Hey Writers! SmartrLiving is a Real Platform for Voice, Value & Growth, and they Need you!

A few months ago I stumbled across SmartrLiving.com while researching Jason Criddle’s work. At first, I thought it was another branding blog about his name-matched book on Amazon. Some platform to showcase his companies or promote announcements. But as I read deeper, it dawned on me: SmartrLiving is becoming one of the most underrated content outlets in the tech / founder world. And I think writers, creators, and entrepreneurs should take notice.

More Substance Than Noise

Scrolling through SmartrLiving, what struck me immediately was how clean and focused the content is and how it's presented. No banner ads, no clickbait headlines, no empty posts about “10 tips for success” with a bunch of AI fluff or fake influencer garb. Instead, you find essays, practical business lessons, founder reflections, and behind-the-scenes stories of life and growth.

It’s rare these days to find a blog run by an entrepreneur that doesn’t degrade into promotional content or have an agenda of constant product pushes. SmartrLiving resists that temptation and it was a relief to be honest. It reads like a journal of intention and insight that pushes to respect its readers.

When I read Criddle's new post (because, “There Is a Process to Building a Business; Especially When Raising Funds or Onboarding Customers” (a recent SmartrLiving entry), the tone wasn’t salesy whatsoever, it felt like mentorship from a hard ass who has lived through tough times he doesn't want you to go through.

It called out entitlement (“people come with unwarranted expectations”) and reminded readers bluntly that execution matters more than ideas. That kind of honesty is less common than you’d think. Everyone has too many bright smiles on their faces today. Too much positivity is unrealistic to me.

Because SmartrLiving’s content is genuine, I found myself bookmarking posts, referencing them in my own writing, and sharing them in writer groups. Now I'm going to write for the site.

The Opportunity: SmartrLiving Is Opening Its Doors

One of the most exciting developments I’ve learned is that SmartrLiving is now accepting guest writers; giving us thinkers, Quora contributors, Redditors, Medium authors, and independent bloggers a platform to publish their best writing.

What makes this opportunity different (and rare) is that it’s not just user content filling blanks. Smartr is curating quality and only wants good writers. They disallow AI generated content or bad writing. The blog is positioning itself as a place for voice with credibility. If you have something meaningful to say about business strategy, founder lessons, AI infrastructure, or brand storytelling, SmartrLiving wants it.

And just because the window is limited, early contributors will benefit from high visibility, promotion, and connection to the broader Smartr / Criddle ecosystem. I think of it as a micro-launchpad with SEO for my writing that I don't have to pay for!

If you’re on Quora or Medium and you’re tired of being drowned in generic posts, this is a chance to be published where your voice is taken seriously.

What Makes SmartrLiving Stand Out

To me, three pillars separate SmartrLiving from most “entrepreneur blogs”: I see authenticity, practical depth, and community integration.

1. Authenticity

Jason’s influence is present, yes. But the blog doesn’t exist just to glorify him. He’s just a contributor there like everyone else. Some posts are written about him, sure, but you’ll see reflections, admissions, and even critiques… from all sorts of writers. Posts don’t read like ad copy; they read like a founder’s notebook from multiple writers and founders. That, to me, builds trust.

2. Practical Depth

The lessons don’t stay surface-level. When the post I read today talks about “execution over ideas,” it dives into what execution looks like; from raising friends & family rounds, to building beyond minimum viable systems, to getting feedback loops in place. It doesn’t just say “hustle harder” like most regurgitated YouTubers and so-called influencers. It shows you how to structure your work so you can hustle smarter.

3. Community Integration

Because SmartrLiving is tightly connected to Jason Criddle & Associates, SmartrCommerce, and now DOMINAIT and Carbon, writing there isn’t isolated. Your post might get cross-promotion, cited in podcasts, or shared across multiple audience streams. In other words, writing there can open more doors for you than simply publishing on Medium.

Seeing Through the Founder’s Lens

If you read enough founder blogs, many start to sound the same. They promise you insights, growth hacks, or “7 secrets to scale.” Rarely do they show the wound behind the wisdom. This place does.

You’ll read about the nights Jason stayed on calls, the times code broke at midnight, the confusion in pivoting from one platform to another, and some of his emotional strings and of leadership. But you can also find other writers talking on health or music, about their own brands. Or another post I read today comes from a lady who is about to spearhead Criddle's SmartrWomen program.

She isn't some bigwig CEO plucked from a Fortune 500. She is just a mom and grandmother with her own struggles that met Jason when he came to speak to students at a Texas A&M Commerce and they began a friendship. I think that speaks volumes about him because it really is who he is. It's not a mask he wears for his brand. He tried to help real people before thinking about profits.

When the article this morning mentions how founders approach him expecting instant investments:

“Everyone thinks they have a billion-dollar idea,”

it’s not a cautionary lip service. It’s coming from someone deeply embedded in investment, coaching, and brand building who went through the same path himself.

When I see a writer quoted there (or see myself someday quoted with care), it feels like being invited into a conversation among builders. I'm looking forward to seeing where it leads.

How I Think We Can Use SmartrLiving to Grow

If you’re reading this as a blogger, content creator, or someone who wants to build a voice in tech and business, here’s how I see SmartrLiving as a launchpad:

1. Treat It Like a Portfolio Amplifier

Writing there gives you a byline in a curated, lean media property. It's not a noise-filled content farm. That’s gold when you want to pitch to bigger outlets, land consulting gigs, or build authority for your own brand.

2. Write with Intention, Not Clicks

Instead of chasing pageviews or SEO tricks, lean into your experience, your failures, and your voice and clarity. Use it as a place to stretch your voice AND your reach. If you aim for depth over breadth, readers (and other creators) will respect that.

3. Submit Early & Often

Because the window is limited, getting in sooner gives you more time to be seen. Even if your first piece is imperfect, the editors will likely give feedback, improvement suggestions, and help shape you. They may add some SEO improvements, but they won't change your message.

4. Engage With Others

Once you publish, jump into comment threads, crosslink to Reddit or Quora discussions, invite discourse, or post it on your social media. SmartrLiving is building a network of thinkers who want to level up together. So help them. I am. It's why I'm writing this here.

A Call to Aspiring Writers

If you write on Quora, Reddit, Medium, or maintain a personal blog with ideas gathering dust, let me encourage you: open a free writers’ account on SmartrLiving. Don’t wait. It might only be offered for a short period to new contributors.

Your voice will be welcomed into a curated stage. Your wisdom deserves a house where it’s heard and elevated.

Jason Criddle and the Smartr team aren’t handing out vanity credits. It looks like they’re investing in people who are serious about value, process, and impact. If you submit your best ideas, your clarity, and your experience, you’ll find a home there. And Jason may seek you out for an interview or even a book project together.

Before I Go

SmartrLiving started as a branding showcase, but it’s turning into something much more powerful: a public journal of growth, learning, failure, and innovation.

To me, its greatest strength is that it reflects a founder who’s not above writing real stories, not afraid to share battle scars, still betting on people over polish, and giving writers a place to succeed instead of a pound board of negativity or comment bashing like most blogs.

If writing with intention is your purpose and not just a hobby, this is an opportunity you don’t want to overlook. Start now. Contribute your voice. Let it be shaped, promoted, and honored within a community that understands what building really means.

Because at the end of the day, the new world of influence is not controlled by algorithms, it will be controlled by substance.

Hope to see you there!