ in recurring revenue this year at the age of 22, just 18 months after I helped him start his business. Here's how it works:

- A mentorship is, to me, an expression of love for humanity. It costs you nothing, and by the time we're finished, you will be financially independent. If we do this right, it will not only set you up, but also your future family.

- About me: I'm a self-made entrepreneur, currently CEO of an SEO agency. In my 20s, I sold several businesses, and today I get to work in an area that is highly interesting to me. I live in the NY Metro area, and am married with a young child. Fatherhood is the greatest source of meaning to me. Most of my philanthropy centers around helping children improve their emotional health.

- The benefit I get from mentorship is the feeling of helping a young person become greater than they ever thought they could be. I always wanted a mentor when I was young and didn't have one. Doing this for someone is healing -- and hope-giving -- for me.

- You must be smart, hard-working, and have a can-do attitude. You should recognize the opportunity in front of you and do everything in your power to maximize it. You should have some appetite for risk. You should be a strong communicator, both written and verbal.

- If we get to know each other and it feels like a good fit, I will guide you through finding a business idea, starting a website, conceiving of your product, delivering that product, and dealing with the emotional complexities of the first few months of a new business. We'll touch base as often as you need, with a weekly call and daily texts.

- If you’re interested in being mentored, send me a DM here on X and tell me a bit more about yourself. I don’t care about your credentials as much as your attitude, values, and work ethic.

[Chase McGee @schasemcgee]

One of the most important lessons I have learned from @ineffable111 is that once he decides to make a move, there is no possibility in his mind that the move won’t work out.

Success must come to fruition in the mind before it personifies itself in reality.

[Chase McGee @schasemcgee]

Focus Digital helps support close to 250 people (rough math here) between our team members, clients, and their families. I think about this often, as it means I have a responsibility to do everything I can to ensure we succeed for them. I refuse to let them down.

[Chase McGee @schasemcgee]

I wouldn’t trade my door to door experience for anything. I learned how to sell, keep my composure, adapt to different prospects and their varying wants, needs, and desires, and how to work hard even when I didn’t feel like it.

I’ve realized how many life lessons were present. Many days I would knock for 10 hours to then make 2-3 sales in the last 2 hours of the day. Sometimes you just have to put enough effort in for the law of averages to start working to your advantage.

It was not necessarily the smoothest talkers who sold the most, it was the people who could manage their emotional state to approach each opportunity with the same optimism and energy on every door as they did on their first door.

All it took to turn a day around was one more door.