The following blog post is part of The Road to Financial Wellness Blog Tour. Over a period of 30 days, the Phroogal team will go to 30 locations to raise awareness about financial empowerment. Today they will be in Portland! Our goal is to help people learn about money by starting the conversation. We understand that local conversations can help bring about national awareness.
June has been a big month of changes for me, and for Frugal Portland.
On June 1st, I gave two weeks’ notice.
On June 12th, I went on vacation.
On June 23rd, I started working for myself full time.
On June 24th, I reached out to more Portlanders who can give this site the local flavor you’d expect from a site called Frugal Portland. This move is two years past due. I’ve been hesitant to start talking about Portland because all my friends who read this aren’t Portlanders (although that would be awesome!). But it’s time. I need to move past the “dear diary” posts and embrace our funky little city.
On June 25th, I learned that my Kickstarter failed.Today is June 26th, and I’m wrapping up my first week of self-employment.
Today is June 26th, and I’m wrapping up my first week of self-employment.
I have to tell you, it all feels awesome.
I wake up excited to get to work, knowing that the effort I put toward work will have a direct impact on my life (the other side of that coin is fear, I know, that when I don’t “feel like working” I am not making any money, but I have plenty of tasks that don’t feel like work that are just as important).
I talk to my partner every single day (at least once), and we keep each other on task.
But the best part?
I feel like I’ve freed up more than eight hours of my day.
The time I’ve saved makes plenty of sense. I was a dedicated employee at my last job, not a slacker. So I was already not getting paid for “butt in chair” time — I was working that butt off!
But it’s more than that.
Don’t Be Afraid to Change
The fear I felt before acting was nearly palpable. My friend Robbe wrote an excellent post about fear, and how you’re only afraid of something if you’re seriously considering it. His example was how his mom isn’t afraid of skydiving, because she’s decided that she’s never going to do it. Plain and simple.
I wasn’t like Robbe’s mom. I was seriously considering “skydiving” and it scared the snot out of me.
But once I talked to my boss, and told him honestly where I stood, the fear subsided.
Am I making eight bajillion dollars a month, sipping drinks with tiny umbrellas on the beach?
Of course not, and anyone who tries to tell you that’s what online work is like is either lying to you or themselves.
Online work is work. And I’m not replacing my income right away. I wish I could say that in four days, I’m already making what I did.
But I’d be lying if I said that, and this blog has been a space for raw, sometimes ugly, honesty.
How am I Going to Make Money?
My focus is on building my own brands (Frugal Portland, For Profit Blogging, Stacking Benjamins, and The Free Financial Advisor) to the point where we’re making a livable income.
I started writing again for Babble, so watch for those posts.
I’m doing freelance presentation design for a few companies, which is something I really enjoy (hello, stock images!).
We’re considering doing one-on-one consulting for people who need our help.
That’s not exactly a five-year-plan, though, is it?
That should scare me even more than simply quitting.
But, as one former colleague wrote, when she heard I was leaving, “No guts, no glory.”
So here goes. Don’t be afraid to change. Remember, job security is a false security blanket. It might feel warm and cozy, but it could be snatched away from you at any moment.
