GROW: Building Legacy at Summer's Peak

In partnership with

In partnership with

Launch Your Amazon Product to $100K+ in Revenue—Fast!

Want to quickly scale your new Amazon product launches into listings earning over $100K annually—in less than two months? Stack Influence makes it easy by automating thousands of micro-influencer collaborations each month. Say goodbye to complicated outreach, negotiating influencer fees, and managing complex campaigns. With Stack Influence, influencers are paid only in your products, creating authentic user-generated content (UGC) that drives real engagement and boosts your organic Amazon rankings.

Leading brands like Magic Spoon, Unilever, and MaryRuth Organics already rely on Stack Influence to achieve impressive sales growth, enhance brand visibility, and build genuine connections with customers. Fully automated management means effortless campaigns, giving you complete control without lifting a finger. Boost your listings, increase external traffic, and own full rights to impactful influencer-generated images and videos.

Experience rapid, stress-free growth and proven results with micro-influencer marketing.

Get 10% OFF this month!

Issue #95

Welcome!

Hey G-Tribe! For new faces joining us, the G-Tribe represents our GROW Tribe - a community united by Guidance that Redefines Our Way. We're people who believe summer isn't just about vacation and downtime. Summer is when we build the foundations that carry us through the rest of the year.

July is almost behind us, and something interesting happens around this time. Most people start coasting toward August, thinking their year is half over and they can ease up. But you know what I've learned after decades of watching successful people? The best leaders use July as their launching pad.

They treat this moment not as the middle but as a fresh start. While everyone else is thinking about winding down from summer, they're asking themselves what they want the next five months to look like. They're building foundations that will support their biggest goals.

This week, we're discussing legacy building at the halfway point. We're exploring why July success stories matter. We're exploring real-life examples of individuals who seized this exact moment to create something meaningful.

Most importantly, we're looking at how to gear up when everyone else is powering down.

🌱 Growth Spotlight: The Legacy We Build - Mid-Year Reflections

What separates people who finish strong from those who finish? It's what they do right now in late July.

Research from the Harvard Business Review shows that high performers treat mid-year as a strategic checkpoint rather than a rest stop. They're 42% more likely to achieve their annual goals because they use summer months for foundation building rather than coasting.

The Science of Summer Success

Most people experience what psychologists call "summer brain" - a documented phenomenon where productivity naturally dips during warmer months. Your brain literally processes information differently when temperatures rise and daylight hours extend.

But here's where it gets interesting. The most successful people leverage this biological shift instead of fighting it. They use summer's natural rhythm for deeper strategic thinking rather than grinding through tactical work.

Dr. Shawn Achor's research at Harvard found that people who maintain consistent growth habits during traditional "slow" periods show 31% higher performance metrics by year-end. The key isn't working harder during summer. It's working more intentionally.

Legacy Thinking vs Task Thinking

Legacy builders ask different questions in July. While most people wonder, "What vacation should I take?" legacy builders wonder, "What foundation can I build while others are distracted?"

Take Sara Blakely. She started Spanx in 2000, but the breakthrough moment came during a July business trip to Neiman Marcus. While other entrepreneurs took summer breaks, she was in department stores, learning what customers wanted. That July foundation work led to a billion-dollar company.

Jeff Bezos decided to leave his Wall Street job and start Amazon during a July 1994 road trip. He later said the summer timing was perfect because it gave him months of focused foundation work before the holiday shopping season.

Real Stories from Real People

I spent 36 years building expertise at the FBI before launching Echoes of Freedom tours, in which all proceeds go to further AFGM. The decision to create something meaningful didn't wait for retirement. It started with conversations about legacy and impact.

"I realized that all my years of investigation and historical research could serve a bigger purpose”. It takes intentional planning to figure out how to make something like this work.

These tours through Northern Virginia uncover untold stories of African American history. Guests don't just learn facts. They form a connection to the legacy and truth that alters their perspective on their community.

The success didn't happen by accident. It happened through prayer and planning. This laid the foundation for future events and tours. Our next tour will be held on August 16th.

Three Key Takeaways:

• Summer brain is real, but strategic - High performers leverage summer's natural slower pace for deeper thinking rather than fighting it. Use July for foundation work while others take a break.

• Legacy builders ask different questions - Instead of "What vacation should I take?" ask "What foundation can I build while others are distracted?" Small summer actions compound dramatically by December.

• Mid-year beats year-end planning - Companies that conduct July strategic reviews show 23% better fourth-quarter performance than those waiting for fall planning cycles. July is your second January.

💼 Professional Growth Gateway: Mid-Year Check-In for Personal Growth

Most people do performance reviews wrong. They wait until December to look back and wonder where the year went. High performers do something different. They treat July as their personal strategic planning month.

The Power of Mid-Year Momentum

Research from Stanford's Graduate School of Business reveals that individuals who conduct quarterly self-assessments achieve 67% better goal achievement rates than those who only review their goals annually. The key isn't more frequent checking. It's strategic timing.

July represents the perfect storm for growth acceleration. School schedules are lighter, so parents should have more time on their hands. Business travel slows down. Summer energy creates natural optimism that fuels bigger thinking.

But most people waste this window scrolling social media and complaining about the heat.

The Questions That Change Everything

Instead of asking "How am I doing?" successful people ask "What story am I building?" This shift from assessment to architecture changes everything.

Leadership expert Jim Collins studied high performers across various industries and found that they share one common habit. They treat mid-year as a construction period, not an evaluation period. They're not asking if they're succeeding. They're asking what they're building.

The questions that matter in July:

What does success look like in December? What foundations need building now? What skills would transform my next five months? What relationships could accelerate my impact?

These aren't wishful thinking questions. They're strategic planning questions that create specific action plans.

Professional Development That Works

Most professional development efforts fail because they occur during busy seasons when people can't implement what they have learned. Summer provides the perfect testing ground for new approaches.

July experiments become September habits. September habits become November results. November results become December celebrations.

The key is choosing development activities that compound:

Reading builds knowledge that informs better decisions. Networking creates relationships that generate opportunities. Planning creates systems that improve execution. Reflection creates clarity that guides strategy.

Creating Your Growth Architecture

High performers don't leave growth to chance. They architect it intentionally using the summer months for foundation work.

Start with an end-of-year vision. What story do you want to tell about your professional growth in December? What capabilities would make that story possible? What foundations need to be built between now and then?

Then work backward to create July action plans. Not complicated systems that require perfect execution. Simple foundations that compound over time.

The magic happens when preparation meets opportunity, and summer provides the best opportunity for preparation of the year.

🔥 Michael's Hot Take: The Halfway Point Is the Starting Line

Okay, G-Tribe, let me tell you something that might sound crazy. While everyone else is spending money on summer fun, we should all be stacking cash like we're preparing for winter hibernation.

Think about it strategically for a minute.

Summer Is Everyone's Secret Savings Season

Here's what nobody talks about. Summer is the easiest time to save money if we think about it strategically, rather than emotionally.

Consider the natural advantages. Heating bills disappear. We eat lighter meals because it's hot. We can walk places instead of driving because everything feels more relaxed in good weather. Grocery bills naturally drop because fresh produce is cheaper, and we're not stress-eating comfort food.

However, most people overlook these natural savings advantages by spending on vacations and summer activities. They're out here acting like summer is expensive when, in fact, it's the cheapest season if we play it smart.

The Psychology of Summer Spending

The marketing machine wants everyone to believe summer costs more money. Beach trips. New clothes. Outdoor activities. Pool parties. Vacation everything.

But smart people should be doing something different. We should utilize summer's natural cost reductions to build cash reserves for fall and winter, when expenses typically spike.

Back-to-school costs hit in August. Holiday spending starts in November. Winter utility bills kick in by December. Property taxes come due. Insurance renewals happen.

Smart money management involves saving during the affordable months to prepare for the more expensive months.

Summer Savings Strategies We Should All Consider

Here are some approaches that make sense for building a strong summer foundation.

First, we should stop pretending we need new summer clothes every year. Those shorts from last summer still fit. Those t-shirts still work. Instead of shopping for a new summer wardrobe, we could put that money aside for fall purchases that matter.

Second, we should take advantage of longer daylight hours to reduce electricity costs. Later sunsets mean less indoor lighting. Warmer weather means less hot water usage. We can save money by letting summer do what it naturally does.

Third, we should embrace free summer activities instead of expensive entertainment. Community events. Outdoor concerts. Park visits. Beach days that cost nothing but gas money. The entertainment budget, which usually goes to movies and indoor activities, could be redirected straight to savings.

The Compound Effect of Summer Savings

Here's where it gets interesting. Small summer savings compound into significant fall advantages.

Fifty dollars per week saved during June, July, and August equals $650 by September. That covers back-to-school expenses without credit card debt. It handles emergency car repairs without panic. It creates breathing room when everyone else is financially stressed.

One hundred dollars per week during the summer months creates $1300 by fall. That's Christmas shopping covered before Black Friday sales even start. That's property tax payments handled without touching emergency funds.

The Real Investment

The best investment any of us can make this summer isn't in stocks or real estate. It's in our financial security for the rest of the year.

When October hits and everyone else is stressed about money, we'll be sitting on cash reserves that create options instead of limitations. When December arrives and holiday spending starts, we'll be prepared instead of panicked.

Summer savings isn't about being cheap. It's about being strategic. It's about all of us using the natural advantages of summer to create financial momentum for the rest of the year.

💝 Community Corner: Gearing Up for Back-to-School with AFGM on 8/9

August means back-to-school preparation, and for many families, this creates financial stress that shouldn't be a part of their lives. School supplies are expensive. Backpacks cost money. The basics that kids need to succeed in school can strain family budgets right when parents are trying to provide the best possible start to the academic year.

But here's where community shows up in powerful ways.

Word Alive Church Steps Up Again

Word Alive Church International in Manassas, VA, will once again supply back-to-school backpacks and supplies for AFGM members. This isn't their first year of support. This represents an ongoing commitment to community investment that makes a tangible difference in the lives of young people.

Pastor and church leadership understand that education support extends beyond Sunday morning. When kids arrive at school with the proper supplies, they start the year with confidence instead of worrying about having what they need.

The partnership between Word Alive Church and AFGM creates a systematic approach to community support. Instead of random charity, this represents intentional investment in young people's success.

Getting Connected

Families who need back-to-school supplies can sign up at [email protected]. The process is simple and designed to maintain dignity while providing necessary support.

The same email address connects people interested in becoming mentors or mentees. Community support is most effective when it flows in multiple directions, fostering networks of mutual investment.

Churches or organizations interested in similar partnerships can learn from Word Alive Church's model. Systematic community investment has a greater impact than random charitable efforts.

This Week’s Poll