I Don't Want To Make $100k Through Passive Income

Yes it's true.

In this age of Make Six Figures While You Sleep and Learn How I Make $10k p/w through Passive Income, I want to make very unpassive income.

I want to be so unpassive that my time is bursting with action.  I want to exchange my time for dollars. I want to be inefficient with my time. I want one-on-one.

I absolutely love the idea of making money in my sleep or raking in the moolah while I luxuriate elsewhere, don't get me wrong, but deep in my soul I love the thrill and satisfaction from working at one project at a time, with one client at a time.

Technology has liberated the world, enabled massive human-to-human connection to share ideas and knowledge on a level not previously enjoyed. It has unshackled many from the 9-5 grind of the Industrial Revolution work model. The barrier to entry for starting your own business is lower than ever before; you can take your expertise, start a business, build a website, learn how to DIY your marketing both on and offline, and run your business for very little financial outlay. For free if you're dedicated to frugality.

I am a big fan of the DIY, learn-as-you-go model of building your own business, as you all know! I've spent the best part of 5 years persistently learning, challenging my limits (sanity!) and creating products and services from my skill set.

Without the e-course and online training that I have paid for over the years, I would not be where I am today. I have learnt from the most incredible people who have spent years honing their craft and shaping their expertise into online courses and ebooks. They have packaged their knowledge into electronically delivered modules that they create once and sell to many.

On the tech side, I know people who write software or create apps to sell on a massive scale.

That is Passive Income.

And the temptation is to follow suit.

In my world, where I connect daily online with six figure passive income entrepreneurs, it is so enticing to try the same. You end up thinking that creating passive income is the only way to live the life you love. The over-riding message is to move away from one-on-one model and towards the one-to-many model.

It's so damn attractive, I tell you! I hear the siren song....

I have been toying with the idea of passive income for a while and brainstorming what I could e-package and sell. There surely must be something I know that will help others grow and enhance their businesses and lives. I played with the idea of an online art course or a How-To-Start-a-Product-Business-Online course. Or a motivation mindset course for newbie start-ups.

But nothing really lit me up.

Because what lights me up IS the one-on-one business model. I love speaking with a client, hearing about their business, understanding their individual needs and coming up with something truly unique.

And don't get me started on the HIGH I get when I gain the job and after I deliver the job. Now bottling and selling that feeling would be a great passive income product!

I don't mind what I do; chairs, fabrics, video backdrops or art and illustration.

The whole labour-intensivity of my work is so delightful. I can only go as fast as my brain ticks over and as fast as my hands move across the page or screen.

Each job is started from scratch. I repeat the steps for every client. Hours are spent thinking, mulling, designing, creating and producing.

It is the anti-thesis of Passive Income!

So "yeah but no but"...

I don't want to earn $100k through passive income. But I DO want to earn $100k through active income!

It might take me longer, in fact it will take me a year if my reverse-engineering is correct, but it'll be a year filled with joy, satisfaction and my own personal idea of luxury.

So take a good look at your business and marry it with what really, honestly lights you up. Is it passive income? Maybe it isn't....and that's Ok too. Do more of what makes you truly happy.

Emma
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What happens next in my studio ?

Why Putting On Weight Helped Grow My Business

I am 4 kg heavier than I was 6 months ago, and I am genuinely fine about it.

Last year I turned 40 and I was fit, lean and rocked my lycra. I was 67 kilos. Now I am 71 kilos. My mid section is more one pack than 6, my bottom wobbles alot when I jig around and my upper arms are floppy once more.

But I feel amazing and happy and fulfilled. Not because I am learning to accept my body or free from society's ideals - more that I have directed my focus and drive away from the gym and towards my bottom line. Excuse the pun.

I am naturally a happy person. Easily pleased and generally optomistic. I like people, people on the whole like me and I like me.

But I am competitive, especially with myself and especially at the gym. I like spin classes and I like weights. And I like doing them at 100%. It makes me feel great.

How does this relate to me growing my business?

You see, the gym not only helps me keep a healthy weight but also gives me the quick fix dopamine hit I love. The reward for doing so well on the spin bike or rowing machine is a large, satisfying dose of feel good hormones and chemicals. Endorphins rush through my veins as I drive home and get back to work.

I feel so darn satisfied that I don't feel like I need to succeed any more that day. My satisfaction quota has been met. There is nothing else that makes me feel as satisfied as a gym session.

Nothing...except the high I get from creating beautiful art and design work for my clients.

When I'm in the zone, in full flow with my pencil, paint and Photoshop I feel invincible. You name it; serotonin, dopamine, endorphins yada-yada I am a human hormone fest of joy.

But my keenness to be fit and healthy meant that my personal quota for satisfaction was being met by the gym and not by my success at work.

I have always worked hard. I love what I do with a passion and have achieved lots from absolute zero, all by myself. No corporation behind me or official job description. No previous career to kick-start my business. My 17 year career and life as a professional artist and designer has all been off my own back. So, yes I am an achiever in many ways, but in other ways I am easily satisfied.

And my brain doesn't care where that feeling of satisfaction comes from. Any trigger will do.

This is terrible if you need to earn money and make a living to help support your family. It's a hobbyist's mentality. I was determined not to continue this mentality in 2015.

At the end of 2014, after I returned from Silicon Valley I realised that I wasn't enjoying my original business model. But I still didn't make the link between the gym and my unsatisfying business progress.

Then in January 2015 I began changing how I think. I listened to my gut feelings more. I investigated the woo-woo notions of Manifestation, Gratitude and the Law of Attraction. I wanted to run my business more intuitively and femininely; not the metric hustling and number crunching that I had previously been exposed to.

Paradoxically, the less I worried about my business metrics and the less I cared about how much wattage I was pushing on the spin bike or kgs on the kettlebell, the more money I began making.

The more I journalled about the way I want my life and business to 'feel', the more clients I attracted. The less time I spent at the gym, the more I pushed myself to increase my work satisfaction.

I am now enjoying huge rushes and highs from gaining new clients, creating beautiful video backdrops, stunning illustrations and delivering chairs that delight my clients.

Today, my No1 source of endorphins, dopamine and serotonin comes from my work, my art and my daily competition with my creative-self to reach higher, go further and be better.

Don't be mistaken into thinking I have abandonned exercise and my health! I still go to double spin - and I'm still 100% focused when I'm sweating away in that noisy, dark room. But it now only takes up one morning a week.

And I don't want my muscles to atrophy so I do incidental weights at home; 30 bicep curls while waiting for the kettle to boil, or a plank while scanning drawings or 30 squats in the shower while my conditioner works in.

And I take brisk walks in nature while listening to inspiring podcasts and audio books.

But all this means my weight gain has snuck up on me. One day I'm sure I will be 67 kilos and rocking the lycra again, but for now this is where I am, exactly where I need to be and I am happy.

Where do you get your dopamine hits from? Is it from quick fixes like checking for Facebook likes, or social media interaction? Or maybe like me, the gym. Or do you limit these and find your highs in more meaningful places that will propel your business forward?


Want to see how we can work together and create something beautiful for your business or home? 
Check out:
I Love My Chair - upholstery & design services
Bespoke Backdrops - custom backdrops for videos, webinars and events.
or email me here. 
xx Emma

When The Honeymoon Is Over - Motivation & Mindset.

Keeping your eyes on the prize is relatively easy when starting out in business – you have fire in your belly, firm goals and dreams of success. Motivation is your middle name and your mindset could win prizes.

Everyone around you is excited and interested in your new business. You’re pumped and you inspire those around you.

If you’re jumping from the corporate ladder, you may be the envy of some. Parents may question your plans - but they love you and only want what’s best, even if you are 40 years old! Friends take an active, curious interest. You’re a bit of a celebrity. You’re taking on the world, baby.

This is the Honeymoon period. It’s an exciting period in an entrepreneur’s life.

And then it’s over. And you’re on your own. The excitement has settled, the newness isn’t quite so new, the conversations have moved on. Life goes on as usual. But you still need to make your business work. And you are still working on your business 24/7.

No clocking off at 5pm, or passing the buck to a colleague. No company systems to safely follow. No pay cheque unless you hustle it.  No well trodden path to follow. It’s just you and your ambitions.

At best, the highs are so intoxicating you can barely breathe for the thrill and the I-did-this-all-myself pride. At worst it can be disheartening and confusing. To say entrepreneurship is a rollercoaster is a cliché, but clichés are born from truth.

Which is why fostering a robust mindset and finding motivation are so vital.

I’m an artist and designer, and in 2010 I moved from my home studio in Geneva to a shop and online in Sydney; I was seriously stepping out of my comfort zone.

After the launch parties, after the shop had been filled with my fabulous wares, after my design-your-own chair website had gone live, after I gained some pretty cool press coverage, it hit me. I had no idea how to keep the momentum going.

My honeymoon was over.

Handling the stress of bootstrapping a business and trying to keep positive when feeling lost is a predictable recipe for mental and business disaster.

It becomes increasingly harder to stay focused and motivated. Shiny new objects attract your attention, a narrow mindset can creep in and you can easily get bogged down.

So, here are 3 things I do to foster a focused mindset and keep myself motivated:

1 )  Surround myself with people more knowledgeable than yourself but who are travelling the same journey. We must never stop learning – join a business group, either locally or online.

In 2013 I joined an online business course; an 8 week, live online business program that teaches business from the ground up. And through a closed Facebook page it gives me lifetime access to the greatest group of women (and a few men) I have ever met.  An army of thousands, all taking the same journey.

Magic happens here. We connect online everyday, discuss business, celebrate our wins and share our failures. These women make me laugh, wipe my tears, answer my dunderhead questions and generally keep me sane. Priceless.

2)   Vision-boarding is a powerful way to keep your eye on the prize.

What do you want to achieve in your business? Think about where you’d sell, what experiences you want, your ideal clients, events you’d like to attend, the things you’d spend your earnings on etc.

Then trawl magazines and the internet for images and quotes that reflect them. Only use pictures and words that genuinely feel good to you. Really listen to what your intuition says and not society’s dictated ideals of success.

You can create an e-board but I’m low-tech, so I reach for the scissors and glue. Keep your vision-board visible as a screen saver, or pinned above your desk; use it for inspiration and motivation. I create mine on the hardback covers of my business notebooks. No escaping it there!

3)   If I feel my mindset and motivation slipping, my instant fix is listening to a podcast, webinar or interview.

Seeing the world from another’s perspective is the ideal pep-talk.

Listening, as opposed to reading, is hugely impactful and convenient. I live on a waterfront nature reserve in Sydney and nothing lifts my spirits more than an hour’s walk listening to a podcast.

My current favourites are:

·       Andrew Warner is a master interviewer and brings out the best stories from top start-up founders. Listen to Mixergy here.

·      The Law of Attraction by Abraham Hicks www.abraham-hicks.com     – I believe that our minds are the most powerful tool we possess. And that the Universe has more to offer than meets the eye. Listen and be uplifted!

·      My absolute favourite TED Talks are Elizabeth Gilbert’s, author of Eat, Pray, Love.   https://www.ted.com/speakers/elizabeth_gilbert As a creative I really resonate with how she describes the creative process and overcoming her creative blocks. 

Mindset and motivation are topics we all need to address on a daily basis. And by talking, sharing and opening up to each other, we can enjoy our businesses well after the honeymoon is over.

First printed in Violet Magazine