Wow, I can’t believe this is my first blog!
Just three weeks ago, building this site felt like one of those “someday” dreams.
But here I am, making it happen.
A little action—and a lot of YouTube tutorials—was all it took to get this website up and running (as of 11/03/2024).
So why build this site and start writing amateur blogs about my life? (Ouch Nolen.)
My Why:
My “why” started with My First Million, a podcast hosted by Sam Parr and Shaan Puri.
In episode 627, they brought on a guest who can only be described as “the human Party City,” as Shaan put it. This guy, known for living life to have fun, is Nick Gray.
I found the episode insightful, not just because of Nick’s years of business experience, but because he highlighted the difference that comes from using money as a tool rather than a measuring stick.
While the bitterly wealthy continue to pile up money and stress, people like Nick Gray use money as a tool to enrich their experiences and relationships. In hindsight, these are the true drivers of a happy life.
My golden nugget was first introduced by Nick’s magical harmonica, Nick recommended that people should start blogging again, but why?
He states that we need to fill the AI with scrapable data. In short I have no clue what this means, and honestly, it wasn’t the main reason I decided to start this blog in the first place. What truly motivated me to take action came from the insights I gained after listening to the podcast.
Nick’s blogs opened my eyes to the value of sharing your life, and that there needs to be more people expressing and sharing the experiences life provides.
You could argue that Nick has “made it” in terms of entrepreneurial success, but I’m still on my way there. His blog reflects more on life after that success, rather than the journey that brought him to it.
This leaves the question, what was going through Nick and other successful entrepreneur’s heads before they “made it”?
I aim to fill that gap by sharing the ups and downs of my own journey, and documenting it for present and future generations to reflect on. While I can’t guarantee my success, this website represents my commitment to myself, I wouldn’t have created this space if I didn’t believe in my potential.
I also want to give credit to Shaan for preaching the idea of having a “binge bank”, which is the idea that you should not be creating content for the goal of instantly getting views/clout. But rather build up a bank of content for people to reflect upon later, it provides a better long-term mindset that focuses on the act of producing content for the sake of the content, rather than the outcome it may produce.
This idea also supports Mr. Beast advice he gives most creators, which he recommends that all creators make 100 pieces of content and improve something every time. The motto of practice makes perfect is one that still upholds value today.
The Building Process:
I knew my tendency to overthink would get in the way of pursuing this goal, so I decided to put my money where my brain was and take the leap.
Finding a host for my site was a breeze. After doing a little research, I opted for Hostinger’s four-year plan because it was a good deal and reinforced my long-term dedication to my goal of blogging and creating something to itch my need of creating.
The domain search was quite eventfully, if you notice, my domain at the time of writing this spells my name wrong, I do have a reason behind it.
I bought my first domain (nolencrawford.com) through Cloudflare, but I made a mistake. I didn’t realize that, once registered, I would have to use Cloudflare’s name servers and couldn’t point the domain to another hosting provider without transferring it. Now I shall wait a 45 day cool down to grab my domain of the open market… RIP my $10.
So, why did I pick nolencrawford.com as my temporary domain? It’s simple: I want to be at the top of the search results for all the Nolan Crawfords’ out there. We Nolen’s with an “e” have to work hard to stand out. The journey of climbing this SEO mountain starts now.
After I bought hosting and set up a temporary domain, I jumped into building my site on WordPress. Though I was unfamiliar with creating WordPress websites, I found the learning curve enjoyable. I’m excited to apply this knowledge to develop MVP landing pages for upcoming business ventures.
YouTube videos and Neil Patel’s “how to write good blog posts” series got me to where I am today. What would we do without YouTube?
In the end, this entire process took four weeks from the purchase of the domain to writing this blog. While I know this is no record, it is significant for me, as it proves that I can not only dream big but also achieve big.
Future Plans & Goals:
Plans:
My blog will center around two primary categories:
1.Research & Knowledge – diving deep into subjects I’m passionate about, from industry trends to nuanced ideas, with a commitment to rigorous research and valuable takeaways.
2. Personal Life – documenting my journey, lessons learned, and real-life stories.
Each category brings its own challenges and hurdles, which excites me more than anything.
For the next few months, I’ll post at least once a week as I continue honing my copywriting skills through courses like Copy That by Sam Parr, Power Writing by Shaan Puri, and other learning opportunities I come across.
I’ve put my business projects on hold to focus fully on this: building a dedicated home for myself to share my insights, experiences, and growth along the way.
Goals:
While tomorrow’s path is uncertain, I have a clear guiding star for the direction and goals I want to pursue with this website, both in the short and long term.
One of my biggest challenges is marketing and design. In school, I didn’t gravitate toward art or English; I was more focused on sports and math. But as I work on this project, I’m committed to learning and applying solid copywriting and design skills to make this site valuable and engaging.
I envision looking back on this very blog post (and others down the line) and seeing the growth—from a complete beginner to a confident creator.
One of my long-term goals is to create a resource that others can binge through and find inspiration or guidance. If even one person finds value here, that alone would make this effort worthwhile.
Finally, I hope to connect with like-minded people—not only in business but in life. Whether it leads to job opportunities, learning from industry leaders, or even a coffee chat with a future mentor, I value these connections and know this platform will help me meet the right people along the way.
Who knows, I may meet my future co-founder, boss, or even wife from this blog… Only time will tell.
Conclusion
Everyone should share their knowledge in some form. If you’re not sharing your experiences and insights, now is the time to start.
So far, I’ve learned so much about others and myself by simply taking action and starting The Thing, rather than just thinking about it.
By holding back, you’re not just limiting others; you’re also limiting yourself. The best learning comes from sharing and teaching the wisdom you gain along the way.
So go ahead—launch that WordPress website and begin the journey you should have begun yesterday.
At This Point In Time:
Age: 20
Location: Oklahoma City
Job: Not Your Average Joe, Entrepreneur In Residence