This is a story about a painful failure, and a different failure, and yet another excruciating failure…you get the idea.
And then, finally, incredible success.
I attempted my first online business back in 2003, back when making money on the internet was still a relatively novel affair.
I had no idea what I was getting myself into.
At the same time, I was learning the ropes as a new husband and father, renting a tiny house on the rougher side of town, driving a beat-up Toyota Tercel and working long hours as a programmer to (barely) make ends meet.
But I was determined to give my wife and kids a radically different lifestyle than the way I was raised. And I was ready to work my butt off to do exactly that.
Fun fact about me: I hate being an employee.
I mean, really, truly, mortifyingly hate it.
And to put the icing on the cake, I was absolutely terrible at it.
The threat of someone breathing down my neck, demanding deadlines and controlling my time did not match my vision of an ideal life.
That’s why I started my own business.
That’s probably one of the reasons you started your business too, right?
So I conceptualized this ‘brilliant’ online business plan. My goal was to automate its processes so that ultimately, I could work minimal hours and the business would run itself. This ‘automated’ business would create the freedom and opportunities for me to live as an engaged and present father and husband while providing generously for my family’s needs. It was everything I’d ever wanted.
The idea was perfection.
The execution was a total failure.
Once I got my business up and running, I ended up working MORE hours instead of less to keep the business actually functioning. It left me burnt out, frustrated, and borderline defeated.
The exact opposite of what I’d dreamed about.
After weeks of burn-out I realized that in order to truly automate my online business processes, I needed to hire someone to help. I needed an employee (even though I could barely afford one).
So I found and hired someone locally who was bright, eager to learn and qualified.
I just knew – this was the answer.
This was going to solve all of the problems.
I was wrong. Again.
I spent hours teaching my new employee the ropes of my online business. I drilled them tirelessly until they understood every objective, every process, and how it all worked together.
Things were getting good.
The business was stabilizing.
I was cutting back on my hours.
The automation process was working…
Then my lone employee quit and started an online business of their own, using all of my techniques and ideas that I’d so diligently taught them.
That sucked.
And to make things worse, I was back at square one, working 65 hours a week to keep this ‘automated business’ afloat by myself.
But if you could describe me as anything, it would be “determined” (my high school teachers likely used another word for it). I had a clear vision of the life I wanted to live, the life I wanted to provide for my family. And I was going to get there, road blocks and two-timing employees be damned.
I just needed to find another route…and I would.
Stay tuned for my next email to learn about my biggest outsourcing blunder yet – so you can avoid it yourself!
See you soon,
John
PS – have you had the chance to order my FREE book, The Outsourcing Lever? If not, be sure to check out this comprehensive guide to outsourcing to the Philippines. It will guide you through everything you need to know!