December 2017… I was less than 4 months from my 30th birthday and having one of those typical “What Am I Supposed to Do With My Life?” conversations with myself while lying in bed around 6:30am on a Sunday morning (I have no trouble falling asleep at night but in the twilight hours, my mind starts to motor with these big questions and there’s often no falling back asleep).
Things were… fine.
I had a steady, unionized job with a good salary and amazing benefits. I was working with great people and doing things that I, for the most part, enjoyed. But the challenge and uncertainty that I thrive on had faded from the job after 3 years and I was stuck facing the prospect of being overly comfortable. I had a lot of energy and drive and really no outlet for it.
To be honest…
I had spent over a year thinking about starting a business. I wanted the challenge, I wanted the extra income, and I wanted “entrepreneur” to be a part of my identity. I had gone as far as making a workback plan of all the things that I needed to accomplish before any sort of business would be ready to launch. That plan was over 6 months long… I was hiding beneath a list of to-do’s like a scared little puppy.
Until…
On that fateful Sunday morning in December, when I realized I had been hiding, I had what some might call an “F-IT” moment. The next day, I booked the first week of January off from work and committed to spending that week (and what was left of December) doing as much as I could and then just launching with whatever I had.
Sure, I could have spent the next 6 months meticulously pre-writing blogs, building my website, getting a logo designed, writing perfect sales copy, getting my Certified Resume Strategist designation (I didn’t get this until 18 months later), creating a marketing calendar and on and on… but I knew that if I launched now and figured that stuff out as I went, I was probably going to learn a lot more through real world feedback and maybe even make some money during the learning process (which I did). The only reason I wasn’t launching before everything was “perfect” was that I was scared!
→ Sidebar: “HOT DAMN! As I’m writing this, I realized that the procrastinating and fear I was describing is exactly why I haven’t launched my email marketing program that I’ve been coveting (and paying for) since September. Time to kick it into gear, Langstaff! ←
So I busted my butt throughout the rest of that December and then spent the first week of January working full-time to get everything ready… and on that fateful day: Monday, January 8th, 2018, I launched! Was everything perfect? Absolutely not. But I got the damn ball rolling!
Good for me!
Accomplishments Since Launching
I’m soooo glad I launched when I did because I learned so much from actually being live (so launch your damn email list, man!). Here’s a quick list of the stuff I was able to accomplish since the business launched which I probably would be nowhere near if I had decided to wait those six months (which could have turned into a year and so on...):
I’ve earned over $24,000 and counting
I’ve served 126 clients (as of writing this)
I’ve produced and launched 5 video courses on SkillShare.com which have amassed 550 students to date (earning over $1,100 and picking up serious steam)
I got my Certified Resume Strategist designation from the Career Professionals of Canada (the Executive Director of the organization called my sample resumes “exceptionally strong”)
I’ve published 36 blog posts (that seems low now that I think about it… might have to step that one up)
My website has had over 5,700 unique visitors (with December 2019 hitting an all-time high of 627)
And perhaps more importantly than all these small (and big) victories, is the feeling that has come with doing all this. I’ve put in an ungodly amount of hours into marketing, working with clients, writing, and just learning how this is all supposed to work. And sure it feels like work sometimes, but it also doesn’t feel like an option. This is just who I am and it’s what I do.
End of discussion :)
All those feelings of not being challenged and the lack of uncertainty that I crave… gone. And not only that, I just feel more in control of my life… especially at work.
Whenever we talk about government funding cuts that might affect jobs at work… I’m not really worried because I know I have this other income source (and a substantial amount of savings) from this business to fall back on.
When I didn’t get that Manager job I had my heart set on, the idea of having more time to focus on this business was the first thing that comforted me (followed closely by my special lady and rock, Ariana).
When I’m frustrated by “the system” or “the hierarchy” or anything else that comes with working at a large organization (which is increasingly often these days), I can escape to a fantasy of running this business full-time.
The way I feel about my life is so much better with this Career Services business in it.
Moving Forward
I know, I know, the blog title said I was going to change my life forever… let me explain:
I’ve got some big plans for year 3. I think I have enough evidence that this is something that I want to invest more time into, so year 3 is certainly a big year for expansion.
I do have visions (and perhaps an action plan) for taking this thing full-time. But it’s not quite time yet, so here’s what I’ve got planned for year 3 that I’m ready to share today:
Launch my damn email marketing program (I’ll tell you what… right here, right now… I’m going to commit to launching in 4 weeks from today. February 6th, 2020, my email list will be live and I’ll start promoting it. There… done. F-it.)
Publish MORE video courses to Skillshare on topics including creating an Amazing LinkedIn Profile (almost done filming this one), Career Exploration, Strategic Networking, and Personal Budgeting (I know this one’s a little outside of the Career Service lens but if you’ve been following me for long enough, you know I’ve been a bigtime budgeter for a long time). If you want to see what I’ve already got on Skillshare, check out my teacher profile here: Greg Langstaff Skillshare.
Launch a line of low-cost digital products including Resume and Cover Letter Templates, Career Exploration Worksheets and some others.
Expand my marketing efforts to video to start reaching a wider audience and helping people in a different way.
Professionalize my marketing planning and materials because… let’s be honest, you all know my graphics are an artistically ill-equipped man struggling with Canva / PowerPoint. I’ve partnered up with a creative agency to help me with some major rebranding.
Also… I know I’ve been teasing this topic a lot, so I promise to soon explain when and how I plan to transition this side hustle into a full-time gig! So excited!
Talk to you all soon!