The Superpower 99% of People Never Activate

Every successful professional I know has ONE thing in common.

They don't wait for opportunities. They CREATE them.

Sounds simple, here's what "creating opportunities" actually means:

• Pitching ideas no one asked for

• Building proof before you need it

• Turning default "no's" into "not yets"

• Making connections work FOR you, not against you

And if you're a multi-hyphenate juggling multiple roles (ie. creator AND professional AND founder AND xyz), this is ESSENTIAL.

💡 Why Multi-Hyphenates MUST Create Opportunities

When you wear multiple hats, waiting for the "perfect" opportunity means:

• Your professional side waits for promotions to happen

• Your creator side waits for brand deals to find you

• Your founder side waits for investors/clients to notice

• Your network stays dormant instead of active

But when you CREATE opportunities? Everything compounds. 🚀

Your content becomes your portfolio, your side project becomes your credibility, and your network becomes your net worth.

The 4-Part Framework That Actually Works

1.Build your lab first 🧪

The benefit for multi-hyphenates is that you can test EVERYTHING outside your main gig before bringing it in.

I published my “Creator And” newsletter 17 times on beehiiv before applying those lessons to Arena's 17K subscriber list - moving us over from Mailchimp and now being able to monetize on it more effectively. We legit got new premium sponsors inbound inquiries after ONE week from switching platforms (see below).

Lower stakes = bolder experiments.

Create low stake environments to allow yourself to test stuff out.

2.Turn applications into pitches 💫

Standard applications = standard results.

This goes for jobs, partnerships, etc. When I applied to a marketing role at Hashtag Sports, I saw they had 300 applicants within the first 24 hours. So I decided to send a pitch deck with my app on how they can grow their audience and community engagement.

Got hired in 7 days by creating something nobody asked for (but truly needed).

3.Create value before anyone asks 💰

I’m constantly sharing my favorite creator tools I use daily and often times I’m not getting paid anything to promote. I just genuinely love the tools & want help others.

Last week, I decided to shoot my shot with one of my fav SaaS brands and ended up securing a paid partnership with them! But I genuinely don’t think it would’ve happened if I wasn’t already obsessed with them (and letting others know it too) while also creating value to the brand before I came in pitching an opportunity.

4.Connect with intent 🤝

Random networking = random results. Strategic connections = strategic opportunities.

Every relationship should have a clear "why" from day one.

Which is why my co-founders and I at Arena decided to build Arena PowerMatch.

🗺️ From Theory to Reality: My Journey

I spent YEARS as a first-gen corporate professional waiting to be told what to do. Literally hovering by my manager's desk at Fox Sports (yes, actually hovering 🫣).

Picture this… Me, twiddling my thumbs at my desk. Walking past my manager's office multiple times hoping she'd notice I needed something to do. Note: this is pre-Slack, so I couldn't even pretend to ping her.

The ironic part is that I got that internship by volunteering at an event NO ONE else signed up for. The manager loved that I showed initiative.

But once I was "in" I reverted to waiting mode.

As the first in my family to work in corporate America, I thought being professional meant being the perfect foot soldier. Execute flawlessly, blend in, and never make waves. I did this for YEARS through internships and even at my NBA job and EA.

But a huge shift happened in 2018.

People kept coming to me for career advice, helping them land jobs at the NFL, Bleacher Report, and LA Clippers. Then one day a lightbulb moment hit me and I realized "This can be a business." I felt like Jimmy Neutron having a brain blast. 💥

Starting a business felt INSANE though. As a first-gen professional, I'd already created opportunities to get TO college and INTO corporate. But I didn't understand that the same create-your-own-path mentality applied WITHIN corporate culture. I thought once you were "in," the rules changed.

Then I realized… no one was coming to give me permission.

So I started a career coaching business anyway. Posted on LinkedIn when it was extra cringy. Focused on sports & entertainment when everyone else chased tech money.

That side hustle became my lab. It taught me:

• How to pitch without permission

• How to build credibility outside work

• How to turn ideas into reality eventually co-founding Arena

Each opportunity I created became proof for the next one. The girl hovering by her manager's desk became someone who builds her own table.

Creating opportunities doesn’t mean you need to be fearless (I was terrified every time) You just need to be more committed to growth than to comfort.

💛 Why NOW Is Your Moment

The industry is changing FAST.

• AI is commoditizing basic skills

• Budgets are tightening

• Competition is fierce af

• Relationships still rule everything

The people who will thrive are the ones building their own tables instead of waiting for a seat.

✅ Your action plan THIS WEEK:

1. Identify ONE idea you've been sitting on

2. Create the smallest possible version

3. Share it with THREE specific people

4. Document what happens

Remember that they're not looking for perfect, they're looking for initiative.

🎯 Create Opportunities Through Strategic Connections

Speaking of creating opportunities...

Arena’s PowerMatch Beta is built for multi-hyphenates who get that opportunities come from intentional relationships.

What makes it different:

• Networking platform specifically for vetted sports, media & entertainment pros

• Weekly matches based on complementary goals not random networking

• Clear intent from day one - both sides know WHY they're connecting

• Built-in follow-up system (relationships that actually develop)

• Quality over quantity: 1,000 curated professionals

Beta runs Sept 15 - Oct 17. Applications close Friday, Sept 12th.

Apply here if you're ready to stop waiting and start creating.

🚀 Your Move

Stop waiting for:

• The perfect job posting

• Someone to discover your content

• Permission to pitch that idea

• The "right" connections to appear out of thin air

This week, create ONE opportunity. Just one.

Then DM me and tell me what happened. I’m here to support you and honestly it helps me knowing people actually read this + gives me motivation to keep going 🫡).

Remember, every multi-hyphenate success story starts with someone who decided to stop waiting. So what will you create? 😏

You got this,

P.S. That hovering-by-the-desk version of me would absolutely be floored to see where creating opportunities led. Your future self will thank you for starting today. Trust me on this one. 💛

^{Note: Some links in this newsletter are affiliate links - if you use them, I may earn a commission (no extra cost to you). I only share tools I actually use and love.}