Retire Early Home Page Discussion Board

[johnlw]

I started my own business (writing and publishing) approximately 4 years ago while continuing to work at my corporate wage-slave job. Unfortunately, I will have to continue working at the corporate grind for the foreseeable future. The upside is that since the day job provides the money I need, I dont have this sense that I have to make a living off the side business.

Along the way, I've discovered that running my own business is a totally different experience than working a corporate job. The freedom to make my own decisions and set my own course makes all the difference in the world to me. In addition, it has provided a creative outlet that had been missing for so long in the corporate environment. I hadn't realized how much I had needed an outlet to express that creative side.

Here are my priorities for the side business:

1. I only write about subjects that I'm interested in.

2. If I don't feel like working my business, I don't force it.

3. On the flip side, if I wake up in the middle of the night with an idea, I'll sit down at the computer and work on it.

The interesting thing is that the writing and publishing feel like they have become part of my life. I dont view it as a task or chore that has to be done. In light of that, I plan to continue writing and publishing as long as I can, even after I "retire". However, with that being said, if it should ever start feeling like a boat anchor I have to drag around, I wouldn't do it anymore.

John White

[intercst]

[sgeeeee]

[johnlw]

Intercst and Sgoon,

Thanks for the kind words.

Intercst,

I checked out the link you sent. It would be incredibly difficult to support a family on $400,000 in savings plus the proceeds from one book title. I honestly dont know how you could do it. I also have a family to support, and can testify that it takes a lot of money. It also seems like the older the kids get, the more money it takes. Also, there are other issues to consider such as company provided healthcare and the 401K match (my employer matches 3%). The healthcare is a huge issue, my family has to have it due to some pre-existing conditions.

I do understand and sympathize with how hard it is to work at the grind of a regular 9 to 5 corporate job. It can truly suck the life out of you if you let it. I actually had a typical type of midlife job crisis at around the age of 40. With every fiber of my being, I wanted to quit my job. It became incredibly difficult to get out of bed every day to face that grind. However, I have too many people who depend on me, so I had to find a way to deal with it.

What it required on my part was a change in the way I viewed my job. I had to change my mindset and develop some strategies for dealing with all the B.S. of the corporate world. It didnt happen overnight, but I was able to get to the point where I dont hate it anymore. The icing on the cake is that I now view it as a way to support the things that are important to me. Its just a means to an end.

I do think there is some money to be made writing and publishing, but unless you get very lucky and hit a home run, you wont make a killing off of a title. I think a more realistic strategy to employ is to write a number of books that would provide a regular amount of money every month. However, at least for me, it can take a long time to write and publish a title, I do everything myself except for the cover art. I just sent my second book to the printer, it took 2 years from start to finish, so its a very long-range effort. I believe it would take a lot of books to generate the type of income that would allow you to semi-support yourself. So, for now, Im keeping the day job


Sgoon,

worked in mega-corp for several years but always wrote, edited, reviewed and published on the side. That never seemed like work to me. That's what kept mega-corp from driving me completely crazy.

That really resonates with me, its pretty much the way I feel.

John White

[arrete]