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MenuAre there still ways to become financially independent through a job?
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I love this question! Thank you for asking it.
If you don't mind, once you finish I would love to know more about your startups and what led you ask this question. No judging, but everything is a learning opportunity - I guess, hence we're both here.
My name is Humberto, although I now run a hybrid global marketing agency, I started drawing and selling my designs to shirt companies in FL a long time ago, traded medical sketches for medical treatments LOL. Over time my passion for art led me to pursue a full time career making a living with my art but that didn't pan out. Through that time though I was learning how to sell, learning technology and programming basics. It was this that got me involved with the startup community in Phoenix, AZ area to what is now globally known as #yesPHX. My creative side was the driving force behind all the Startup Weekends, Pitches, pursuing ideas, joining teams and seeking investors to pitch shamelessly to as well as building relationships and strategy. I learned a lot.
Including the fact that it was my creative side that drives me and my passions. That "Entrepreneurial ADD" as I like to call it was reduced when I was working on something that allowed me to be primarily creative rather than doing managerial or repetitive stuff such as pitching and driving sales or improving code. It took 2 startups with financial backing to realize that I didn't want to grow a business for myself, I enjoyed the creative challenges of figuring out how to get them growing and grow them and then move on - not being stuck running them. I found out I was a wannapreneur.
But this was an opportunity because knowing that I didn't want to be stuck growing a startup for the sake of money or nerdy fame helped me realize that I wasn't going to 'change the world and make it a better place' I would be like most of us just stuffing the world with one more app or service that we can probably go without or be a feature of an existing rather than a new company. Anyway, through this time I was consulting with other startups on growth, creative ways to grow (now commonly coined as Growth Hacking by S. Ellis) this led me to make a living consulting, I was a young 20' something hispanic entrepreneur helping business men and women of all ages and industries because of my experiences. I came in and evaluated their situation, found holes, provided ideas and solutions. I would help execute then I would move on to another challenge elsewhere. A wannapreneur I think is a bad term for a certain type of personality such as what I can relate to.
I want to work, I am creative, and I am trying to make the world a better place but I don't like being stuck forcing growth of my own company. This has allowed me to grow my company by focusing on driving good growth for my clients and being helpful which generates referrals. Depending on your experience you can try a similar path in pivoting your skillsets to something else.
That's what pivoting does for the most part " what resources and experiences I have and what other ways can I utilize them better?"
What relationships did you build? can you leverage those as opportunities for others?
Try joining a startup as a sales agent, customer service, or get yourself into a franchise which have to provide structure and help.
Use your current job income to fund your other entrepreneurial business ventures.
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