Christian Ray Flores here, back in Austin, TX
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the age of leverage
Last week in Florida, somewhere between speaking in Miami, celebrating my sister’s wedding in Naples, and stealing a couple quiet beach days with Deb, one idea kept circling in my mind.
There are two kinds of lives.
In the first, your time is spoken for. Your income is capped. Your creativity is boxed in. Your impact is limited by whatever system you’re plugged into.
In the second, the opposite is true.
You choose when you work, what you work on, who you work with, and how big or small you want to build based on your values and your season of life.
For most of history, the first path was the only path. The second looked like a rare privilege reserved for a tiny elite.
That story doesn’t hold up anymore.
And here’s where the contrast goes from interesting to undeniable.
1. The computer in your pocket is ridiculous.
Your phone carries more power than the systems that ran the International Space Station in the early 2000s. What once required entire rooms of equipment now sits in your hand waiting for direction.
2. The world’s best classrooms are open to all.
Elite universities put their lectures online for free. Education that used to demand wealth or connections is now available to anyone who’s willing to commit.
3. Any skill is learnable in the format you learn best.
Video, audio, text, interactive tools, tight-knit communities, courses, coaching. The excuses disappeared years ago.
4. Distribution isn’t controlled by anyone you need permission from.
A single creator with clarity and consistency can reach a bigger audience than entire organizations could not that long ago.
5. Anyone can sell to the entire planet.
One person can launch a product or service and have customers in 150 countries without a staff or a budget. Global commerce has been handed to individuals.
What this all adds up to
Everything above was already true before AI arrived. Now AI agents can do work that used to require multiple employees. The gap between a tiny team and a multi-million-dollar business is getting smaller by the month.
We are entering an era where one or two focused professionals can build something enormous without begging for capital, approval, or manpower. The leverage is historic.
I learned all of this in my twenties and felt the impact long before it was normal. Building a personal brand back then wasn’t strategy; it was borderline delusion. Almost no one could do it, and I was equal parts stubborn and lucky.
Now the game has changed. Anyone with a real skill, a curious mind, fast-learning instincts, and a streak of rebellion can step into this new model. The advantages that once belonged to a select few are open to anyone who’s willing to use them.
Life’s too short to keep following rules written for a world that doesn’t exist anymore.
Coming Up
1. Passion to Profit Lab — Limited Workshop
A small group, two hours live, and a focused sprint to build the concept and business model for your personal brand.
Spots will be limited.
Reply INTERESTED to get on the early-access list and hear about it one day before it opens.
Oh, and about the AI superpower: we’ll be giving away three custom-trained GPTs you can use immediately to accelerate your work.
2. New XE Podcast Series Coming Up…
Three weekly interviews with everyday pros who built remarkable businesses through the power of a personal brand.
Real people. Real leverage. Real examples of what’s possible right now.
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