For years, I've been connecting with interesting people and documenting insights that might help my clients and myself. What was once private is now (mostly) public.

People often ask: "How do you know all these people?" and "How do you connect these (re: random) ideas?" The answer is simple: consistent relationship cultivation and thoughtful note taking. My north star is trusting my instincts, my maps are the constellations in these reflections.

Find my Personal Archive on CultishCreative.com, watch me build a better Personal Network on the Cultish Creative YouTube channel, listen to Just Press Record on Spotify or Apple Podcasts, and follow me on social media (LinkedIn and X).

You can also check out my work as a financial advisor/planner at Sunpointe, in collaboration with Epsilon Theory (at Perscient), and on our open-sourced investment education channel Excess Returns. You can listen to Epsilon Theory on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, and Excess Returns on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.

I'm a busy guy - but hey, this approach to multidisciplinary networking has helped dozens of clients, colleagues, and friends strengthen their networks and unlock new opportunities. While you're here, feel free to:

- Steal these ideas directly 
- Hire me to implement them with you
- Create your own combination that works for you

I can't promise you'll learn FROM me, but I guarantee you can learn something WITH me. Let's go. Count it off: 1-2-3-4!

Introducing… Craig Pearce!

Do you know Craig Pearce? He's a nonfiction publisher at Pan Macmillan/Harriman House (one of the "big five" publishing houses) who's brought us Morgan Housel, Adam Mead, Ted Seides, and Richard Shotton's "Choice Factory" - plus he handles 120+ book proposals per year but only publishes 25-30.

If not, allow me to introduce you. Craig has spent 17 years editing hundreds of books and has developed what he calls a "snooker instinct" for recognizing quality manuscripts that will resonate with readers. I wanted to connect with him because he embodies something I value deeply: the ability to spot exceptional storytelling while maintaining the pragmatic wisdom that publishing has fundamentally changed in the Amazon era.

Our conversation is LIVE now on the Just Press Record YouTube channel (and this Cultish Creative Playlist). Listen and you'll hear Craig discuss everything from Alfred Wainwright's stunning Lake District guides to why good leadership matters more than raw business success.

THREE: That's The Magic Number of Lessons

In the meantime, I wanted to pull THREE KEY LESSONS from my time with Craig Pearce to share with you (and drop into my Personal Archive).

Read on and you'll find a quote with a lesson and a reflection you can Take to work with you, Bring home with you, and Leave behind with your legacy.

WORK: Build Your Platform First, Then Write The Book

Key Concept: Craig reveals a fundamental shift in the publishing industry that every aspiring author needs to understand. In the current marketplace flooded with self-published options, publishers can only afford to bet on authors who already have an established audience and reputation. This isn't romantic, but it's reality - and it means your career development strategy should focus on building expertise and visibility in your field before attempting to land a traditional publishing deal.

Personal Archive Note-To-Self: You don’t have to start with why (take that Simon Sinek), but you do have to ask it as part of your process. We all know the trope. How most people want to be an author but they don’t want to write a book. Craig’s point just takes it a layer deeper.

Even if you just want to write, and the author label is a nice title to have after doing the creative work that burns bright in your belly, it’s still not enough. You have to learn to be a marketer, to tell your story, to get people on board with what you do and yes, WHY, for the who’s, what’s, where’s, when’s, and how’s to show up.

Nobody is going to make you famous except you. At least, not for the right reasons. If you want to be a famous author, you have to find an audience who wants to buy the book first, and forget looking at the publishing industry as if they have any better answer than “we can help you distribute that, probably.”

Work question for you: If you dream of writing a book someday, what platform are you building now to establish your expertise and reach your future readers?

LIFE: Trust Your Professional Instincts Like A Snooker Player

Key Concept: Craig compares his editorial judgment to the muscle memory and intuition of skilled snooker players who can position balls within a square inch of their target on a 12-foot table. After years of practice, professionals develop an almost unconscious ability to recognize quality and potential. This speaks to the value of deep experience and trusting the instincts you've developed through consistent practice in your field.

Personal Archive Note-To-Self: A friend pointed out that maybe the only reason I’m able to do so much more creative work these days - alongside my day job - is because I spent 15+ years doing my day job to the point where I’m mostly running on instincts. If I hadn’t done all that practice, I couldn’t balance the two habits.

Which is a weird sub-point to Craig’s. For one, anything you really practice at gives you a certain instinctive feel, and you should respect the not always logical views of people with that feel. And then, also, if you’ve done something a million times, you can keep doing it while you put your focus elsewhere too, which I’m only recently experiencing.

Now maybe Craig is actually taking up snooker and in between finding the next Morgan Housel he can make better table shots. But, maybe he’s only focused on reading and working with authors too. Either way, it’s the practice and the process again.

Just like you have to fall in love with being a writer and build a “get people to read you” platform around your love for the work, the deeper you go and the longer you do it, the better your instincts will become. It’s long-games everywhere you look.

Life Question For You: What professional instincts have you developed over years of practice that you should trust more, and where might you be second-guessing expertise you've actually earned?

LEGACY: Remember We're All On The Same Team

Key Concept: Craig emphasizes that most professional friction comes from forgetting shared objectives. Whether it's publishers and authors, colleagues on a project, or citizens in a democracy, conflicts often arise when people lose sight of their common goals and mutual interests. Success comes from regularly realigning around what everyone actually wants to achieve together rather than getting caught up in territorial disputes or ego battles.

Personal Archive Note-To-Self: Craig and his authors want the same thing, but they bring totally different, if not totally complementary, skills to the table. This partnership concept, that you want somebody like Craig to edit, position, and help distribute your ideas is a bigger deal than maybe most people get.

If you’re writing on a barely read blog (ahem, thanks for reading), you might not have to worry about distribution beyond what you’re doing. However, if you have a widely read blog and you want to convert blog readers to book buyers (a boy can dream, right?), then you might need a partner who specializes in just that act.

The “specializes” notion here - it’s about finding someone who’s put in the practice, who knows their role so well they can do it in their sleep, and who is on the same side of your ambitions. The higher we want to go, the bigger we want to build, we can’t do it ourselves.

Legacy question for you: In your current conflicts or challenges, how might reframing the situation around shared goals change your approach and reduce unnecessary friction?

BEFORE YOU GO: Be sure to…

• Connect with Craig Pearce on LinkedIn and read his post reflecting on how finding Morgan Housel happened

• Check out Harriman House's catalog for their latest financial and business book releases

• Visit the Harriman House website if you're interested in submitting a book proposal

• Take a moment to reflect on all these ideas!

You have a Personal Network and a Personal Archive just waiting for you to build them up stronger. Look at your work, look at your life, and look at your legacy - and then, start small in each category. Today it's one person and one reflection. Tomorrow? Who knows what connections you'll create.

Last thing: Don't forget to click reply/click here and tell me who you're adding to your network and why! Plus, if you already have your own Personal Archive too, let me know, I'm creating a database.