Codie A. Sanchez

Investing millions in Main St businesses & teaching you how to own the rest | HoldCo, VC fund, Founder

On a mission to create financially free and free-thinking humans.I founded a advisory and investment company called Contrarian Thinking that helps owners buy and scale businesses.Our newsletter has over 1M+ weekly readers, here → contrarianthinking.biz/liOur community has taught 9,000+ members biz buying, biz growing, and doing deals. We value experience over degrees.Betting on yourself over building someone else's dream.Main Street over Wall Street.My mission is less suits, more boots. Meaning: we the people holding the power… and the purse strings.🔗Join 1M+ others who get our free newsletter: contrarianthinking.biz/li🔗YouTube: @CodieSanchezCT🔗Instagram: @codiesanchez🔗Twitter: @Codie_Sanchez🔗Weekly business-buying newsletter Main Street Minute: contrarianthinking.biz/minute-li

Founder

We help free minds and build bank accounts.

Investing millions in Main St businesses & teaching you how to own the rest | HoldCo, VC, Founder | NYT best-selling author

My husband said five words to me that made my worldview flip on never missing a chance to see a loved one: “Measure in times, not years.”

We were debating whether to go home and see our family for Thanksgiving and my husband said...

If your parents are 65, it’s not 20 or 30 years you might have with them, it’s maybe 20 or 30 visits you get with them.

One in four Americans don’t live in the same hometown as their family. How would you change your decisions if you’d only get to see your loved ones for 20 or 30 more days?

You’d change everything to be with them, wouldn’t you? Same if it was six months. And yet when those days are separated by years we let them slide through our fingers.

Next time don’t count the years, remember the days… and treasure them.

3 harsh truths I've been thinking about a lot lately...

1. Most successful people I've met aren't that smart. They move fast, they take risk, they work a lot. That's it.

2. The world is run by C students & failed employees. You can't underestimate yourself.

3. Managing what you choose to sell, do and focus on is more important than how hard you work or how smart you are.

Example:

You can, for the next 40 years:

- Climb up the corporate ladder
- Grind for a mission you don't believe in
- Spend 50hrs/wk+ away from your family

All for a 401k and a white picket fence at the end to show for it.

OR

You can learn how to buy a business and:

- Own a cashflowing biz in your community
- Touch your work with your own two hands
- Disconnect your money from your time
- Spend more time on the things that matter
- Become one of the few... an Owner.

Ownership is not for everyone.

But it could be for you.

I don’t blame you if you're nervous to take the first step on your own.

If that’s you, I’m hosting an event that's just what you need to start acting on business-buying…

Get details & sign-up here → https://lnkd.in/g3V6NrTZ

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Arfan Iftikhar

My coworker got the promotion over me.

Numerically worse at the work. Great at politics.

I brought in deals. Fixed messes. Hit all goals

He was 10x better than me at managing up.

He got the title. I got “keep doing what you’re doing.”

It took 10+ years for me to click that most companies reward politics, not performance.

So I left. Started buying boring businesses and building my own thing.

Now I make many times what my old bosses did. No corporate games.

The best operators don’t usually climb the ladder. They are the ladder everyone else climbs.

Corporate optimizes for compliance. Owners optimize for competence.

If you’re elite at the work but trash at politics, don't give up, I was just like you.

Take the risk in 2026.

↓↓↓

If you want to learn how to buy a business in 2026 and become an owner, I’m doing this 3-day virtual workshop for you: https://lnkd.in/dYP5dr-T

A hard truth I've learned in business.

It's always who not how.

1. There's only so much time in the day.
2. There's always going to be someone smarter and better than you.

These aren't problems. They're levers.

Every time you struggle with an issue, don't try to figure out how to solve it. Instead, ask yourself what type of person could solve it for you.

You don’t have a HOW problem, you have a WHO problem.

Solve that and you solve everything.

↓ ↓ ↓

This is a strategy I think of as “stealing someone’s 10,000 hours.”

And I’m letting you take my 10,000 hours for free at my Main Street Millionaire Live Event…

I’ve bought & sold 20+ small businesses. I’ve failed a couple, scaled several, and I’m sharing a condensed version of how to buy a biz over 3 days. 

It’ll be beginner-friendly and perfect if you're still in your 9-5.

Save your spot here today → https://lnkd.in/g7mjjqYQ

21 tips to be the first gen wealth builder in your family:

1. The Law of Two Hours: 2 hours of dedicated work is worth more than most people’s 8 hours.

2. How to never fail with a business: Start as a side project. Keep your job. Use your salary to fund. Quit when you have enough cashflow.

3. It's not about time. It's about the F word. Focus. You don’t need 24 hours a day to build a business.

4. Think about your salary like a Silicon Valley investor. Treat every single dollar you give to your side business like an investor would.

5. Hope is not a strategy. “Pray like it’s up to God, but work like it’s up to me.”

6. You don't need more time, you need a deadline.

7. Decrease the time between having an idea and getting it done. Money loves speed. Poverty loves waiting.

8. Small & consistent beats big & sporadic. Long hours at a desk is counterproductive.

9. If you want to make more money, be more useful to people who have more money.

10. It is very hard to change the world when you are broke. So don't apologize for chasing money.

11. Nobody cares about your life...They think about you for one second and then think about themselves again. So you might as well do what you want.

12. You must be just dumb enough to believe in yourself, just smart enough to execute.

13. If you say you will do a thing, then actually do the thing. 90% do not do this.

14. No one is coming to save you. You want a better life, go build it.

15. You must learn to be disliked or you’ll find yourself stuck in a prison of other people's desires.

16. Tasting freedom can make you unemployable. Get that initial momentum, and watch your life start to change.

17. You are paid exactly as much as the problems you solve are worth. Bigger problems = bigger $$$

18. Parkinson’s Law: Work expands to fill the available time. Just because you quit your job doesn't mean you'll magically have all of these hours.

19. If you're not currently doing whatever that thing is inside of you, you're not going to do it after you quit your job.

20. Startups are for masochists. If you want that life, I commend you. If you want a slightly less rocky path to ownership, buy a business instead of starting one.

And lastly, there are 2 types of people:

Those who build wealth through ownership. and those who work to make others wealthy.

The dividing line isn’t talent or luck. It’s action.

↓↓↓↓

P.S. If you have yet to take action in 2026 but are interested in becoming an owner...

Come to my business buying masterclass tomorrow. 

It's free. 90 minutes long. And walks you through how to find the right business for you.

Find all the details here: https://lnkd.in/g3V6NrTZ

I sometimes pinch myself. I don't deserve this life.

Knew nothing about finance.
Public schools.
Parents who worked nonstop.
Party school for undergrad.

But my family taught me about hard work, God, responsibility, and never quitting.

It makes no sense, except for the grace of God. Grateful.

I’m 39.

27 lessons I wish I learned in my 20s: 

1. As soon as you hit your 30s, you’ll understand... Your 20s actually suck. If you feel like it sucks right now, guess what? It’s supposed to. It gets better.

2. Your first job is like the DMV. Awful. Everyone’s mad. Nothing works. But the key is.. You are not supposed to stay there.

3. It is very hard to change the world when you are broke. So don't apologize for chasing money.

4. Meet everyone. Say yes to everything. You narrow the field later.

5. Do it all. Because you’ll die eventually and life will make you slow down. But up until then, eat the world.

6. You are not everyone’s cup of tea, that’s a good thing.

7. The most lucrative things you can do in your 20s: 1) learn how to invest, 2) apprentice in PE, real estate, or venture.

8. If they’re not interesting when you’re sober, don’t drink until they become it.

9. Never buy to impress. Being wealthy > looking wealthy… even when that first big-kid check hits your bank account.

10. The most important question you can ask yourself often: Does this bring joy?

11. Do favors, don’t take them. There’s often a hidden price.

12. If I was in my 20s, I’d try to work for one type of company… One where they reward outcomes not hours. Winning > running really hard for a really long time.

13. Seed is only as good as its soil. Where you live during your 20s matters. Take some time away from your hometown.

14. If you feel cynical about the world… I don’t blame you. But always remember the number one superpower for your generation is HOPE.

15. If you’re prone to loneliness and isolation.. do NOT work a remote job. A small team with sleepless nights and shared goals is a powerful thing.

16. Touch grass. A walk outside will be better for your brain than anything you find on your phone.

17. Burnout doesn’t come from working too hard. Burnout comes from working too hard, on things that don’t light you up.

18. Learn how to save now, but understand that saving isn’t what makes you rich.

19. If you want to make more money, be more useful to people who have more money.

20. You must learn to be disliked or you will find yourself stuck in a prison of other people's beliefs.

21. Most successful people I've met aren't that smart. They move fast, they take risk, they work a lot. That's it.

22. If old you doesn’t make you cringe, you haven’t grown enough.

23. Do something hard every day. Then watch that “something” evolve as you become stronger and stronger.

24. If you haven’t done it, you just have an opinion.

25. Marrying well is the biggest life hack of all. Marrying poorly is a costly path to misery. Choose wisely.

26. Working smarter not harder is a beautiful lie. You will not know how to work smart until you've worked very hard for an irrationally long time.

27. Take notes from old people… Waking up early, being married, reading books, going to bed at 10pm, and drinking less is actually amazing.

Ramota Oladejo

6 other traits of rich people no one tells you:

1. Rich people want you to sell them something.

2. Something 99% of rich people have in common: they own. Most often, they own businesses & real estate.

3. Most people complain about taxes, then pay them. Rich people study taxes then outsmart them.

4. In my experience, almost all successful people are competitive. More competitive you are, more likely you are to succeed.

5. Most rich people I know don't care about their title at all. Business owner > visionary, industry disrupter, startup CEO

6. You'll learn the most from asking rich people this question: "When did you almost lose it all? What did you learn?"

💥 For more like this, feel free to follow me → Codie A. Sanchez

Story from my dad today.

If you’re a business owner, it may hit you as deeply as it hit me...

He said, you know you’ve met another builder or doer when they’ve felt that flinch at the second Friday of the month.

My father has never bounced a check.

But he remembers this…

It was payday, his business was owed money, and they couldn’t bridge the gap between the two in time.

He could just picture the guys’ faces.

Those last two workers, who had done more than anyone else, stayed later than anyone else…

And they were about to be punished for that by not getting paid.

So he called up his banker, told him he needed a line of credit, and pulled out $100,000 give or take to make sure that every single one of their checks cleared.

At the time, my dad had a business partner who was a different type of guy.

He was the sort to make excuses, pay himself first, and not particularly care if everyone else’s checks cleared as long as he got his.

That partner has since had many businesses fail - and many more employees go without a paycheck.

And my dad has never in all these years had a business fail, or lost anyone a dime.

He often attributes his business success to the fact that he would never let his hardest working guys go hungry...

People will always be your biggest struggle and your greatest gift in business. Treat ‘em right.

↓↓↓↓

P.S. I’m hosting a free masterclass next week covering 4 practical growth levers that help maintain healthy cash flow and predictable payroll.

Sign up here (for free): https://lnkd.in/gSfvX_AF

Nish Thakker

There’s no such thing as the right or wrong business.

There’s only the business that’s right or wrong for you.

One of the most common DMs I get is:

"Should I buy a laundromat, car wash, or storage units?"

But that's totally the wrong question to begin with...because everyone has different goals.

That’s why I created the Contrarian Deal Clarity Framework to help first time owners buy a biz.

You need to define 5 components:

1. Your Ideal Owner Experience

Saying “I want to leave my 9-5” is too wishy-washy.

To trade in your W2 form, your vision board needs to be specific on three things:

- Personal goals (do you want more family time or grind for yourself)
- Income goals (replace your $75k salary or build an empire)
- Business goals (be a hands-on operator or absentee owner)

2. Your Zone of Genius

Think of this as the intersection between:

- Passion (what you love)
- Skills & Experience (what you’re good at)
- Network (who you know)

Most people ignore this and buy businesses they eventually hate running.

Don’t be most people.

3. Business Size

It’s easy to fantasize about buying a Fortune 500 company.

But we’re not playing the billionaire game here.

As a first-time time buyer, look for micro acquisitions:

- <$1M cost
- $50K-$200K profits
- 1-3X multiples

Less competition, more opportunity, fewer headaches.

4. Profit

Remember...you’re not just buying a business for the sake of it.

Your acquisition MUST be an income stream that can cover:

1. Debt service
2. Operator salary (if relevant)
3. Growth/working capital
4. Your earnings

Use these two tests to evaluate if a deal is worth looking at:

The SOWS Test

Before I buy anything, I ask if the business is:

- Stale - Does the owner still use fax machines
- Old - Is it 5+ years old with repeat customers
- Weak - Does competition suck at marketing
- Simple - Can an 8-year-old could understand it

The more boxes it checks, the better.

The BRIT Test

Then I check to see if it’s BRIT:

- Buy - Must be a cashflow, not cash-suck businesses
- Resist - Recession-proof
- Increase - Can I raise prices (most owners undercharge by 30%)
- Tech - Can I add simple technology to improve it?

5. Industry

There are certain industries you should avoid for your first biz.

Think restaurants or hotels...

On the flip side, these are my favorite businesses for first-time buyers:

- Digital Businesses (build once, sell forever)
- Home Services (roof repair / lawn care)
- Professional Services (e.g CPAs)
- Real Estate Enhanced (laundromats/car washes)

Once you get clear on your Deal Box, you stop wasting time on deals that don’t fit your criteria and get closer to buying the biz that FEELs right.

↓↓↓

Want to go even deeper than this post did?...

Next week, I'm running a Masterclass breaking down exactly how to buy the perfect business for YOU. 

Check it out: https://lnkd.in/g3V6NrTZ

Danielle Page

If you have had:

• a terrible boss
• workplace ptsd
• a bankruptcy
• a huge failure

GOOD.

Chips on shoulders > easy roads.

The more you do hard things, the more you'll get what you want.

Because doing hard things, makes hard things easier.

If you're doing it right, the failure that leveled you last year, won't even register this year.

↓ ↓ ↓

If you're ready to seek out your next hard thing, let's buy a business this year ;)

Here's a list of 130 boring biz's I'd start with → https://lnkd.in/eGpHZtx3

This is the hiring framework most small business owners never figure out:

Unicorns vs Donkeys

Unicorns = A players, high performers, self starters... aka, the person you WANT to hire for every role at your company.

Donkeys = B and C players, lacking initiative, unmotivated, task-oriented.

The truth every business owner knows but hates to face:

Donkeys are common.

Unicorns are rare.

Unfortunately, MOST people are donkeys. And as a smaller-level business, it's very hard to build the profit needed to attract unicorns.

So you're left with 2 options. You can either:

1. Build a business that can actively search for unicorns.

2. Build processes so good that donkeys can win the race.

Many problems in your business are a WHO problem. But you'd be surprised that solving the HOW often enables the people you have now to succeed.

Processes are your secret weapon.

Rich people want you to sell them something.

And there are only 5 reasons rich people buy:

Every single reason falls into this hierarchy we call the The Rich Desire Pyramid.

The 5 Levels of Rich Desire:

1. Status – “Make me look important.”

How to sell it: Position your business as the best, not the cheapest. Showcase expertise, exclusivity, and premium service.

Think Hermes: Limited-run purses that are mostly handmade by one person each, from start to finish.

2. Convenience – “Make my life easier.”

How to sell it: Eliminate friction. Offer white-glove service, subscriptions, and concierge treatment. Private jets. Fast. Expensive.

3. Exclusivity – “Let me in, keep others out.”

How to sell it: Restrict access. Membership models, invite-only services, and VIP tiers create demand. Tiger 21 — $20M and they validate your income.

4. Privacy – “Give me space.”

How to sell it: Offer high-trust, high-security services. NDA policies, direct access to owners, and absolute discretion build loyalty. Scrub my name off the internet services.

5. Scarcity – “Make it hard to get.”

How to sell it: Limit availability. Waiting lists, premium tiers, and applications drive demand. Think waiting for the brand new shoe drops. Or Birkin bags.

They're buying into a feeling, a position, a lifestyle. They aren’t price-sensitive, they’re value-sensitive.

I hope something here spoke to you.

↓↓↓

P.S. Business owners, I have something for you. 

On February 10th, I'm running a free masterclass breaking down four simple levers every biz can pull to unlock more profit in their business. 

Curious to learn what they are?

Sign up here: https://lnkd.in/dvq3vjJ9

Decrease the time between having an idea and getting it done.

Money loves speed. Poverty loves waiting.

You know the moment I started sharing on the internet?

I saw a stat that only 1 out of 10 Americans died rich.

That most die broke.

In a world full of knowledge and a society that's the best it's ever been that's all we got?

Broken.

Someone asked me recently, “Why do you think so many people never reach financial freedom?”

And I believe it’s because humans defer to the paths they have seen before them.

So often, we tend to follow in our parents’ footsteps.

But the internet has changed that.

You can follow in the footsteps of others who you’ve never even met before.

So then I started to think, is there just a lack of knowledge?

Do people just not know the tactical steps it takes to become wealthy?

It's not easy, but it is simple. It just takes someone to teach you.

↓↓↓

2026 is the year for builders. 

And the best way to become one? Buying a business. 

I'm running a 3-day live event from February 20-22 designed to teach you everything you need to know about the process. 

Get your tickets here: https://lnkd.in/g7mjjqYQ

How to never fail with a business:

- Start as a side project
- Keep your job
- Use your salary to fund
- Don't use debt
- Quit & go all in ONLY when enough cashflow

15 years of biz & life lessons in <500 words:

↓ ↓ ↓

1. Marrying well is the biggest life hack of all.

2. Be the type of person who reaches out to others... when you don't need something.

3. The greatest muscle you can build is urgency.

4. Most successful people move with this mindset: Entitled to nothing, willing to earn everything.

5. Pray like it's up to God. Work like it's up to you.

6. You don't need more time, you need a deadline.

7. The success you are looking for is waiting for you in the work you are currently avoiding.

8. Biographies of billionaires teach you more than self-help books.

9. Your lack of focus will kill you before your competitors ever get a chance.

10. Winning isn't an accident, it's earned.

11. Underrated superpower: Just dumb enough to believe in yourself, just smart enough to execute.

12. Complexity makes you seem smart. Simplicity makes you money.

13. Surround yourself with owners, the conversation is just different.

14. The more you learn about money, the more you realize most of us play with Legos while the really rich play chess.

15. Beginners do too much. Pros do only what's needed.

16. Underperformers want ease. Midperformers want credit. Winners want pressure.

17. Your most expensive mistake will be a "who," not a "what."

18. If you've survived this far, the odds are actually are in your favor.

19. The formula is: keep going after it gets hard.

If you liked this post and you're NOT signed up for my newsletter... you're seriously missing out. Get it here → https://lnkd.in/ggN9g-BX

The greatest muscle you can build is urgency.

Shrink your timelines...

When you say next quarter, push for next 60 days.

When you say next month, push for 2 weeks.

When you say next week, push for 24 hours.

Not everything will get done on the new timeline, but you'll build a habit that will make you more successful than other people.

Decrease the time between having an idea and getting it done. Everything changes.

↓ ↓ ↓

If you want to push forward serious financial goals in 2026, you should look into this…

It’s live event on what I think is the single greatest skill you could learn this year to change your financial future forever.

It’s called a 3 day live event called Main Street Millionaire where we’re going deep on exactly how to find, buy, run, and scale a profitable small business.

If this sounds remotely interesting, save your spot here → https://lnkd.in/gf6hPHdF

The #1 killer of businesses is bad cashflow.

15 other harsh business truths for you:

1. The greatest muscle you can build is urgency. Bureaucracy is business poison.

2. Decrease the time between having an idea and getting it done. Everything changes.

3. Never sacrifice reputation in the name of business. You can always start another company. You can never create a new reputation.

4. Long-term games and long-term people compound. Resist shiny objects.

5. Hire smart people, pay them well, set them up for success... Then leave them the hell alone.

6. “There’s nothing worse than being sick, fat, tired and trying to run your business.” - Dana White

7. The highest ROI investment founders & owners can make is in themselves. Health shapes mindset. Mindset shapes action.

8. You're better off learning negotiation than financial modeling. Business is less spreadsheets than words.

9. The best business of all time has only you, a computer, and the send button.

10. Every additional employee increases complexity. Hiring is a last resort.

11. The best advice comes from those just a couple steps ahead of you. These people still vividly remember the problems you're facing today.

12. Sell painkillers, not vitamins. There's more money in needs than wants.

13. No discounts. Compete on value, not price. Any biz with $$$ can enter your market and bleed you out. Differentiate beyond commodity.

14. A happy customer is the most powerful marketing. Prioritize reviews. Humans are social animals.

15. If no one thinks you’re crazy, you’re too late. If everyone thinks your idea is good? Even worse. Outsized returns lie in non-conformism.

↓↓↓↓

P.S. I'm running a free masterclass for business owners (next week).

What we'll cover? 4 growth levers to increase cash flow in your biz. 

Grab your spot here (for free): https://lnkd.in/gSfvX_AF

Steven Yeh, EIT

Hannah Power

founder @amplify | empowering solopreneurs to create online success, through alignment not hustle | join my next free masterclass to learn how 💫

I believe personal brands can change the world.

I also believe that building a business around your personal brand is one of the most fulfilling and financially rewarding things you can do.

And with the digital landscape evolving faster than ever, fuelled by AI, there’s never been a more powerful moment to build one.

… but the reality is most people never manage to unlock the influence, income, or impact their personal brand could create.

My mission is to change that.

Hi, I’m Hannah,

Over the past 7 years I’ve:
→ Grown an audience of 100k+ followers across Instagram and LinkedIn
→ Written an Amazon best-seller, The Power of You
→ Spoken on stages at organisations including Unilever, HP and Oxford University, as well as delivering a TEDx talk
→ Been featured in Forbes and CEO Weekly
→ Ranked #1 on Google for my niche
→ Built my inbound coaching business to £20k/$30k per month

Now, I lead amplify, a platform designed to help you grow your personal brand in three powerful ways:

1 | 1:1 Coaching

Are you a CEO, founder, author, or coach ready for bespoke support?
Work directly with me to build and scale your personal brand with clarity, confidence, and consistency.

DM 'COACH' to book in a call.

2 | Speaking

Are you a small or large business looking for an inspiring keynote or practical workshop on personal branding, AI or team performance?

DM 'SPEAKING' to book in a call.

3 | Group Coaching

Ready to learn the exact system I used to build and scale a personal-brand-led business?

My newest group coaching programme helps you gain clarity on your message, build confidence, and show up consistently with content that connects.

Expert guidance, AI-powered support and accountability, plus 1:1 support from me.

DM 'GLOW' to book your clarity call.

At amplify, we believe alignment outperforms hustle, every time.

I’m passionate about redefining success.

Not the hustle-heavy, burnout blueprint we were all taught to follow…

…but a new kind of success.

Sustainable. Impactful. Creative. Scalable. Powered by AI and built on authenticity.

Your personal brand isn’t just about business growth, it’s the bridge to your dream life.

The clients, freedom, and opportunities you want are already available when you learn how to show up, share your story, and use AI to help scale your message further than ever before.

My mission:

To help you grow your personal brand with clarity, confidence, and content that truly connects, so you can create a life you love, by changing the lives of others.

Follow me for content on personal branding, AI, and performance.

Podcast Host

Flow, the podcast that unlocks the secrets to finding balance in the chaos so you can live your best life, in every area of your life.

Hi, I’m Hannah, personal growth junkie, ideator and lover of anything related to high performance working, living and loving.

Over the last 10 years I’ve been on a (very up and down) journey of self discovery with a goal of becoming the happiest, freest, most successful version of myself.

5 years ago I came across the concept of flow and it transformed my life. I now use the philosophy and teachings of flow to transform my clients lives and through this podcast, I hope flow can transform your life too.

The podcast will help you understand and free yourself from everything and anything which is holding you back from living the life you're meant to.

Lets get into flow, together.

Most people quit right before the level changes.

If things feel harder than you expected, you’re probably doing it right.

This part of the journey catches so many people off guard. We’re sold the idea that once you ‘figure it out’, business gets easier. That confidence arrives, momentum stabilises, and the discomfort fades.

But in my experience, that’s not how it works.

Business doesn’t get easier, you just get better at dealing with the hard moments. You build resilience, develop self-trust, and learn how to regulate yourself when things wobble instead of spiralling or stopping.

And at the point when you're saying "I can't do this"... that usually means you're SO much closer than you think (you’re at the edge of a new level).

And every new level asks something different of you. New skills, new boundaries, a more-regulated nervous system, a stronger sense of identity…

The people who grow and continuously evolve are the ones who recognise doubt as part of the expansion, not a reason to quit.

So if things feel harder than you expected, take that as information (not judgement).

You might be much closer than you think.

Curious… when things get hard for you, do you tend to push, pause, or question everything? (let me know in the comments)

These are the moments the personal brand glow up was designed for… levelling up in a way that is real, tangible, and measured (not theoretical).

If you’re ready to be supported through your current phase, book a free consultation with Angelina, my coaching specialist (link in comments).

helping coaches become the obvious choice online | #1 personal brand coach @amplify | podcast host | author + speaker

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Starbucks went from just coffee to practically a lifestyle brand.

Starbucks didn’t wake up one day and decide to sell everything. They started with coffee, then food, seasonal cups, rituals, playlists, reusable mugs, gifting moments, etc.

They didn’t jump categories. They expanded the experience. And that’s the part most personal brands miss.

Starbucks isn’t successful because it sells more things. It’s successful because everything it adds reinforces the same feeling (familiar, comforting, consistent, elevated but accessible).

You don’t go there just for caffeine, you go for how it makes you feel while you’re there.

Here’s the personal branding lesson: you can add offers, you can evolve your work, you can grow your business beyond one thing, but only if what you’re adding extends your core promise (not distracts from it).

This is where so many coaches go wrong.

They don’t expand and pivot too fast. They develop a new offer, start targeting a new audience, go in a completely new direction… and suddenly the brand feels scattered, confusing, and harder to trust (I’ll be the first to admit, I’m guilty of this too!)

Strong brands don’t reinvent themselves every six months. They build depth first, then widen the circle.

So before you add something new, ask yourself this: “does this deepen the experience I’m already known for? Or does it pull attention away from it?”

Don’t pivot. Expand with alignment. That’s how brands scale without losing their power.

Now your turn. Tell me…if someone recommended you to a friend, what would they say you’re known for? (comment below)

The best mentors I’ve ever had created clarity (not dependency).

And they did it because they actually knew what they were talking about, and wanted me to evolve to a point where I wouldn’t need them anymore.

The best ones aren’t just ‘good communicators’.  They’ve lived the experiences they needed to live to be able to help others. They’ve both built and broken things along the way, and fixed what needed to be fixed. They’ve made mistakes that cost them time, money, energy, and confidence.

And instead of me needing to make all those same mistakes myself, I choose to learn from theirs instead. 

That’s the part most people miss when they decide mentorship isn’t “necessary”. What they fail to realise is that great mentorship is time compression. 

You’re not simply paying for an hour-long call. You’re instead learning from thousands of hours of experience (years of trial and error) distilled into a single conversation.

The best mentors will help you avoid the detours they already took. They see around corners you can’t see yet and spot patterns early because they’ve watched them play out before in their own lives.

And at the same time, they don’t take your power away or make you reliant on their opinion. They use their experience to sharpen your thinking, not replace it.

Instead of feeling dependent, you feel clearer. Instead of feeling smaller, you feel more capable. Instead of guessing, you move with conviction.

That’s when progress speeds up and you start to see the results you’ve been chasing. Because you’re working with better information (instead of just working harder).

And that’s the difference between mentorship that feels supportive in the moment…
and mentorship that actually changes your trajectory.

What’s one thing you wish someone had warned you about earlier on your journey? (share in the comments)

And if you’re craving this kind of mentorship, the Personal Brand Glow Up is where we support you to build clarity, confidence, and momentum without losing your autonomy or voice.

Book a free consultation with Angelina (my coaching specialist) to explore if it’s the right option or alternatively what kind of support would actually move you forward right now (link in comments).

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The Battle

Codie A. Sanchez

Hannah Power

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The Battle

Codie A. Sanchez

Hannah Power

Followers

Posts

Engagements

Likes

Performance Score.css-goub6s{font-size:var(--chakra-fontSizes-md);font-weight:500;color:var(--chakra-colors-gray-600);display:block;margin-top:var(--chakra-space-1);}Codie A. Sanchez's LinkedIn Performance

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Ready to grow your LinkedIn presence?

Performance ScoreCodie A. Sanchez's LinkedIn Performance