A lot of people don't - and shouldn't - dive right into the whole "work for yourself" thing.
Because it is risky. And there are no guarantees. And that means it's scary.
And I'm not just saying that because I think it sounds good. I'm saying it because I did it.
However, I'm not saying you have to do it. I'm not even saying you should want to do it. And I'm definitely not saying that everyone in a 9-5 job is a "wantrepreneur" who's just holding back...
What I'm saying is that you need to do more than just work your 9-5 job. I can go into all sorts of esoteric reasons why, like:
- you were meant for more
- your cubicle is a prison locking up great ideas
- you deserve the freedom of being your own boss
- you're spending your day making someone else rich
... and so on. But that's another article for another day. Maybe when I'm feeling a bit more touchy-feely.
I know there's a lot of people out there who want to do more than their 9-5 - they want to launch an app, start doing some consulting work, build a tech company, or something else entirely... but do you know what the biggest objection is when people tell me about starting a business on the side?
"I don't have enough time to dedicate to it right now."
Not enough time? They don't have 1 hour a week? Everybody has a spare hour a week. But people would rather be all or nothing, apparently.
I have some breaking news: a day contains 24 hours - for everyone. Successful people, millionaires, CEOs... they don't get any extra time in their day. They just prioritize the time they have better than almost everyone else.
If you're reading that, and you're rolling your eyes, or you're finding some excuse, then you're not ready to start your business yet. And maybe that's because you have you 9-5, and it's safe and secure, and you'll "find some time" eventually, so what's the rush?
Let me shock some urgency into your system:
Your job isn't safe at all.
Because here's the truth: you can be fired.
And you could be fired at any time.
If you need some more convincing, then just think about the people you know who have been laid off. Or think about anyone you know that's had their salary or bonuses cut back because of "hard times". Or what about the people that have been through having their entire department, or division, or company shut down?
It happens. That's a reality. And it happens more than you think.
So I was forced to take the leap from a full time job to being a full time entrepreneur.
When this happened, I had a wife, an infant son, car payments, a mortgage, and a bunch of other expenses. But what I also had were a few "side hustles". Without them, I would've been - to use the technical term - fucked.
I would've had absolutely no money coming in with bills to pay and mouths to feed.
Now... what would happen if that happened to you? Do you have any "side hustles" to supplement your income and save your family, should the worst happen?
If you don't... then maybe you'll be fucked. Like I was so close to being.
If that's not the motivation you need to start a "side hustle", I don't know what is.
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