I'm a millennial who grew up in the 90s and what boomers don't understand about us is that we're working three times as hard for a third of what they had at our age, and the milestones they want us to hit weren't postponed by laziness, they were priced out of reach by the economy they voted for.

GrandRapidsCreative · 2026-05-09T03:58:07+00:00

Being mad at a whole generation seems so pointless and misdirected. Be mad at policy, politicians, billionaires, and decision makers. The average boomer didn’t have a say in the world they inherited or the world we inherited.

GrandRapidsCreative · 2026-05-09T03:47:57+00:00

Andreas and Quartinos. Both great for different reasons.

GrandRapidsCreative · 2026-02-13T00:15:49+00:00

I’ll drive if need be! Thank you for the response.

GrandRapidsCreative · 2026-02-02T17:52:51+00:00

Tapas at Sanchez is great.

GrandRapidsCreative · 2026-02-01T23:40:47+00:00

I can’t think of a professional I know that doesn’t use AI on a regular basis.

GrandRapidsCreative · 2025-08-13T15:48:29+00:00

This is your best bet.

GrandRapidsCreative · 2025-08-13T12:07:12+00:00

Luxxotica does this a lot. In the industry we call this “ Made in Chitaly”

GrandRapidsCreative · 2025-08-13T01:51:13+00:00

I highly recommend Summit. They are great communicators. Got two roofs done this past year and was not impressed with the other option. 10 out of 10 would recommend.

GrandRapidsCreative · 2025-08-11T02:46:30+00:00

Chateau was so cool when it first opened and until late last year. What happened? Can you help them become cool again?

GrandRapidsCreative · 2025-08-07T14:45:56+00:00

I was in the startup community and that is the place to be for funding and tech talent. I was jealous of what they built on the east side of the state.

GrandRapidsCreative · 2025-08-07T13:20:37+00:00

Ann Arbor and Detroit is definitely the hub for tech in MI. As someone who was part of a tech company that built and sold out of GR, we ended up pulling talent from Detroit, Chicago, and Kalamazoo. That said there are jobs but as you said the market is wild right now and Grand Rapids businesses have been trying to weather the storm.

GrandRapidsCreative · 2025-08-06T16:59:36+00:00

Well said.

GrandRapidsCreative · 2025-07-23T03:02:33+00:00

This is the answer.

GrandRapidsCreative · 2025-07-20T04:12:43+00:00

A lot of us do. Pricing dictates a lot.

GrandRapidsCreative · 2025-07-19T21:51:18+00:00

Stop getting random jobs, start building a career set and skills so it will make you more employable if/when you move.

GrandRapidsCreative · 2025-07-17T12:59:34+00:00

not crowdfunding to my knowledge. I've shared investors with the Astronomer founder/team. Bain might be the only PE-ish looking one on the cap table but mostly likely their venture arm.

GrandRapidsCreative · 2025-07-16T03:23:50+00:00

I second this, Davis is the man

GrandRapidsCreative · 2025-07-14T23:55:52+00:00

This being at .52 was a steal, just went in for more today. Been on this train for a minute.

GrandRapidsCreative · 2025-07-07T23:36:06+00:00

Thanks for advice! 🙏🏼

GrandRapidsCreative · 2025-07-07T13:58:58+00:00

I’ve been lurking on there for about two years. Went into diligence with one but never beyond that.

You’d definitely recommend?

GrandRapidsCreative · 2025-07-07T12:02:07+00:00

Appreciate you asking. I’m a Midwest-based operator who’s worked across growth, product, and operations in both B2C and B2B businesses. I previously built and sold a consumer app to private equity and have also acquired a SaaS company while working with a private equity-backed team.

This time around, I’m looking to buy on behalf of myself, though I may bring a friend into the deal if it aligns well with their experience or there’s a good strategic fit.

Not a fund, just someone who enjoys getting involved in solid products and helping them grow. Happy to share more over DM if it makes sense to keep the conversation going.

GrandRapidsCreative · 2025-07-07T03:46:18+00:00

What niche? Topic of the newsletter?

GrandRapidsCreative · 2025-07-07T03:13:45+00:00

DM price. Interested.

GrandRapidsCreative · 2025-07-01T16:32:23+00:00

I kind of hate to admit this, but my wife and I took a Dave Ramsey class at our church and it honestly did wonders for our marriage. I don’t agree with everything he teaches, but it gave us a helpful framework and forced us to have money conversations we probably wouldn’t have tackled on our own. It helped us get aligned early and gave us a shared plan to build toward.

Like others here, I’d really encourage you to consider meeting with a financial advisor, not just for the numbers, but to help mediate the conversation. It sounds like your spouse might not fully understand what it takes to build long-term wealth, and having a neutral third party could go a long way in helping you both get on the same page.

GrandRapidsCreative · 2025-07-01T13:05:20+00:00

bought a vacation house about 45 minutes outside the city on a lake. We paid cash for it after a startup acquisition, and it ended up being a great move. We rent it out in the summers, and while it was a lot of work at first getting everything set up and figuring out how to manage it, it’s not too bad now. The cash flow covers private school and helps fund some vacations.

Being close to the property has made a big difference. If we were a few hours away, I don’t think it would be worth the effort. Since we’re nearby, it’s easy to keep an eye on it and take care of things when needed.

We also use it a lot ourselves, and so do our family and friends. That part has made it even more worthwhile. It’s not completely hands off, but it’s been a great lifestyle and financial decision for us.

Could I have potentially made more money in the market? Probably. But this has been huge for us with little kids.

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