From Noise to Structure: The Quiet Empire Begins
Why I'm Writing Again & What To Expect From This Publication
A New Season
I’ll raise my hand…
I’ve had a few false starts on this publication.
I never quite found the right season or rhythm. It always felt forced.
More obligation than expression..
But over the last 6 months, in the lead up to & post the birth of my 2nd son Master August, my business & life has changed a lot.
I’ve done a lot of reflection, restructuring, realigning & recalibrating.
I realised that what got me to this level of success, won’t get me to the next.
I realise I have bigger things to build & bring to life…
All without compromising my core values.
Off the back of this I have made significant changes to:
How I run my core business day to day
My vision for what I’m building
My brand & the type of content I will create
Now, for the first time, this publication isn’t something I have to do. It’s something I want to do, without need, pressure, or secondary motive.
I don’t need it for leads.
I don’t need it to sell.
I don’t need it to do anything other than provide a platform to share from the Founder’s seat I sit in each day.
And that’s exactly what this publication will be:
A Founder’s Journal.
Real time notes, insights & reflections as a Dad growing a portfolio & scaling The Caris Group.
What Is The Caris Group?
This is the Group of businesses that I run day in & day out from my home & office on the Gold Coast, Australia.
There’s 3 arms to the Group:
#1 Caris Digital
#2 Caris Capital
#3 Caris Investments
Below is a breakdown of what each arm of the Group is focused on:
1) Caris Digital
This is the business I’ve been running, growing & evolving since I left the Corporate Finance, Private Equity & Investment Banking worlds behind in 2018.
Today, this business focuses exclusively on the sale of digital products, intellectual property & licensing my Lifestyle Business Operating System.
It’s living, breathing & evolving in real time as I continue to grow my brand, experiment with new strategies & models to grow my own businesses + help the clients I work.
The Flagship Offer within Caris Digital is my Lifestyle Business Academy.
Inside this container myself & my team help our clients to install my Lifestyle Business Operating System.
This is the OS I’ve dialled in while selling over $7m of information products online that grows my brand + brings in buyers & clients on autopilot.
It’s the engine within the Group and it’s the engine I help my client’s deploy inside their own businesses.
This is a live OS that evolves as the systems, technology & strategies that I’m personally using evolve.
2) Caris Capital
This was previously a part of Caris Digital but as part of the recent restructuring I’ve siloed this into it’s own container.
This is where I work directly with Founders, Experts, Brands & Online Entrepreneurs to advise / consulting on strategy, growth, marketing, offers, their model etc.
I also do more formal partnerships where we work together in a revenue share capacity.
These deals typically flow from consulting arrangements where the client wants to go deeper together & work together more closely for the longer term.
Finally, and this is a large reason for separating out this element of the business, my plan is to ultimately turn this into an ‘online private equity’ arm where I take equity positions in online businesses in exchange for capital, advice or both.
I’m particularly excited to grow this arm of the business as it allows me to tap into my previous experience in Australia & New York advising on turnaround, financial & operational strategy with Small to Medium Enterprise all the way up to multi billion dollar public companies.
3) Caris Investments
Caris Investments is the by product of growth & cash generation from Digital & Capital.
This is where I personally deploy funds offline to compound & grow wealth for the long term. This will be the legacy play for my family.
While building a foundation over the last few years the investment strategy has historically been focused on traditional investments such as real estate, equities & debt, with small exposure to alternative investments like cryptocurrency.
As with Capital, I see growth potential in this arm going forward taking part or whole ownership positions in offline businesses.
This will allow me to draw on my significant operational background experience. I see a lot of opportunity here, particularly in the Australian market, right now & over the next 5 - 10 years.
What To Expect From This Journal
With all that said, here’s what to expect from this publication.
My soft target is 1 deep-dive journal entry per week.
However, this cadence / frequency is secondary to the purity of the writing & sharing.
If nothing needs to be said that week, I won’t say it.
But when there’s something real to share… I will.
I’ll keep it fluid & lean into what feels right & aligned week to week as a priority over consistency for consistencies sake.
The entries & essay will focus on my reflections, lessons, insights & thoughts from running The Caris Group & the 3 arms individually.
I’ll share what I’m seeing day to day scaling a digital product & IP business inside Caris Digital…
I’ll share what I’m working on with clients (confidentially allowing) inside Caris Capital…
And the opportunities & plays I’m monitoring & executing on inside Caris Investments.
As an undercurrent to all this, I’ll share the otherside:
My reflections on life…
Being a Dad…
Managing the mindset of the game…
And just living the day to day roller-coaster of life as an Entrepreneur ruthlessly committed to maintaining balance, freedom & true autonomy.
I will not use this platform to pitch or sell to you…
Though from time to time I may recommend you check out different offers, businesses & opportunities from within my own Group or from Clients / Partners I’m working with.
A Final Word
I’m excited to share the real, unfiltered, day to day of this crazy game…
If you’re committed to building something real, without losing yourself in the process, this journal is for you.
Let’s build with clarity. Let’s live with intention.
Welcome to the next season.
Jacob Caris
Founder - The Caris Group