Welcome to the first Creator Capitalist Conversations, a mini-series spotlighting real-life legends who have rejected traditional career paths and built lives around what makes them different.
In these episodes, you’ll learn:
How each guest walked away from “success” as defined by others and started designing a career they wanted
The mindset shifts, hard decisions, and capital-building moves that turned their “different” into leverage
Tactical frameworks, earned secrets, and uncommon strategies for creating a life no job can offer you
These are stories of people who didn’t wait to get picked. They picked themselves—and started building careers that pay them to be radically them.
Because the best way to become a Creator Capitalist…
…is to study the ones who’ve already made the leap.
ARRRRRRRRR!!!!!
Dear Friend, Subscriber, and Category Pirate,
Most people build their careers to look impressive on LinkedIn.
Mike Maples, Jr. built his to stand alone—no competition, no comparison.
“Too many people define success relative to the criteria that others set for them. So they try to compare themselves with others, and they try to compete with others. And they don't realize that the way to be the best competitor is to turn inward and to have self-awareness of your superpowers and to unlock those to maximum effect.” – Mike Maples, Jr.
In this opening episode of our new Creator Capitalist mini-series, Mike (Co-Founding Partner at Floodgate) shares why he walked away from a role that promised startup fame and millions in guaranteed capital to start a business from scratch.
He didn’t want prestige.
He wanted to build a career only he could do.
Mike is living proof of what it means to be a Creator Capitalist.
He didn’t follow the safe path. He didn’t wait to be picked.
He picked himself and built Floodgate from scratch.
He built a career around his Superpower. He scaled himself using Intellectual Capital—tools, frameworks, and thinking systems that do the work while he sleeps. He harnessed AI not to cheat, but to compound his edge.
That said, this isn’t a typical “career” conversation.
It’s a call for anyone done playing someone else’s game—anyone ready to build a career that can’t be copied. Because becoming a Creator Capitalist isn’t a pipe dream. It’s a strategic decision.
You don’t chase credentials. You don’t compete on a resume. You don’t wait to be picked.
You create what others didn’t see coming.
You win on originality.
“There’s only one version of you that’s ever existed in the history of time. That’s your superpower.” – Mike Maples, Jr.
Mike doesn’t just talk about this way of living and working—he unpacks the mindset shifts, mental models, and long-game strategy that made it possible.
Here’s what's waiting for you inside:
00:40 - Burn Your Resume: Hear why Mike turned down millions to start from zero on his terms—and what it takes to make a big bet on yourself
03:55 - Be The Only, Not The Best: How competitive advantage makes you a commodity, but comparative advantage makes you uncopyable
10:20 - Turn Thinking Into Capital: How Mike created an AI-driven system for scaling his intellectual capital—and why he thinks AI is a must-have skill for anyone who wants to excel and drive exponential outcomes
20:45 - Credentialism Is Dead: What mass cognition is and why it makes creators more valuable than experts
35:50 - Earnership Over Attention: How the ROI of building a life around your unique difference will pay dividends for decades
By the end, you won’t just understand what it means to get paid to be you.
You’ll know what it takes to own it.
Arrrrrr,
Category Pirates 🏴☠️
P.S. — If this conversation lit a fire in you…
It’s because, deep down, you know the old career playbook is broken.
If you’re ready for something different, keep your eye on your inbox for the next three weeks. We have more Creator Capitalist conversations in the queue to show you how to go from inspired to independent. From potential to profitable. From invisible to irreplaceable.
Ready to dive deeper? Grab your spot on the Creator Capitalist course waitlist here.
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