I get asked a lot what I'm actually working on. Fair question. From the outside it probably looks like a lot of moving pieces. From the inside, it's one vision being built from multiple angles. So here's the honest update — where I am, what's next, and where all of this is going.

The Core: WinCo, Mornings, and Momentum

My foundation right now is my role at WinCo as a Variety Manager in Training. I'm responsible for keeping our department stocked, faced, and organized — and I take real pride in that. There's something grounding about work you can see. You walk the aisle at the end of a shift and you know exactly what your hours produced.

I'm also moving to the opening shift: 5 AM to 1:30 PM. For most people that sounds brutal. For me, it's perfect. I love mornings. I like getting my work done and out of the way while the rest of the world is still hitting snooze. When I clock out at 1:30, I still have an entire afternoon and evening to invest in everything else I'm building. That's not a small thing — that's the whole strategy. Same 24 hours as everyone else, just allocated on purpose.

Long term, I want to grow this position into something bigger. My vision is to help teach other variety managers how to build personal brands that drive sales for their stores. Imagine a network of people who are genuinely proud of where they work, sharing that story publicly, and bringing customers through the doors because of it. Higher return on every hour invested in the department, and more value created for everyone who owns a piece of the company.

How do I prove that idea works? I use myself as the case study. That's what this brand is. I'm building my personal brand in public, getting in front of as many people as I can, and documenting what happens. If it works for me, I'll have the proof that it can work at scale.

Next Up: A Personal Brand Software Package

Here's what I believe: a personal brand is one of the only assets you carry with you your entire life. Jobs change. Businesses come and go. But your name, your story, and your body of work online? That compounds forever. You can use it to land a job, launch a business, or simply document your journey so your kids and grandkids know who you were.

So the next project on my agenda is building a software package that helps people build their own personal brands — the systems, the structure, the backend that most people never figure out on their own.

And it's already moving. I have a friend coming over soon — a talented videographer — to talk about partnering together. The vision is a two-tier offer: the software package for people who want to build it themselves, and a done-for-you option where we handle the backend work and produce professional video content for people who want it built right without the learning curve.

The best part? This increases my income by doing the exact thing I already want to be doing anyway. That's the goal with everything I build — alignment, not hustle for hustle's sake.

The Christmas Ornaments

Then there's the ornament project. This year, I'm 3D printing them and seeing how that turns out. The plan is to sell them online to everyone following this journey, and eventually run ads to bring in people who've never heard of me.

The long-term vision is bigger: I want these ornaments to become a collectible — something families look for every single year, a small tradition that marks the passage of time. Because that's really what an ornament is, isn't it? A physical marker of a year in your life. It fits everything I believe about time being the most valuable thing we have.

On a More Personal Note

I've continued my search for a partner. I'm looking for a woman who wants to be part of this life and build it with me. Someone kind. A great mother. Someone with dreams of her own that I can pour into, while she supports the future I'm building. I don't want a passenger and I don't want to be one either — I want a teammate.

If you know someone you think might be a good fit, I'd genuinely love the introduction.

The Long Game

That's the update. A lot in the works, and I know that's exactly how it should look at this stage. I believe I can make this vision a reality and impact millions of lives in the process.

Here's the truth that drives all of it: I have the time to chase my dreams until the day I die, and I'm going to spend that time with my whole mind, body, and spirit. Time is the only currency that matters, and I intend to invest every hour of mine on purpose.

If you want to watch it unfold, follow along on your preferred social channel. And if I can help you in any way — seriously — just ask.

I'm not a highlight reel. I'm a journey.

— Justin

#TimeIsEverything #OwnershipMindset #NeverSettle #BuildingInPublic