If you’re a loyal Leaving Work Behind reader, you might reasonably have wondered at some point over the past four months or so (here was my last post).
The answer is neither short nor simple, but in this post I want to explain what I’ve been up to, what my plans are for the future, and how Leaving Work Behind fits into all that.
The Past 4 Months (In a Nutshell)
I’m not really sure how to explain myself, so I’m just going to go with a flow of consciousness (then maybe edit a little when I’m done ;-)).
The last several months have been characterised by a desire to get ‘out’ of my business without affecting the quality of my service. This has been most relevant to my writing business (what is now WordCandy), as it is the part of my business that (a) makes the most money, and (b) has historically taken the majority of my time up.
After all, that’s the passive income dream, is it not? To have your business working for you, not vice versa?
It’s easier said than done though, to achieve ‘true’ passivity. Income reports of successful online entrepreneurs are dime-a-dozen, but what’s far less clear than the figures is how personally invested these entrepreneurs are in their businesses. I’m not going to start pointing fingers, but it seems to me that the more money these guys make, the more their businesses rely on their very personal brands. They couldn’t simply walk away from their businesses unscathed; their day-to-day involvement is very much a necessity.
I didn’t want that. I wanted the freedom to dip in and out of my business as I saw fit. This was ostensibly with a view to walking across France (something I attempted but ultimately had to abandon after a few weeks due to concerns over my business), but it ran deeper than that. I didn’t want to be the administrator or the manager of my business – I wanted to be the guy on top.
I’m still not entirely sure what that means, but what it definitely doesn’t mean is being involved in the day-to-day running of my business. The problem is – as I have already alluded to – is that the world of blogging doesn’t lend itself well to that approach. As a blogger who has relied for a long time on a ‘personal brand’, to simply step away is easier said than done.
Granted, I’ve done that with Leaving Work Behind over the past four months, but I wasn’t able to do that with WordCandy. I’m still there every day, involved in the day-to-day workings of the business, making sure that things are running smoothly. And I’m still working on how to get away from that without affecting the quality of the work that we produce (and in fact improve it).
So there it is folks – the last four months have involved me trying to get ‘out’ of my business. I’ve been partly successful, but I’ve still got a long way to go.
So What’s In Store for the Future?
In short, I don’t know.
What I think I know is that I thrive on ideas and the bigger picture. I love putting things in motion and tweaking and optimizing. What I don’t get a kick out of is getting drawn into the daily grind of doing the same thing over and over again. I feel like I need to continuously push myself, so that when I’m on my deathbed, I don’t feel like I wasted my life. That would suck.
So at this point, Plan A is to get myself ‘out’ of my business. That includes WordCandy, Leaving Work Behind, Paid to Blog, and so on. I must do this with no undue risk, which means that I must manoeuvre carefully.
If Plan A is successful, I will then be in a position to figure out what on earth I’m doing next. I’m yet to figure out what I want from life, so all I can do is get my head down and work on what feels right to me in the present moment.
What About Leaving Work Behind?
So if I’m getting ‘out’ of my business, where does that leave this blog? For many years it has been my soapbox; a journal of my journey from zero to now.
Well, Leaving Work Behind can’t be the same as it once was. That much is clear if I am not going to be writing on a regular basis. But neither do I want this blog to simply slip into obscurity. It must evolve. It must continue to offer you value while doing so without my direct influence. This is easier said than done, but I have my plans. There’s nothing concrete to reveal yet, but I feel optimistic about the site’s future.
And all that said, I still definitely want to retain the right to write articles here on Leaving Work Behind whenever I want. I’d like to think that I won’t disappear forever – that there will be times that I feel the need to write a post – but it has to be something I want to do, rather than something I feel like I have to do.
So…What Next?
In the short term, I’m planning on re-instigating a weekly publishing schedule here on Leaving Work Behind, with the help of some very talented writers and a community manager / editor. We’ll be focusing largely on (a) freelance writing, (b) the psychological/motivational side of things, and (c) practical tips for anyone that is looking to leave work behind.
In short, I want to continue to help people in the same way that I always have through this blog. It just won’t be me directly administering the medicine 😉
As for me – I’ve got plenty to be getting on with. And I feel quite excited about perhaps revealing the results of my plans down the line. We’ll just have to wait and see!
Image Credit: Carsten Tolkmit
Hi Tom,
I feel like I have been on this journey with you. I have been a fan of your blog from the start. Your story inspired me to get into freelancing (web design) and I have been working for myself full time for 3 years now.
I hope the leaving work behind site stays up and morphs into something great!
Good luck in everything you do! Can not wait to hear about this new direct 🙂
Your longtime reader,
Chris
Congratulations on your success to date Chris! And thank you 🙂
Thanks for the update Tom.
I am be keen to understand your methods of ‘getting out’ of your business. I think most of us that are founders are still integrally involved in the daily running and working in our businesses.
I personally haven’t found a simple way out, but am also keenly considering options and need to try a few things.
Graham 🙂
There is definitely no simple way out Graham, that’s for sure!
As always, you’re keeping it real! I’m curious to see what’s behind the curtain. Good luck!!
Thanks Gina!
4 months? That’s small potatoes. I’ve been away for a year now (I just checked– exactly one year today)!
On a serious note, I hope you get your new direction ironed out and it gives you the freedom that you so obviously crave! No doubt, it can be done!
Good to see a new blog post!
I would love to know more about how you are going about extracting yourself from your business.
I think there must be a few readers who have followed your journey themselves and have now left work behind, are working for themselves, but want to take the next step and start leaving freelancing behind.
Good luck,
Joe
Right now, with great difficulty 😉
I can’t promise that I’ll share everything, but never say never…
Hey Tom, I’m a new reader and have only been subbed for a week or so. Generally, this is not the kind of news that brand new subscribers like to hear haha, but I completely understand. All other things being equal, passive income beats freelancing and blogging every time. I can’t blame you for wanting to step back.
I actually started following because I found you on some list of blogs that pay for guest posts, so maybe this is actually good news for readers like me, since it might mean there are more opportunities to write for you.
Anyway, I think it’ll still be interesting to see how things unfold for you. I’m also hoping to move more into passive streams over time, so I hope to learn a thing or two from you.
Looking forward to your next update…
Chris Desatoff
Writer for hire
Sending empathy. Hope you can get yourself free.
I’ve followed you since the start, not sure how I came across your journey, but I remember when you were still working.
As for hands off income, unless you are doing affiliate marketing, I am not sure there is much you can do that is totally hands off. Every business needs someone to guide it.
Have you considered writing on Kindle? You obviously have writing skills and self publishing is paying off big for many people.
Software or Software as a service is another great business to be in. There is still some involvement, but most of it can be farmed out. I wrote some software some years back for the IM market and it did quite well for a while, very hands off. Some months as much as $2k. But then the market changed and the software became irrelevant.
Maybe team up with a tech person, that way your work load is reduced with a partner.
There are lots of options out there.
Regards
Darren
Great to know you’ve been following the blog for so long Darren!
I’m going to continue to focus on my writing business for the time being. I’m not looking for 100% hands off income; I’m just looking to get away from the day-to-day and be free to pick my battles, so to speak.
Hi Tom,
It’s so funny reading this because I have had similar thoughts though in my case I’m nowhere near at the level of engagement and business building that you are. But I have looked down the road and wondered if I really want to be tied to something else, much like any job, that you feel you can’t step away from.
I’m a bit older than you, to be sure, and for me, it’s more, at this stage of my life, I want to do something meaningful, but I am not a workaholic and don’t want to get swamped. For that, I may as well just go back to corporate America. Yuck!
I’m a work in progress, but it’s nice to know that others, way more successful at this point in time than I, have the same thoughts.
I’ll be very interested to see what you do going forward. 🙂
(Mostly) passive income means either machines or other people do the work. With people this will almost always mean paying them and some supervision.
Very good goal, Tom, look forward to hearing how the journey progresses.
In case it’s useful: a great book to read that applies *exactly* to where you are right now is The E‑Myth Revisited by Michael Gerber.
You need to build a team of people around you that understand you and who can leverage the tremendous power of what you have already achieved with Leaving Work Behind to bring greater success into your life, and in turn, to help more and more find their way to doing more meaningful work.
You’ve already established the beginnings of your team and I would suggest that there are plenty of readers here that would be glad to join and help you further.
+1 on this. The book is good and definitely applies!
I’ve read it a couple of times Rick 😉
I’m sure you all have read this book, but I have to mention it.
The 4-hour work week. I think this and the e-myth book go hand in hand.
Building a large business following the 80/20 rule and in a manner that allows you to step away is perfect. It also ties in your personal life too. How to outsource things like e-mails, and any other activity you don’t like so you can spend all your time building, and doing the things you love.
It’s always worth remembering that we don’t necessarily know where we want to end up when we start out on a journey of this kind.
I’ll be fascinated to see what steps you take next.
Best – Stuart
Whatever you decide, we wish you luck. It has been a joy reading your “soapbox” over the last several months and years. No matter what you do, we are certain you will enjoy it as there is always a time and a place to remove yourself from the stresses of daily life and work.
Good luck!
Thank you Kearny!
Sounds to me you’re trying to achieve what an overwhelming majority of the world would ultimately like – work when we want and on what we are inspired by.
I will give you credit though. From my brief encounter with you and LWB you seem to be doing mostly what you want. And that’s significantly more than most. It’s a considerable undertaking. The odds are stacked well against the majority of us in this pursuit. I wish you well in your efforts toward that end. i will be reading your ensuing posts with rapt interest.
Hi Tom,
I’m a longtime reader of your work. I’m thrilled to hear that you are honing in on a plan that works for you. I took a year off from my career only to come back to it refreshed and ready to get in the trenches again. I’m an idea person who likes to get her hands dirty — at least, as dirty as you can get writing and editing all day. Well, I guess . . . never mind. : )
I’ve never liked the idea of a “personal brand”. I’ve seen several big name brands that are entirely that person, their voice, and then the product. It feels that for some of the personal brands that it would almost be a crime to have another author, or voice. Not because it’s bad, or wrong, but because its the way their business has always been.
I’d rather focus on just helping people with the problem and not worry so much about my personal voice.
I think it’s smart that you’re having other people write on your blog, and I hope you’ll continue to share your discoveries with your readers, or at least get someone to write about your discoveries so we can still benefit 🙂
Tom, your email address is not working.
I am interested in interviewing you for publication in my webzine. I wrote an email to you requesting said interview. Google and Outlook both said that your email does not work.