Working a J.O.B. sucks.
And I can say that because I used to work one. A back-breaking one at that.
And now I don’t. Yay me! I’m J.O.B.less!
Does that make me a slacker? Not even.
That makes me 100% self-employed. 100% self-sustaining.
100% entrepreneur and singer of freedom and contentment. Now I don’t say that to brag, not at all. If you met me in person you’d find I’m pretty humble 99.87% of the time. But when it comes to my story, I’m pretty proud of what I’ve managed to achieve and Ms. Humble can just take a nice long hike.
But I digress.
The point is, I’ve worked a J.O.B. (many in fact) so I know where you are now. I know where you’re coming from. OK, maybe not EXACTLY where you’re coming from, but I’ve got the general vicinity nailed. It’s not fun being chained to your only source of income. And not fun doesn’t even begin to describe it really.
As I said… it sucks.
But you can wallow in all that suckiness, or you can make a decision to do something about it. That’s what I did, and any excuses you have ready to drift from your lips can just take a nice long hike along with its traveling mate Ms. Humble.
Success has no room for excuses.
Success has no room for wafflers.
Success has no room for anything other than focus, action, and commitment. Success is also a personal choice. It’s not something that just ‘happens’. Not in the real word my friend.
In the real world, people MAKE success happen. They MAKE it happen, and so can you.
Want to know how I did it?
Silly disclaimer for all you crazies who think this post is some claim to uber fame and making millions: It’s not. My success is much more modest, but resounding nonetheless. And the point is that you can create your own success story too… I’m just letting you know how I did it. 😉
OK, back to business.
As I said, in the real world, people MAKE success happen. And that is exactly what I did. Oh, and FYI- the story really isn’t all that glam either, in case you’re expecting any fireworks.
Put simply, I made success happen by writing my way to freedom.
See, back in my J.O.B. days I used to tell myself all the time that there HAD to be a better way to live my life. There HAD to be a better way to earn cash and pay my bills. There just had to be.
And I was convinced that there was a way for me to do it FROM home, despite everyone around me saying that ‘working at home’ is nothing more than scam opps and I’ll never make it work.
Guess what?! (Wave buh-bye to Ms. Humble!)
I Proved Them All Wrong.
And I did it by writing!
Initially I had been pretty much scouring the Internet in my free time, chasing after a million different ‘money-making’ ideas in a million different directions. I ‘knew’ there was a way to make money at home, online… I just didn’t know how I was going to do it yet. I was scattered and looking for that ‘quick fix’.
Only there is no quick fix.
At this point, I really had no idea that writing would be my saving grace.
Really, not a single clue.
I hadn’t written a word since high school and that was all poetry!
But then one day I happened across an Internet Marketing forum called Earn1KaDay. I joined that very day, despite the monthly cost that was a bit out of my reach at that time (curse you credit cards!) and proceeded to make a total pest of myself to everyone on that forum, including the wonderful owner Dennis Becker. He answered all of my questions and private messages with a not so saintly boatload of impatience for me and my shenanigans. But at least he answered them.
Because of that, I stuck around, read a ton, and absorbed knowledge by osmosis and by playing 20 questions with all the wonderful and helpful members there.
Then I met Mrs. Jenn Dize. Proud mama of two and Power Ghostwriter. Only I didn’t know what a ghostwriter was!
However, she was kind enough to befriend me, explain the whole concept of ghostwriting (wait… you mean I get to write for other people, and they PAY me to do it?!) and be my sort of unofficial ‘email coach’ when I first decided to finally go in that direction.
And the reason I went in that direction was because I happened to be an avid reader and felt I could write with a mild amount of competence too… so why the heck not try it? (Yes, that was my real thought process…’I read… therefore I can write. And if Jenn Dize can do it why can’t I?’)
I mean seriously… people would actually PAY me to write? I could live with that!
So that is what I did. Long story short, I went on to gain several amazing clients and projects, and eventually it all morphed into running my own blog, ghosting for clients, and learning how to do this affiliate marketing stuff… Oh and leaving that J.O.B. for good! Mustn’t leave that part out! (Dang, there goes Ms. Humble again… she likes showing her backside.)
And here’s how you can do it too. But don’t worry. Even if you’re not much of a writer, you can do these same steps with just about any ‘service’ biz you can think of. So put your thinking cap on, and figure out something you’re good at that people have a need for. Capisce?
Your Roadmap:
- Make the decision you’re going to do it. Whatever it is. If you’re going to write for other people, make the decision. If you’re going to write for yourself… make the decision. Maybe you’re good at graphic design… or you want to offer some sort of VA service. Maybe you’re good at consulting on a particular topic. Who knows? Figure it out, and make the decision.
- Set up a website to showcase your services, skills, and talents. It doesn’t have to be super fancy, but it should look professional and functional and do its job effectively. And by its job I mean selling you and what you have to offer to potential clients. Oh and please go with self-hosted. Free blogging platforms are great… but you’re screwed if they ever pull the rug out. So be smart and just buy your own domain and hosting.
- Begin marketing. There are literally tons of ways to market a business, but the ones that I used very effectively when I initially began were- forum marketing, networking events and social media platforms. The reason these worked well for me, is because they are all avenues to build relationships with people. And through those relationships morphed wonderful business opportunities that allowed me to achieve entrepreneurial success and allowed me to leave that hated J.O.B. for good. So there. Market… but build relationships.
- Diversify. Tip the egg basket. Toss all those eggs in other baskets immediately! Do NOT count on one stream of revenue ever again. Always work toward creating multiple streams of income that bring you money on a regular basis. That way when it rains, you can just pop out the umbrella and sit it out. Bills still paid, table still laid, your success still made. (Told you I was a poet.)
- Leverage yourself and your time. Make things work for you, not against you. Don’t get bogged down in minutiae or focus on things that have no impact on your final destination and your cash flow. Learn to outsource what you suck at and broadcast what you excel at.
- And if you find something that works phenomenally well? Lather, rinse, repeat as necessary. All good business strategies are built on systems, duplication, and a willingness to ‘get it done’. And maybe a bit of creative thought here and there.
Does that roadmap seem short? Too easy? That’s because I’d have to write a book to really tell the whole story. But those are the basic guidelines I followed, and that you can follow too to achieve your own success story. And remember success isn’t just about creating fame or fortune, although that’s always fun.
Entrepreneurial success is about creating personal and financial freedom and a life that works for YOU. Not a life that works for the rest of the world.
And it all starts with choice. So what’s yours?
Warm regards,
AKA k0zm0zs0ul