What drives you forward?

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I'm always interested to hear why people start their own business. Financial freedom and not having to worry about money are the obvious answers, but for me, it's always been about more than that.

I want to make the most out of this life and this is what drives me forward:

1. Never having to work in a cubicle


This is the entire reason why I started my business. I was a junior in college and had two friends come to visit. They had recently graduated and at one point, they began to brag over who worked more unpaid overtime and argued over who was the better worker.

It honestly felt like I was taking crazy pills. I couldn't believe they were debating who was the "better" worker by comparing how much time they gave up in exchange for absolutely nothing.

It was at that moment that I knew I never wanted to spend any amount of time in a cubicle and I decided to take the leap and build something for myself.

2. Getting to see the world with Amanda

This goes hand-in-hand with number one above. The greatest perk about running your own business is that you never have to ask someone else if you are allowed to take time off. Plus, you aren't limited by the number of hours in a year that you can spend out of the office.

Our goal is to travel the world as much as possible. We like to explore new countries, meet new people, and step out of our comfort zone from time to time. We know time is our most valuable resource and we want to make the most of it, together.

3. Providing a good life for my son Vincent

This little dude is only a few weeks old at this point, but Amanda and I are completely head over heels for him. Sure, sleep may be hard to come by every now and then, but getting to watch him grow up is going to be the absolute best result of running my own business.

Amanda and I will get to actively raise him. Far too often we hear from friends how their kids get dropped off at day care on their way to work, they pick them up in the evenings, and spend an hour or two at most with them before bed time.

That is insane! You are not raising a family at that point. Your children are spending all of their time with someone else. I WILL be there for my son during all stages of his life.

What drives you forward?

Family, freedom, and travel. That's what drives me to keep pushing my business forward.

What about you?

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Recent Comments

66

What drives me forward is the need to be independent of a 'boss'. I need to and have to find my way to become financially free in order to take care of myself and my family. The perks of eventually travelling the world and living in a mansion seems like a sweet enough reward at the end.

Family, freedom, and travel is exactly what drives me forward. I've never been the person that dreams of living a life of luxury surrounded by money. I would rather see the world with my fiance and daughter. I would like to wake up in the morning and cook breakfast for my family instead of grab a protein bar and race to work. Like you, I work in an office full time and my fiance works 14 hour days 6 days a week. The freedom to see them more then two hours a day and go on adventures is the only thing that drives me forward.

Same with ordinary workers, I spent my early days working from 8 to 5 with no financial freedom just enough to afford the family's basic needs. And, when you aged, you realized, nothing has changed your life except for the gray and white hairs. This drives me to make a change even to start all over again to make a difference.

Hi Steve,

I think I spent too much time in cubicles. I am one of those who were taught to work hard for other people, but never learnt how to work for themselves. It is very sad to look behind and realize how much time was lost. Maybe there is nothing wrong in working for other people, but sometimes the outcomes are different of what you expected. Mostly, what you see is that your work is taken for granted and getting more experience just makes you more and more enslaved. I want to change that... That is my Why.

My why: Definitely my kids I have 2 in elementary and 1 in preschool. Just being to be there for them if they need to stay home or to be the parent that goes on the field trips. Not having to ask the boss for the time off! I love serving the Lord in Ministry and this will free me up for that.Plus there is no office drama when you are an office of one. I love that I can leave my desk at home anytime I need and see something different than the same 4 walls. I am the life going by instead of watching life go by! Thanks for the post it encourages me that this life is possible we just need to work for it.

I myself would love to be my own boss and im tired of being a slave and working ech and everyday for someone. So what drives me forward is the ability to travel the world, spend time with family and to leave a legscy for my children to carry on.

Steve,
My son is also a big drive for me. He is 12 and has never had to go to a day care or have someone else take care of him. He does spend some time away, it is his choice to spend time with his friends or family.
Working from Your home or wherever you hang your hat today is a great feeling of freedom from a 9 to 5 grind. We do travel a bit every year when school is out, he is getting to cross off a lot of states on his list.
Congratulations to you and Amanda for making this journey, it is not an easy choice.
John

It's insane that your story is the rare one. Most people don't get to see their own kids outside an hour or two each day.

heyy great why´s, for me is buying a house in cuernavaca and puerto vallarta, travel and have the time to spend with my family... by the way, if you want to come to mexico once, you are very welcome, the jalisco mexico shore is much much better than riviera maya...

I might have to take you up on that offer over the winter.

for sure!, my sister lives in canada and she travel here to forget winter season

That's a good one ... a debate over who was working more unpaid over time. That's against the law in California unless you are an "exempt" worker.

I started my career in the mid 60s and became a supervisor pretty quickly. I thought that was cool, because my boss and his boss were exempt (meaning you do not get paid for overtime). This was the classification for all managers and engineers in the organization.

Then came the 50 to 60 hour work weeks ... because I thought it was expected of me. I was paid decently, and was proud of that, but one day I calculated my equivalent hourly rate. I was shocked, and slowly broke the habit of working long hours voluntarily.

Did you complete your college degree and did that help you develop your business?

I did complete it. It was in Information Technology with a focus on how to make it in a corporate setting. Suffice to say, it did not help me develop my business and I couldn't be happier.

My family and my 8 years old now daughter drive me forward. I have a strong bonding with her because I am always available for her as I managed my working hours from home according to our family schedule. And of cause traveling. Having freedom managing your business from any place in the world is a dream came through.

We share similar goals Tanya! You're very lucky to have spent time watching your child grow up.

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