— ENTREPRENEUR • FATHER • ASPIRING BON VIVANT
That's the plan. Mostly the second one, honestly. The first is in service of it. How? I build freedom businesses so I can own my time, spend it on people and places I love, and stay curious about the world.
ABOUT
It started as a joke. The more I said it, the more I realized it was the most honest thing on my bio.
A bon vivant, in the old French sense, is someone who's good at the daily act of being alive. Living well as the actual project - not the reward you give yourself once the "real work" is done.
Long dinners. Real conversations. Trips that stay with you. People you keep showing up for. Work that actually matters to you.
I'm trying to get that order right. To not sleepwalk through the good years. To invest in the people and places I love like they're the point, because they are. To stay curious long after most people seem to stop. "Aspiring," because I'm not there. But I'm closer every year.
I live in San Diego, travel often, stay in shape, chase what makes me curious, and spend as much of my time as possible on what actually matters - my family, the friends I make time for, and projects I'd work on even if no one paid me to.
That's the life part. Here's the work part.
Over two decades, I've started and scaled companies in technology services, marketing agencies, digital publishing, and ecommerce. Three times named to INC Magazine's Fastest Growing list. One exit. MBA from Babson College - consistently ranked #1 in the world for entrepreneurship. And, to keep it real, I've had plenty of attempts that didn't work out (when I've learned the most).
Along the way, I've come to believe that the best entrepreneurs aren't just building companies. They're building lives.
These days I spend most of my time thinking about two questions: how do entrepreneurs build real leverage in the age of AI, and what does a life well-lived look like when the old playbook stops working?
The first question drives my work at LVRG, ServicesThatScale, and ThereSanDiego — helping business owners build systems that create freedom instead of another job. The second drives everything else: what I read, who I spend time with, where I choose to live, what I say yes and no to. I don't have all of the answers. But I'm paying attention, and writing about what I notice.
The thinking shows up in a weekly letter and on social - part hard-won business lessons, part philosophical rabbit holes, part field notes from someone who's been building for 20+ years and still thinks the best part is ahead.
Want to follow along? Here's where I'm posting ->
LIFE IN MOTION
Follow on Instagram ↗
TRAVEL / ADVENTURE
BUILDING
SPEAKING
FAMILY / SAN DIEGO
TEAM
Auto-updated from Instagram via Sendible or Curations — stays fresh without touching the site.
LIFE IN MOTION
JAMES MICHENER
CURRENT VENTURES
Strategies, tools, and community for B.O.L.D. entrepreneurs. Business Ownership + Lifestyle Design — more freedom, more money, more impact.
Building the modern local media and marketing solutions business to serve the San Diego community first, then to the moon.
The playbook for agency owners who want to productize, build recurring revenue, and escape the time-for-money trap.
WRITING & IDEAS
01
Composer, Conductor, Connector — the three roles that matter in an AI world
FRAMEWORK
02
Why developing a personal philosophy is the most important work you'll ever do
ESSAY
03
Be a Cockroach — the mindset that survived everything
STORY
04
Find your Art — the one thing AI can never replace
MANIFESTO
05
When everything can be generated, taste becomes currency
THESIS
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One email per week on building freedom businesses, navigating the AI era, health and longevity, and using it all to create a life that you love. Part hard-won lessons, part philosophical rabbit holes, part field notes.
Entrepreneurs, builders, and fellow aspiring bon vivants.
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© 2026 Mike Cooch. All rights reserved.