by treyton

start here

Welcome to Live Different, a public journal where I’m documenting my creative business journey and sharing stories & lessons along the way.

“Live different” is my approach to life.

It means go out and be creative. Pursue an independent career. Work from 10-3 or 3-10 if you so choose. Travel more than you think you should. Eat the calories. Grow a garden. Touch grass. Take pictures. Dress however. F*** the Joneses.

Essentially, live different.

Don’t conform, create.

All of our paths will look different. I’m sharing mine here, and if you’ve felt alone in your journey, this could be the place for you.

Leave a comment on one of the posts, introduce yourself, share what you’re working on, share what you’re struggling with, ask a question, whatever you feel comfortable with - this isn’t a newsletter, it’s one place on the internet where you’ll always feel heard and understood.

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me on the internet

since july 2020, i’ve been creating content and building a business around personal finance, education, and freelancing.

these are some of my most popular posts from the past few years:

• the planning effect

• *what’s retirement?

• youtube taxes: explained

• *how tax write-offs (actually) work

• *how to be more referrable (as a freelancer)

• how i saved $20k in two years out of college

• *the odds of making money in the stock market

• what do rich people do differently with their money?

• 34 ways to make money as a creator (with examples)

• how i structure my days as a full-time creative & financial planner

*favorites

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who am i?

I’m a creative entrepreneur, freelancer, and financial planner.

I was named a Top 100 Financial Advisor by Investopedia in 2022 & 2023 and I’ve been featured in Morning Brew, Nerdwallet, Marketwatch, and more.

For a living, I design & build beautiful websites and help self-employed creatives become financially independent.

• Founder of Piertree, a finance-focused, creative holding company

• Founder of Piertree Provides, a nonprofit focused on creative careers & mental health

• Co-founder of AllStreet Wealth, a virtual, fee-only financial planning firm for our generation

• Author of Freelance Finances Made Simple, a 67-page book about how to manage money as a freelancer

• Creator of Creatorbread, a brand making money & business more approachable for self-employed creatives

• Creator of Converting Attention, a collection of marketing resources & creative services for financial advisors​

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a recap of the first 22 months of entrepreneurship, from a personal perspective:

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enjoy your stay,

- treyton