This post is entirely about sex! Find out how I decided to quit my job to focus on my service business and how you can too.
This post is entirely about sex…
Erotic sex that’ll keep you drooling days after you’re done. It a special kind of sex I’ve been having for a few days now.
And no, this is not a “sex without commitment” exercise.
It’s not a one night stand where you get in and get out.
Hell no! It’s much worse than that.
Once you “do it”, there’s no turning back. You can’t say you’re tired…you can’t say you want out.
In fact, in plain terms, it’s as binding as marriage! And if you’re not ready for it, don’t even get started.
So, let’s get to it.
The Truth About Sex
It’s often said that sex is spiritual. I guess this is because when you do it, some forces in that realm start to work for or against you, depending on who (or what) you had sex with. So I agree, it is. But first and foremost, sex is physical and it starts with emotion – an emotion that prompts a decision. Something like…
To do it or not to do it.
However, the funny thing about this kind of decision is even if you say ‘No’, part of you still wants it. That’s how powerful it is when emotion is tied into anything you set out to do.
Why (And How) I Made The Decision To Commit
Sometime in March, I had a major ‘ME’ time (something I’m about to get more of). I put off work and just stared into space, thinking and wondering where I was headed. I examined my life and realized that if I continued on that path, things could get ugly.
I needed ONE partner and at the time, I was into several things. I was in committees, was on several projects, belonged to several groups, wanted to build a business and then, there was my job.
I was technically a polygamist, with several partners and no preferred one.
And I needed to do something about it.
It’s funny how when you have something on your mind, for some reason, you start to see potential solutions that you never saw before. My decision to sort things out and “settle down” with only key things seemed to direct me to Tim Grahl’s “The Myth of “Too Busy””. Some of my entrepreneur friends need to read that.
Really, I needed a break.
So, like a zombie, I sat down, constructed and sent a resignation email to my boss, telling him I quit.
I didn’t realize what I had done until I sent it. Now don’t get me wrong, I didn’t hate the job. In fact, technically, it was a part time job and I was sold out to it. But as someone who values his time, it started to take all of my time, and financially, it wasn’t rewarding by my standards.
Also, for a long time, I wasn’t working on my own terms and I hated that fact.
But what happened next surprised me…
My boss said he couldn’t possibly let me go. He said he valued me and that he had grown to trust me…and…and…
Really?
So he made a proposal offering more money and more control of the business. I still said no.
Then he offered the option of me delegating all my responsibilities so I hardly have anything to do in the business.
Really, how realistic is that?
To cut the long story short, after he refused to get off my case, I made a counter proposal and moved the job to the top of my “Volunteering list” (primarily because I still had a monthly retainer fee).
That automatically moved my business to the top of my list (as the priority).
You Can Have Several Options, But Just One Partner
A married man would always have a list of women he interacts with every day. On this list could be his secretary who wears really seductive clothes to work, or the store attendant who thinks he’s so cute, she always gives him a discount. Or it could be the “sister” in the Church who keeps hitting on him.
But there’s always only one priority – the one he sees first thing in the morning and lastly before going to bed – his wife.
As multi-passionate as entrepreneurs get, we tend to become too involved in many things just because we like doing them and not necessarily because they help us meet our goals. And that can be dangerous.
It is this ONE priority you should wake up every morning to do and round up your day with. Ben Settle on his Antipreneur podcast always yaps on about devoting the first hour of the day to yourself, whether you’re at a job or not. And after hearing him say it multiple times, I only just took it really serious.
That’s what I call “implementation lag” – wasting time before taking action. Don’t do that.
Why I Chose My Business Over Everything Else
As a freelance writer, I had my first $5,000 month a little over a year ago. So the business viability is there…no doubt about that. And the fact that I’ve been able to add extra skills to my portfolio really does make it count.
But that’s not why. I chose it because of the business purpose. This is why I’ll never stop stressing on the importance of knowing your reason why. Why do you want to offer your skills as a service? Why do you want clients? Why do you want to build a business?
If your “why” is not strong enough, and you make that business your priority, you’ll box yourself up because you’ll be focusing on something that probably won’t last.
Making my business a priority includes marketing it and every other thing in it such as working with my clients, business projects, and a software I’m working on with a business partner.
Take The Right Steps
In December 2014, my mentor agreed to be my coach and help me rebuild my service business (yes something happened to it in 2015, but I won’t go into that now).
But at that time, when I indirectly asked him (without even realizing it), I wasn’t ready, mainly because I had no control over my life and therefore my time.
It’s very different when you have a friend decide to help you out in your business. But when you get a veteran like Bamidele Onibalusi of WritersInCharge take his valuable time to look at your business, you better be serious.
Well, the truth is, up until now (at the time of writing this post), I haven’t really been serious. That’s about to change though because the last thing any coach needs is an unserious student.
When John Lee Dumas of Entrepreneur On Fire wanted to start his daily podcast (which is great by the way), he had Jamie Tardy of The Eventual Millionaire as his mentor. After all necessary preparations and when all was set, he developed cold feet – he was completely scared of launching his podcast. And he continued to prolong this until his coach gave him an ultimatum.
Ouch!
Here’s what I’m getting at: take things one step at a time. When the time comes to take that step, be bold enough to take it. Perhaps I should have quit my job before getting someone to look into my business, and perhaps not. Maybe I would have moved faster. There’s nothing worse than moving at snail pace knowing you could be faster.
But try being a stationary rock and you’ll realize that being a snail is much better.
Here’s an interesting quote you should probably write down:
In other words, only do the right thing when you’re ready or else…
Making Babies For Your Service Business
Babies are a result of sexual intercourse between grownups of the opposite sex. In this case, they’re a product of the interaction between you and your business.
So, exactly what kind of babies am I referring to? Babies that add to your cash flow and portfolio. And these could be:
- Packaging a product that helps your students, like Oni’s “Stop Chasing Clients”.
- Sending out premium monthly newsletters like Ben Settle’s, “Email Players”.
- Writing a book packed with your experience, like Ian Brodie’s “Email Persuasion”.
- Starting a training program like Danny Iny’s “Audience Business Masterclass”.
As you can see, there are several ways to earn from a service business, asides from just working with clients.
What You Need To Do Next
Imagine a masked man breaking into your house. Then two minutes later, you feel the cold Muzzle of a gun pressed against your head. And then he asks you a simple question,
“Out of everything you do, pick one and give me the rest, or I’ll send a bullet through your brain.”
Which one would you pick? Which one would you forsake?
If the stakes were that high, which one would you refuse to let go, even if your life depended on it?
That is your one true partner, every other thing is secondary.
So find it and start making babies :).
P.S. I had to push forward several posts in my schedule just so this post could be published now. So yeah, it’s important to me that you learn something from it.
What do you think? Are you working on your own terms or is your business still a secondary activity? Share your thoughts in the comments below.