Livin' the Dream!

Yesterday, as part of an annual April Fool’s tradition, (and because it’s $9 day) I took my son out of school and we went skiing. What a day! What an opportunity! And what a luxury. Nothing makes working for yourself better than being able to do what you want when you want to. Here's how I did it: Five years ago I used my tax refund and bought a laptop. It changed my life! I started out creating a website for families in my area, doing all the design, information gathering, and writing. At first I used Google Adsense to monetize but then I thought that since it was local I should get some area businesses to sponsor me. I made a few calls and explained how it would benefit them to advertise on my site. It wasn’t just about the exposure on the site, but they would get a link to their site, I would also include them in my newsletter and mention them on Facebook with links. I spent more time with the accounts explaining how links worked than I did talking about my website and the benefit to families in the region. I started to see a pattern and realized how I could really make money with what I was doing. I kept up with the website and the tremendous amount of hard work it involved while gradually building a reputation as a social media expert (not my word, digital changes too fast to be an expert in anything.) It was by demand that eventually I stopped the website and became a digital marketing consultant. From there, in helping the brick and mortar shops and local services understand terms like reach, engagement, analytics and capturing data, the next thing I knew I was in the merchant credit card business selling loyalty cards. It all tied together. Create engagement on social networks, stay in touch with email, and keep ‘em coming back with a loyalty program. My income was steadily increasing and my reputation as a digital marketing specialist was secured. The best part is that I love what I do. I get lost in researching the latest in industry trends, and it’s continually changing so there’s always something new to learn. My accounts ask the best questions and it’s when I say I don’t know the answer but I’ll find out and get back to them, they trust me even more. I don’t have to sell anyone something they don’t need, like I used to when I worked for a major company. I like that! My work is authentically me, I can meditate and not worry like I did before that I would “lose my edge” as a salesperson, and I get to exercise every day. That’s a luxury! Instead of making excuses I look forward to that coveted hour of my day. And I really feel that what I do contributes and helps people do better. Benefits include: I can start work at 5am, which I like to do! Green tea in hand. I sometimes sit at my kitchen table, right now I’m writing on my sofa in front of a fire in the fireplace, and on occasion I go to my local coffee shop at the end of my street. I should add that I also get out to see clients, which is good for both of us! It’s absolutely fabulous! I can attend all my sons’ events and not be looking over my shoulder like when I had an office job. I can go grocery shopping during the day and not be rushed. I’m not rushed for anything actually. And when I’m stuck on something, I can do laundry, dishes, clean a bathroom and then get back to it. And I make money doing it! You can too. Want to find out how you can work for yourself and improve the quality of your life? Click here and get started! It may be the answer to what you're looking for.