Don't Stop Digging

Writing this week from my Vrbo in Pflugerville, TX, just north of Austin. This place looked awesome in the picks but it’s janky as hell…TV is hanging crooked as shit, coffee still in the coffee pot when I arrived but hey, I slept in some total shit holes during my military service so, I guess it could be worse. Looking forward to sunshine, warm weather, some work calls, and the pool is way nicer than the actual apartment so looking forward to some time down there. 

Yesterday would have marked my 13-year anniversary at my corporate job. Reflecting on that, I see how much life has changed since I left nearly two years ago—the challenges, the sleepless nights, moving across the country and back… twice. The people I’ve met, the connections I’ve made, and the growth I’ve experienced. It’s been the struggle season, no doubt, but what would success feel like without struggle? The good news? I can feel the tide turning. The season of success is beginning. And the past few days have made that clear.

The Struggle Before the Breakthrough

Lately, momentum has been building yet I’ve been struggling from a mindset perspective again —feeling like I did right before I hit my breaking point back in January. Doubt creeping in. Wondering if I’m on the right track. If I could really be a CEO someday. But this time, I recognized it. I told Kallie I needed a full day off—no housework, no running around, just sitting in the sun and being present.

Shout out to my good friend Nick Simpson for an incredible talk that helped shift my mindset. You reminded me that I might be just a few shovels full of dirt away from striking gold and that the dumbest thing I could do was quit. And man, what happened next reaffirmed that in a big way.

Stepping Into a Bigger Role

So, why am I in Austin? After my burnout in January, I took a hard look at my life and made the decision to go all-in on my roles with Gobundance Emerge. Since then, as I mentioned before, momentum has been building fast.

Jamie, my mentor and the owner of Gobundance Emerge, invited me to The Key Moves Mastermind, an event sponsored by Gobundance. Unlike typical events, this wasn’t for members—it was a recruiting event designed to expand the brand. For the first time, I attended as an official brand ambassador, representing Emerge on my own, in a room full of high-level entrepreneurs in the heart of Austin. No pressure, right?

I connected with Alan Vantoai, the event’s MC, ahead of time and saw an opportunity to serve. I handled whatever he needed—info on Emerge, breakdowns of pricing, copy for marketing emails. I leaned in with gratitude, knowing that every connection could be the one that changes everything. And possibly most importantly, I didn’t ask permission to handle these things from Jamie, I simply executed and delivered. 

The Moment It Clicked

Tuesday morning, I arrived early, military habits kicking in. The venue felt smaller than expected, and for a moment, doubt crept in that the event may be a bust. Then I saw Mike McCarthy and Matt King, two heavyweights in the Gobundance world. We exchanged daps like old friends.

Then Alan spotted me: “KYLE!!! Bro, you’ve been incredibly helpful! Thank you so much, man!” Normally, praise makes me uncomfortable, but I reminded myself—receive with gratitude. That opens the door for abundance to flow in, something I have been focusing a lot of energy on recently. 

The event started slow, but by midmorning, the room was packed. There were a lot of amazing takeaways but I will share those on social media. One moment really stuck with me—Matt King sharing how, early in his career, he saw an opportunity to serve his mentor, David Osborn, in a way that seemed small but made a massive impact. They were at an event, David’s room was a trainwreck and his wife was coming in later that day. Matt offered to tackle the disaster so David’s wife would come in to a nice neat room.That clicked for me…

Later, when the event wrapped, I noticed a few Gocrew members (guys that volunteer their time to get into the room with high level entrepreneurs) cleaning up, Holly, a Gobundance executive assistant, and the event photographer. Remembering Matt’s story, I jumped in, grabbing trash, stacking chairs, helping out. It was a reminder to myself that no matter what I achieve, I will never be above picking up garbage. No one is. And man did that go far. Everyone was extremely grateful for the extra help and the best part, it took a few extra minutes of my time and honestly, I needed a break from talking at that point. 

“Make Sure You’re Known”

As I was leaving, I got a text from Jamie:

Jamie: Yo! How was the event? Worth it? Any leads?

Me: Yeah, man, it was great. About six folks interested—one joined, and I feel good about two more.

Jamie: Awesome! Matt King there?

Me: Yeah.

Jamie: Make sure you’re known to him.

Me: Oh yeah, we took a Gobundance pic together. He even knows me by name now.

Jamie: That’s not surprising. You need to stand on my shoulder and climb into his world as well. (funny visual that I had and  if you know Jamie and I you will get it…I am 6’3’ 215lbs, Jamie is…well significantly smaller than that LOL) 

Damn. Jamie, a guy who’s built an incredible life, wants to pull me up with him? That’s huge.

The Next Level

I have a vision board image of a business suit with a card slipping into the breast pocket that just says "CEO." To me, that represents becoming the CEO of Gobundance Emerge—following in Matt King’s footsteps.

The next day, I had a realization. A key part of Emerge’s value is connecting members with high-level entrepreneurs, but Jamie is the bottleneck. He knows everyone, but managing these connections is too much for one person. I texted him: I need to fire you from this role. Let me take it on and create a system to manage it.

His response? Ya know, I’ve been thinking a lot about you and featuring you more in this community.

Another holy shit moment. Jamie, a guy with insane connections, a top-ranked podcast, and a dream life, an incredible leader…trusts me with his brand and even more importantly with his relationships in Gobundance. Relationships he has spent a lot of time and energy building. That hit me. I sat with that feeling, letting myself appreciate it instead of rushing to the next thing. Something else I am learning to be better with. 

The Lesson

Just the day before, I doubted myself. Thought I wasn’t cut out for this life. That I wasn’t going to break through the struggle season. But here’s the truth:

I am on the right path. Not because of luck, but because I made a choice—to put my ego aside, surrender to God, and decided to find purpose in serving others. That decision has made me invaluable to guys like Jamie, Matt King, Mike McCarthy, and so many others in this community and in my personal life as well.

To steal from Think and Grow Rich:

"Before success comes to most people, they are sure to meet with much temporary defeat, and perhaps some failure. When faced with defeat, the easiest and most logical thing to do is to quit. That is exactly what a majority of people do…failure is a trickster with a keen sense of irony and cunning. It takes great delight in tripping one up when success is almost within reach.”

So, when you’re out there digging for gold, when it gets hard—and it will get fucking hard—keep fucking digging. You might be just one or two shovels away from striking the gold that changes everything.

As always, thanks for reading.

Kyle

Song & Book

Wasting Time - Kid Rock: Nothing to say here, this is just a throwback banger. 

Think and Grow Rich - Napoleon Hill: Man I wish I would have read this one before jumping into entrepreneurship. I have realized through this journey that mindset is everything and creating an abundance mindset early on is an absolute game changer. But here I am reading it now. Everything happens when it should, the way it should.