If you’re like me, you can’t sit still for more than a few minutes at a time without changing thought processes.
I actually timed myself while watching an educational video and the results were embarrassing.
It has been proven again and again that when you break concentration, it takes X amount of time to get back into your original thought process. X being anywhere from 3-30 minutes! So if you concentrate for 10 minutes, surf the internet/do emails/research for 20, you are only getting 20 minutes of actual work done per hour! Since I’m my own example, I’m thinking that most of you can’t stay focused for 10 minutes at a time either.
So why are we letting this happen?
I think it has to do with the reward center in our brain being stimulated every time we look at something pleasurable online. For many of us, it would seem, we are stimulated when we are Friend Requested (ego!), Tagged in a photo (who doesn’t -on some level- like looking at themselves?) or read a funny article. And then there’s the additional distractions of TV and trashy novels.
So what can we do about it?
I am training my brain’s pleasure center to enjoy being offline. I use a Chrome extension called Concentrate to physically lock me out of the internet.
I leave my smartphone in another room…sometimes. I fail often.
A good friend of mine leaves his computer at his job for the weekend. He doesn’t own a smartphone. His brain works really well.
Brain Running Well should be a better reward for all of us than online surfing!
Ric Dragon is the CEO and co-founder of DragonSearch. He formally owned several other tech companies including web and application development company Oxclove Workshop, which was acquired by 33Delivered. Ric is also a regular guest columnist for Marketing Land, Social Media Monthly, Successful-Blog.com, and several other industry publications. His most recent book, Social Marketology, was published by McGraw-Hill in June 2012.
Ric is also an exhibiting artist, having shown in numerous group and solo exhibitions throughout the US. He formerly taught figure drawing and lithography at the Woodstock School of Art. He is also a jazz percussionist, and can often be heard in various groups in the Hudson Valley.
What did you do for work in your last position as an employee and when was that?
I’ve been an employee of my own endeavors for over 25 years. Of course, in doing that, I had clients. I suppose my last role directly working for someone was prior to my starting the web and application development firm Oxclove Workshop. I oversaw the restoration of a historic house that has been in the same family for 200 years. The project went on for over four years, and covered everything from being the general contractor to curating letters from Mark Twain.
Why did you stop working for other people? There is little in my background that made me suitable for working for others. I dropped out of high school to run off to be an artist. After a stint in the Air Force I made my way to art school, and then from there, moved to an old abandoned house in the Catskills. I was very dedicated to making paintings, but in order to put food on the table, I still had to do quite a few different things to make a living. In the Catskills during the 80’s that generally meant becoming a tradesman in the construction industry. But I also taught art at a local art school, and for a brief period, ran the local youth center.
During all that time, I was still getting my paintings out there, and it was after hanging a show in New York City that I strolled into a “Nobody Beats the Wiz” store. This was at the beginning of the PC craze, and I was curious. Back then, the Wiz was known for giving just about anyone credit, and so it happened that I left the store with a box containing an IBM ThinkPad.
That computer just happened to have been loaded with Microsoft Access, which of course I knew nothing about. But during the following winter, I started playing with it – using it as a curb to the cabin fever and my lack of television or radio. I haven’t mentioned yet that I tend to be a bit obsessive in my learning – so I ended up creating a database application for artists.
The skills I learned in creating that application were parlayed into the skills needed later to develop websites. Later, when a graphic designer friend of mine asked me to program a site for a client, I simply said “yes,” and figured it out. And that was the beginning of my web development company.
Do you do more than one different thing to make ends meet? Tell us about them.
I’m happy to report that at this time, my own company provides me with a salary. Now, at that company, I wear a lot of different hats. Most of those hats, though, are about me learning, then sharing my knowledge with others. In other words, I’ve been able to create a job that is suited to my own passions. Right now, I spend a few hours a day writing, and the rest in working with people within the firm. I then run about the world giving talks and presentations on digital marketing.
How much money did you have saved up before you went on your own?
Absolutely none. I did, however, have some wonderful credit cards with ridiculous credit limits with equally absurd interest rates. Those enabled a lot of my early growth.
Do you think you make better money working for yourself? And then, does it really matter?
The more appropriate question for me is if I made more money as a solo self-employed person versus having a company that I’ve created – and the answer is no. I made more money solo than I ever have. The difference is, I hope, that I’ve also been creating the equity of an organization around me. I’m also able to do more creative work now that I’m not personally tied to billable work.
When you stopped working for other people how did that feel?
For me, it was about going from being the person chained to the desk doing the work, to finally hiring employee number one. That was a glorious moment. And as the company grew, I’d go to the window and count the cars in the parking lot. That was my main metric for success at that time!
Do you consider yourself financially stable or not?
Stable, yes – but I still have new financial challenges. In two years, my son will be entering college, which will require some creative finance. I’ve also failed to build up any later-in-life nest egg. Just about all of my equity is tied up in the business.
Do you have health insurance and if so, who pays for it?
I do – and I pay for it. It comes out of my paycheck before I see it, so it just happens. I don’t really think about it too much because of that.
How specifically do you look for new work?
So, again, my circumstances may be a bit different than someone who is self-employed and still a “solopreneur.” I have built up a fairly sizeable business. But I will talk about this – as I think it’s relevant. A few years back I started white-boarding out where my clients and income originated. At that time, a majority of my business could be traced back in a six-degrees-of-separation fashion to my original contacts. Since then, I find that a preponderance of new business originates with relationships formed on social media. It doesn’t mean that someone on Twitter goes “hey, can you do some digital marketing for me?” Instead, I meet people there, then later, meet those same people in real life. I have a strong belief in sharing knowledge – in “paying it forward,” and never promoting myself or company. The fundamental thread in this is that your connections – your social network – are critical. You need to do everything possible to make that network as wide as you can.
Do others always tell you to get a “real” job?
Over the years I might have heard that once or twice, but I think it might have been limited to my mother-in-law. After all, being in a rural area, it’s just amazing that someone is employed at all.
Do you continually need to explain why you’re doing what you do? Do people around you tell you that they wish they could do it too?
No, I think I’m past that point and have proven myself. But I do hear people moan and groan about their fears of taking chances, and I’m sorry, it’s bunk. If a high school dropout artist in the Catskills can create a company, you can too. Mind you, there were times that I financed my company by holding onto paychecks, and working absurdly long hours.
Maybe I didn’t have to work those hours – yet, I’m here.
How important do you think finding your passion is?
It’s ABSOLUTELY CRITICAL! Really? It’s only when you’re passionate that you really put yourself into things – and it’s only then that you create real value. But the case for passion isn’t black and white. You might find the passion in what you do, or do what you are passionate about. It can go both ways. During my early days, I worked briefly in a factory that made Styrofoam blocks. One of my co-workers, a golden-gloves lightweight boxer, when about moving Styrofoam blocks around the warehouse with the biggest smile on his face – all the time. One day I asked him how it could be that he was so happy doing this mindless physical work, and he replied, “I’m getting paid to work out.”
Sometimes, we have multiple passions in life. I’m a painter. I’m a drummer. And I’m a writer. At my company, I’m able to do a lot of the writing, but none of the painting and drumming. I’m not at all sure how to work this out – but I’m not about to go around with a long face. I just need to develop more discipline around my own time.
Are you happy in your work life or do you wish you could change things?
I’ve been so fortunate to get to meet the people I’ve met, and to do the work I do, and have good cause to wake up every day feeling gratitude. I have a vision for having an even more integrated life (painting more) – and feel like I’m on my way. I’m not always happy, but always feel deeply contented. And I’ll take contentment over happiness any day.
In addition to her private practice, Jennifer Musselman, MA, MFTI, is the Director of Conscious Recovery at the CLARE Foundation in California.
This article is reprinted with permission by Jennifer Musselman and first appeared in Forbes on 1/7/2013.
I was a West-Coast Carrie Bradshaw … sans Mr. Big.
She made ends meet using Sunday newspaper coupons, public assistance and homemade mac-and-state-issued-cheese.
Fast forward a couple of decades, and there I was, living in California and working an executive-level communications and PR job at Nickelodeon, where I’d been for nearly 15 years. I had the financial security that came with my position, including a sizable company pension, a 401(k) plan and a small money market account. I carried my mortgage on a condo as confidently as I carried my Balenciaga bag. I was a single woman in her late 30′s, and on the whole, things were good. As a senior director of corporate communications, I spent the bulk of my time in the office–and the rest running from studios to offices to sets.
But my passion for the job was waning.
I wasn’t miserable, per se, but I wasn’t feeling it anymore. And I was watching the company conduct rounds of layoffs during the recession.
I’d always vowed that money wouldn’t dictate my happiness, but I was used to stability. Changing career paths would likely mean a pay cut. Without a partner or family to support me–not to mention my credit card debt and bills–I was afraid to abandon my executive life. Kind of like how people are afraid to abandon a relationship even when it’s no longer working.
The easy thing would have been to set my sights on a similar job in the same field, but I wanted to try something new.
Plotting My Great Escape
While still working my corporate job, I started taking classes at a local college to see where my interests lay–and if I could be a student again after being out of school for 15 years. I always loved psychology, so two semesters later, I plunged head-first into a graduate program in clinical psychology at night, while working full-time.
The days were long, and I was tired, but I felt alive again!
At work, layoffs were still happening, and I knew that I could be next. I decided if that happened, I’d commit myself to school full-time. I was actually excited at the possibility! Although my emergency fund would cover me for a few months, I hoped that I’d get a severance package to help with my transition into student-hood.
When I entered my boss’s office one summer morning in 2010, I was surprised with the very walking papers that I’d been expecting.Only, instead of celebrating, I panicked! You know that feeling when you’re going to break up with someone, but they beat you to it? It was like that–I was prepared, but scared nonetheless.
There I was, free from corporate shackles, but not free from my living expenses, graduate school tuition, credit card debt and a home mortgage. Most of my money was in long-term investments and untouchable without paying severe penalties. At least I had gotten the severance package I hoped for–a safety net to recreate my life.
So I leapt into survival mode, becoming a full-time graduate student at 37 years old.
With the assistance of loans, I tackled four classes a semester, so I could complete my degree only a few months after my severance ended. Simultaneously, I pursued PR consulting opportunities to supplement my severance pay and nominal unemployment income. I cut back on luxuries–eating out, manicures and pedicures–and conserved gas whenever possible.
Was I Turning Into My Mother?
I’d like to think of myself as an empowered woman, but when I lost my job, my early childhood experiences with poverty triggered a momentary damsel-in-distress moment. I found myself secretly wishing for my own Prince Charming to rescue me.
My stomach churned at the notion that I believed in the same fairytale as my mother once did, but I couldn’t help it.
Meanwhile, some family members advised me to abandon California for a safer, more affordable life in the Midwest with them. I wasn’t opposed to moving to another city if the right opportunity presented itself, but my gut said to stay in California. If I were to move, I wanted it to be for a reason–not to run away.
As far as I was concerned, I had no other choice.
Closing One Door Opens Another (or Two)
A decade earlier, I’d inquired about teaching public relations at the University of Southern California, but the timing hadn’t been right. Now, with 15 years of high-profile PR experience, the timing was right. So I began teaching at USC and Pepperdine, while I was still in grad school.
Two months before I received my degree, the non-profit agency where I was training as a psychotherapist offered me a job overseeing their new outpatient and residential drug treatment facilities. It’s an amazing organization called Conscious Recovery, which is run by the CLARE Foundation in Santa Monica, California.
The position perfectly married both my careers in strategic communications and psychotherapy. People don’t realize how closely related psychology and public relations are–many PR campaigns are rooted in the principles of social psychology.
It’s proving to be a fun, enterprising experience–one that corporate America never afforded me. I am now changing the world for the better!
There was only one thing left for me to achieve: open a private therapy practice of my own.
The Keys to My Very Own Career Castle
While working at the non-profit agency by day, I searched for an office and networked at night. In the psych world, things are a little different than in the business world: “Trainees” are people who do unpaid work during their last year of school, and “interns” are certified therapists who must amass around 3,000 paid hours (that number varies by state) to become autonomous, fully licensed therapists. So the position that I was searching for was technically an internship.
A little under two years after leaving my PR gig, all of my hard work paid off: I was accepted at a practice that will help me earn my hours working with clients. Jennifer Musselman, M.A., MFTI, proudly hangs above the door of my very own office in Brentwood,Los Angeles.
Today, I am an adjunct professor who oversees the development of a rehab facility–while nearing my goal of becoming a fully licensed psychotherapist.
In other words, I’m a world away from my corporate job. Now, more than ever, I trust myself and my capabilities. I’ve also learned that when the going gets tough, I get tougher.
Tackling this challenge at nearly 40 years old was both the most frightening thing I’d ever faced and the most empowering because I did it all on my own! The leap of faith to invest in both my financial future and my personal happiness has made me a stronger, more fulfilled person.
Thank you to Jennifer Musselman for allowing me to reprint this article.
You can read more about her at http://www.jennifermusselman.com/
Steve Hoefer is an inventor, writer, and design engineer. For nearly twenty years he’s worked as a freelance problem solver, doing 3D animation and visualization, designing video games, and prototyping new products. His inventions – which include a secret knock detecting door lock and a force-feedback distance-sensing glove – have been featured internationally on TV and in technology and design magazines.
More recently he’s been active in the burgeoning Maker Movement, writing for Make magazine, running workshops at various Hacker/Makerspaces, and regularly sharing how-tos on his blog.
When did you start working for yourself?
My senior year of high school I really wanted to be a fiction writer. I started sending out sending out manuscripts and did have some encouraging success, including a radioplay. It quickly became clear that even a very successful fiction writer has trouble paying the bills. Fortunately I also had a passion for technology and even though I would still try to sell fiction from time to time, my programming and design skills were much more in demand.
Somewhat ironically, 20 years later I’m now getting paid more than ever to write, non-fiction this time, so you never know what skills will be useful.
What did you do for work when you were an employee?
At the beginning of 1996 a friend called from San Francisco. He’d moved there about 6-months earlier and was building some of the first corporate web sites. He convinced me to move out there and give it a shot. At the time there were no courses in web design, but at the same time it wasn’t a terribly deep subject, so I spent my spare time learning the basics of web programming, Photoshop, and design. I threw together a portfolio of web sites for fictional products and companies, and before long got a job offer from a tiny start-up with big dreams. As one of only four employees I was the senior programmer, junior designer, secretary, janitor, security, etc, etc. The company folded within a year, and that was my first and last professional job.
Why did you stop working for other people?
I don’t think I ever wanted to work for others. I was raised on a family farm, which is a pretty high-stakes small business. There is huge capital investment and even everything goes well you only get paid once or twice a year. You can’t control the weather, but you’re responsible for everything else. When things needed to be done you did them. If you didn’t know how, you figured it out. That’s the kind of environment that formed my idea of what “work” was: Lots of effort paired with lots of personal responsibility.
When I got into the professional world I found there was a lot of labor but it wasn’t correlated with responsibility or reward, at least not for a college drop-out who was working in the exciting new field of the World Wide Web. Despite being one of 4 employees at the company I had no say in how it was run. Taking the initiative was discouraged and while blame was readily passed down to me, credit rarely was. When I worked as a freelancer, most of these things disappeared. My opinions were immediately much more valuable. If I did more work I got more pay. When I did good work I got the credit, and I was rarely blamed for things that weren’t my fault. If a client was deeply unpleasant to work with, I had the option of getting rid of them.
And I like to sleep in. That’s not a joke, it’s a pretty significant motivator. If I don’t sleep well my work and social life suffers. Arranging my life so I don’t have to wake up with an alarm more than a few times a year has made a huge improvement in my quality of life. If I get less than a solid 8 hours sleep it’s because I’m so excited about something that I can’t sleep.
What does your company do?
It’s a pretty diverse stew at the moment. Right now I do device design, hardware prototyping, software design. I also produce how-to articles and videos for various people.
A growing focus is moving from DBA to a full-fledged company that will directly produce and sell some of my inventions and creative projects. I hope to launch sometime in 2013.
Steve: The company I was working for essentially closed, leaving me without a job. The owner of the company held on to one paying client, so I was brought back as a freelancer (at a much higher rate) to take care of them. And I had seen the writing on the wall much earlier and had been soliciting freelance work before then. At that time web design companies were pretty dynamic, lots of people moving between jobs. Knowing several people at a few companies turned into knowing people at lots of different companies, which fed me a lot of work for a number of years. Even now, 16 years later, I can trace the lineage of a few clients back to people I met at that time.
Do you make more or less money than when you were an employee? And…do you care either way?
It depends. When things are good I live pretty well. A good, long-term project let me live, for the most part in Tokyo and Taipei for a couple of years. When things are not as good, it’s amazing how little you can live on. If I’m doing work that I’m excited about then I care less about the money.
In my experience, if you’re getting paid what you’re worth as a freelancer and you have steady work, you get paid much more than a comparable salaried employee, even accounting for the extra taxes and expenses.
When you stopped working for other people describe how you felt.
Although I didn’t work for others very long, it was still a huge relief. The company I was working for was a stress nightmare full of blame and desperation as it slid to insolvency.
It’s hard to compare that office experience to the first morning that I could sleep as long as I wanted then commute a few steps from my bed to my computer.
That’s not to say there aren’t scary times. There are certainly the “Oh shit, I’ll never work again!” thoughts. There are brief moments where I wish for the stability of a reliable paycheck and having someone else make the decisions for a change. But I look at what I’d have to give up for that to happen and the feelings fade pretty quickly.
Do you love what you do or do you just love working for yourself?
Both. Since I sent those first manuscripts out when I was 16, my freelance career has evolved to chase the things I love doing and the people I love working with. Not all my work is naturally inspiring, but taking pride in a craft and doing a good job for an appreciative client is a satisfying reward.
Do you consider yourself financially stable or not?
Not right now, but it comes and goes. My income can be incredibly variable. A month can bring in 5-figures of income or none at all.
Good clients can make all the difference, and retainer agreements are well worth seeking out. For a few years I had a regular client who couldn’t afford to pay more but wanted to do what she could to keep me happy. She ended up essentially putting me on payroll, which meant both a stable paycheck and taking care of a large part of my taxes. I was happy to exchange that for a small cut in pay.
Do you have health insurance and if so, who pays for it?
I have high deductible but comprehensive coverage that I pay out of my own pocket. It’s essentially emergency coverage and costs $110 a month. I have a savings account that I use for regular doctor and dental, though the amount in it fluctuates, usually less than it should be.
Years ago I was without insurance and had to have a kidney stone removed. All told it cost around $20K, and that’s just for diagnosis and an out-patient procedure. Even though I was making good money at the time it was still a real burden. I’m a healthy guy, but having some kind of safety net, even a high-deductible plan, is important. Through no fault of your own one accident can pretty much destroy you financially regardless of how much money you’re making.
How do you look for new business? If you are lucky enough to subsist on word of mouth, please give some advice to those who have not yet reached that!
I don’t actively look for work from new clients much at the moment. It’s good to occasionally ping existing clients to keep on their radar. Don’t just hit them up for work, try to personalize it as much as possible. Swing by their office in person if it’s reasonable. People rarely complain if you bring food or drink for the office. If I have to do it electronically I try to make it interesting, an invitation to an industry event, a notice of some research that’s in their line of work, etc. And make sure they know it’s coming to them personally, not a mailing list.
Don’t be afraid to share and talk about your work. I share the best of my independent projects on my blog. It’s not only a constantly updated portfolio but shows people how you communicate and what your strengths are.
Having a circle of references and regular clients is the sweet-spot for a freelancer. But you don’t get there easily or overnight. Having a good reputation is the most important thing for a freelancer. That means you meet your deadlines and are pleasant to work with. Those two simple things can often up for a lack of talent, and people will be happy to refer you to others. You don’t need to have the best technical skills in your field but you need to be reliable. Apply the Scotty Principle heavily with clients. (Under promise, Over deliver) Don’t be afraid to take blame.
Most everyone hates networking but go out and find your boundaries and the things you’re more comfortable doing. Forcing yourself to do the kinds of networking you hate is usually a waste of time. Find out how your industry networks because different industries network differently. For me Twitter, Google Plus, and Maker Faires have been the best ways to connect with people (I think that’s now we first met, Sophi!). Get to know as many people as possible at your client companies, at all levels. Most businesses look for internal recommendations before they submit jobs externally, so even the guy who answers the phone can get you work. And when people change jobs they’ll often bring your reference with them to the new company.
Don’t be afraid to cold-call (or email) that dream company you’d like to work for. Realistically you won’t get many hits, but sometimes your stars will align and you’ll be the right person at the right place.
Do you get emotional support for what you’re doing, or are people dismissive, asking when you’ll get a “real job”?
Fortunately, after so many years, people have generally stopped asking when I’m going to get a “real” job. One comment I still have a hard time dealing with is along the lines of “You’re so lucky!” It really sets my teeth on edge, as if I didn’t get here through hard work and conscious decisions.
Do people around you tell you that they wish they could do it too?
The other comment I still have trouble with is “I wish I could do that.” I’ve decided that’s because often it comes from a place of jealousy, not honest ambition. I reply “You can do it! It does take courage and work, but if you want it, you can have it. Let me help you!”. The response to that is often a long list of excuses, most of which are merely that – excuses. Of course sometimes the interest is genuine, as is my offer of help, so I try not to be jaded about it, but it takes some effort to separate the two.
It’s incredibly valuable to have someone to talk to who understands what it’s like working for yourself. Fortunately I have a good friend who started out on his own about the same time as I did. Talking with someone who understands what your life is like and who you can confide in and celebrate with is a life saver. Especially on a Tuesday afternoon when everyone else is at work. It can be difficult to hang out with the 9 to 5 crowd because the stuff they talk about about (office politics, etc) rarely resonates with someone who works for themselves.
Are you happy in your work life or do you wish you could change things?
Even on the worst day I’m happier than I would be if I was working at a salaried, 9 to 5 job.
This is Robin. He is 29 years old and after leaving his job in banking several years ago, began working on two start-ups in the hope that one would take off. While launching these companies, he spent the first year sleeping on families’ couch in NYC, paying in kind rent via chores/dog walking, and watching his bank account dwindle. After a lot of hustle, up’s, downs, twists, turns, and good luck, both companies have launched successfully — he is now COO of BlueStamp Engineering (summer engineering program for HS students) and CEO of Alzeca Bio (Alzheimer’s diagnostic technologies).
What kind of work did you do prior to launching your two start-ups?
Banking, Venture Capital, a start-up that kinda worked, and a start-up that died a slow death.
How long ago did you leave?
December 2009
What pushed you to stop working for other people?
I’ve been blessed to have great bosses all the way through — they were ambitious, hard working, passionate, and caring people. I have great respect and admiration for them.
However, I wanted to work on the things that I was truly passionate about. I have always believed that if I worked on things I enjoyed, then I would be good at them. And if I was good at something, success and fulfillment were inevitable.
Can you tell us about your two companies?
Along with one of my closest friends, I operate a summer engineering program, BlueStamp Engineering, during the summer.
Sophi’s note: I visited Blue Stamp Engineering in NYC this past summer. The students choose a project and spend the session finishing it. I was blown away by the types of projects these students were doing- Geiger counters, wireless communication, coding, electronics.
Robin: The second company and where the majority of my time is spent is Alzeca Bio, where we are developing novel diagnostic technologies for the early detection of Alzheimer’s Disease. About 2-3 times/year I go to DC and sit on review panels for the government, where we decide which companies should received grant money from the government’s SBIR program.
What was your first business?
When I was 7 years old, my sister had a paper route. It was a unique partnership: The work was split 50/50 but somehow her revenue piece was 4x mine. She said that my real earnings were immeasurable because she was forgiving the normal fee for hanging out with her. I went home and told my mom I was planning to file for divorce from my sister. I thought this was quite the ingenious plan…until my sister signed with no hesitation and deducted the legal fees from my next month’s wages.
However, there was a deeper lesson here that I was learning and has become even more true today. I believe that work as an entrepreneur follows a bell curve. In the beginning, where you are most likely to give up/fail, You put in so much work and get so few results – this is when most people quit and say things like “it just didn’t work”.
However, I believe that real entrepreneurs embrace this period differently — they take the feedback and they fine tune, they push through. I am not deeply spiritual, but I do believe you have to show the world you are willing to fight for your idea. I think about it this way: If I’m working on something that will improve education, health, or whatever field, then why wouldn’t the world want me to be successful?
Somewhere in the middle of the bell curve, it seems that effort begins to equal results. Finally, towards the end, it seems you put in much less (or perhaps are just more efficient), but the results seem to outweigh the effort.
Sophi: Yes, the beginning part can take much longer than you have the resources to keep going. It’s pretty important to wean yourself off of sushi lunches and similar before you get started.
Robin: Similarly, as an employee in my sister’s paper route business, I was gaining experience. 3 years later we moved to a new neighborhood and I got wind that the neighborhood needed a new paperboy/girl. One day after school, a herd of ten year-olds ran over to the departing paper boy’s house (apparently he was moving up to a bigger neighborhood) and stood in a line while the regional newspaper delivery director walked up and down trying to figure out how to tactfully break the hearts of all but one of us.
Recognizing this, I stepped forward and said, “Excuse me, I have experience”. “What do you mean?”, the director said. “Well, in my old neighborhood, I was an assistant paper boy to my sister”. And the job was mine!
I was 10 years old and I had my paper route! By the time I was 11, I had leveraged my paper route customers into lawnmowing customers during the summer, and shoveled their driveways during the winter. I was aware that I was earning money but quite frankly my only metric of success was that one driveway shoveled = 33% of a Sega game.
By the time I was 16, I quit the paperboy/lawnmowing/snowshoveling business to sell high end cutlery. I will tell you that convincing people to let you into their house to sell them overpriced cutlery is a lot easier when you’ve already pulled their weeds 😉
How much money did you have saved up before you went on your own?
$30K, but it felt more like $3K.
Do you make more or less money do you make than you did as an employee?
A little more now.
When you stopped working for other people, describe how you felt.
I constantly had dreams of my old workplace…like I was still there and earning money. It’s amazing how much you take for granted…the $4 lattes, buying a round of drinks for your friends, feeling guilty every time you spend money on something that isn’t a necessity.
I remember trying to answer people when they asked what I did. I couldn’t really explain it. I thought people thought I was a total loser. Perhaps they did, but I made it so much worse on myself than I had to.
In my mind I kept thinking of my old work as the “good ol’ times” even though it wasn’t. When you’re at work, you often think about how much you hate it, but then when you’re not there, you simply miss the dignity that comes with having work. There’s an amazing emptiness when you think about how your friends are at work, earning a good salary, and you are left to an empty apartment, sitting there in your sweat pants trying to make some dream happen. It’s so easy to psyche yourself out, to get depressed, to fall into a lull. I noticed my voice was lacking confidence and volume…I just didn’t feel like a worthwhile person.
Are you passionate about what you do?
I love it. I thoroughly enjoy my work. I feel blessed and I am very grateful for the opportunity. There were dark days, but it was so worth it. I used to start thinking about the weekend by Tuesday. Now I spend part of the weekend working and somehow I don’t mind. I used to dread Sunday because of the impending Monday. Now all the days kind of run together and its quite enjoyable 😉
Sophi: YES! I’m having the same experience. I’m in the beginning, so I’m working ALL weekend, all the days are the same and I love it.
How are you supporting yourself financially?
Both companies pay…perhaps not as much as I could be making but the satisfaction easily makes up for it.
Do you consider yourself financially stable or not?
Yes.
Do you have health insurance and if so, who pays for it?
Yes, the company contributes.
How much time do you spend looking for new work?
Zero. I have found the grass can always be greener if you want it to be. At this point, I want to spend all of my time making the current companies as great as they can possibly be.
Do others support you emotionally or are they always asking you to get a “real” job?
My family and friends have been and are incredibly supportive. In retrospect I don’t know how my sis/bro in law tolerated me on their couch for so long coupled with my extreme early morning exercise habits. I can’t imagine what my mom was thinking when I was hopping from bus to bus trying to get these companies moving.
The only thing my family ever said was “If you exercise less, you’ll eat less. Please stop eating so much.”
I never discussed finances with my friends but they must have known. I have the kindest and most generous friends a guy could ask for. The last thing I wanted to do was sit in the apartment by myself and work all day. Going out with them was a daily tonic.
Do you continually need to explain why you’re doing what you do?
When I was in NYC, I had to explain this constantly. Everyone kept asking me about money, money, money. However, in a start-up rich community like San Francisco, its 180 degrees different. It’s almost like if you’re not in a start-up, that somehow makes you the unusual one. People here truly admire you for your courage and your desire to affect some kind of change. That seems to hold more weight than the numbers on your paycheck.
As for people wishing they could it too…I can only answer in two phases. When we were starting out, no one wished they could do it too. Justifiably so, people are naturally risk averse. However, after launching and having some initial success, it seems like a lot more people want to come aboard 😉
Do you wish you could change things in your work life or are you happy with the way things are?
I think as an entrepreneur, there are always things you want to change – that’s why you become and entrepreneur.
However, what I’ve been working to find recently is a cruising altitude in a chaotic sky.
To focus on one thing at a time and to do it well.
To have faith in the world and just believe that if I’m trying to do good and if I am determined, then doors will open. It won’t ever be fast or easy, but nor should it be. I’m willing to bet the things we love most in our lives are the things that we had to struggle the most to get.
So to answer the question, yes, I am happy, and yes, there are still a lot of things I wish I could change. However, the difference is that now, after all of the trials and tribulations of the past few years, I know that I have the ability to change anything I don’t like with enough creativity and persistence.
Sophi: That was a very inspiring interview. Thanks for sharing so much of your experience and being so honest. I’ve posted a couple of links so that readers can learn more about your projects.
6 Ways to Finish Your Projects by Sophi Kravitz. This article is a repost from Engineer Blogs, first published on August 24th, 2012
I often work on many projects at once. Finishing a project gives me great pleasure- I like to look at it, talk about it, and feel the sense of accomplishment that is nearly analogous to a runner’s high. But getting there takes some practice at the skill of Finishing Stuff.
Universally, it is recognized that the last 10% of the project is 90% of the work. I’d say that the first third of the project is 2% of the work. Can someone do the curve and put it in the comments?
Why is it so tough to finish projects and so easy to start them? Starting is easy, involving large portions of researching, discussion and shopping. These tasks don’t actually involve producing any results but they feel as though something has been accomplished. Making something out of nothing, to design something or to build something where it wasn’t in existence before is HARD. If you’re not used to feeling the sense of accomplishment, you don’t know how much you’re missing to want to feel it badly enough.
I think that finishing projects is a learned skill which provides the experience (or foresight) to know how long something will take once you dream it up. The skill of Finishing Stuff is complemented by the skill of knowing when not to get started on something because it’s a time-suck, impossible or too expensive.
Obtaining the skill of Finishing Stuff takes practice.
Here are some ways to practice that elusive skill:
1. Make a decision to stop being an anal perfectionist.
You can lose a ridiculous amount of time going from red to blue and back again. Tweaking this and tweaking that keeps you in the 50% done phase. It also tricks you out of having to think too hard about solving the next problem.
2. Don’t add tentacles (bells and whistles) to your Revision 1 project. Unnecessarily adding tentacles to your projects will make them unwieldy and unmanageable, causing the project to sit in the garage gathering cobwebs.
3. Kill your wireless and put caution tape across your kitchen door. AKA No Distractions. Leaving your email, Facebook, Twitter etc. on while you’re trying to move forward is just plainly, a bad decision. How can you get anything done if your internet life is beeping or blinking at you. It takes the average person some time to get their brain back on track after an interruption, and YOU ARE NO EXCEPTION. And don’t interrupt yourself because you’re hungry or need to do dishes. Finding oneself in the kitchen staring into the white light is also not productive. Caution tape.
4. Practice working your way through problems. You can’t hit the problem wall and just…delay. When you get to a stopping place because you don’t know what to do, do something. If you don’t know what to do, ask someone, ask a forum, ask Google, ask your tea leaves, experiment.
5. Set a deadline that’s two weeks from now.
When you have a deadline that’s too far away, it’s easy to wait until the last minute. Then you have no time and the project doesn’t get done. Break the project up into 2 week doable sized pieces.
6. KISSS keep it simple simple simple.
Don’t pick 10 projects that aren’t doable and buy parts for all of them. Pick something challenging you know you can do and tackle it. Don’t wake up one Saturday and decide to build a small shed on your property…alone….and find that you don’t have the time, money or skill set to finish it. Know yourself better than that.
The way to get good at something, good enough where it becomes second nature, is to do it over and over again until you have mastered that skill. To be the person who Finishes Stuff you have to practice being that person. If you finish a few projects, chances are that you’ll never want to leave something undone again.
Comments please! Do you finish stuff or do you typically have projects undone? Or are you somewhere in the middle?
Ajax Greene lives and works in the Hudson Valley region of NY state. He is a well known and respected serial social entrepreneur/business adviser/global connector of confidential business transactions. Ajax helps build organizations and focuses on building a community that expresses a deep commitment to being conscious of the triple bottom line of people, planet and prosperity. As a former world class rock climber and adventure athlete he understands commitment, drive and vision!
Sophi’s note:I met Ajax a few years ago through a networking organization called Green Drinks. As long as I have known him, he has been dedicated to building businesses that are socially and environmentally responsible. HOORAY!
What did you do for work the last time you worked as an employee?
In the late 90s, I was president of a specialty mail order pharmacy company specializing in HIV.
That sounds like a great job! What made you realize that you wanted to leave that and work for yourself?
I am intensely independent and even when I worked for others, I never strayed from being authentic to my own self.
You’ve started a number of different businesses, what project are you working on right now? I’m currently running Re>Think Local, which is a start-up, registered as a non-profit. Re>Think Local supports and connects the local independent business community in the Hudson Valley region of NY state. It is member supported and earns income stream from educational events that are open to the public.
How long has Re>Think Local been around?
This startup launched in early May 2012 with a staff of 3 people.
What’s a former business that you aren’t working on anymore?
My biggest business failure was EcoTrack, which I founded in 1994. I left in 1995 and the business folded soon after. The business was the right idea – manufactured high end apparel made from recycled PET- but perhaps at the wrong time.
Did you lose a lot of money?
About 10k, personally. I viewed it as a cheap MBA.
What did you do after Eco-Track?
I got a job as President of the HIV prescription company.
What do you take away from businesses that didn’t work out.
I had an epiphany about 10 years ago after realizing I worshiped friends who had the same company for many years, then sold it. I realized that my life is about change…so rather than fight it, it made sense just to incorporate it into my existance.
What are your immediate plans for the future?
I am planning to be with ReThink as long as I can be, with the knowledge that when it is time to move on, that’s OK. Working with a lot of different businesses makes me really smart because I’ve had the experience of lots of different types of experiences and can change quickly.
How much money did you have saved up before you went on your own?
None.
Sophi’s note: NONE!!!!
Do you think you would make more money as an employee?
The further I get from my authentic self, the more money I make. I made tons of money working for the pharma company. Working for Monsanto probably pays a lot, because you’re being paid to put your emotions and intellect and your values aside for the promotion of the company.
Do you have anxiety about money?
Yes.
How do you deal with that?
Mindfulness, and understanding the Universe will always take care of me and always has.
Do you have health insurance?
No because cash was tight during the Re>Think Localstartup phase. I’m hoping that this is temporary and I will have health insurance soon again.
How much time do you spend looking for new business?
It has been integrated into my life typically, but now with Re>Think Local I’m doing many more administrative tasks. With On Belay I did much more networking.
Sophi’s note:On Belay is a business advising and coaching service.
How do you use Social Networking tools?
I’m on FB, Twitter and LinkedIn. The one I’m the most engaged with is Facebook and that’s because it seems to resonate with me the best.
Do you get the emotional support necessary to take all of these risks?
Yes, but I specifically have set up the resources to get that support via a Men’s group and a CEO support group.
What do your friends say about your work for yourself lifestyle?
I’m surrounded by people who are entrepreneurs so it doesn’t feel uncommon.
Can you share your advice for people who want it too?
People should figure out who they are and be authentic to that. Build your own “brand” around that. One of the keys to success… Sophi’s note: this is funny- I interrupted Ajax to say “is only work on your passion??”
And he replied: “if that were true, all men would be gigolos and starving to death.”
But seriously, one of the keys to success is that you need to have four circles with the sweet spot intersecting in the middle (Venn diagram!) passion, skill set, what people are willing to pay for and what the world needs.
This is Mitch Altman. He is 55 years old and has been manufacturing and selling TV-B-Gone universal remote controls (a project he invented and loves – it’s a keychain that turns off TVs in public places) for 9 years. He used to do consulting as an electrical engineer for small companies and does not have a day job. He also travels the world teaching anyone and everyone how to solder and make cool things with electronics.
What did you do for work the last time you worked for other people?
For most of my adult life I was a consultant as an electrical engineer. Usually helping small companies with microcontroller projects (virtual reality, computer games, voice recognition, small disk drives, . . .).
I made the mistake three times in my life of being a full-time employee.
How long ago did you leave your last job?
I quit my last consulting gig in 2003. I saved up enough money to live a year without income, and made a conscious decision to use that year to do only what I love. I had no idea how I would make money, but I assumed that there had to be some ways to make a living doing what I love. So, I focused on what I loved (and not the money). I did lots of volunteer work/play. And I did projects that I had only thought about for years, ’cause while I was doing electronics for work, I didn’t have much electronics energy to apply to my projects for play at home. The TV-B-Gone universal remote control was one of those projects. And it was the one that really got on a roll. And it took over my life! And I loved it! And when it turned out that all my friends, and most of their friends, and many of the friends of friends, wanted a TV-B-Gone remote control, I decided to make a bunch. And I sold 20,000 in the first few weeks of sales. And I’ve been making a living doing what I love ever since.
How did you start doing only what you love?
Consulting was a nice way to make money. But I didn’t love it. And it took a lot out of me while I was working. Fortunately, I only worked about 3 months each year, since consulting paid well, and my living expenses are quite low. But, still, I didn’t love it, and it took a lot out of me while I worked, and it took me about 2 months to really start to love life again, and find a groove again, after finishing each consulting project. After about 17 years of consulting, I was driven to find ways of making a living doing what I love — and this is why I did that experiment with myself: to take a year to only do what I love, and see what happens. The results were spectacular!
Tell us about the different things you do to make a living:
The only way I’ve made money since 2004 is manufacturing and selling TV-B-Gone universal remote controls (and TV-B-Gone Pro, and TV-B-Gone kits). Well, occasionally I make a little bit of money writing, too. I spend a lot of time teaching people how to solder and how to make cool things with electronics — but I only break even doing this. I only do it because I love it! And I get to travel the world, visiting and helping hackerspaces as a result.
Sophi’s note:Mitch Altman is one of the co-founders of Noisebridge, a large and active hacker space located in San-Francisco.
How did you get started in your own business?
When TV-B-Gone became (literally) an overnight success, I suddenly had to create a company to make enough TV-B-Gone remotes to keep up with demand. I had little idea what I was doing, but I’d learned enough watching what worked and what did not work at all of the small companies I consulted for – so I’ve done OK enough at running my own business.
How much money did you have saved up before you went on your own?
I saved up $40,000 so that I could live a year without needing to make any income, so I could concentrate on only doing what I loved (unless any work might come along that I loved – but it didn’t).
How much more or less money do you make than you did as an employee?
As a consultant I made a lot more $ per hour than I do now. Well, actually, I can’t tell how much I make an hour now, since I have no idea how many hours a day I work. Since I do what I love, I am either working all of the time, without a break ever. Or, I am never working ever. If I’m working all the time, then I’m making about 50 cents an hour. If I’m never working, then I’m making an infinite amount an hour. But, in any case, I make enough to live my life (and my lifestyle is very inexpensive).
Sophi’s note:This just about sums up the money breakdown of working for yourself when you love the work so much that there is no other choice.
How does it feel to stop working for other people?
It is really scary to quit a job. We are very well trained to worry about money. And we are often trained to identify with the jobs we do. Quitting meant suddenly having some of my identity taken away! And making a conscious choice to stop accepting work that I didn’t love meant that I probably would not accept any work. How would I possibly find a way to make a living? I somehow knew that there must be some ways to make a living doing what I loved. And after so many years of living with depression and anxiety over my life’s energies being drained by work I did not love, I was fine living with whatever fears and anxieties I experienced while having no clue how I’d ever make a living again.
Yet somehow, deep inside of me, I knew that I would find some way(s) to make a living in doing what I love. I knew I really did not want to go back to depleting myself working on projects that were just OK, and only doing them because they paid me. And while doing more and more of what I loved, the fears, worries, and anxieties started to diminish. And joy of life began to increase. These were clues that I was doing the right thing. That felt really nice!
Are you passionate about what you do?
Fuck yeah!
How do you support yourself financially? Specifically what kind of work pays the bills?
Manufacturing and selling TV-B-Gone remote controls is the only real way I’ve made money since 2004.
Do you consider yourself financially stable or not?
There are no guarantees in life. For the last 8 years I’ve made enough money from TV-B-Gone remote controls to pay for my life. It is still scary every time I pay a huge amount of money for manufacturing the next batch of manufacturing. I can’t help but wonder, “Will people buy all of these new TV-B-Gone remotes?” But, so far, they always run low, and I need to make the next batch. It seems very stable. Even with economic down times, the amount of sales remains more or less constant each year.
Do you have health insurance and if so, what kind?
I have catastrophic health insurance. I’m not the kind of person who goes to the doctor when I have a cold or the flu. Paying for insurance that covers everything is incredibly expensive. I pay $168 per month for my high-deductible insurance that will cover hospital stays for anything that might happen health-wise. The amount I save on monthly premiums would more than pay for any deductible I’d have to pay if I had to go to the hospital.
How much time do you spend looking for new business?
I do not look for new business. Through word of mouth (and media), people find out about TV-B-Gone, and enough people keep buying them to keep me manufacturing and selling more.
Are the people around you supportive or dismissive?
I would not hang out with people who are not supportive. So, all of my friends are supportive. And I’m lucky enough to have had parents and brothers who are supportive (since we can’t choose our family – we can only choose how much we hang out with them).
Do you continually need to explain why you’re doing what you do?
One of the things I do as I go around the world giving workshops, and giving talks, is to tell my story, and ask people to consider what their lives might be like if they did less of what they knew they didn’t like, and made time to explore what they might love.
Sophi’s note: I saw Mitch give a talk at the Open Hardware Summit in 2011- entertaining and inspiring!
Mitch: I also give people permission to contact me if they ever find themselves wanting to be convinced to quit a job they don’t love.
Sophi’s note:He really means this! I’ve heard him offer this to people!
So, in this respect, I find myself continually explaining why I do what I do – I find it helps people, and I love helping people any way I can help. And I often find myself surrounded by people telling me they wished they could make a living doing what they love. And, of course, I tell them that they can! It’s scary, sure — but if you don’t make time to explore and do what you love, you won’t be doing what you love! Is it worth facing the fears? It’s up to you.
Are you happy in your work life or do you wish you could change things?
No matter where you are in life, there is always room for improvement. I’m always wanting to improve my life, and the lives of those around me. So, I try to be conscious of the choices I make, and choose to learn from the consequences of my choices. And then I make new choices based on what I’ve learned. And this process gives my life meaning. And through the inevitable ups and downs of life, I find that overall, my life improves each year. So, yes, I am happy in my work and my life, and I’m always striving to change things for the better.
This is Kerron Manwaring. Kerron started Silent Knight Systems LLC after being unemployed in 2011. He is currently a fulltime Test Engineer as well as being the owner/ iPhoneDeveloper at Silent Knight.
Kerron has many different interests, DJing, electronics, hobby robotics, automotive performance – plus he attends graduate school at Fairleigh Dickenson University for Computer Engineering.
What do you do for work right now?
Test Engineer at a big company.
Tell us a little about your side business?
My company is Silent Knight Systems LLC, I started it up when I was unemployed. I develop & sell iPhone apps on the app store. The mobile app business is very empowering, because it only costs time for development and the customers have easy access to my apps worldwide 24/7 with no limit how much can be sold.
My app descriptions are translated in all the native languages that iTunes allows which makes it even easier for international customers understand the app’s features.
Silent Knight Systems also focuses on prototype development and Engineering consulting.
What is the ideal structure for your business?
I want to keep my business online because I want to have a global reach. Locally I want to have a personal feel working with one to one consulting and designing prototypes.
Why do you want to stop working for other people?
I want a flexible lifestyle where I can travel a lot and build up something of my own. I hate the sense of dependency that comes from working for someone else.
Have you gotten started in your own business?
Yes! Although I am currently employed I have the essential infrastructure in place, I have a registered company, a website and an income stream from App store sales.
I am learning more about the tax and legal aspects of owning a business. I am still deciding on a company logo.
How much more or less money do you expect to make than you do as an employee?
I have an engineer’s salary as an employee. I have faith in myself to possibly be wealthier and have a flexible lifestyle working for myself in the future.
Do you consider yourself to be financially stable?
Not really but I would rather have a skill set and knowledge that’s very valuable as collateral.
Do you have health insurance?
Yes, through my current employer.
How specifically do you look for new work?
I am really looking for inspiration & new ideas, but I post ads on Craiglist and Facebook. I exhibit at fairs (3 time World Maker Faire exhibitor!) and word of mouth.
Are the people around you supportive or dismissive?
I really do this alone for myself. I get a lot of dismissiveness but I have a lot of confidence in myself.
Do you continually need to explain why you’re doing what you do?
I stop explaining it to people because they will never understand the logic.
Are you optimistic about your next steps?
Always. I am pursuing a Masters degree in computer engineering to help give me more credibility, growth and to bring in new ideas.
Corbett Barr is a very interesting online personality. I’ve been reading his blog posts for a few years, finding him to be both honest and inspiring. I find his writing to have no BS and complete transparency. He also writes about a Universally Favorite Subject, which is Financial Independence.
He is the founder of Think Traffic, which is a leading resource on how to build thriving audiences online.
What did you do for work in your last full time/part time job?
Prior to working for myself, I worked as a technology strategy consultant to Fortune 500 companies.
When did you leave your last full time/part time job?
2006
What pushed you to stop working for other people?
A deep curiosity that I couldn’t ignore anymore.
Sophi: I have noticed this common CURIOSITY trait among those who push themselves. Or put another way- 2 birds in the bush are easily worth one in the hand.
How many different things do you do to make a living? Tell us about them.
I run a business based around the blog Think Traffic that helps people build online audiences. We earn revenue primarily by producing tutorials and education.
How did you get started in your own business?
This current business all started with a blog I created while on a six-month road trip / sabbatical in Mexico.
Sophi: I got to read this blog in 2009! It’s soooo good!
How much money did you have saved up before you went on your own?
Well over three years of living expenses.
How much more or less money do you make than you did as an employee?
I now earn more than I did as an employee, but it took quite a few years to get to this point.
When you quit working for other people describe how you felt.
Now I feel fantastic about working for myself, but the first 18 months or so were filled with major ups and downs. It’s known as the entrepreneurial roller coaster: fear, doubt, elation, panic, stress, euphoria, everything.
Are you passionate about what you do?
Not sure how to quantify this. I love what I do. It is the best fit of anything I’ve done before. Is this my life’s greatest passion? I can’t say either way. Ask me again in 20 years 🙂
How do you support yourself financially? Specifically what kind of work pays the bills?
We offer online education for entrepreneurs.
Do you consider yourself financially stable or not? Yes, as stable as when I worked in a corporate gig.
Sophi: YEAH! Congratulations!
Do you have health insurance?
Yes, we pay for health insurance out of pocket.
How specifically do you look for new work?
We publish content weekly to attract a bigger and bigger audience.
Sophi: The weekly content is really good. All of it. Here’s a link to a post Corbett wrote about this:Write Epic Shit
Are the people around you supportive or dismissive?
Most people around me have been supportive. It hasn’t always been easy on me or my family, but we’ve believed in the long-term vision together.
Are you happy in your work life or do you wish you could change things?
I’m always trying to balance being happy with what I have and trying to improve things gradually over time. I’m simultaneously satisfied and hungry.
