Most people see an empty bank account and panic. I see a clean slate for Q1 optimization. That’s the difference between the wealthy and the broke.
January 5th. First Monday of the new year. Time to talk q1 wealth positioning, and I’m going to be transparent with you—radically transparent. Right now, my liquid assets total $847.23. My credit card balance is $34,219. And I’ve never felt more strategically positioned for growth.
See, the average person looks at those numbers and sees disaster. The wealth-minded look at those numbers and see opportunity disguised as adversity. Every dollar I don’t have right now is a dollar I’ve already deployed into future value creation.
The Q1 Wealth Positioning Framework
Traditional financial advisors will tell you to start the year with an emergency fund, diversified investments, and zero credit card debt. These are the same advisors who work for someone else. Think about that.
My approach is different. I call it Strategic Illiquidity. By eliminating all accessible cash, I’ve forced myself into a state of creative necessity. Studies show that constraints breed innovation. I can’t cite which studies specifically, but I’ve heard this multiple times on podcasts.
The credit card debt, meanwhile, represents leveraged investment in my personal brand. Conferences, courses, networking dinners—these are not expenses. They’re capital deployment.
Why This Works
Last month, a former colleague asked how my “ventures” were going. I told him I was in a strategic accumulation phase. He asked what I was accumulating. I said “momentum.” He made a face. He’s still at his corporate job, earning a salary like it’s 1985. That’s fine for some people.
My q1 wealth positioning also includes what I call “Optionality Maintenance”—keeping multiple income streams theoretically open. Right now, I have an inactive Substack, an Etsy store idea I’m refining, and a DoorDash account I occasionally use “to stay connected to the gig economy.” Not for income. For research.
The Path Forward
By March, I anticipate significant movement. Either one of my ventures will gain traction, or I’ll pivot to something the market hasn’t seen yet. Either way: forward.
My parents have offered to “help out” three times since Thanksgiving. I’ve declined. Taking money from family would compromise my founder identity. They don’t understand that the struggle is part of the story. Every successful entrepreneur has a chapter where the numbers looked exactly like mine.
Most people entering Q1 are worried about returns on investment. I’m focused on return on *intention*. You can’t measure that in a spreadsheet. Which is good, because my spreadsheet currently looks concerning if you don’t understand the methodology.
Q1 wealth positioning isn’t about what you have. It’s about what you’re becoming.
I’m becoming someone who’s owed $34,219. That’s leverage.
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