Do you ever wish you had a more flexible lifestyle? By that I mean a life that offers a lot of time freedom and choice. A lifestyle that offers complete control of what you earn and how and where you earn it.
These days many employers are offering more flexible working hours. As the world becomes more and more digital some jobs can be done partially from home. This is great but still involves restrictions, deadlines and “answerability” to others. A truly flexible lifestyle removes all that and is eminently possible.
In 2011 redundancy brought an end to my 12 year career in the audio visual industry. With it went commuting, long hours of hustling for new business, writing proposals and pitches, enduring endless meetings and a lot of stress. Of course the stress was temporarily replaced with panic and worry but also with what I’ve come to value most in life – time.
The Time Poverty Trap
I had time to think, look around and start planning a new and more flexible lifestyle.
I’d always struggled with the time and money equation. It seemed that to earn enough of the latter cost far too much of the former. Although I’ve always been a worker I’ve always subscribed to the work to live not live to work philosophy. Easier said than dome though as I’m sure you’ll agree.
How then was I going to replace or better the income I’d been used to with a more flexible lifestyle? In short, how could I work less and earn more?
In the years leading to my redundancy I’d watched a little thing called the Internet grow arms and legs. In the technical industry I’d been part of it had become a crucial part of my working life. It’s where I looked for new business. It provided new, efficient ways to communicate, look for resources and reach wider audiences. In my personal life too it had become an indispensable tool. Could it be the place to build a more flexible lifestyle?
There’s no denying that the Internet has spawned more than it’s fair share of get rich schemes, pie in the sky systems, scams and false promise. It has however created some pretty incredible, legitimate business models. It has also cleaned up it’s act a lot since those early boom and bust days when millions were made (and lost) overnight. So whilst wary I could also see the huge potential of an online business.
A More Flexible Lifestyle Online
Every self help or personal development guru who has ever put pen to paper has told us that real freedom can only be achieved by running a business. That option however has always been out of reach for many due to cost and lack of experience. But the Internet has changed that too.
Starting an online business is far less costly than a traditional business. You need minimal equipment – a laptop – and you don’t need to own, create, store or distribute products. You don’t even need to do the dreaded “sales” – the other aspect of business that puts many people off. Online business models like affiliate marketing and e-commerce do most of the heavy lifting for you.
There a couple of things you do need however: Skills and a change in mindset. I’ll share with you the platform that provides those as well as ready to go high profit products to start with. First though I’d like to give you a snapshot of the more flexible lifestyle it has helped me create.
Two years after I started my new life as an online entrepreneur myself and my partner were able to achieve a long held ambition. We sold up our place in the city and moved to a quiet seaside location on the west coast of Scotland.
The Power In Proof Of Concept
Having started to earn a lot more than I’d earned as a business development manager online gave us the confidence and self -belief to do it. I knew I could do it from anywhere – I had “proof of concept”. We were also confident that my partner’s new driving school business could be grown on social media in our new location. That proved to be the case.
After initially renting a property for a few months and with everything working out well, we bought what is for us, our dream property. We have now been here for 5 years.
I work a few hours a day most days but that can change on a whim. We like to travel and relish the ability to grab last minute deals and fly off to explore new places whenever we want to. Friends and family can visit whenever they want to as we aren’t tied to a 9-5 life and can take days off at the drop of a hat.
Can There Be A More Flexible Lifestyle Model?
Work for me involves, writing my blog, creating videos and ad campaigns promoting various affiliate products. Since writing and photography have been lifelong passions of mine it seldom feels like work. I’ve turned one of our spare rooms into a little office cum studio complete with green screen wall. I often work at our dining table, which overlooks a huge expanse of the Firth of Clyde. Often I do Skype calls with customers and associates all over the world.
I must admit I find it hard to imagine a more flexible lifestyle.
I’ll end this by sharing a link to the series of free videos that introduced me to the possibilities in front of us that the Internet has created. You learn about solid online business models. You’ll come to understand how online marketing systems can automate most of your business and how age, experience or technical nouse are no barrier to success when you have the right mentors, training and tools.
Just click on the image below to start creating a more flexible lifestyle as soon as you like.
