The Momentum of a Dream: How One Step Opens the Next Door

What's going on Wealthy Affiliates

It's funny sitting here during a 36-hour reset and looking back at everything that's happened over the last few months. Sometimes I honestly just shake my head because I never imagined things would start moving this fast. A while back I took on a new promotion with trucking, and it opened a lot of doors. I'm doing more runs into British Columbia hauling fluid and before long I'll be heading toward Ontario as well with loads of steel. For right now I'm helping out on the heavy haul side, For most people that might just sound like more work, but for me it represents opportunity. There are places I've wanted to visit for years, people I've wanted to meet, museums I've wanted to explore, and communities I've wanted to connect with. The trucking career pays the bills, but it's also becoming one of the tools that's helping me expand my brand into places I never thought possible.

When I first joined Wealthy Affiliate, I didn't have some grand business plan laid out in front of me. I wasn't trying to build a giant company. I simply wanted to create something of my own. I paid attention to what was being taught here, learned what I could, and then started implementing those ideas in a way that fit my personality. I never wanted to copy what everyone else was doing. I wanted to build something unique, something authentic, and something that reflected who I am. Looking back now, I realize that's probably one of the best decisions I made. Instead of chasing trends, I focused on building a brand around my interests, my experiences, and my adventures. It took longer, but it also created something that feels real.

One of the biggest highlights this year was finally making a trip to Harrison Hot Springs, British Columbia. For years I had heard people refer to it as the Sasquatch Capital of Canada. It almost felt like one of those legendary places that exists on the edge of a map. People outside the community rarely knew much about it. but many had never actually gone there themselves. For years it sat on my bucket list as one of those places I hoped to visit someday. When I realized that Sasquatch Days was coming up and that it was their 14th annual event, I knew I had to make the trip.

The experience exceeded every expectation I had. I got to hear the Sasq'ets song performed by the Sts'ailes people. I was able to learn more about their traditions, oral histories, and perspectives surrounding the subject that I've spent years researching. I visited museums, historical displays, and places I had only read about online. More importantly, I got to experience a culture and a community firsthand instead of reading about it through somebody else's interpretation. That alone made the entire trip worthwhile.

The funny thing is that the trip completely changed my future plans. What started as one destination quickly turned into a much bigger project. As I dug deeper into my research, I realized there are thirteen major Sasquatch museums spread throughout North America. Almost immediately I found myself creating a new goal. I want to visit all thirteen. Not because I'm trying to prove anything, and not because I'm trying to convince anyone of anything, but because every location has its own history, culture, stories, and unique perspective. Most people will never have the opportunity to visit all of them, so I want to document that journey and share it with the people who follow my work.

Of course, while all of this is happening, life hasn't slowed down one bit. Between trucking and building the brand, I'm probably putting in close to a hundred hours a week. When I'm not driving, I'm answering emails. When I'm not answering emails, I'm creating content. When I'm not creating content, I'm networking, researching, writing books, updating websites, or planning future projects. Sometimes it feels like a second full-time career, but unlike a job, this is something I'm building for myself. Every hour invested moves the brand one step further forward.

One of those opportunities appeared while I was in Harrison Hot Springs. Like most entrepreneurs, I spent a lot of time talking to people, networking, and looking for ways to improve what I was already doing. Through those conversations I connected with a supplier in the United States who understood exactly what I was trying to build. Originally we were discussing apparel, but before long we were talking about something much bigger.

The reality is that I missed most of this year's festival season, but that may have been a blessing in disguise. Instead of rushing into events unprepared, I now have almost an entire year to build things properly. Over the next several months I'll be designing a complete vendor setup, including a custom tent, displays, inventory, signage, books, apparel, and interactive features that encourage visitors to stop, share stories, and become part of the conversation.

My goal is to start with three festivals a year and see where it grows from there. I don't want to jump into ten events at once and overwhelm myself. I'd rather learn the process, refine the setup, and build relationships along the way. The supplier I'm working with is helping me create products that can be sold both online and in person while also improving pricing for customers. My Shopify store will remain active because it continues to generate sales, but I'll also be creating direct ordering options through my website for people who meet me at events or want to purchase products directly from me.

What excites me most is that none of this was part of the original plan. I started by writing books. The books led to a website. The website led to apparel. The apparel helped build the brand. The brand led to travel. And now the travel is leading to festivals, museum visits, new content, and opportunities to meet people face-to-face. Looking back, it feels less like I created a master plan and more like each step opened the door to the next one.

And that's where things get really interesting.

Everything I've talked about so far has been happening organically. No ad agency. No massive marketing budget. No paid campaigns driving traffic. Just consistent content, storytelling, curiosity, community engagement, and a willingness to keep showing up day after day.

Sometimes it's easy to get caught up in the next project and forget to look back at how far you've actually come. When I pulled up my Facebook analytics for the last 30 days, I had one of those moments where I simply sat back and stared at the screen.

The numbers honestly surprised me.

For a brand that started with a book idea and slowly grew into a website, apparel line, research project, and now future festival business, seeing these results reminded me that all those long trucking days, late nights, research trips, and hours spent building content are actually paying off.

Here's a look at the last 30 days.

One of my proudest moments from the Harrison trip had nothing to do with statistics or sales. I created a flyer with a QR code for Wildfoot Explores and was given permission to leave it at the Sasquatch Museum. Not only did they take it, they wanted multiple copies so they could continue handing them out after the first stack was gone. Standing there and seeing something I built sitting inside a place I had dreamed of visiting for years was one of those moments where everything suddenly felt real.

Looking back, joining Wealthy Affiliate two years ago was one of the best decisions I've ever made. I honestly can't imagine my life without this brand anymore. Every morning I wake up thinking about the website. I wake up thinking about new content ideas, new projects, new adventures, and new opportunities. My biggest challenge isn't finding something to do. It's finding enough time to do everything I want to accomplish. The funny thing is that I'm still only two years into this journey. If this much can happen in two years, I can't help but wonder what the next ten will look like.

For now, I'll just keep doing what got me here in the first place. Keep learning. Keep building. Keep exploring. Keep telling stories. And most importantly, keep moving forward.

See you all in the next one

Shawn