Recently I was the willing target of several audio interviews. The topic of course, was blogging, however as is customary, most interviews begin with a little background study of the person in question.
As a result of telling my recent business history I found myself reminiscing about some of the ventures I was involved in during the previous 8 years or so. Most of them were online enterprises, but there was one experience where I was running a start-up based in the real world, an English tutoring school called “Aussie Tutor”.
If you dig into my earlier archives you will find several posts and podcasts were I mentioned my English school. It was an interesting time in my life, which taught me many lessons about business and in particular what I want from a business and what I don’t want.
Working 9 to 5 by Choice
While in charge of my school I came to fully realize what I had always known – I do not like having to be anywhere nine-to-five, five days a week.
Before I avoided a full time job specifically because of not wanting to be anywhere for such long periods of time to work for someone else. Not surprisingly, despite working for myself, I still did not like that I had to be somewhere during working hours.
Unfortunately, as a business with a physical premises, the English school demanded my presence every day unless I was willing to forgo any possible patronage that might walk in off the street. Ironically, despite my immaculate attendance, many days my English school was empty and I spent the time working online.
It didn’t take long for me to realize, despite my passion for the idea and my entrepreneurial spirit, my tutoring service was not going to work unless I made a significant commitment to it. I would need to either shut it down, or invest money and time and treat it like a true start-up.
At the time I had a growing Internet based business demanding my attention that was profitable (BetterEdit – an online proofreading service I sold in 2007). It wasn’t too hard to decide what to do next. I closed down Aussie Tutor, broke my lease and went back to working at home.
A Web Based Life
I am very thankful that I grew up during a period where the Internet also grew up. My very first casual job was web based (crafting websites for the business school at university) and my very first self created income stream came from the Internet too.
I can’t remember what life was like before the Internet, but I know it wasn’t nearly as good as it is now.
Tomorrow I hop on a plane and fly to Fiji. I’ll be there for 5 days before I board another plane where I’ll head to Hawaii. I’ll spend a week in the land of aloha, before jumping on another flight, this time to Vancouver, where a week of fun awaits. I’ll then make a short flight to Winnipeg, visit my grandmother, before settling in Toronto for 5 months. I intend to visit the USA for conferences and other fun things during my time in Canada too.
In Fiji I will be in a hotel but during the rest of my travels I’m staying in rented apartments with kitchens, private double beds and all the usual trimmings, at two thirds the price of equivalent standard hotels (I’m practicing a little 4-Hour Work Week accommodation hunting). I’ll have ample time and funds to do what I want and it’s all thanks to the World Wide Web. There’s not many occupations today that grant you this much freedom.
Ever present during this trip will be my laptop. My computer that connects me to the online world will serve as a communication tool to keep in touch with friends, family and colleagues. I’ll blog, create content, work on products, market, network and effectively live a very similar life to what I usually do at home in Brisbane.
The scenery might change, but the purpose and lifestyle doesn’t – and I wouldn’t have it any other way.
Live the Stereotype – Laptop on the Beach
We all know the archetypical image of the entrepreneur sitting on the beach with their laptop, logging on to check how much money they made during the previous night and then settling back to a day full of sun, sand and sleep – a perpetual holiday.
I’ve already written about my disdain for the traditional non-working holiday, however the gist of the laptop on the beach image is definitely something I appreciate because it represents fantastic freedom. A business that can function – and even grow – despite your absence or location in the world, and the freedom to choose when to work, how to work and what to work on, is a great business.
This is a far cry from waking up at 8am to open the doors to a 3rd floor English tutoring school.
How To Build a Framework for Life Portability
The Internet provides the tools for a mobile lifestyle, yet very few people who make money online can realistically leave their computer during normal working hours. If you lack key systems or follow bad models, the web can become just as much a trap as an offline business or job.
Only in the last two years have I been able to lead the life I want to with (nearly) all my criteria met. Here are three of the criteria, which I suspect you are striving for too -
- The freedom of choice in terms of activities you choose to undertake for work (you want to do some work, just not all the time)
- Significant enough income to do what you want without worrying about breaking the bank (we are not talking about needing millions of dollars)
- Cashflow that continues regardless of your personal involvement each day (passive income is critical, as are systems and the people you work with)
Previously, despite understanding how passive income works and what real business freedom is, I held myself back. Roadblocks existed because of where I was on the business development lifecycle, and many more limitations were in place because of my thought process and consequential decisions.
If you want to realize a lifestyle that is supported by an Internet business but not dominated by one, then you need to become clear about what you really want. You can be an extraordinarily successful business person, yet live on a treadmill of constant work with little true freedom.
Mistakes You May Not Realize You Are Making
Here are some of the more common limiting behaviours that stop entrepreneurs and bloggers from realizing true lifestyle freedom, many of which I have personally had to overcome in the very recent past myself.
Mistake 1: Bloggers, Are You A Pageview Slave?
I’ve been a massive proponent of the two hour workday for bloggers. I never liked the idea of 16 hour days spent blogging like a mad person, writing multiple posts to multiple blogs and becoming what I call a “pageview slave“.
This is not a sustainable model because you have to work your butt off to keep it going and growing. Without a constant stream of daily fresh content your income fluctuates significantly. This model lacks stability and is far from passive. You can read more about this in the series of articles I wrote about blogging as a sustainable business model.
As Blog Mastermind students and people who have read the Blog Profits Blueprint know, I suggest a more traditional information business format. Use your blog as a point of leverage to build credibility, open communication channels and drive traffic, but use those outcomes to feed a real business model based on a sales funnel.
Using the sales funnel model, your dependence on pageviews is reduced since you don’t rely only on advertising for income. Your per visitor value is higher, hence you are not a pageview slave and can make much more from much less traffic.
A few very elite bloggers who establish top of the food chain status can become wealthy thanks to sheer volume of traffic they attract. These bloggers work long days too, but their yearly income is so high that retirement is possible in a year or two, if they can manage to extract themselves from the high intensity blogging lifestyle. In this case the short term slave labor can lead to long term financial freedom, however most bloggers will never experience this situation.
If you want true lifestyle freedom, you can’t follow the format of mass content publication with the hope of one day delivering enough pageviews to earn a full time living. This is certainly an attainable outcome for the average hard-working blogger, but you won’t have any freedom to enjoy the fruits of your labor because you will have to keep working or the cashflow will drop. Retirement is not an option in this case, only perpetual work is.
Take my trip to Fiji, Hawaii and Canada as an example. If my income was dependent on this blog featuring three new posts every day because I relied on the pageviews for my living, unless I work like a mad man and pre-write a ton of posts (and even that wouldn’t work if I wanted to cover current news), I simply could not enjoy my travels. I’d be chained to the laptop and Internet, writing posts and keeping the system running.
I will definitely blog on my journey, but that will be for a couple of hours each second day or so. I’ll do it when I want to write for the pleasure of writing and to help maintain my income, but it’s far from a full time job.
Thanks to recursive affiliate revenue, stable traffic flow brought in from pillar articles, a sound business model based on a funnel and an email list, and some great people working with me, I’ll enjoy a relatively stress free time and make good money during my travels.
Mistake 2: The Work More/Earn More Linear Model
One of the huge traps I fell into previously and thousands of other Internet entrepreneurs follow every day, is a business model that is not scalable without your workload scaling along with it.
Freelancing is a classic example of this situation. Freelancers often perform most of the roles in their business independently. Each new client represents a nice cash influx, but it also means there is more work to be done, and only you can do it.
When you add a new client or a new project, you have to subtract some time from the life of the freelancer. With time a finite resource, there is only so far a freelancer can grow a business. They do not have any scale because the only point of leverage for income is themselves.
At the heart of this problem is a control/mindset issue or simply a lack of business acumen. Freelancers are often great at what they do, but what they do does not include business building. They make for great chefs but terrible restaurateurs.
Freelancers must learn how to rely on other people the way their clients rely on them. Without assistance from others, time away from the office will be rare and punctuated by phone calls and emails supporting clients, or a significant drop in income because no work is done, which for some is simply not an option given financial commitments.
Mistake 3: Running the Goal Chasing Treadmill and Swapping Today’s Peace of Mind for Tomorrow’s False Promise of Success
This next issue is more insidious and difficult to overcome, especially because our society constantly reinforces is as acceptable behaviour.
The trap is always chasing more and unfortunately, there is an infinite amount of “more” available. If everything you do is about climbing further up a status ladder, increasing your wealth or your fame and essentially – your ego – you can never become satisfied.
Until you decide to get off the treadmill and accept what is present today, you will forever live for tomorrow – for the next sale, the next launch, the next product, the next milestone in your RSS count, the next big pay cheque – some form of boost to your ego.
This is a formula for perpetual stress.
Why so many people continue to ride the treadmill is because of the occasional punctuation of euphoria at the point of achievement and success. Unfortunately, in between you live in a state of incongruency, wanting something in the future that ultimately leads to wanting more. Each success you enjoy is short lived and leaves you wanting to taste it again, hence you become a slave to yet another new project based on material success.
If your present life building a business or working a job is a continuous marathon, running from one deadline only to discover the next one, then you know what this situation is like. The only way to change is to stop chasing perpetual more and find life balance. Take contentment from what you have today, learn how to stop from time to time, find out what you really value in your life and then set up systems that create the freedom to enjoy these values.
Your values, not surprisingly, are not entirely focused on having more money, yet that seems to be what so many people seek each and every day. If you open your eyes, become aware of what you are doing and then take steps to change, you will be amazed at what can occur. This can be life changing, if you let it be.
Freedom of Choice
There’s a good chance, since you made it to this point in my article, that you already have the key ingredient necessary to create the lifestyle you want:
You have the luxury of choice.
Each day you wake up and decide what you do with your allotted time on this planet. Some steps can take you to what you want, others can lead you astray chasing what you think you want, only to realize that it’s not quite right.
With a little help, a little adjustment to how you think, some education, time spent on self reflection and above all else, the decision to make changes and not accept what everyone else does as what you want, you can realize true freedom.
It’s not easy, nor is it instantaneous, but it’s definitely worth working towards.
And of course, I’m happy to be here (with my blog anyway), to help you as best I can.
Yaro Starak
Still Seeking Balance
Sounds like my life, but without the van.
Lol! – Tara you definitely have one of the most unique niches for a blog topic.
Yaro, Yaro, Yaro….
Now I know why I look to you for inspiration. I’m drooling over the pictures. What a trip you’ll be having.
Although ending up in Canada after Fiji??? Hmmm…I do hope we have nice weather for your arrival. Hope you meet up with Rosalind Gardner when you are in the Vancouver area. And a grandmother in Winnipeg?
Amazing. Small world, I guess.
Too bad there isn’t something to bring you to the Halifax area of Nova Scotia. I’d have to be there!
Thank you again for allowing me to dream of the possibilities. That’s exactly what I’m aiming for. A portable life! I’ve a long way to go to get there but with you to inspire and make me believe, at least it doesn’t hurt as much when I bang my head on the keyboard.
Godspeed to you, Yaro, on your travels. Enjoy the people and have a good long swim for me!
Karen
Wow, this is an exciting life to have, Yaro. You deserve this good life, as you have worked very hard for it.
Thank you for sharing. This is an inspiration for me.
Best,
Gamy Rachel
Hey Yaro, I’m sure you’re having a wonderful time. What you have achieved is what so many of us desire, all I can say is Lovely and well done!
You draw a very important distinction between “blogging” and “internet marketing” here, Yaro. This is a major trap I fell into in the beginnings of my Entrepreneurship Mindset website. As usual, your advice for avoiding the big mistakes is superb!
-Jason Clegg
http://www.MindfulEntrepreneur.com
Hi Yaro – great article and love the beach pictures. Thanks for again pointing us in the direction of freedom with your great tips. Have a great vacation and love to catch up with you at a US conference in the next 5 months.
Keep us updated on where you will be travelling during you Canadian stay!
Danielle
Hey Yaro, I really enjoyed this article. Can you elaborate a little more on what you mean by “4-Hour Work Week accommodation hunting”? I’m thinking about traveling since most of my work is web-based as well.
Thanks
Hey Matt – I mean looking for apartments to rent rather than stay in hotels.
It’s usually cheaper that way, especially if you plan to stay for months. Plus you get full apartments, with kitchens, Internet, cable etc, instead of dinky hotel rooms.
Try http://www.vbro.com for a good listing of condos available for short term rent all around the world.
Great tips to share with us about blogging for freedom. This recently, I chanced upon an article which speaks about blogging not being able to sustain as a business. And it suggests that setting up a themed website is a more sustainable one. In one way or another, I agreed with that article writer. And when I read through your post, it forms a complete story in my brain about making money online.
You have great sights about working with freedom. That really inspires me a lot. And the fact that you have actually worked on business for 8 years where you only get real success in the last two years, it really gets my butt up and keep going. I have been working on different businesses for 4 years and those 4 years are as though I have studied my entrepreneur degree in a society university. Only in the last year or so, I started to see myself working on the Internet business and for the first time in my whole business life, I really enjoy what I am doing. This is my calling in life now…
Yaro,
You are too good to be true for me to follow your footsteps. I ought to remind myself of how important is your free articles sent to my mailbox. Day after day, I’m dreaming of becoming good blogger just like you are right now.
Keep writing and inspiring new blogger like me. Your’re just the expert.
Thank you.
Man, I can’t wait to get where you are. I like your point on enjoying the “now” while you grow your business. Lucky, this business is fun as well as being a potential money maker. Also, even though you’re making xx,xxx it’s not necessary to have that much. For me, I’m looking for 3,500 a month (between all future business) so I can travel and participate in the sports that I enjoy and make my life worthwhile. You addressed that point nicely as well. Have a safe trip and meet lots of people.
Thank you so much for your inspiration, every time your emails show up in my inbox I can’t wait to open it and see what great work your putting out and what I can do to follow. Again thanks for the inspiration, and man I wish I was there with you, what a great view. Be careful and have fun.
You make an excellent point about how blogs can be an entry point to the funnel for a business. So this may be obvious, but I assume your blog channels clients into your Blog Mastermind program?
Hi Terry – yes it does now, though it wasn’t always like this. I started like most bloggers, selling other people’s products and exchanging traffic for advertising income.
Hi Yaro – great article and I can relate totally to the 3 mistakes.
As someone who is location independent & travels permanently (my version of ‘life portability’ – check out the blog!), my husband and I no longer have a home since leaving the UK in 2007 and have so far travelled to and lived in Panama, Buenos Aires, Toronto, the Caribbean, Dubai, South Africa – and we’re currently in Thailand.
We earn money from blogging (but as more of a hobby and to build our reputation/profile than as a money spinner) and running our business – which until recently had us in the work more/earn more trap you mentioned. Now we’ve switched to an outsourcing model to do much of the hard work for us, it’s been a revelation…but letting go was hard!!
To anyone else wanting to do this, it takes less money than you think.
Enjoy your trip….it sounds fantastic!
Yaro,
Too bad you couldn’t give some sort of seminar or talk, during your stay in Toronto.
Given the up and down weather this year, I imagine you will bring Spring to your grandmother. I pray you have an excellent and well deserved peaceful journey.
Thanks for the perspective and pointing out “the formula”.
To your travelling success!
Debi-Jene
Yaro, what a great article – in substance and expression – you have
explained the developmental stages that have taken you where you are…the need to find a balance between work that is satisfying and the pressures of producing an income.
I think you found that balance by reaching out to your readers with solid information while remaining authentic, good writing and basic business
skills. I always open your email messages with great anticipation…
My best wishes go with you on your trip,
Fran
Take a look at http://www.workingnomad.com There are a whole bunch of people there that travel while making money from the internet. It is not too difficult once you get a bit of regular income coming in.
Yaro,
That was fantastic advice. I especially like the mistake #3 point. Most of us fall into that trap. It came at a good time for me, since I was just asking myself, “How much money is enough?” in relation to my goals for the rest of the year.
Hi Yaro,
Thanks for the tips and resources. I am aiming to create a portable lifestyle so I can relocate (I currently reside in London) and yet not have to be dependent on seeking traditional employment while I travel.
Yaro – What an incredible inspiration you are!
I am just getting into blogging. I took time to do a lot of research and I have to say your site is outstanding and has held my attention above all others!
There is a lot of competition out there in the www. But, I think we would all agree…we rise to our own limits and expectations and your limits and expectations reveal high standards. Thank you for giving us something to emulate!
Your “big hair” comments make me LMAO!
It’s a beautiful thing…embrace it and love it. You are an incredible doll! In your photos, and writings! Lovin’ it man!
Hi Yaro..
your post reflects my ideal dream..how i envy you.
but what about those who do not have the luxury of choice.
For example, being stuck in company coz they paid for our studies and now we are bonded and have to serve them for 7 or 10 yrs, and leaving would mean carrying along $200k debt.
what would you suggest then?
-I want my Freedom! -
That is a tough situation. However since you have the freedom to choose to leave you can still make the choice, you just have to be a little more careful about what support you have around you to carry your debt before you make the change.
I’d recommend a gradual progression from full time work to part time work/part time your own business and pay off your debt as you go.
I’m paying off a mortgage on my house now and that doesn’t stop me from being free.
Bula Yaro!
Your photos made me home sick! I was born in Suva in the mid 1950′s while Fiji was part of the old British Empire. It was a wonderful life and the Fijians are just the most wonderful race of people. We left at the end of 1970 after independence celebrations in October and returned to the UK – big mistake; we should have moved to go old OZ or NZ!
In 1996 my husband and I with kids moved to Hilo on the Big Island of Hawai’i and enjoyed six wonderful years there working for the British Telescopes. Returned to the UK and then redundancy, we then set up Festival Previews inspired by your entrepreneurial journey.
I am please to see you are enjoying the fruits of your labour, you justly deserve them.
Aloha
Liz
Hey Yaro.
As usual your posts are full of great content. You have a great blogging style and are able to share much of yourself while still educating your readers.
Do you use twitter? Please check it out…
Let us know what you think….
Hi Yaro,
While reading your words, I just thought “we are all in the same pot of soup…”. Oh yes! basically we all need the ideal job to find time for ourselves anf loved ones…but it seems so remote and a big dream! I am happy you made it! I have been working on my finacial and time freedom for a year now, and last February I quit my office job! Waow! GREAT sensation being a mum of 2 little kids and having to care for a loving husband…. you see what I mean? Continue enjoying your time…..
Cheers !
Marlène
http://www.marlisdreamjob.com
Yaro when in canada look me up I’ll we’ll get a game of street hockey going, you know good ole canadian fun.
Seriusly its wicked getting off the treadmill of pageviews.
Yaro,
One most certainly looks forward to the pictures from Fiji.
Was there in 94, it rocked.
Not sure what happened to the earlier post, however, was merely stating the fact that , I can’t wait to see the pics from Fiji.
It is a Beautiful part of the World.
Have a great holiday Yaro! I guess you are really living the 4 hour work week dream. Looking forward to the time mine comes true. Thanks for bringing me closer to that.
“Stop the world, I’m getting off!”
(Ten Storey Lovesong, The Stone Roses)
Hi Yaro,
This is the first opportunity I’ve created for myself to leave you a comment — you see, I’ve been globetrotting myself since last July and am trying to follow your blog on my laptop offline as I go (please, please could you offer a full RSS feed so that I can fully follow you offline?)
Thanks so much for putting this post together, it echoed strongly within me. Last year, I put down my high-paying, full-time freelance work in the UK to take a gap year (or two, or three) to explore the world and . Now I have time to consider my choices carefully for how to create wealth without enslaving myself to a fixed desk, 9-5 or even location. Here’s to you for helping me start my very own Entrepreneur’s Journey.
Thanks again and enjoy your travels,
David Bartlett – http://www.escapethecity.co.uk
Thanks for this post. It really came about the right time. I have just been looking at my efforts over the last few months and realized that I have been chasing pageviews, before reading your post.
I had been making money affiliate marketing before I started blogging more heavily. I still do, but in my efforts at getting more visitors, I started making less money.
Now I am trying to trim some of the useless activities and focus on the things that will actually move me and this online business forward.
Hi Yaro, great article. Have you found solutions to the dreaded beach/work laptop issues? How to avoid sand in the keyboard, and how to actually see your screen in the blaring sun? Because of course, those are the only issues stopping me from travelling right now (that’s me kidding myself). Great work! …B
Great article. You are living the dream!
All that sounds really good to me, although it is quite some time away for me, its something to work hard toward.
Great stuff, especially Mistake # 3. That can be a hard one to even recognize since we are inundated with the idea of achieving more. Thanks man.
Bula Yaro!
Hope you get a good tan going while you’re here. Maybe next time you might want to spend a whole lot more time here eh.
The treadmill stuff is really good – my mind got cracking when I saw an ad for the 4 Hour Work Week in an issue of Powerlifting USA, of all places.
Kudos bro for all the good work.
Bula Yaro!
Good stuff bro – comes a point in time when we got to realize if we want to be on the treadmill, or be the one operating it eh.
Cheers!
What a great story, it certainly leaves you wishing that you could take such a jump and make the big $. Shows what planning can do for you and the achievements possible. Thanks for the summary – I am sure I will come back to this site and may be enccouraged to take the jump. Just need to get up some courage.
Beryl http://www.101businesstools.com
Thanks for the blogging as a business info. I just stumbled (not the website) across your blog and really like it. The Fiji pic is awsome. I’ll be back for more as I wish to live a portable life promoting natural health and wellness products.
Reading blog like yours really motivate me to live a life like yours.
I just discovered your site today from blogClassroom.com’s Anik Singal.
What a great site, I will definitely come back for more and subscribe to your newsletter.
Excellent points. It’s really important to start with a clear vision of the end in mind so that you don’t end up moving yourself from one job you don’t like into another job that you don’t like, even if it is blogging.
Thanks for all the great comments everyone! I’ll get some photos up hopefully soon, but maybe not until I get to Hawaii as I don’t have many days left in Fiji.
Hi Yaro,
Thanks for another great post.
I’d love to travel, I just need to figure a way of doing it with 4 kids, school etc.
I have been thinking about taking a whole summer and taking off with the family, just need the funds now (I’m working on it!)
And I do need to spend less time checking stats and more time doing something useful
Cheers
Stuart
Yaro,
I would be glad to take you around Vancouver when you are here.
Let me know.
Hi Ty,
I’ve had about another 5-10 vancouverians contact me with an interest to meet up, so I’m thinking of organizing a little get together so we can all talk blogging together.
I’ll make sure to post about about it to this blog next week once I arrange a date.
I like your comment that you may have a get together with a few Vancouverites, I would ask that you include me.
If you have never been to Beautiful British Columbia you are in for a treat.
Reading this post I have a few ideas to work on, so I will be very busy for the next few days, check my site then.
Your story is inspirational because you are offering a new perspective of a great lifestyle. This gives me an idea of what is possible for me now that it is just me and my wife at home (empty nesters). My 3 children have all graduated from college and have their own lives.
I would like to emulate what you are doing so I can also have a seemingly great lifestyle as yours.
Yaro,
Can certainly relate regarding not wanting the 9 to 5 grind. Did it for years and could never get used to having to be somewhere during specific periods of time every day.
I used to rationalize it as a means to an end – eg I was putting in effort now, so I could retire later.
Bad Plan!
Main reason is you have to like what you do or your really just wasting your life. Second reason is life is wasted on the young – I can say that because in my younger days, I didn’t appreciate life – actually didn’t think much about how it’s a limited resource at which we only get one shot.
These days I’m able to work pretty much when and where I want, which makes for a far more enjoyable life.
For those who haven’t figured it out yet – life is whats happening while we’re busy being distracted with noise.
Enjoy your time away!
hi – hard work does pay off. Wow, the photo of the pool and ocean is gorgeous. I would love to go there. Robert.
Yaro,
Great tips and great vacation you have!
I’m in the middle of following your advices in building a business rather than a blog in itself. My ultimate goal: 2 hour workday
Cheers and happy traveling!
What a great article !
Even for those who already share the views presented here this
is a great motivation and reassurance. The suggestions about the mistakes that bloggers make are also very realistic. I would like to add that if you can’t decide what it is you really want from this life, try first to decide what you don’t want. That helped me
I love being an entrepreneur. Your article is inspiring. My online business has allowed me to be at home. I love to travel especially to places like pictured here in this blog, but I got to say I love living in California the best. I haven’t figured out the 4 hour work week yet. Working on the delegation and organization part of my business. Great article!
Maria Cronk
“I can’t remember what life was like before the Internet, but I know it wasn’t nearly as good as it is now.”
Amen!
Very interesting blog post. Sure makes you think and gives you a clear understanding to have a clear goal to reach