If you asked me what is the biggest dream of our time, I would reply: "Working for yourself and building a lifestyle around what you love to do."
Predictions are that by 2027, half of the workforce in the U.S will be freelancers. Whether you are going to be a freelancer, creator, or build a digital brand, we mostly tend to focus on the heroic act of saying a big F to a 9-5 job! But that means we overlook so many hidden challenges.
The first hidden roadblock
In this 3-minute video that I have cut from JNP, the founder of BLKMARKET discusses his very first battle after quitting his day job.
Kesey Badgett is a self-taught designer and developer based in Idaho. In Jan 2019, he started selling a few digital assets online. This soon became a very successful indie marketplace for design lovers called BLKMARKET.
In the video, he talks about how hard it was for him to find the right energy and discipline to work for himself after quitting:
For the first couple of months after quitting my job, I got nothing done at all. It was crazy different… Just being at home … I’m like: what now?
The dream of having no clients
The same thing happened to me in another way:
My dream was to say goodbye to clients and build my own digital brand and assets. The idea was to do what I was already doing as a consultant + video and content creator, but this time for digital creators: How to stand out on the internet with nothing (AKA minimal resources)!
But after shutting down my agency (almost 9 months ago) and pivoting to a media / content studio, I was so confused.
I was doing a good job in generating a buzz and building an online audience, consulting with creators, plus delivering this newsletter. But I couldn’t finish producing any products.
I was working simultaneously on a couple of different projects— an eBook, an online course, and also some small info products. But since I didn’t have any clients, a signed contract, and deadlines, I wasn’t able to deliver any results.
I asked myself, "Maybe this path is not for you?"
A creator-in-the-making
Later, I figured my strict and non-negotiable process of delivering great results to my clients wasn’t something that I could build in one night. As Kesey explains in the video, when you want to work for yourself, you need to create a new environment for your new lifestyle.
You need to teach yourself how to deliver projects, market yourself, and learn about customer service, while you are not forced to do any of these things.
Being your own boss is such a sexy idea, but you are going to be at war with a crazy highly sensitive new boss, which is YOU. Our ability to succeed is tied to our ability to show up every day and work on the right things.
That’s all for now. Talk to you next week!
P.S: My book is coming soon. I worked hundreds of hours on this tiny eBook and I am so proud of the results. This is the book that I needed when I wanted to start an online business myself. I will tell you more about it soon.
-Reza
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How to say a big F to 9-5