4.3 million Americans quit their jobs this past August alone — the highest monthly resignation numbers in two decades — and the data signals a tectonic shift in what professionals want to do next in their careers.
Remote work is the future. Workers now know this, and much to the chagrin of employers, these workers are leveraging these circumstances to their advantage.
For millions, the perks that come with working remotely are so compelling that if they can’t land a remote job…. they’ll even try creating one instead.
3 Ways Smart, Ambitious People Sabotage Their Online Moneymaking Dreams - Post Outline
Online entrepreneurship is exploding
And I don’t see us going back to the way things used to be. People have now realized that wielding the internet well can replace your weekly salary and then some, and as a result millions of educated, successful professionals have become creator-curious — even if it means potential mental health risks (NYT friend link).
I’ve been at this for 7 years now, and I’ve worked with hundreds of entrepreneurs and employees alike. In my experience, there’s a pattern that comes up again and again when smart, ambitious people try to take the leap into entrepreneurship.
Actually… there are 3 patterns.
Let’s go through each of them now.
#1: Refusing To Look Bad
One of my favorite quotes is from LinkedIn founder Reid Hoffman. He says:
“If you’re not embarrassed by the first version of your product, you’ve launched too late.”
Smart, ambitious people struggle with this — and I have a theory as to why.
Growing up, perhaps you were near or at the top of your class academically. Or you were very good at an extracurricular activity or a certain sport. Perhaps this excellence earned you a scholarship or helped you jumpstart your career.
Being good at that thing becomes a part of your identity. This also happens once you’re already settled in your career, particularly if you’ve spent years climbing a corporate ladder or honing your skills.
You’re a professional. You prioritize quality. At this stage, that mindset — normally an asset — instead becomes your Achilles heel.
It feels scary and threatening to ship something bad, because this would be a reflection on what you do (guilt) and perhaps even who you are (shame). You’re not used to being bad at stuff as it relates to your career or your profession.
So when you go into the Upside Down — where there are tentacles slithering around and there’s fucking fog everywhere — it feels too uncomfortable.
Or you’re bootstrapping it, so you’re trying to learn it all and do it all yourself, which massively wastes time and energy.
It’s become easier to just give up — even though you see people less talented and less experienced than you making it work online.
How to get over it
You’re gonna hate me…
But it’s time to pull a Reid Hoffman and ship something embarrassing.
Blame it on me if you have to — I’m fine with it — but you need to cement the experience of actually finishing what you start.
Too many of you are trying to improve your marathon time without actually ever finishing a marathon first. Finish the race.
A personal example
I’ve offered programs over the years with different areas of focus: Marketing, offer design, email strategy, content creation, and so on.
And regardless of the subject matter, I almost ALWAYS get questions about how to use *this* platform from smart people with incredible knowledge and experience.
I tell them what to do.
And then…. They don’t do it.
This surfaces an important point: A lack of knowledge usually isn’t the real