Ownership Beats Proximity

Working hard isn't enough. Being talented isn't enough. Proximity to the cash register matters more than both.

You can be the best employee at a company and still be replaceable. You can work 80-hour weeks and still not own anything.

Ownership changes the game. When you own the platform, the product, or the business, you control the cash register.

PDMerch, ListPickers, Expo.Live, FeedAlgo—these aren't side projects. They're ownership experiments. Each one tests whether I can build something that generates value without needing permission, investors, or gatekeepers.

Some will fail. Some might succeed. But all of them put me closer to the cash register than any job ever could.

Proximity to ownership > proximity to hard work.