Is this the lifestyle I want?
There's something deeply ironic about studying architecture for five years just to realize that this corporate lifestyle isn't what you want. You spend long hours at work, looking forward to those two or three weeks of PTO. You've gotten the tools to complete the job they want you to do, to become a component in the large machine, but is this the end? You're measured by numbers and metrics to determine your efficiency, going from paycheck to paycheck until the day comes when they decide they don't need you anymore.
Layoffs come around and everyone around you is anxious. Maybe you get laid off or you don't. Either way, your morale drops to an all-time low. You might continue to get paid, but you're just looking forward to those days off again. You might get laid off, and it's not long until you need to look for another job to continue the cycle.
I don’t want to live that sort of lifestyle anymore.
How can I get out of it? Job is a way to make money, but what if you can find a way to make money on your own? If I start a business, doesn't that just mean I'm doing a job for myself? I'll still be slaving away at this endless grind, but there's just no one above me anymore. Nothing's changed.
However, I do think there's one crucial part that changes. I'm working on what I want to.
I've always wanted to build a community that supports each other, especially in times of need. Maybe it's on YouTube, where I'l document this journey as a diary to myself (and possibly shed some light on those who are thinking about doing the same!).
According to “Kidlin's Law,” if you write down your problems, the issue is already halfway solved.
Today's the last day of 2024. What's in store for 2025? It's time to make a plan and a goal. It's the year to no longer live like a cog in the machine, but to build a life that's authentically mine. Here's to a year of chasing my dreams and documenting it to look back in the future!
The Permission to Begin
Do you need an MBA? No. Do you want an MBA? Maybe.
When I started to explore making my own business venture, I was considering if an MBA was needed. However, as I started to consume more and more content, it became evident that you can get all that same information from free content (The only reason that I might still consider one is to make my mom happy by showing her a master's degree, but we'll see if that happens in the future!)
The fastest way to learn is not to spend the next few years in school theorizing about how you could start a business, but to start right away! You don't need permission from anyone or a degree to start, you just have to get started! You don't even need an LLC or an S-Corp or all of those things that people talk about. Those can come in the future after you've seen your first dollar come in! You don't even need a perfect website or a polished brand.
Just start. There are a million books you can read on the topic, but Noah Kagan's “Million Dollar Weekend” emphasizes the importance of just starting. Don't have an idea? Ask some of the people you respect the most for a business idea that they think you might do well in! Don't have money to start up? A lot of entrepreneurs start with no money, but you can ask your friend for a dollar if they believe in your idea! If they aren't willing to invest a dollar into your idea, maybe you need a better one!
It's easy to get wrapped up in thinking that you have to be perfectly prepared, but you can learn as you go. As a baby, you stumble before you can even walk. Even in your career, you've probably messed up a few times before. Maybe you sent the wrong email to a client once or twice, but you've learned to not do that again (that was me…). Even if you mess up or fail now, you've learned a valuable lesson and there's no financial consequence to it because you haven't invested anything!
Finding Balance in the Chaos
Whenever I mention to people that I'm starting my own business, (whether this ends up with a focus on content creation or a web app focused on mental health) there are usually a few responses I’ve started categorizing them into.
- “Wow! Good luck!”
- “Yeah, that's not going to work.”
- “You know that you work a lot more running your own business?”
The first two are both encouraging and discouraging, but the one that sticks out to me the most is the third one. Why am I trying to build my own business if that means I'll just be working more than I am right now?
To me, this was a huge hurdle that I had to overcome. I had two options.
- Stay in my corporate job and earn a consistent income. This would mean that my income would take forever to scale, and I would never get my time back until I retire, but it was a surefire way to maintain income.
- Leave my corporate job and build a business of my own.
I would be working more hours than my corporate job, but frontloading the work so that I could set myself up to detach myself from it. This would mean little to no income for an indefinite amount of time, with the possibility of earning my freedom back along with a higher income in the end.
Did I really want to work more hours? There's a saying that if you're doing what you love to do, it doesn't feel like work. I thought this was the case, but it doesn't encapsulate the full story. Work is still work. The type of work that I'm so afraid of is when it’s unfulfilling and misaligned with the direction that I want to take my life.
After a long few months of contemplation, I realized that there's no outlet in corporate for me to do what I want. If I'm able to do what I want, the difference at the end of the day is that I would feel fulfilled. How can I feel fulfilled from work?
Ali Abdaal's "Feel Good Productivity" has been a cornerstone in maintaining my own sanity through this mindset shift. His approach resonates deeply with my situation – balancing a 9-5 job while building something of my own. Abdaal emphasizes that productivity isn't about grinding harder; it's about finding joy in the process.
What if I build a community for people who feel the same way as me? I'm obsessed with the idea of productivity and being happy, and a main part of that starts with understanding and tracking your own emotions. Before the mental health app that I want to create takes off, I want to create content about the whole process for people who are in the same boat. Writing this sort of content is a creative outlet that eases my stress, and I hope that people who read this feel the same. With the realization that corporate might not be for us and the 9-5 lifestyle chains us down until retirement, it's a no-brainer to chase a different lifestyle instead of fitting into the picture that society has already drawn for us.
Building in Public
Writing about emotions and documenting the entrepreneurial journey feels natural because, in many ways, they're interconnected. The entrepreneurial journey is a part of life's ups and downs, and documenting it highlights the vulnerability required to share our struggles, the courage needed to step away from the traditional path, and the discipline that's required to stay consistent in an unconventional career path.
To those reading this who might be sitting in their own corporate offices, dreaming of something more, I understand you.
If you've thought about leaving before, so have I. If you've wanted to start your own business before but you're scared of living on no income, so am I. There's nothing wrong with staying in corporate, but it's a different lifestyle that I no longer want to pursue.
For those who want to start, let's start together! It's okay to not have everything figured out, as who has everything figured out all the time anyway? Reading my content might be your own way of keeping yourself accountable to chasing your dreams, or it might even be a confirmation to yourself that it's not the right path for you (especially if I fail!).
The Blueprint Forward
My journey is just beginning, and I invite you to join me as I document this transition. Through this blog, I'll share:
- The raw reality of balancing corporate work with chasing your own passions
- Practical lessons from both successful and failed experiments
- Insights from the books and future mentors shaping my path
- And most importantly, the emotional landscape of choosing an unconventional route
This isn't just about building a business; it's about designing a life that aligns with our deepest values and aspirations. Coming from an architectural background, I understand that the most beautiful structures often emerge from the most challenging constraints. Perhaps the same is true for careers and lives.
I'm not speaking from as a guru who knows everything about business but just some random guy on the internet who wants to share the knowledge that I'm accumulating as I make all of these mistakes to build my dream life. Maybe you'll find this useful or if it's wrong, please reach out and let me know! I'd love to chat and meet people who share this dream of quitting the 9-5 lifestyle to make something fulfilling!
Thank you for being here at the beginning. Let's build something meaningful together.
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