I built a six-figure remote business and walked away from the 9 to 5 at age 46. Every Tuesday, I email a story, tip, or idea to help you climb down the corporate ladder and live life on your terms.
Here's the catch-22 that is preventing you from taking action...
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Happy Saturday! We're back and unpacked from our trip to Nova Scotia! If you missed my last email, Laura and I took her parents to the East Coast earlier this month. We flew into Halifax, rented a car, and spent eight days touring the province - four days in Cape Breton (drove the Cabot Trail) and then four days back in Halifax. The trip wasn't quite as relaxing as our last visit five years ago, as our role was more "tour guide" than tourist this time. ;) But we had a wonderful time, nonetheless. Anyhow, on to more important things. : ) Recently, I spoke to someone who desperately wants to leave their traditional job and start a lifestyle business. But as is often the case, they are struggling to get started. As we talked more, I realized that what kept this person from taking action wasn't fear, and it wasn't imposter syndrome. It was their need for clarity. They wanted to know how things would unfold before they started. Therein lies the Catch-22. When starting a business or any major venture, we often want clarity before taking action. The problem is that clarity can only come after we take action. Worse, this need for clarity can leave us feeling completely stuck. It's happened to me many times, in fact, I still deal with it. If you're sitting around waiting to figure it all out before starting, remember this... Your business plans will probably not unfold the way you think they will. I rarely see people succeed with their first business idea. Instead, they start one thing and figure out what they were meant to do through trial and error. When I started my first side hustle in 2016, I had no intention of becoming a full-time writer. But I just got started and failed at a few side hustles. I learned how to pivot and eventually figured out where I fit. So, if you're putting off starting something because you need clarity, let it go! Find something small you can do in the next week to get started—even if it's selling something on Facebook Marketplace, writing a blog post on Medium, or posting on social media. Anything that will get you moving forward. Have a wonderful weekend! - Colin |
9-5 Escape by Colin Graves
I built a six-figure remote business and walked away from the 9 to 5 at age 46. Every Tuesday, I email a story, tip, or idea to help you climb down the corporate ladder and live life on your terms.
Happy Tuesday! I'm back to my weekly schedule after taking an unplanned break for a few weeks. A few of you reached out to see what was up — thanks for checking on me! : ) All is good! I thought I'd share an update on what's been happening this summer and my plans for the fall... Ottawa trip Laura and I were in Ottawa at the end of July for a few days to see my parents and attend a "cousins" reunion. I have 34 first cousins on my Mom's side of the family, and a few of them decided to plan a...
Happy Tuesday! While doing my once-per-month scroll-through of Threads this week, I was reminded why you should never look to strangers for advice on social media. (If you're unfamiliar with Threads, it's Facebook's parent Meta's version of Twitter). As I scrolled through my feed, I came across the following "Thread": "I NEED MULTIPLE STREAMS OF INCOME. What's your best side hustle?" Over 150 replies followed their question. I scrolled through about 20 or 30, stopped, and shook my head....
Step# 2 in my "Roadmap to Escape the 9-5" is to start a side hustle or business that can eventually replace the income from your day job. However, most people struggle to come up with a side hustle idea. There are likely a few reasons for this: They're focused on the wrong thing (money) - never chase the money They lack confidence in their abilities They're afraid to start Indecisive/ can't think of a 'good' business idea Regardless of the reason, if you're struggling to find the right side...