Things are getting fun...

A Radical Alternative to College

Sunday, November 9th, 2025

Writing to you from Uruguay

When was the last time you did something that you genuinely were excited to be doing?

You probably couldn’t describe why it excited you. Whatever it was, it had a hold on you that would’ve been silly to brush off in any logical way. Once you discover the deep desire to do “the thing” it always sticks with you.

For some it’s fishing, drifting, chess, surfing, cross-country motorcycle rides, physics, math, practicing CQB, skydiving…for others it could be gardening, painting, horseback rides…

Anyway…

Everybody seems to have something that really strikes a chord with them — and if they are lucky, and I mean really lucky — they have 2 or 3 pursuits that really get the endorphins flowing.

Well, although I’m not good at it, I’ve really enjoyed writing over the last two years. In particular, I’ve enjoyed continuously learning how to write. I’ve read everything from Hemingway’s blunt (and hard-hitting) works to Gary Halbert’s expert copywriting/direct mail guide he wrote to his son from prison (The Boron Letters for those wondering).

Although those two examples are in wildly different genres, if you’re paying attention, they teach you how to capture attention, hold it, and persuade or envelope the mind of the reader to be fully immersed in the writing and then move toward a certain action.

Reading an expertly-written piece of direct mail can have the same effect on you as one of Louis L’Amour’s westerns…

The direct mail ad prompts you to act — to purchase a product or service. If you finish reading through on of L’Amour’s westerns you may have been so enveloped with the story that you actually find yourself acting (or speaking) as you imagined the main character would.

Both — though worlds apart on the surface — cut to the core of your desire and prompt a subsequent action.

Real-World Testing

What I’m trying to say is that writing is, at it’s core, intertwined across all genres…and that is amazing. If you can do it well it’s a true art form.

Anyway…

I’ve started putting my writing skills to the test in writing a direct mail ad for my agricultural drone business this past week. Now, here in Uruguay we don’t really have addresses or mail services, so distributing the ad will be different than it would be if I tried it in the states.

Once I have the piece completed I’ll print 50 or so copies to leave on farmer’s/rancher’s gates in my vicinity which (I made sure to check) is legal.

Clearly, I won’t be able to get a strong number of leads on this as I would if I could mail out 5,000 ads, but I have one thing on my side: they’ll be going to my neighbors.

In a country that is hugely community-oriented a letter from a neighbor (even a distant neighbor!) will be treated much differently. Plus, the desire to be in good standing — and maybe even friendly — with your neighbors stands firm. I’m only speculating, but I think that even if very few letters lead to sales they will have good long-lasting effects.

Oh and I forgot to mention…Most Uruguayans have probably NEVER received a direct mail ad.

This could be a huge advantage to me or it could backfire. Who knows, maybe it doesn’t jibe well with the culture?

Either way, it’ll be a good test of several things: How successful the business can be, how well I can write persuasively, how relationships could form with neighbors, how beneficial direct marketing is in Uruguay…

I’m still writing the piece, but once I’m finished with it I’ll share it with you.

Seeding and Collecting a Check

Before light rains this past week I did some seeding on our own ranch.

In total, I seeded 8 hectares (19.7 acres) with a mix of white clover and velvet grass, which only took about an hour and a half including the prep work I had to do to inoculate the grass seed.

In addition to the seeding on our ranch I went back to see a rancher who had used my seeding services on her property. The visit was quick though…she was dealing with a cow with mastitis (inflammation of the breast, usually caused by infection) so she handed me $200 for my services and went back to the corral to deal with her cow.

Fun

This past week’s fun was similar to the one previous…more adventure bike riding…but this time it was even more fun. My dad and I went out for a ride together and ended up going down a sketchy trail.

There were stretches of loose rock, boggy patches, and a river to cross near the end.

It was our first river crossing on motorcycles actually. I should have gotten a video of my dad going across as proof that we both made it without a problem, but I guess this video he took of me will have to do:

Electives

Lifted weights (5 out of 7 days)

Weight lifting is going pretty good. Definitely getting stronger, but my appetite has also burst through the roof. In the past, for several months at a time, I would eat about a meal and a half (maybe 2 meals a day) and be completely fine. But now…it’s up to 5 or 6 meals a day. But, I’ve got to say, I have much more energy than I used to.

Guitar practice (5 out of 7 days)

Also going well. I’ve been learning more about intervals and scales to gain a foundational understanding in music theory, but it’s obvious that I’m just scratching the surface.

Chess practice (6 out of 7 days)

Chess hasn’t been going great — not paying enough attention to my moves, my pieces in relation to my opponents pieces, and not anticipating attacks.

Reading

• Finished reading Never Split the Difference by Chris Voss

This is one of the best (if not THE best) book I’ve read on sales/negotiation. Granted, I haven’t read many sales books, but this is the first to truly frame the objectives, outline the strategy and tactics, and demonstrate it through key stories in Chris’ life. Chris was an FBI hostage negotiator — the best of the best — and the stories he tells (coupled with his retrospective narration) is key in getting the points across. Highly recommend.

• Continued reading The Lean Startup by Eric Ries

• Started reading The One-Page Marketing Plan by Allan Dib

Things I Published

Weekly Update: Theodore Victor

---

Are these updates informative? Are they useful? Entertaining?

Leave a comment below if you’ve got any suggestions or questions for me.

And don’t forget to send this to someone who might benefit.

I’ll see you next week.

-Maxim Benjamin Smith

---

I am acting as a guinea pig for a program which is meant to prepare young men for the future. This program is designed to be a replacement for the only three routes advertised to young men today - go to college, the military, or a dead-end job.

All of these typical routes of life are designed to shape us into cogs for a wheel that doesn’t serve us. Wasted time, debt, lack of skills, and a soul crushing job define many who follow the traditional route.

This program, which we can call “The Preparation”, is meant to guide young men on a path where they properly utilize their time to gain skills, build relationships, and reach a state of being truly educated. The Preparation is meant to set young men up for success.

What appeals to me about The Preparation is the idea of the type of man I could be. The path to becoming a skilled, dangerous, and competent man is much more clear now. I’ve always been impressed by characters like The Count of Monte Cristo, men who accumulated knowledge and skills over a long period of time and eventually became incredibly capable men.

Young men today do not have a guiding light. We have few mentors and no one to emulate. We have been told that there are only a few paths to success in this world. For intelligent and ambitious people - college is sold to us as the one true path. And yet that path seems completely uncertain today.

We desperately need something real to grab onto. I think this is it.

I’m putting the ideas into action. Will it work? I can’t be sure, but I’m doing my best. I’m more than 60 weeks into the program at this point. So far, so good.

You can follow me along as I follow the program. Each week, I summarize all that I did.

My objective in sharing this is three fold:

1. Documenting my progress holds me accountable.

2. I hope these updates will show other young men that there is another path we can take.

3. For the parents who stumble upon this log, I want to prove to you that telling your children that the conventional path - college, debt, and a job is not the foolproof path you think it is.