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- This is humbling
This recent news is humbling for me.
To celebrate, I put together a 12-part video series for you for free.
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9 years ago, I left $70k as a developer to bet on live-streaming.
1 year later, my app was acquired by Logitech’s Streamlabs.
2 years ago, I left $160k as a designer to bet on content creation.
20 months later, I 2x’d that salary and grew an audience to 1M.
Last week, I took the biggest risk of my career: I acquired UX Tools, an online learning hub for product designers.
I do not have a traditional education.
Without online learning, my life would be very different.
My success is a statistical anomaly:
My childhood: Low-income home, imprisoned father
As a teenager: Dropped out of college, became a dad
By 23: Fathered 4 boys, bankrupt, went to war twice
My mission is to make my outcomes accessible to more people.
Over the next few years, I’m betting on:
A fundamental shift in how software is designed
More non-designers learning design tools
More design leverage from AI technology
If I’m wrong:
I’ll lose all financial stability
I’ll have let down my wife and 4 boys
I’ll feel publicly humbled
I’m disappointed in the quality of design education today. It’s not supportive of the reality ahead.
With UX Tools, I’ll be launching micro-courses to prepare all shapes of software designers: from freelancers to FAANG to aspiring founders.
But this last part is most important:
You are the reason I’m able to pursue this mission.
As a thank you, I'm releasing a 12-part video series to show you how to carve your own path in content creation:
It’s totally free
Releasing one episode every day on LinkedIn for the next 11 days.
First episode just dropped today
Let me know if you have any questions I might answer in the upcoming videos.
- Tommy
I send weekly e-mails sharing my tips and strategies for building products and audiences. For full time solo builders and side-hustle dreamers.
Got a question? Reply to this e-mail.