Breaking the 120-Hour Cycle
120 hours, 7 days a week is like a recipe for heart failure and probably ending up in a hospital. That is not even human. That is not the typical client that comes to Career Evolved for help. It's one of the most unique situations I've ever seen.
When we say congratulations, what we mean is congratulations on the final steps for a breakthrough. By saying that lifestyle is in the rearview mirror and we're creating a new life for Kevin... what that looks like is a hybrid between W-2 and contracted.
If you break it down per hour, it's probably about a 100% raise at this point. Because 120 hours a week compared to 45 or 50 at most... you're getting your life back, your family back, your relationships back. And you're doing it in a very unique model.
It's been an exhausting journey. I have been beyond scrambling on every different front. One study came through, we got that locked down, that one's done. I was finishing up with Outsider... they sent me over an offer. And then I finished up with Sword today and they sent me a request for my references.
Let me ask you this. You've already accepted One Study, for Sword, and Outsider... they've converted over to a contract on an hourly basis?
Yes. That's what's locked in with them. And depending on what Sword does, I may do the same thing with them.
“If all of this comes into play... it will double my income. If the bonuses work out, it will be 7 figures.”
The Hidden Market Strategy
The market is so bizarre, it's so different. Exactly all the stuff that you guys have been saying is completely true. You can't just go out there and customize every resume. You can't just go out there and cold apply. That doesn't work anymore.
It is a lot of reaching out, selling yourself. I did everything in the program, but I helped automate quite a bit of it leveraging some AI. That type of reach out worked. I did some OSINT (Open Source Intelligence Gathering) on each specific leader to go a little deeper to get some personal connections.
That's what seemed to get better responses—doing a little more research on them as people, not just professionally. Looking at papers they had written and compressing them down.
What were some of the biggest takeaways from Career Evolved for yourself that got you to this point?
One of the big keys is keeping yourself humble. I listen to what you two do. You guys are professionals. That's a pill I swallowed many years ago: I'm never gonna be the smartest person in the room, and I don't want to be. You seek people out that are experts and know what you don't. You learn from them.
There's going to be some pieces of the program that get you where you need to be, no matter what. But the mentorship that you both provide in coaching and getting through this process, through the ups and the downs, is invaluable. Without this, I wouldn't have happened.
“You seek people out that are experts and know what you don't. I wouldn't have happened without this program.”
The Importance of Resilience
The best thing is some of the resilience that you have to have in this job market. It will beat the living hell out of you. It'll knock you down left and right. But if you just keep going, it becomes worth it.
Everything over the past month started falling into place very quickly. The last two weeks I've been scrambling between contracts, moving and adjusting and negotiating all this stuff back and forth. It does work, but it takes resilience.
The biggest thing to overcome is getting in your own headspace. What are they thinking? Ryan has been an angel and a godsend. He has been the rationalization, the insight that I needed because when I'm in the weeds, I don't see the forest for the trees. He sees it.
I knew you guys were going to be a good partnership because you hadn't owned the value of what you produce. It's just in your blood and it's so rare to produce at that level. Being in a place where you can package and position... if you're gonna work that hard, you should be getting that kind of upside. When they lose you, man, they're gonna feel it.
They are not happy that I'm leaving. But there's a good enough foundation that I put in place with directors that report to me... I set it and forget it until they fill a position. They're struggling with their own fixing of a toxic culture, they just don't know how to fix it.
If you put out into this world... the biggest thing you can be is don't get discouraged by having conversations with different companies. Be genuine with yourself. If it doesn't click with them, I don't care. Learning not to care and put effort into that is key.
You have an infinite number of f*cks not to give in this world. But you have a finite number of ones to give. Where's your energy gonna go? You gotta choose the right places.