Christopher Sauer

The Great Portfolio

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Future Design

1. Day in the Life Narrative

This is an example of how I envision my life going in 2028. To preface, I fully anticipate having a remote career by then.

My ideal day would start at 6:00 by waking up, taking a shower, and making coffee, followed by waking the girls up for school and making sure that we all eat breakfast.

In the 7:00 hour, my priorities would entail making sure I know the agenda for a day and exercising for at least 15 minutes. I would likely drink my second cup of coffee at this time. I’d also take the girls to school on any day that their mom does not.

In the 8:00 hour, I would be mentally preparing myself for the day, as it is an exhaustive routine to make sure I bring my A game as much as possible.

At 9:00, I would clock in for work, understand the professional agenda, and respond to any asynchronous communication. I would knock out any urgent items during this timeframe.

At 10:00, I would make myself available for meetings until 16:00. At any point during this time in which I am not in a meeting, my primary responsibility is to knock out items systematically, starting with the items due most immediately. In the instance where I have multiple items due at the same date/time, I would prioritize the items by potential reward. The third level of comparison I would do is to assess the level of risk to any decision I make should it become necessary. The reason that I choose to put this last is that if there is an item that entails higher risk, I want more time to let the thought simmer in my mind and come to a confident conclusion about the correct action to move forward.

At 13:00, I would take 15 minutes to make lunch and eat it at the desk while catching up on emails and asynchronous communication.

At 16:00, I begin my wind-down routine for the day. I first catch up on loose ends from the day. After that, I respond to emails and asynchronous communication for the final time that day. I schedule out any meetings and assess tomorrow’s agenda during this time. I would end each day by taking 10 minutes to clear my work area to come in with a fresh mind the next day.

At 17:00, my primary source of income will be finished for the day. I will do the dishes and clean the living room at this time. I will also run to the store to grab items for dinner at this time if that is needed.

At 18:00, we will cook dinner and eat it as a family. Once that is complete, I will empty out the dishwasher, clean the table, and refill the dishwasher.

At 19:00, we will help the girls with any homework that they have, in addition to me starting any side gig or volunteer obligation that I have for the day.

At 20:00, the girls will start their wind-down routine for the day. I’ll continue working on side gigs and volunteer work during this time.

At 21:00, I’ll wrap up any loose ends with the side gigs and volunteer work and begin my wind-down routine for the day.

At 22:00, that’s my deadline to head back to the bedroom. There’s an hour of leeway to hang out with my girlfriend before I self-impose a bedtime of 23:00 for myself.

In summation, my morning hours entail the most urgent and high priority work in addition to the health and wellbeing of my family, my afternoons ultimately retain a level of flexibility that allows me to both take meetings and knock out most of the day’s to-do list, and my evenings include family time plus requisite time to maintain the house and chase passion projects. I know that I will have done everything I could for the day by this point. My work will align with my values in that I get the space and time I need to properly calculate my action plan, go where I feel I am needed most, and to keep nurturing both my creativity and that of my family.

2. Market Opportunity Analysis

These are 10 roles within the Salesforce ecosystem that would excite me. For most of these roles, I’m entirely agnostic towards what company or industry. I will call out any specifics regarding company or industry if one exists.

  1. Salesforce Consultant
    • Value Creation Potential – High
    • Impact Opportunities – Curiosity and communication
    • Cultural Alignment – Knowledgable and flexible
    • Growth Trajectory – Willing to train me and cover certifications
    • Compensation Range – Up to $85k
  2. Salesforce Administrator
    • Value Creation Potential – High
    • Impact Opportunities – Technical and cybersecurity
    • Cultural Alignment – Creative and persistent
    • Growth Trajectory – Ability to take extra projects and to scale the project up in size
    • Compensation Range – Up to $115k
  3. Salesforce Developer
    • Value Creation Potential – High
    • Impact Opportunities – Technical and logical
    • Cultural Alignment – Creativity and preparation
    • Growth Trajectory – Ability to shape which integrations are used
    • Compensation Range – Up to $130k
  4. Salesforce Instructor
    • Value Creation Potential – Medium
    • Impact Opportunities – Communication and belonging
    • Cultural Alignment – Communication and spiritual
    • Growth Trajectory – Technical writing and eventually onboading
    • Compensation Range – I’d do this one pretty cheap as I view this as more of a passion project than I do a full-time job
  5. Salesforce Solutions Architect
    • Value Creation Potential – High
    • Impact Opportunities – Strategizing and executing
    • Cultural Alignment – Curious and creative
    • Growth Trajectory – A path to executive influence
    • Compensation Range – Up to $150k
  6. Salesforce Nonprofit Administrator
    • Value Creation Potential – Low
    • Impact Opportunities – Purpose and technical
    • Cultural Alignment – Values-based and policy
    • Growth Trajectory – To work more with the mission and less with the system itself
    • Compensation Range – Unless I’m running the whole show, this would max out around $90k/year
  7. Salesforce Business Analyst
    • Value Creation Potential – Medium
    • Impact Opportunities – Mathematical and business
    • Cultural Alignment – Knowledgeable and logical
    • Growth Trajectory – An opportunity to assist with high value decisionmaking
    • Compensation Range – Up to $130k
  8. Salesforce Evangelist at Salesforce
    • Value Creation Potential – High
    • Impact Opportunities – Communication and strategy
    • Cultural Alignment – Communication and providing energy
    • Growth Trajectory – Guilda Hilaire. I’m trying to be Guilda. I’ll happily settle for Kate Lessard!!
    • Compensation Range – Up to $225k
  9. Independent Salesforce Consultant
    • Value Creation Potential – High
    • Impact Opportunities – Ultimate creativity and flexbility
    • Cultural Alignment – Unlimited potential and creative license
    • Growth Trajectory – Kind of unlimited here, I call the shots
    • Compensation Range – I’d go variable rate based on the cause, current rate is $50/hr for my work so I would want to start my next project at $55/hr
  10. Salesforce Project Manager
    • Value Creation Potential – High
    • Impact Opportunities – Leadership and strategy
    • Cultural Alignment – Teamwork and compromise
    • Growth Trajectory – Clear path to executives
    • Compensation Range – Up to $110k

3. Value-Aligned Bridge Plan

Creating an actionable, value-aligned strategy to get me to my future self. For each period of time, I am going to detail how my skills need to evolve, how I need to get a deeper network, and how I need to show people that I can add value to their lives.

3 Month Plan

  1. Skills Evolution
    • Current capabilities – I need to keep finding things that would truly fit who I am because I’m not trying to work any more short term jobs in a perfect world.
    • Required growth – I need to get my Platform App Builder certification
    • Learning milestones – I need to finish this course, the SCLP course, and to complete Udemy courses for the certification
    • Impact increase – I will take more of a role working with Lenticular Solutions as it arises from infancy.
  1. Network Development
  • Value-aligned connections – I’m going to keep rocking with the people who chase the same things I do and show some level of motivation towards them.
  • Community contribution – I feel like my contributions here and to study groups with Amplify and Mile High Dreamin’ will keep me busy in this regard.
  • Knowledge sharing – I never sweat this. True beneficent beings build the sharing of knowledge and exchange of culture into the fabric into every single exchange.
  • Mentorship opportunities – I’m going to keep rocking with my own mentor. Should somebody wish to be mentored by me, I would for sure take them under my wing, but I would never consider myself a mentor, even though a mentor has a million different faces and definitions (Allie McCarron). I’m the big homie or the protege depending on which circle I’m in.
  1. Experience Creation
  • Project opportunities – I need to chase the project about Indie Music + CRM, I need to start the new Lenticular Project when Chris gets back to me, and I need to keep my nose down for any paid projects.
  • Impact evidence – Paid work means I’m making an impact.
  • Value demonstration – Paid work means I’m providing for my family.
  • Story building – Not everything about life is glamorous, and not everything in life happens at the drop of a hat. I need to be patient but stay persistent.

6 Month Plan

  1. Skills Evolution
  • Current capabilities
    • I will have built out a framework for my website so I can log everything career wise in a place that it can be deliverable and value-adding.
  • Required growth
    • I will need to have my Platform App Builder Certification by this point and be making significant steps back towards AI Specialist.
  • Learning milestones
    • I will need to have purchased the AI Specialist Practice Exams and get to work on them by this point.
  • Impact increase
    • I’ll be making a bigger impact in my work with Chris for his projects.
  1. Network Development
  • Value-aligned connections
    • During this timeframe, I will be in Atlanta for Southeast Dreamin 2025, which means I get to meet many geographically distant folks and get deeper on this Salesforce grind.
  • Community contribution
    • A lot of my choices do involve building a community, so please see above.
  • Knowledge sharing
    • I’m going to keep pushing material through my website on a deeper level that I was doing last year.
  • Mentorship opportunities
    • Just trying to maintain contact with my current mentor and if any new opportunities arise
  1. Experience Creation
  • Project opportunities
    • I’ll be working on Southeast Dreamin’ and try to take a larger role with Mile High Dreamin’ this year, as just going to the events doesn’t really speak to me.
  • Impact evidence
    • I’ll know that I have made an impact when the Salesforce conferences go over without a hitch.
  • Value demonstration
    • I’m going to be a Swag Boy at a Salesforce Conference. If throwing items of value at people isn’t a demonstration of what I stand for, I really think you don’t know me.
  • Story building
    • Some of the best stories write themselves – it’s important to prepare hard in advance to really let loose when it’s time to shine. Sometimes, we contribute to our own stories and do things that can impact who we are. Sometimes, a person comes along who wants to rewrite the entire book in iambic pentameter. That’s me.

1 Year Plan

  1. Skills Evolution
  • Current capabilities
    • I will have 2 more certifications and have a gameplan for a third.
  • Required growth
    • I’ll be in more study cohorts and more involved with my community groups.
  • Learning milestones
    • I want to be All Star Ranger
  • Impact increase
    • I know I will have made an impact as I have concrete metrics to chase, so success is ultimately the only indicator.
  1. Network Development
  • Value-aligned connections
    • I’m going to keep adding connections. I envision doing this in a more holistic way and a less purely energetic way over the next year so I can preserve my peace.
  • Community contribution
    • I love my community group and I’m going to have at least two different presentations done by this time.
  • Knowledge sharing
    • More study cohorts, more website posting.
  • Mentorship opportunities
    • I feel at this point, all mentorship opportunities in the ecosystem will be organic ones, as I know many of the core figures I will encounter throughout my career and it will be primarily about nurturing those relationships.
  1. Experience Creation
  • Project opportunities
    • I’d really like to have a steady lineup of independent consultant work at this point.
  • Impact evidence
    • I’ll know I’ve made an impact when my independent project queue hits more than one project at a single time.
  • Value demonstration
    • Long-term tenacity is the value that I need to demonstrate to myself and others for myself to be pleased here.
  • Story building
    • Time is a fickle object. In addition to human longevity being a finite resource, all the times you wish lasted forever come to pass before you know it, and all the moments you want to immediately be out of seem to be the ones that persist indefinitely. It’s all about taking control of the time we do have and keeping the eyes on the prize in the long run.

2 Year Plan

  1. Skills Evolution
  • Current capabilities
    • In two years, I need to be fully confident at understanding the context of each and every coding language, as many of them should follow similar conventions.
  • Required growth
    • Lots and lots of bookmarked documentation and AI summaries of code bits that can be used across platforms.
  • Learning milestones
    • I want to fully understand Javascript first. Eventually, I want to understand Swift and do some mobile development for iPhones.
  • Impact increase
    • I want to fully be able to provide for my family so Alexis having a job would be optional. That’s the only impact I care about.
  1. Network Development
  • Value-aligned connections
    • Many of my Salesforce connections should run deep by this time, and many of the people that I have met will be real life connections by this point.
  • Community contribution
    • I should be relatively well-known as a creative thought leader among the Salesforce community and keep pumping interesting shit out into the atmosphere.
  • Knowledge sharing
    • Much of the knowledge that I wish to share at this point will start to pivot back towards the lessons I learned in the music business and how I can use lessons to assist others with their creative pursuits.
  • Mentorship opportunities
    • Ideally, I’ll be chasing mentors deep in the Salesforce industry and relatively deep in the music business at this time.
  1. Experience Creation
  • Project opportunities
    • At this point, I would like to have a menu of projects to choose from and begin time blocking my schedules by projects rather than by tasks.
  • Impact evidence
    • A schedule that has an ultimate flow will be the true indicator of impact.
  • Value demonstration
    • Pivoting back towards music, I’m able to get back to what I care about and what I’m intensely talented at.
  • Story building
    • At this point, I’ll actively be writing my own story and my reliance on others to provide me with best practices will start to wane as I will begin to fully trust my instinct and muscle memory regarding Salesforce by this time.

3 Year Plan

  1. Skills Evolution
  • Current capabilities
    • I’ll be fully proficient at every cloud tool and start mastering the concepts of the full stack that I’m not good at (graphics, interfacing hardware and software) that can also be used for music.
  • Required growth
    • I’ll need to know a number of new technologies at this point. I’m going to decline to name any because 3 years is a length of time to where the tech industry won’t even look remotely like it looks today.
  • Learning milestones
    • Certifications in other platforms and other languages will be the key milestones for learning here.
  • Impact increase
    • The more advice I am able to provide others across the technology suite, the more impact I will have.
  1. Network Development
  • Value-aligned connections
    • I’d like to be in contact with a number of decision makers directly connected to Salesforce by this point.
  • Community contribution
    • I’d basically like to stand alone for the quality and type of thought that I provide regarding most things media and technology.
  • Knowledge sharing
    • I’d like to put together some level of hustlers at this point to share knowledge with and eventually throw paid work towards.
  • Mentorship opportunities
    • I firmly want executive mentors by this point so I can plan for success based on the folks who are successful. Still has to be a vibe match though.
  1. Experience Creation
  • Project opportunities
    • I want to be able to give paid work to others by this point.
  • Impact evidence
    • I know that I will have made an impact when many of the items from this three year plan start to come to fruition.
  • Value demonstration
    • Some level of sponsorship for my creations would be ultimate determination of value. If I can make money just being me and doing what I do, that’s the move.
  • Story building
    • 3 years is a long time. To put it into context, 3 years ago, my girlfriend and her daughter had just moved here, and my daughter wasn’t even born yet. 3 years is enough time to really set some shit in motion, and it’s all on me to make it happen. There is no excuse to not succeed as this is the framework for how to succeed and I’m ultimately just going to outprepare everybody to get to where I need to be. My daughter will be in school by this point. I want to be able to take meetings at all time of the day and really control my time to make the most of it.

4. Trade-off Framework

    3 Month Plan

    1. Investment Required
      • Time commitment
        • Time is without a doubt going to be the biggest commitment during this time.
      • Financial investment
        • There is no financial investment during this timeframe, I already have invested in those materials.
      • Energy allocation
        • Energy is the second biggest commitment during this time.
      • Support needed
        • Primary emotional and vocational.
    2. Value Alignment Check
      • Community contribution
        • There is a large opportunity to make a community contribution through both my thoughts and through my actions preparing for Southeast Dreamin.
      • Purpose fulfillment
        • There will be moments of purpose fulfillment, but I don’t envision much during this time. There will be significantly more later.
      • Impact potential
        • I have the opportunity to go out and impact change every single day with every decision I make, I just need to keep that in mind.
      • Personal Growth
        • A lot of my personal growth is going to be towards challenging myself with the most critical of thoughts and preparing solutions and roadmaps for success.

    6 Month Plan

    1. Investment Required
      • Time commitment
        • Still, lots of time. I fully envision 2025 being an ambitious year.
      • Financial investment
        • No unanticipated financial investment over the next six months.
      • Energy allocation
        • Lots and lots of energy.
      • Support needed
        • I will need support of both people in the Salesforce industry and the music industry to start bringing my ideas to fruition.
    2. Value Alignment Check
      • Community contribution
        • I’m going to start cooking up this music CRM in the hopes to get a minimum viable product by Mile High Dreamin 2023.
      • Purpose fulfillment
        • Purpose is largely a function of one’s attitude toward a circumstance, meaning it’s still fully on me to make the most out of it. I 100% control the success of failure of this operation
      • Impact potential
        • There is plenty of impact to be made, starting with the people that I am going to spend time planning with, and then even more visible impact to be made by executing said plans over the next six months.
      • Personal growth
        • I just want to keep forming a more well-balanced mindstate. If I can find some level of inner peace in the next six months, that’s a win.

    1 Year Plan

    1. Investment Required
      • Time commitment
        • Lots and lots of time. As the years progress, there will be less of a time commitment as I have a constant mindset of streamlining routines for optimal efficiency.
      • Financial investment
        • This is where unforeseen financial investments would start, given that I need to figure out what certifications to chase, which investments provide the best payoffs, and my work situation in regards to achieving work certifications.
      • Energy allocation
        • As the operation becomes more streamlined, the energy I allocate will be towards ideas rather than maintenance, which will refresh me.
      • Support needed
        • I desperately need to find a solid paying Salesforce role or series of projects without pause by this time. If I cannot find something worthwhile by this time, it would be time to consider a next move.
    2. Value Alignment Check
      • Community contribution
        • I’m going to keep going hard for the people until I collapse from exhaustion. How that progresses remains to be seen.
      • Purpose fulfillment
        • The more time that passes, the more I anticipate the ability to chase what matters to me, so I’ll definitely have the wheels in motion.
      • Impact potential
        • A year is plenty of time for me to kick a lot of ass and take a lot of names. 2024 was one of those years to an extent but that only scratched the surface of what I can do.
      • Personal Growth
        • I’ll be even more comfortable with myself as I continue to grow. This is forever going to be the case, as that is my only option to find peace within myself. Even if there are setbacks, there will be comebacks.

    2 Year Plan

    1. Investment Required
      • Time commitment
        • The time I am committing is going to be focused much more on the execution of my plans rather than the planning.
      • Financial investment
        • There will likely be a number of unforeseen investments at this time, however I anticipate continuing to successfully talk my way into things across opportunities, because I’ve ALWAYS been oddly good at that.
      • Energy allocation
        • Lots of energy, but not nearly as much of the anxious energy that I anticipate in the short term.
      • Support needed
        • This is going to be the point where my family support will outweigh professional support in my eyes. I’ll be in a decent professional position by this time or I’ll be in jail for trying to be in a professional position by this time.
    2. Value Alignment Check
      • Community contribution
        • Two years down the road, I anticipate being something of a legend to a very niche group of tech goofballs who aren’t really comfortable with themselves but REALLY not comfortable with others. My established community connections will have seen me shine by this point.
      • Purpose fulfillment
        • Two years down the road, that’s when I’m starting to go all out towards purpose given that I will have a developed framework for success and actionable steps for each checkpoint along the way.
      • Impact potential
        • In two years, I could reasonably teach my daughter how to use a CRM. That’s a lot of time to accomplish anything if I can balance it the right way.
      • Personal Growth
        • In two years, Scout is almost going to be school age. All of my personal growth will be found in engaging her mind and her soul to help her find herself at an early age so she can ultimately be as comfortable and resilient as she can when she starts experiencing the world.

    3 Year Plan

    1. Investment Required
      • Time commitment
        • In three years, I expect my time commitments to become more and more out-of-town opportunities and less specifically local things.
      • Financial investment
        • There’s going to be quite a bit of travel investment that I want to make by this time, as I have places to go and people to see on my mission to kick ass.
      • Energy allocation
        • At this point, the energy requirement may become more rigorous once again, as I will be forcing myself to pick up new skill sets independently.
      • Support needed
        • Tech documentation and a solid gameplan
    2. Value Alignment Check
      • Community contribution
        • My community contribution will firmly face the intersection of music and technology at this time.
      • Purpose fulfillment
        • I’ll be learning new shit every single day. That’s plenty of purpose for me.
      • Impact potential
        • I’ve got big dreams, meaning I have to make ambitious goals that can still be within reach, but I really need to lock in. Locking in in the short term will make this more of a habit and less of an active thought as the years pass.
      • Personal Growth
        • Scout’s going to be in school, Sailor is going to be in middle school. All personal growth will come from opening up opportunities for the girls to chase what they love and to explore new interests.

    5. Success Metrics

    3 Month Plan

    • Impact Metrics
      • Progress made on Indie Music + CRM
      • Number of certifications
      • Hours spent planning Southeast Dreamin 2025
    • Value Alignment Indicators
      • Is there a path to professional development with this?
      • Is this an opportunity from within the professional circle that I wish to surround myself with?
      • Would I be selling myself out in any way, shape, or form?
    • Personal Growth Measures
      • Continued lower levels of depression
      • Starting to control the anxiety that permeates my life
      • Am I a fully supportive boyfriend?
    • Community Contribution
      • This is going to be one that is very hard for me to define, because I don’t expect any help, and depending on the situation, I also have a hard time accepting the help.
      • Creating new connections through my thoughts
    • Financial Goals
      • Clear financial outlook for Lenticular Solutions
      • Clear path forward on CRM + Music funding
      • A full time job if I cannot achieve the first two.

    6 Month Plan

    • Impact Metrics
      • Deliverables regarding Music + CRM
      • How much potential funding is as stake?
      • How much potential funding has been secured?
    • Value Alignment Indicators
      • Am I in a more creative mindset?
      • Am I starting to feel fulfillment?
      • Am I uplifting those around me?
    • Personal Growth Measures
      • Is my schedule starting to become a routine?
      • Am I sharing more positivity with the world than negative?
      • Can I make anything shake career wise?
    • Community Contribution
      • Can I rock Southeast Dreamin?
      • Can I rock Mile High Dreamin?
      • Can I get a CRM + Music speaking obligation?
    • Financial Goals
      • Do I have recurring projects?
      • Do I have full time work?
      • Am I making at least $4k per month?

    1 Year Plan

    • Impact Metrics
      • Number of certifications
      • Number of posts on website
      • Investment into CRM + Music
    • Value Alignment Indicators
      • Am I approaching 50/50 mindset between creative and tactical?
      • Do I feel that I need to focus on anything new?
      • Do I feel that something no longer aligns that once did?
    • Personal Growth Measures
      • Is my family less stressed?
      • Can Alexis and I get out for a date night more than once per year?
      • Do I have a path forward to combat anxiety before it happens?
    • Community Contribution
      • How much buy in is there to CRM + Music?
      • What opportunities exist in the Salesforce Community to encourage independent thought?
      • Can I find a community of music/tech nerds that aren’t music producers? Although I’m a music producer, I generally don’t like other music producers.
    • Financial Goals
      • Can Alexis quit a second job for good?
      • Can I buy the girls dinner one night by surprise if I feel like it?
      • Can I manage to fund an entire year of Salesforce activities through resourceful bargaining?

    2 Year Plan

    • Impact Metrics
      • Current Job Role?
      • Is CRM + Music going to pop or not?
      • Can I chase musical pursuits again?
    • Value Alignment Indicators
      • Am I directly at the intersection of music and CRM?
      • Am I helping others grow as I grow?
      • Am I spiritually fulfilled?
    • Personal Growth Measures
      • Is Alexis happy?
      • Is Sailor finding her groove in school?
      • Does Scout have a defined path for success?
    • Community Contribution
      • Do I have sponsorships to write by this point?
      • Do I have well-known publications?
      • Am I a thought leader in my own lane?
    • Financial Goals
      • Can I afford all of my own professional pursuits?
      • Do I have a 1:2 ratio of gig income and full time income?

    3 Year Plan

    • Impact Metrics
      • Cashflow
      • Number of sources of income
      • Am I finding the sweet spot for the life I imagined?
    • Value Alignment Indicators
      • Am I firmly working with the music business?
      • Am I firmly working with a creative pursuit?
      • Am I firmly working towards something I’d be happy doing for 50 years?
    • Personal Growth Measures
      • Is my family happy?
      • Am I happy?
      • Do I need to change my plan moving forward?
    • Community Contribution
      • Am I legendary in the tech community in my town?
      • Am I regarded in the tech community regionally?
      • Am I known in the tech community nationally?
    • Financial Goals
      • Can I eliminate all my credit card debt?
      • Do I have a 1:1 ratio of gig income and full time income?

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