Sharing lessons from my entrepreneurship journey to help you overcome fear, avoid setbacks & get off the bench. Go from idea → prototype and iterate quickly.
Life after quitting
Life after quitting: My 9-month update
Hey Reader,
It's been 9 months, and I wish I had quit sooner.
Quitting is not nearly as scary as I thought.
Before quitting, my biggest fear was failing and having to go back to work.
Though I have not freed myself from that possibility, I am confident I will eventually figure it out. Even though that fear still lurks in the shadows of my mind.
It's been an engaging treasure hunt, and I am happy I allowed myself to have fun and take on this challenge.
I have learnt so much about myself.
As this is the most time I have spent with myself in my entire life, and it's been transformative.
Before, I was always busy.
With school, work or some other activity or distraction.
I rarely had the space just to be.
Having all the mental real estate dedicated to self-discovery and personal endeavours has been fulfilling and healing.
Let’s talk about wins 🥳
Most of my progress isn’t visible.
Mainly increased confidence, improved self-awareness and happiness.
99.9% of days, I am so exited about what I am working on that I don’t want the days to end. I spring out of bed in the morning with a zest for life.
The dread I felt daily after work is now a distant memory.
The most challenging days on this journey have been way better than my best days at my 9-5.
Ok, for the more tangible stuff:
- X (Twitter) audience growth of 2500
- TikTok audience growth 115
- Newsletter growth 35
- Ideas 2
- Freelance gig 1
- 1st dollar 0
Considering how self-conscious I was before I posted my first Tweet and TikTok. These numbers are nothing short of miraculous.
I still feel cringe and self-conscious but I do the thing anyway.
TikTok is mainly a video journal, so I don't put much effort into it, but I enjoy making the videos and plan to dedicate more time to it in the future.
X (Twitter) I am still trying to figure out, as I want my content to feel more authentic. My growth here has mainly come from hosting and participating in Twitter spaces.
The Newsletter was a bonus.
I resisted the idea for a while but was happy I pushed through. My main goal is to improve my writing, connect with people who follow me and use it to improve my X content.
The freelance gig was another bonus.
I connected with a startup founder in the Health Tech Nerds community, and they asked me to work with them as a tech lead.
It's only 10 hours a week, so it fits my schedule, and I get to learn about starting a health tech company.
Let's talk about challenges 🧗🏻
I have struggled in 2 main areas:
- Creating content on X (Twitter)
- Finding Ideas to pursue as a business
Creating content on X
For the most part, I have got the hang of creating content on X, which has become slightly easier now that I am writing this newsletter.
With a newsletter, I can more easily express myself and then pick out bangers from each issue to post on X.
Despite all that, it still feels stiff as fu*k.
My X content genuinely resonates with me, but I have STRUGGLED with nailing a tone that sounds like me.
I am improving, but have found it hard to post and be consistent when it doesn't feel like me.
I experimented with video on X, and I like it, but it does not feel as natural as on TikTok. I'll continue to post videos until I find the right balance between video and text.
Finding Ideas
This has been THE biggest struggle so far.
I have labeled it as an idea problem but it stems from me not knowing what groups of people I want to solve problems for, and being too damn picky.
To avoid lingering too long in this state, I decided to take my own advice and not wait to figure it out.
I just picked something.
I am focusing on a problem I have faced that already has existing solutions and i'll try to create something better.
I'll admit, I am not inlove with the idea but its a start.
I am currently validating the idea by interviewing old colleagues and LinkedIn leads that fit a user persona to get feedback. I follow the guidance for customer/lead interviews in the book 'The Mom Test.'
I'll continue to do this until I get validation in the form of payments or sign-ups. If I get no validation, I'll pivot until I do.
The goal is to get validation before I build anything.
I'll talk more about my ideation journey and process in my next issue.
What have I learned?
The journey is like being a sailor.
You are constanly navigating a turbulent sea of emotion, confusion and struggle.
The only way through it is, radical self belief, persistence and finding joy in the turbulence.
⟡ Mindset mindset mindset.
The journey is really about conquering your mind and replacing self-limiting beliefs with self-afirming ones.
Realizing you can learn to do anything want with enough time and support.
All the information and resources are out there, and it's a game of treasure hunt to figure it all out.
⟡ Figure out the community you want to serve.
I am still experimenting so I can't give any advice here just yet.
I only know its a critical first step.
Your journey will be much easier if you already have this figured out.
⟡ Give yourself more free time.
Leave your 9-5 schedule behind.
At the start of the journey, I over worked on my stuff for about 10 hours a day or more.
Naturally, I ended up feeling burnt out.
It took me some time to realize that I had full control over my schedule. Now, I start my day at 10:30 AM and try to end around 2:30 PM which has improved my level of creativity.
Resting and giving yourself more space allow ideas to percolate.
What's next?
My focus is to make my first 1$ online from my creations and continue to improve my content, foster community and make connections.
Then work my way up to 50k per month and beyond via a Saas and info product(s).
I have no clue when I will get there but im shooting past the stars and aiming for the furthest galaxy.
Engineering Freedom
Sharing lessons from my entrepreneurship journey to help you overcome fear, avoid setbacks & get off the bench. Go from idea → prototype and iterate quickly.
Hey Reader, Exactly a year ago, I was perched at the edge of a Grand Canyon of decisions. As I peeked over the edge, the cold air rising from the darkness below was crisp with anticipation and work-induced despair. All the unknowns of life after 9-to-5. Behind me, the three-headed work serpent hissing and slithering closer. Its three big ass heads stretching high above, glaring down. Deadlines, career improvement goals, demanding projects, and all the other junk I never gave a rat's ass...
“Justineee! Thanks for joining Indie Mastermind. Tell me about what you are working on and how I can help you.”Ayush, the founder of Indie Masterminds – an entrepreneurial community I joined a few days prior – asked with an encouraging tone, unaware of my simmering frustration.I had just wrapped the experiment for my first business idea that hadn’t worked out. I was at the all too familiar crossroads of not knowing what business problem to pursue next. Ayush presented a challenge that...
Hey Reader, A few days ago, I had an epiphany. It was as clear as a bright orange neon sign flashing the answer 2 mm from your face, a connection I was oblivious to all along. It struck me while watching a YouTube video on language learning that emphasized the importance of cultural immersion. The idea is to soak in the culture— audiobooks, music, movies and communities— like a dry sponge. Allowing the language to seep into every crevice and fold of your brain, even when you don't understand...