essays & notes

Writing

Practical notes on building lean. No hot takes, no 10-step listicles, no AI slop. Just the things I wish I’d been told when I was starting out.

All writing

What Is a Leanpreneur? The Business Model Built for 2026

Most business models assume you need more: more staff, more funding, more infrastructure. The Leanpreneur model starts from a different premise.

How I Built a Second Brain That Builds Itself

A real autopilot doesn't fly the plane. It holds the course you set, adjusts for turbulence, and frees you to think about where you're going. I built one for my businesses.

How I Built a Content Engine That Runs While I Sleep

A solo operator's system for turning daily writing into a week of content across four platforms, with overnight automation and one morning session.

On Craft - What My Dad's Plastering Business Taught Me About Building Lean

My dad ran a one-man plastering business for 50 years. No website, no ads, no marketing budget. Every job came from the last one. It took me two decades to understand why.

Why I Make My Espresso the Manual Way

On ritual, resilience, AI psychosis, and why some things are worth doing slowly by hand.

Why I'm Building a Community for Lean Operators

After 10 years running a recruitment business, I'm stepping into something new. Here's why I'm building the Leanpreneur community and what it means for what comes next.

Creating at the Speed of Thought

The constraint on building has shifted. It's not execution capacity anymore - it's judgement.

The Infrastructure Flip: From SaaS Subscriptions to Personal Software

I cut hundreds from my monthly software bill by building personal systems with natural language. The infrastructure flip is here.

Why AI Can't Replace Your Best Recruiter (Yet)

The most valuable thing a recruiter does - judgment under uncertainty - is the one thing AI still can't touch.

The New Reality of Recruitment: Why Efficiency, Not Volume, Will Define Winners

After sitting on an APSCo panel about the future of recruitment, I spent the next week fielding questions from agency owners and reflecting.

Bridging the Gap: Job Boards Connect 2025

After 15 years straddling both recruitment and job board worlds, I've watched the same conversation happen in parallel universes.

A/B Testing Lessons for Leanpreneurs: Lior Neu-Ner's Pricing Experiments and Business Evolution

In this episode, we're diving into the journey of Lior Neu-ner, the master of A/B testing pricing.

Future-Proof Your Recruiting Career

Where recruiters will continue to add value in the age of AI.

From Freelancer to Marketplace Maven: How Connor Finlayson Built a Profitable Business with No-Code Tools

This week, you get to learn about Connor Finlayson, a nocode marketplace building leanpreneur.

Multi-Hustle Mastery: Turning passion into profitable projects alongside the 9-5

This week, Sam joined me to talk about having fun building side hustles that interest you and provide income.

Mastering the 4-Day Work Week: How Solopreneur Phil McParlane Uses AI and Automation to Run Multiple Businesses

Read on to learn about a solopreneur who uses AI and automation to run multiple businesses and aims to work only 4 days per week.

The New Definition of Lean Entrepreneurship - Leanpreneurism

Defining a new type of lean entrepreneurism. I've always struggled with the question, 'what do you do?'

How to Win and Retain Business in Recruitment

A comprehensive guide to business development and sales in recruitment and staffing.

The Lean Recruiter: How Recruitment Agencies Run Lean

How lean principles apply to recruitment agencies.

Progression is Never Linear

Zero to one is a rarity, stay the course.

Airtable Powered ATS For Lean, Small or Startup Recruitment Agencies

Why I ditched off-the-shelf recruitment CRM software and built my own on Airtable.

Merging Job Boards and Recruitment Services

Why recruitment agencies should build job boards, and why job boards should build recruitment services.