How Khe Hy escaped Wall Street and turned a 36-person email list to an entrepreneur business that has earned

Learn how creator Khe Hy left a job on Wall Street to find fulfillment and turn the email address of a group of 36 into a $500k creator business along the way.

"Come for the work-life balance, keep on for the everyday."

This is the tagline that's not official for designer Khe Hy's RadReads  website, a platform to help people live happier, productive, and examined lives through courses, content as well as a community.

"So the majority of work is about the "how".  How do I utilize a text expander? What platform for course should I use?' And we think that these are crucial concerns, however we employ those as a Trojan horse to get into your 'why'," Khe explains.

However, Khe hasn't always identified as a creator or an entrepreneur.

Today, Khe works with a team of experts to grow and spread his message. A cohort-based program, Supercharge Your Productivity  is offered every three months (over 560 people have enrolled).He also provides business consultation through The Rad Studio and is building a community of his former students and graduates. He's been an active creator since 2007.

How did he get to be here?

"It was the greatest of times. It was the worst of times. I was an analyst with a quantitative background on Wall Street."

As a child, Khe had a clear playbook for his life path. The parents of his, Cambodian and French immigrants who encouraged him to put his focus on studying as a way towards stability and joy.

"We're going to provide you with violin lessons. We'll get you SAT tutors. You're going to be a gymnast in your free time. And then if you're lucky then you'll be accepted to Yale," Khe remembers.

"And when you graduate from Yale, you'll major in engineering and you'll get a job and it will be very comfortable and stable and your life will be blissful. And we'll all live happily forever after. It was exactly the route my parents had me on and wished for me."

Image Source: Khe's Twitter (@khemaridh)

So, Khe went to Yale. He studied computer science and economics and was offered a lucrative job on Wall Street. He did well and advanced his profession, which culminated in a promotion to the position of Managing Director when he was 31 -- among the youngest in his company's career.

"So I had all these things, but there was just this nagging emptiness. Now I can stay at a five-star hotel instead of a hotel with a rating of four stars. This means I no longer have to look up the cost for this cocktail at a nice bar." But a deeper feeling of happiness and peace wasn't present.

"I didn't know what I was looking for However, I was extremely annoyed by the idea. I was depressed. I didn't feel satisfied."

There was never a time that Khe was aware that "something must be changed" however, there was a common pattern he started to notice over time: "Most people [on Wall Street] view life as the game of zero sum. But I don't fundamentally believe that and therefore, I found myself in a philosophical conflict with other."

Khe found himself wondering "Is this the end of it? Am I just going to continue doing this all the rest of my life?" He was afraid to spend the rest of his days going through the motions.

"And I acknowledge the honor to make that claim," he adds.

"I am among the top 1or 2 percent of an industry. I'm questioning, 'is this the kind of thing I'm looking for?

However, I was looking at other people who were fifteen years younger than me. They had huge houses that were located in Greenwich, Connecticut, and all their kids attended Andover, and they played squash, and all that stuff.

I believe that's a wonderful life. It's just not for me. I don't want that -- but I didn't know exactly what I was looking for."

Khe knew he needed to make a shift.

"If five percent of my time gives me all of happiness, then how would I spend 100% of my time bring to make my life better?"

"I always enjoyed experimenting with computers and make items ... It was the time that I ran an anonymous blog , where I posted about music and fashion, and I would wireframe different sorts of websites" He explains.

"They were not necessarily meant to create companies because I wasn't able to identify as a creative and I did not identify as an entrepreneur. It was more like I'm an Wall Street person. This is what I know. This is what I'm good at. And that industry really advises you to remain in your own lane."

However Khe discovered that playing with electronics gave him more pleasure than his job in finance. There was a lot more. "These tasks that took up just 5 to 10% of my time were bringing me the joy I feel at 100," he says.

The more unsatisfied he became at his work, the more he thought about those side projects. The wheels began to spin: "If 5% of my time is what brings me all of my joy then what could all of my energy bring to me?"

In May 2015, after 14 years of working on Wall Street, Khe quit.

Many colleagues who are soon to be fired from their jobs have told Khe the decision to leave a top-level position in Wall Street without another finance gig planned was an unusual choice -- and a big chance.

"I had a baby of one year, and I took 18 months of savings, I told my wife, "that's similar to the angel investment.'

We're okay if it goes to zero however there's a tiny possibility that it could have an amazing return. That spectacular return could be me discovering what I would like to do for the rest of my career."

The first issue of the newsletter came out in January of 2015, as Khe was away on vacation from the Wall Street job. He read some interesting articles online and wanted to pass them along to his acquaintances, so the author wrote up an email in Gmail and BCCed 36 people.

The topic line? "Some Rad Reads from my Recent Vacation."

Khe concluded the email by saying, "Not sure when I'll find time for the next one!"

His friends loved it and asked him to send another one. So he did. And when he announced that he would be quitting the company, his blog became the opportunity for the rest of his Wall Street peers to follow his journey.

"As I announced my resignation the company, I received a lot of questions, such as 'oh how do you plan take on?' I said, 'I don't know ... but should you need to keep track of what I'm working on, I've got this monthly newsletter.'"

The publication became a medium for Khe's creativity during his first few months off work.

"Within the initial five issues, I dubbed the magazine RadReads. The focus was in integrating '90s Street Surf hip hop into every single thing we do. This is a cool thing to do inspired by surf culture and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. I was just kind of having fun with it."

By the time Khe along with his wife and children came home from their travels The newsletter was able to grow from the 36 people who had subscribed using Gmail to more than 500 subscribers using Tinyletter.

He created a logo, color scheme, as well as a template for RadReads. "All of these things were little projects which kept me busy as well as extremely enjoyable," Khe remembers.

"I think that's the most important thing. I was having so much pleasure. It was a great time. 18 months was to just do things that made me feel like I was having fun."

Khe also began including a short essay at the top of every email. "I wasn't sure if I was writing, and I was kind of scared to put myself in front of the world," he admits.

His fans loved his authentic perspective. He'd built an active group of followers who believed in himThey began asking for more.

"Coach us on how you found the courage to lead an unconventional lifestyle."

People started asking Khe to be their coach. He was taken aback. What could he instruct the students? Finance? "I'm just a dude writing an email newsletter who has no idea of how to make money doing this," he recalls.

"But they were telling us, in hindsight, 'coach us on how you got the confidence to lead an unusual life.'

I started to see it was my own subconscious that I was actually an effective marketing method to sell whatever I was able to deliver. What was popular and wanted was coaching."

"My personal experience was much more important than any credential that I could offer them," he explains. "They believed they were friends with me, because they were used to receiving my messages in their inbox every single week."

Selling coaching helped Khe extend that initial 18-month window until the deadline was gone. "I didn't make a lot of money, but I was making enough. Combined the savings I had I was treading water, and I was able to tread in the water for quite a long time."

Another huge occasion for Khe in 2016?

CNN named the man "Oprah for Millennials ":

A year and a half since Hy quit Wall Street, no one thinks he's crazy anymore.

He delivered a TEDx talk in London in October. A number of top firms, including hedge funds, have requested him to address their workers about what he's learned on his life experience over the last two years. The Snapchat user is active on Snapchat posting daily information ...

The business news website Quartz has hired Hy as the first "professional resident" for September, to create a piece "about productivity and the way we work" and organize an evening. Hy is already organizing regular Happy Hours as well as volunteer opportunities for Rad Readers to connect to each other on a daily basis.

At the same time, Bloomberg published an report on Khe  as well. Following the publication of these two articles live, his email shot into the thousands of subscribers.

"I was able to talk with the most amazing people, and learned this entire new art of video production recording, editing audio, being an interviewer, and presenting and storytelling... and it was everything was slowly getting started. They all were helping the coaching industry."

After that, Khe started telling his audience members about Notion  which is a collaboration tool for workspaces. application. "The tech nerd within me thought, 'oh the goodness, this is absolutely the most awesome thing to ever happen.'"

People started asking him questions concerning Notion on Twitter He would then post a video of a minute in response. The Notion community loved the instructional videos as well as Khe was thrilled to share his experience.

"They were telling us, 'learn us the features'," Khe describes. "But what they really were asking was: 'can you put the passion your have for this to us can you translate that enthusiasm into something useful for us?"

In that light, Khe decided to create an online training course.

From courses to coaching: "Just do your weird mix of who you are to be, and it will turn out to be your best."

When he started thinking about developing a course Khe looked to his mentor and colleague in the field of productivityTiago Forte. Tiago had successfully launched his course, which is why Khe sought his help on what he should teach? What should his specialization be?

Tiago's recommendation to Khe: "Just do your bizarre mix of who are, and that will make you the most unique."

It took Khe some time to narrow on the peculiar mixture. Initial versions of his flagship Supercharge Your Productivity course were only focused on Notion.

Khe was among the best Notion experts in the world  his class promised to help users understand how to make the most out of each option.

"I was naive in marketing ... Also, I had this personal gripe with it. It felt extremely icky. Marketing felt manipulative. I was not looking to cause someone to feel smug about themselvesand say, 'Hey, buy my product.'"

While he was developing his program and continued to communicate with the audience, Khe realized that he could get rid of the negative aspects of advertising and offer courses for sale.

"I discovered that I'd created a marketing system that wasn't icky. It's said to offer people vitamin supplements, but sell them painkillers.'

I wanted to sell vitamins. I did not want to be in the painkiller business. I also shared my personal life in such detail and in the way I did, what I was actually selling them was an actual vitamin. And it was a very authentic vitamin."

His fans loved his honesty They wanted more. Also, Khe found that his pupils wanted to know more about the ways the man lived his life.

Supercharge Your Productivity began to be not so much all about Notion and more about the way you live.

Instead of giving advice and tutorials on apps, Khe started asking his students to think about philosophical issues "Why are you interested in these items? What is the reason you are in your own way? What is the reason you don't complete projects? What is the reason you struggle with prioritizing?"

He took Tiago's advice -- "do your own unique mix of who you are" -- and altered the program into what he describes as "this weird way of living my principles that are semi and a bit out of sync."

"You are an expert on every productivity application and yet, you're still the same person who surfs each day, and hasn't even set an alarm in three years -- and you manage a very profitable company." How did he manage it all?

Khe taught his students the way he thinks about prioritization, goal-setting and managing time through his "$10,000 work" framework . The students were encouraged to apply these new frameworks in their own lives, and they did so -- with stellar results.

"I'm making better choices, faster and more confidently than ever before," wrote one alumni . "The course paid for itself within the first week, but the value keeps growing every month."

"This is much more than just a productivity class. It's about finding out what really matters to you, why it's important, and then the best way to schedule space for the things that matter," said another.

Today, Khe runs Supercharge Your Productivity in a group-based program that runs for four to six weeks, three times a year. The course costs between $1500 and $2500 and is the core of RadReads company, which makes up most of its revenue.

and Khe hosts all this on .

"It appears like you're in it for the long game."

Why did Khe make the switch?

One reason was that he loved his appearance.

"One of the aspects that instantly drew me to was the aesthetic of the design. It's so evocative of the way I want to show up. To me, it really is a way to over-index design and the user experience."

As a self-proclaimed productivity junkie, Khe also likes how easy makes it to accomplish tasks. "Other platforms are just many things going on. There is no way to know what you're looking for," he notes.

Perhaps most important, Khe appreciates how strikes a balance between being creator-centric and product-centric.

"I don't really know the ethos of the other companies," he says, but he could tell right from the beginning that it is "maker-focused". "It seems likethe company] is playing the long game. The team is bought in to win the game."

"I prefer products with features that are really well thought out. Now that I've become more attuned with the definition of an organization that is product-focused, I really appreciate the importance of being product-centric but at the same time being very customer-centric."

Are you interested in creating and selling online courses like Khe? Start for free using the 14-day trial  either by signing to our weekly demo here.

Tips for the new creatives: "Find the medium that brings you to life."

The most important advice Khe has for new creators: Choose something that you think you'll like and then stick to the project for a total of 25 weeks.

"Creators are obsessed with the things that they create," he shares. RadReads is in its 327th anniversary , and Khe is still awed by writing each week. "I still look for an essay every Saturday for the email."

If something doesn't stick over the course of twenty-five weeks might mean you don't enjoy it.

However, it could also indicate that some activities that you love are difficult to keep going for twenty consecutive weeks.

"If I were asked to make a blog about artificial intelligence, or NFTs, I would not be able to handle it. I just don't care about those things," Khe describes. "There's no financial carrot which can force me to write about NFTs for 25 straight weeks."

Khe advises you to determine where you fall on the spectrum between generalist and specialist. Contrary to popular opinion, he finds that being more of generalist has benefits. For one, it keeps things interesting.

"A majority of the big names in our business have told me, 'if you want to grow fast, specialize'. You can be the guy with X. Don't be The Notion guy. It's a no-brainer for me to pigeonhole myself that way, (A) because I realize the risk to my business when doing this however, if I was just the guy at only one thing, I'd be bored. I just won't do it. I'm not going to do it for myself."

Khe Hy has been running RadReads for the past seven years.

He's attempted coaching, classes emails, Snapchat stories, writing as well as consulting, podcasting and even been called "Oprah for Millennials." He started with the sending of an email to 36 people and has since built a team which teaches hundreds of people how to live an awesome lifestyle.

The lesson that he gives from his tale is very simple: "Find the medium that will make you feel alive."