The $279 Mistake, 50 Squats, and Why You Need to Start Building

Good morning {{first_name|Reader}}.

You're making choices this week that will either buy you time or cost you time. A purchase hyped online that doesn't deliver. A workout you skip because it's hard. A side project you keep putting off because the 9-5 is easier.

Every choice you make compounds. This week: a GMT I'm watching, the $279 mistake gathering dust in my garage, the 50 squats I'm doing daily to stay mobile at 50, and why you need to start building something outside your job, even if it's just one hour a day.

Let's get into it.

TL;DR: Keeping an eye on the Nezumi Aviera GMT. Don't trust Amazon influencer hype—my $279 Tineco floor cleaner is proof. Doing 50 squats daily post-surgery to chase my kids in 10 years. Building partnerships takes time, but it's the only way to work-optional. If you're not building something outside your 9-5, you're working until 70.

(Thoughts on this newsletter? Send me your feedback)

This one caught my eye while researching GMTs under $1,000. 40mm case, sapphire crystal, 200m water resistance, and a fixed steel bezel with 24-hour markings. It's like the Rolex Explorer I and Explorer II had a baby.

Assembled in Germany, powered by the Miyota 9075 automatic GMT movement (28,800 VPH, 42-hour power reserve). Not the longest power reserve at this price point, but about average for the budget. Cream and yellow Swiss Super-LumiNova, double-domed sapphire crystal with AR coating, screw-down crown. You can buy it straight from the website, no waitlist or games.

What I Like: 40mm case size (wears well), sapphire crystal, 200m water resistance, tons of strap options (make it your own), steel bezel GMT under $1K

What I Dislike: Never heard of the brand before (resale unknown), 42-hour power reserve is short (but standard for this price), some will say the Arabic numerals + fixed bezel is quirky (I love it)

Decision: Keeping an eye on it. Reached out to them to see if they'd want to work together. We'll see.

If you're hunting for a true GMT under $1,000 that doesn't scream for attention, this is worth a look. Not buying yet, but I'm watching.

You've seen it. The product everyone's talking about online. Influencers swear by it. Five-star reviews everywhere. "You can't live without this." So you buy it.

Then it sits in your garage, used maybe 10 times, reminding you that hype isn't the same as value.

Here's mine: the Tineco Floor ONE S3 Cordless Hardwood Floor Cleaner. $279. October 2023. Still own it. Still sucks. (there is a link, but do not buy!)

My wife and I saw this thing hyped all over social media. "Game-changer for hardwood floors." "Cleans better than a mop." "You'll never go back." So we bought it.

Here's what it actually does:

A $15 mop does a better job. We proved it 10 times trying to make the Tineco work. It lost every time. (we ended up getting this mop)

$279 isn't just the money. It's:

And here's the worst part: we still own it because selling it on Facebook Marketplace is a pain in the ass. So it just sits there, a $279 monument to believing the wrong people.

There's an entire industry of "Amazon influencers" whose job is to make you think you can't live without products they get affiliate kickbacks on. They don't care about you. They care about their commission.

Block them. Mute them. Stop watching their "must-have" lists.

Here's what to do instead:

Take the $279. Buy a good mop for less. Invest the other $259 in something that compounds instead of collecting dust.

You're smarter than the influencers think you are. Act like it.

You're investing in something right now. Maybe you don't realize it. Your body. Your habits. Your future mobility. Or you're not, and you'll pay for it later.

Here's mine: 50 squats every day this week. 135 pounds on the bar. Nothing crazy. But after back surgery in May 2025, it's humbling. It's painful. And it's the best investment I'm making.

The 1,000-pound club. For non-lifters: squat + deadlift + bench press totaling 1,000 pounds. I'm not there yet. But I'm building toward it because in 10 years, my oldest will be 21. I want to help her move into college, or wherever she's going. I want to do whatever she wants to do. I won't be the dad who can't keep up.

That means investing now. Fifty squats. Five days a week. Humbling, painful, but paying off.

If I don't invest in this now:

I had 15 years of lower back pain before the surgery. I'm not going back. So I'm doing the work now, while it still matters.

You don't need to do 50 squats. But you need to invest in something your future self will thank you for.

Maybe it's:

The question: What are you doing today that your future self will thank you for?

If the answer is "nothing," start this week. One hour. One workout. One investment. That's all it takes to start compounding.

Time is your most valuable asset. Invest it like it.

You have a choice. Build something outside your 9-5, or work until they tell you you're allowed to stop. (build a newsletter like this)

I'm building partnerships right now with companies that align with intentional luxury. It's slow. It's uncertain. Most of it won't work. But the ones that do? That's leverage. That's how you buy back time.

Here's what I'm learning: relationships matter more than anything when you're building something outside your job. Reaching out to brands like Nezumi. Building with people who've chosen the same path. Creating instead of just consuming.

Most people won't do this. They'll stay comfortable in their 9-5, waiting for the "right time" to start. The right time doesn't exist. You start, or you don't.

If you build something now:

If you don't:

The $279 Tineco sitting in my garage? That's what happens when you follow hype. The 50 squats I'm doing every day? That's what happens when you invest in your future. The partnerships I'm building? That's what happens when you commit one hour a day to something that could replace your income.

Every choice this week compounds. The floor cleaner you don't buy. The workout you don't skip. The hour you spend building instead of scrolling.

In 10 years, you'll either have leverage, mobility, and time, or you'll wonder where it all went.

Pick one:

You don't need permission. You don't need the perfect plan. You just need to start.

Time is wealth. Build something with it, or watch it disappear.

Reply and tell me what you're building—or what's stopping you. If you're not building yet, this is your reminder: one hour a day. Start this week.

Time is wealth. Own it.

—Ian