💡 Founder's Formula: Coffee That Converts, Romances That Redeem, and Freelance Writers in Berlin

This week’s recs include a startup satire memoir, a second-chance romance edited by yours truly, and instant coffee that actually slaps.

Hey Sutoscientists,

It’s been a week — the kind where the to-do list and the sleep schedule are duking it out in a cage match, and deadlines are whispering sweet nothings like “I dare you to miss me.”

But in the middle of the chaos? Some real magic.

Over at ✍️ Make Writing Your Job, I hosted our first ClassStack panel — a live convo with three freelance writers who broke into the world of books and landed high-paying book writing freelance jobs through our job board.

We’re talking paid ghostwriting and developmental editing jobs that turned into real careers.

✍️ REPLAY: Break Into Freelance Book Ghostwriting & Editing: A ClassStack Panel for New Freelance Writers

And not just “pay-the-bills” gigs — dream-life stuff. One of our panelists, Ben, is spending a few months in Berlin just because he can. No boss. No begging for PTO. Just vibes, deadlines, and some really good schnitzel, probably.

So if you’ve ever wondered what it’s like to get paid to write books — and how to land those kinds of clients — go watch the replay. It’s packed with insider tips, realistic timelines, and plenty of “holy sh*t, I could do this too” moments.

As for me? I’m in deadline mode myself. I’m wrapping up the final (and I do mean final) version of my upcoming book Write for Money and Power before I head to China in two weeks.

I’ve also been interviewing for a new executive virtual assistant — someone we’ll hopefully grow into a fractional chief of staff. If that’s you, or you know someone great, the application’s open for just a few more days.

Also: I’ve been waking up at 4:30 a.m. like a highly-caffeinated gremlin to make all of this happen. Which brings me to this week’s theme…

The things getting me through:

• Books that feel like friends

• Coffee that doesn’t taste like regret

• Outdoor patios that heal your SoCal heart

Enjoy the dispatches below — I think they’ll make your week better, too.

Let’s get into it —

🌁 Dispatches from the Bay

San Francisco-specific recs and events.

• Colibri is officially my “most revisited” restaurant here in SF — mostly because it’s our go-to brunch place. It’s a Mexican spot with epic stone bowls filled with guac, and the outdoor patio reminds me of my favorite indoor/outdoor spots in LA. The one thing I miss about living in SoCal is all of the nice outdoor patios at coffeeshops and restaurants, so this brings back the nostalgia of days spent chatting or typing away under the Los Angeles sun.

📚 Reading Lately

• When

  McKenzie
  was in SF a few weeks ago, she recommended me the memoir Uncanny Valley, which I really enjoyed (thanks, Mckenzie!). The most “uncanny” part about it was how it described the rift between tech and the arts. The memoir follows a woman who starts out working in book publishing in NYC — only to be pulled into the startup world, with all of its quirks. I gasped and laughed at some of her observations, and while the memoir needed a bit more structural support, I felt very seen by it. Definitely recommend if you live in SF or torn between the worlds of art and tech like I am.

• The Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood was my “feel-good” romance read of the past two weeks. I’ve read like 8 or 9 books in this time period, but Hazelwood’s writing is just so cheeky and funny and downright silly at times. When you read her work, you know she’s just having tons of fun. That’s what makes a book worth recommending.

  

• August Recess by debut romance author

  Alexandra Klein
  . I am a bit biased on this one, as I served as the developmental editor for this romance novel. But I want to recommend it to you for a number of reasons — it’s a rare “second chance” romance novel that talks about what it means to start over in love. And unlike lots of other modern romance novels, the protagonist isn’t 18 and fresh-faced — she’s a mother in the middle of a divorce who gets swept up in an idealistic senator’s crusade to try and bring true morality back to politics. You can pre-order it on Amazon and follow the author on Substack to keep up with updates on the book!

🗞️ Meaningful Media

Links to make your richer, smarter, and more organized as a Creator CEO.

There have been so many powerful businesswomen on my YouTube feed, and I think they have some great lessons to teach you.

Here they are:

• Creator Chloe Shih on “How I Hit 1 Million Followers on Instagram in 4 Months”

• This awesome interview with Laila Hormozi on Zoe Unlimited’s YouTube Channel About “NEVER Rebrand Until You Learn This One Thing” — Zoe is the branding queen and Laila is a CEO powerhouse, and I was delighted to see this interview between the two.