January Drop

Alright, alright, alright…Happy New Year, or something..

Lot’s of new faces in here.

Consider this your welcome.

Beehiiv won’t let me run automations unless I pay them like three quarters of my left leg.

Lame. But here we are.

There’s a little more about me if you’re interested.

No sweat if not. I’m aggressively average and well aware haha.

Hope everyone had a great Christmas reflecting on the birth of the Lord Jesus.

If you didn’t catch a church service, check this one out. “10/10 recommend” 😆 .

Fun stuff moving on my end.

But before that, quick review for the people.

Looking Back on 2025

I started this thing back in April. Called it The Warmup.

Felt fitting.

Wasn’t trying to build a media brand or be a thought leader.

Honestly just wanted a place to think out loud and share networking events & what I was learning as I went.

Turns out y’all stuck around. Appreciate that.

Here’s a recap for the peeps:

April — The Warmup
Just start. Less prep, more motion. Didn’t need everything figured out. Like Shaan Puri said, start doing and learn when you get stuck.

May — Get in the Room
Show up. In person. Shake hands. Meet strangers. Found Charleston was packed with events and I leaned into it.

June — Fear of Being Seen
Posting online felt weird. Turns out nobody’s watching as closely as you think. Send it anyway.

July — Build Mode & Business Experiments
Started messing with complex AI. Built a few websites & agents. Tried things I probably shouldn’t have been trying yet. Learned a ton. Wild.

August — Buying Businesses?
Found a small off market deal through cold outreach. Didn’t close it, but the learning was next level. Walked in nervous, walked out fired up.

September — Strength Under Control
Wrote about leadership. Power vs restraint. Empathy over ego. “Show me your friends and I’ll show you your future” stuck with me.

October — The Busyness Lie
Everyone’s “busy.” But are you productive? Or just avoiding stillness? Big lesson there.

November — Freedom Shift
250th Marine Corps birthday, but more importantly my heart started shifting. Less chasing. More walking with Jesus. Real peace.

December — Wrapping It Up
Chased a deal. Fell apart. Still learned a lot. Talked about health, good company, and why Christmas is about Jesus, not the red suit guy.

That’s the year.

Not perfect. But very me dawg.

If there’s one throughline through all of it, it’s this: momentum matters more than mastery.

Keep stacking reps. Keep having conversations. Keep trusting God. The fruit shows up later.

Which brings me back to now.

One thing I keep learning: you never know who God is going to place in your life (or for what purpose).

That’s why I always say just start and put yourself out there.

Get connected with cool folks, but don’t have an agenda.

Along those lines, I’m joining my buddy’s firm Clearly Acquired as we roll out an office here in Charleston, SC.

Super stoked about this.

I love business acquisitions across the board, and it gives me the chance to learn from some rad people who’ve done well before me.

Connect with my buddy here.

Stay tuned and check them out, but rolling on to your meats.

January looks pretty loaded.

TLDR? My Bad for rant:

Week of January 1–7

FRIDAY, JANUARY 2
First Friday Networking Happy Hour
Time: 5:30–8:30 PM
Where: Bay Street Biergarten, 549 East Bay St
Why Go: Free, casual way to kick off the year. Grab a name tag, meet locals, stick around for the group photo + gift card drawing around 7:00 PM.

SATURDAY, JANUARY 3
Sweat on the Ship – Sunrise Fitness
Time: 9:00–10:00 AM
Where: USS Yorktown Flight Deck, Patriots Point
Why Go: All-levels workout on an aircraft carrier at sunrise. Hard to beat.
Cost: $25 (bring a mat + water)

SATURDAY, JANUARY 3
Patriots Point “Throwback Day” – 50th Anniversary
Time: 10:00 AM–5:00 PM
Where: Patriots Point Naval & Maritime Museum
Why Go: $2 admission (throwback pricing), special exhibits, family-friendly. Celebrating 50 years of the USS Yorktown as a Lowcountry icon.

TUESDAY, JANUARY 6
Mount Pleasant Chamber – New Member Coffee
Time: 9:00–10:00 AM
Where: MP Chamber Office, 534 Johnnie Dodds Blvd
Why Go: Orientation + light networking for new members. Free coffee, low pressure.

Week of January 8–14

THURSDAY, JANUARY 8
Charleston Chamber Legislative Reception
Time: 6:00–8:00 PM
Where: South Carolina Aquarium
Why Go: One of the bigger rooms of the month. 350+ business leaders and elected officials.
Cost: $85 (members)

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 14
1 Million Cups Charleston
Time: 9:00–10:00 AM
Where: Frothy Beard Brewing (West Ashley)
Why Go: Two local startups present, community feedback, free coffee.

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 14
MP Chamber After Hours Mixer
Time: 4:00–6:00 PM
Where: Big Bad Breakfast (Mount Pleasant)
Why Go: Casual after-work networking. Appetizers provided. Free for members.

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 14
Charleston Business & Brews
Time: 5:00–7:45 PM
Where: Hall’s Signature Events, 5 Faber St
Why Go: Short talks + networking. Bigger crowd. Free and open to all.

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 14
Strive Networking – Elevating Your Potential
Time: 6:00 PM
Where: Charleston Beer Works, 480 King St
Why Go: Multi-industry networking under one roof. Different interest groups happening simultaneously. 21+. Free, but limited spots.

Week of January 15–21

THURSDAY, JANUARY 15
Lowcountry Local First – Local Social
Time: 5:30–7:00 PM
Where: Holy City Brewing, North Charleston
Why Go: Support local businesses, good conversations, relaxed setting.
Cost: Free for members / $20 non-members

SATURDAY, JANUARY 17
Sweat on the Ship – Sunrise Fitness
Time: 9:00–10:00 AM
Where: USS Yorktown, Patriots Point
Why Go: Second chance this month. Same deal as Jan 3.

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 21
Charleston Young Professionals – 2026 Kickoff
Time: 5:00–7:00 PM
Where: New Realm Brewing, Daniel Island
Why Go: Chamber-led CYP kickoff. Big energy, younger crowd.
Cost: $20 members / $40 non-members

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 21
MP Chamber RISE – “Hello to 2026”
Time: 5:00–7:00 PM
Where: MIX Gallery & Gathering, Mount Pleasant
Why Go: Women-in-business New Year kickoff. Wine, hors d’oeuvres, strong crowd.
Cost: $40 (RISE members)

Week of January 22–31

MONDAY, JANUARY 26
ASA Charleston Chapter Meeting
Time: 6:00 PM
Where: Town & Country Inn & Suites, West Ashley
Why Go: Construction industry networking. Subcontractors, GCs, suppliers. Often free for first-time guests.

TUESDAY, JANUARY 27
MP Chamber “Before 9” Morning Networking
Time: 7:30–9:00 AM
Where: Fellowship Home Loans, Mount Pleasant
Why Go: Coffee + networking before the workday.
Cost: Free members / $15 guests

TUESDAY, JANUARY 27
Rockstar Connect Networking
Time: 5:00–7:00 PM
Where: Edmund’s Oast Brewing Co. (King St Ext.)
Why Go: No speeches, no pressure. Just grab a drink and meet people. Free to attend.

Closer

No closer. Buh-bye.

Be Free,
— Josh
a.k.a. the mayor

P.S. Share to others if you like homie.