7-reasons why I'm transitioning from a highly-paid executive role to a one-person business (and why you should do it too):
1/ I've been employed for the past 10 years:
2012: Aviation Engineer
2013: Engineering Instructor
2015: Junior Marketer
2016: Marketer
2017: Marketing/CX manager
2019: Head of Growth
2020, 2021, 2022: Startups fractional CMO (Part-time)
But something changed ...
2/ Talent vs. Genius
For most of my life, I've met the expectations set by others:
-
Top of my class
-
Graduated from an engineering school
-
Got a job & multiple promotions at a well-known organization
This year, I decided to chase after goals others didn't set for me
My goals
3/ Seeking True Freedom
The most valuable asset isn't money, it's time.
Being employed while in my 30's meant:
- The time I spend on what I truly love is limited
- I only have about half of my life-span left
- I'm losing 33% of my day to a job
I want to change that.
Wealth
4/ Finding Purpose
The more promotions I got, the more I realized that:
-
I'm driven by people & ideas - Not money or status.
-
My creative potential is hindered by corporate rules.
My heroes aren't CEOs & VPs
My heroes are creators & entrepreneurs
But, where do I belong?
5/ A Sense of Belonging
In the past 4 months, I met countless creators and entrepreneurs.
They had a goal.
They took a leap of faith.
& stayed consistent till they made it.
I feel a strong sense of belonging to this community.
On facing challenges...
6/ Becoming Antifragile
The pandemic made me realize that:
The stability of the system is a false misconception created by society.
In reality:
- Change is the only constant
- You're never 100% in control
- Diversification is saftey
And one last reason ↓
Antifragile
7/ Having "Skin in the Game"
My belief system is built around:
Authenticity
Competence
Communication
& creating my own luck
Best way to live it → Is to put it to the test.
A journey of building a one-person business to $1M.
Might be just a dream, but I'll chase it.
Follow my journey with Growth Tribe:
Congrats on this power move Sohaib! Your words are inspiring and would love to have the opportunity to collab/help in any way I can!
Hey Adam - I just checked what you're doing on Kahana - Cool stuff.
Let's connect on Twitter.
Awesome let's go! Also I smashed the subscribe on Growth Tribe and got it in my inbox. Diving in now :D
Love it!
Thanks for reading Rino.
This resonates hard with me as a 26 year old with similar ambitions (I'm currently a mechanical EIT). While I enjoy the work and feel very grateful for being on the career path I'm on, I can't help but think that time is way more important than climbing the corporate ladder and having some sort of "title". That's mainly the reason I'm on IH is to gain inspiration from like minded people like yourself. Will definitely keep updates on your journey.
Stay after it Jay - Building your own and finding your path can be a non-linear route (many possibilities) but the gain is worth it.
Best of luck!
Someone has taken inspiration from Nassim Taleb's books. Godspeed!
Big fan of his work - No doubt about it.
Awesome. Second that. Pursue your dream and do what you love. Especially being able to work remotely will open up your options to "live the life" and schedule your time as you need it to be able to participate in activities that you love and would have missed in any 9-5. That´s why we moved our family during Corona Lockdown from Germany to the beach in Mallorca, Islas Baleares. As soon as you realize that it´s not pension when you can live your life, but you can live it today, this is a revelation. It needs a complete change of mindset but it will make your life so much better. #thenewrich
I like the idea of the move - I'm in Spain and familiar with Mallorca.
That's a beautiful place to be in.
This is amazing, Sohaib. Thanks for sharing your journey and all the best!
Thank you Sneha
Love this! I wish you the best of luck on your journey, Sohaib. 🙏
Thank you!