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A Day Job Is So Much Easier Than Entrepreneurship

Published: 09/23/2012 | Updated: 10/28/2019 by Financial Samurai 81 Comments

Old Man Carrying A Heavy Load

Old Man In Istanbul Might Not Agree

No sooner had I announced my retirement did e-mails and phone calls start flooding in from competitors who wanted to meet. Some were curious why I had retired, while the majority of them were basically trying to see if I would be a good fit to work with them. Fortunately, or unfortunately, the carrots that used to be delicious are not as orange anymore. Still, getting offered big bucks to work in a new environment, with a growing product is an exciting proposition!

The main reason why I retired from corporate America at the age of 34 was so that I can see what I can do entirely on my own. With all the work experience, education, and moonlighting, I’m curious to know if I can create a sustainable and fun business that can grow long after I’m gone. What I lacked was enough of my own time to make it happen.

Up until now, I’ve just been a hobbyist, writing online and not focusing much on the business aspect of things. I enjoy doing things for fun because I get impatient with boring activities the older I get. However, what I’m quickly discovering is how enjoyable it is to learn about business online no matter how slow the progress is! I just need more patience.

ENTREPRENEURSHIP IS BRUTALLY HARD COMPARED TO A DAY JOB

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Family Business: The Pros and Cons Of Hiring Relatives

Published: 05/27/2011 | Updated: 02/11/2020 by Financial Samurai 15 Comments

If you run a small or medium sized business, do you employ any family members? Currently, more than a fifth of small business surveyed (21%) do so.  What’s more interesting is that a staggering 94% of SMEs employing family members felt that their business had benefited as a result.

I’ve always believed hiring a family member can be a double-edged sword.  Mainly, what if they start taking advantage of your relationship and not doing what their job entails?  Your Uncle Bobby might think that because he took you to all those ball games growing up, it’s payback time, and he shouldn’t have to work as hard as other employees.  On the flip side, there’s no better joy than to hire a family member who is need of employment.

LET’S TALK FAMILY

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Real Entrepreneurs Are Successful, Don’t Kid Yourself

Published: 02/25/2011 | Updated: 04/23/2019 by Financial Samurai 61 Comments

Enjoying the lifestyle of an online entrepreneur in HawaiiAccording to the dictionary, “entrepreneur” is a term applied to a person who is willing to launch a new venture or enterprise and accept full responsibility for the outcome. What the hell does that mean?  We all start things and accept responsibility for the outcomes, unless of course we don’t because we expect handouts if things don’t work out.

As far as I can tell, many of us want to be entrepreneurs because it sounds so sexy. We dream of starting the next multi-million dollar company, get recognized by Entrepreneur Magazine, and earn a fortune in the process.  Yet, this type of success is unlikely for many of us.  We don’t have a great business plan, we run out of capital, we don’t have charisma, and we lack the perseverance to keep on going.

THE PROBLEMATIC ISSUE

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If You Plan To Speak Forever, You Can Blog Forever

Published: 08/29/2010 | Updated: 07/13/2020 by Financial Samurai 57 Comments

You can make a lot of money blogging for a living. However, a lot of people don’t start a blog because they are too afraid of the work involved. I just want to say that if you plan to speak forever, you can blog forever.

One of the best things about running your own blog is that you can write whatever you want, whenever you want.  There’s really no pressure to do anything really, and I don’t understand why some would feel otherwise.  Several blogging buddies have gone straight up cold turkey, not writing anything for months.

They tell me they can’t keep up with the schedule of writing great content.  Who says content has to be great?  They say new jobs lead them to not have the time.  Are you working 100 hours a week?  I’m sad because I miss their posts and our interactions.

You Can Blog Forever

Blogging shouldn’t be a chore, it should be easy. Blogging is writing, and writing is like speaking, which comes as naturally as breathing.  Surely you speak everyday to people, whether in a fun or work setting no?  If so, why is it so hard to put some words together on paper and press publish?  Oh yes, we’re afraid of what people will think of our writing.

How To Build A Blogging Business - you can blog forever

Yes, it’s sometimes a debilitating feeling. We feel we should always try and write something meaningful and profound.  Gimme a break.  We’re bloggers for goodness sake, not the authors of Crime & Punishment and The Invisible Man!

Look around the blogosphere. There’s hundreds of non profound posts out there. There are posts about doing this and that when the author has no clue.  Boring makes up an extraordinary majority of articles on the internet, so don’t worry one bit if your post has the personality of a waxed figurine.

Although we’re only a small micro fraction of the web, I’m pretty confident that someone will find us interesting.  Don’t believe me?  Try putting the worst piece of crap on Craigslist, and I guarantee you tons of people will ping you to pick it up.

If you speak at all, you can write.  And if you plan on speaking forever, you can write forever!  Come back blogging buddies, come back.

Related: Top 10 Reasons To Start An Online Business Today

Starting A Money Making Blog Forever

It’s been over 10 years since I started Financial Samurai and I’m actually earning a good passive income stream online. The top 1% of all posts on Financial Samurai generates 31% of all traffic. The average age of the top 1% posts is 2.3 years old. In other words, after putting in the hours to write some very meaty content over two years ago, 10 posts consistently generate a monthly recurring income stream that’s completely passive.

I never thought I’d be able to quit my job in 2012 just three years after starting Financial Samurai. But by starting one financial crisis day in 2009, Financial Samurai actually makes more than my entire passive income total that took 15 years to build. If you enjoy writing, connecting with people online, and enjoying more freedom, see how you can set up a WordPress blog in 15 minutes with Bluehost. It’s cheap and easy to start!

Related: How Much Do Bloggers Really Make? A lot More Than You Think!

Regards,

Sam @ Financial Samurai – “Slicing Through Money’s Mysteries”

The Samurai Mask: An Interview With The CEO of BULLDOG Gin

Published: 11/04/2009 | Updated: 02/19/2020 by Financial Samurai 18 Comments

A Brazen Breed of Gin

I’m pleased to highlight a new series of articles focused on understanding the thoughts of successful entrepreneurs. For our inaugural series, entitled, “The Samurai Mask,” I speak with the CEO and Founder of BULLDOG Gin, Mr. Anshuman Vohra, 31. “Shu” was once a JP Morgan Banker who gave up his lucrative career to start BULLDOG Gin three years ago. I was very inspired after watching his story about overcoming rejection on Donny Deutsche’s “The Big Idea” and I’m pleased he’s here with us today.  This is his story about finding entrepreneurial success, and going against the odds. I invested $61,700 in BULLDOG Gin in 2007. 

INTRODUCTION

FS: Shu, thanks for taking the time to speak. First of all, tell us about BULLDOG Gin, and why it is such a hot product?

Shu: It’s good to speak to you and it’s an honor to be the inaugural interviewee for your new series.  BULLDOG Gin is a quadruple distilled, ultra premium gin with dragon eye and other distinctive botanicals. This is not your old folks gin, but a younger, brazen breed of  gin that you can imagine Steve McQueen and James Bond drinking.

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