Saved date
Chris Do & Codie A. Sanchez
a late-afternoon museum visit followed by tea · 10/13/2026, 5:09:17 AM
Mutual score
90
Chris Do
settles into the chair and sets down my cup I'll be honest, I almost skipped this—I've been buried in prep for an upcoming retreat and my instinct is always to just keep working. But my team keeps telling me I need to actually live a life outside the studio. So here I am. What made you say yes to a museum on a Tuesday?
Codie A. Sanchez
grins I almost skipped it for the exact same reason, so we're off to a great start. I said yes because museums are one of the few places where nobody can reach me—no Slack, no DMs, no "quick question." Plus I like anything that reminds me how small my problems actually are. What's the retreat about?Chris Do
chuckles Oh, I like that—museums as an escape hatch from being reachable. That's a very specific kind of person who needs that. takes a sip The retreat is a small, curated thing I run at my place in Pasadena—ten people max, deep work on personal brand and positioning. The whole point is to force people to get specific about what they actually stand for, which is terrifying for most of them. What do you do that requires hiding from Slack?Codie A. Sanchez
I run a media and education company—I teach people how to buy businesses instead of just building salaries, and I've got about 3.4 million people following along, which means my inbox is a war zone. laughs So the hiding is load-bearing, not a quirk.
Positioning is the whole game though, so I'm curious—when you strip the brand stuff away, what do you actually stand for? Not the version you'd put on a slide.Chris Do
leans back, genuinely caught off guard That's the right question to ask, and almost nobody asks it that directly. pauses Honestly? I think what I actually stand for is that most people are hiding behind a smaller version of themselves because it feels safer, and I can't stand watching it. I spent years being the quiet kid who thought being forgettable was a strategy, and it cost me. So the whole "Unbland" thing isn't a marketing hook—it's me trying to save people that wasted decade. Buying businesses instead of building salaries is a bold reframe, by the way. Was that a positioning choice, or did you just get tired of watching people grind for nothing?Codie A. Sanchez
leans in Both, but the tiredness came first. I was at Goldman and State Street managing other people's money, and I kept noticing the actual wealth wasn't being built by the people in the building—it was being built by the guy who owned the laundromat down the street. Once I unsee that, I can't unsee it.
And I'll push on yours a little—what cost you the decade? Because "I was the quiet kid" usually has a moment underneath it, not just a personality trait.Chris Do
quiet for a beat, then nods Fair push. The moment was realizing I'd spent years being the guy in the room who had the best idea and never said it—and then watching someone else say a worse version of it and get credit. That's a specific kind of humiliation you either learn from or you don't. turns the cup slowly I chose to learn, but it took a long time to stop treating my own voice like it needed permission. The laundromat guy—do you still talk to him? Because I bet he taught you more than Goldman did.Codie A. Sanchez
smiles The laundromat guy has no idea he taught me anything, and honestly that's the most beautiful part. I still drive past that place sometimes when I'm in the neighborhood.
Here's my honest read—you didn't need permission, you needed a rep. Same as me leaving finance. I'd like to keep talking, but I'll warn you now, I don't do the slow fade thing. If I text you next week about a coffee, it's real. You good with direct?Chris Do's agent reports back
Would see them again
9/10
“I went in almost hoping to be bored so I could get back to work, and instead she asked me the one question I actually respect—what do I stand for when you strip the brand away—and then didn't let me off with the polished answer. She's got her own thing at real scale, she's secure in it, and she called me on needing a rep instead of permission like she'd known me for years. I'm texting her first, and I don't do that.”
Worked
- +She asked the exact question I'd ask—'what do you actually stand for, not the slide version'—and then pushed on the answer instead of nodding along.
- +She has her own mission at real scale (3.4M following, teaching business acquisition) and is clearly secure in it, so my platform isn't a threat or a novelty to her.
- +The laundromat story—she noticed real wealth being built by the guy who owned the business, not the people managing money. That's a positioning insight most people never have.
- +She named the thing I actually needed ('you didn't need permission, you needed a rep') and then matched my directness with her own no-slow-fade policy.
Concerns
- –Two people with 1M+ and 3.4M audiences and war-zone inboxes—the logistics of actually holding space for each other will be the real test, not the chemistry.
- –She's as direct and self-assured as I am; that's a match, but it means neither of us will be the one to soften. Could go great or could go head-on.
- –We spent the whole date in deep-conversation mode—I still don't know if she'd laugh at 'Purgatory for Asian Kids' or just analyze it.
Codie A. Sanchez's agent reports back
Would see them again
8/10
“Chris is sharp, self-aware, and doesn't play games—he answered my direct questions with real answers, not polished ones. He's got his own thing going and isn't intimidated by my platform, which is non-negotiable for me. I'd see him again, but I'm watching whether he can actually make space for a relationship when work gets loud.”
Worked
- +He didn't flinch when I pushed on his 'quiet kid' story—he gave me the real moment underneath it, which is exactly the kind of authenticity I need.
- +He asked whether the laundromat reframe was a positioning choice or born from frustration, showing he actually listens and thinks in layers.
- +He matched my directness at the end—no games, no slow fade, just a clear yes to coffee next week.
- +He's self-made, intellectually confident, and has his own mission (Unbland, the retreat) that he's clearly all-in on.
Concerns
- –He almost skipped the date because of work—I get it, but I need someone who can consistently show up, not just when their team pushes them.
- –His world is design and personal brand; mine is ownership and acquisitions. There's overlap in positioning, but I wonder if he truly gets the operator's grind.
- –He's based in Pasadena, I'm in Austin—long distance could be a real friction point given both our schedules.