Why Buying an RV was the Best Career Decision I’ve Ever Made

A little over a year and a half ago, I had a tough career decision to make. There were several options in front of me which didn't make it any easier. I had just quit my job and published my first book. I could have gotten a job at a startup, or I could have stayed at my old company making a comfortable salary. I had a vision for education that I wanted to share with the world. I couldn't…

3 Things I did this Year Instead of Attending College

College is history. It’s an overpriced, overvalued, inflated bureaucracy. College used to be “the thing to do after high school.” It largely still is, however people are starting to realize that a bachelor’s degree will get you about as far as a professional recommendation from your parents if you don’t have any proof of real value that you’ve created to go with it. The core meaning of…

What I Learned Living in an RV for 6 Months: Part 1 – The Movement

This is the story of a kid who believed he could change the world with an idea.   It was mid February, and the RV had been ours for about a week now. I was in my apartment in Columbus, Ohio, talking with Ben on the phone. I met Ben a few years back through my old company, Young Entrepreneurs Across America, at the annual training conference. He was a college dropout who owned a…

Praxis What You Preach

  I tried college. All I got from sitting in classrooms for two years was a substantial amount of student debt. After dropping my classes, I did everything I could to take risks and try exciting things in the real world. I experienced real freedom by being intentional and proactive about my life and career—something I never would have found in Hitchcock Hall’s lecture room. Since…

Story #51: Portabed

And just like that, 2020 is almost over. I didn't expect it to come so soon. Simultaneously, I didn't expect it to take this long. This time of year always brings about lots of reflection for me. As I was combing through my memories of this year the other day, a few specific ones came to mind. Not surprisingly, many of them I've already written about here. One stuck out that I haven't shared much…

Story #22: When Shit Hits the Chin

This photo has a third character in it: the discreet sinkhole in the back right. I turned 26 last weekend. Usually on my birthday I try to travel or do something outside of my daily routine, a tradition which took me to Brazil last year and Savannah the year before. This year, my birthday wanderlust took me up to Montana for a weekend backpacking trip in the wilderness. I have never been to…

Story #18: Peaks and Valleys

In 2017 I was let go from my dream job. At first it sucked, but it gave me an opportunity to try something I've always wanted to do: work for myself. So I started RealSimon Media. The whole idea was to make a living by creating videos for people, which was quite a task considering I had no production experience, knew almost nothing about the industry, and had just recently moved to Charleston.…

Story #04: Truth and Betrayal in Calculus 2

It’s Friday, January 24th, 2020. Earlier this week I saw a Facebook ad about Neil DeGrasse Tyson’s upcoming talk in Charleston. Seeing the ad released a bank of memories usually hidden away in the shadows of my previous life. In my previous life I was a college student studying to be an engineer. Today I share the story about what brought that life to an end. It’s the story about the moment I…

How to Have your First $10K Month as a Videographer

Less than 2 years after starting a new business in a new industry, I had my first $10K month. I’ve been trying to run my own business for about 5 years, and I’ve messed up a lot. I’m starting to think I’m doing some things sort of right. So I sat down and thought about what I’ve learned over the past 2 years. What have I done that has worked? I boiled down my thoughts to 5 key lessons.…

I’m Hiring a Video Marketing Apprentice

We are a video marketing agency based out of Charleston, SC. We specialize in producing high quality, consistent video content that communicates our customers’ authentic brand to their audience. We provide a full branding package, putting our clients in front of their audience on all social media channels. Our core belief is that everybody has a unique story to tell. By understanding and…

Numbers and Lessons from my First Year in Business

I was inspired to write this post after reading Andrew Askins’ recent article. In the post, Andrew shares a detailed overview of his company’s financial data including revenue, expenses, salaries, and more. As Andrew puts it, “People resonate with that kind of openness and realism… We wanted to inspire the next wave of entrepreneurs and just felt like it was the right thing to do.” Money is…

Quandaries of an Aspiring Filmmaker

I’ve spent the past half year “getting my name out there” as a video producer. What does that look like? Square One You start with a cheap camera. A Rebel T6i. You begin to notice details and styles in movies and videos that were invisible to you before. You notice the cuts. You stop, rewind, and watch them again. You think about how they got that shot to look the way it looks and you wonder…