In our series, The Digitize Diaries, people making more than $250,000, completely online, open up about how they got there and what exactly they did to achieve it. We take a closer look at what it feels like to make well into six-figures online — when less than 2% of Americans make that much at all, according to the U.S. Census — with the hope it will give insights into how to better navigate modern day work-life options using the Internet. Please note that individual results may vary. We make no income claims or guarantees. Testimonials represent individual experiences and are not typical. There is no assurance you will achieve the same or any results.
Interview
Today, we chat with Phil, in Dallas who got fed up with the corporate life, took his background and skill sets online and is now living the life he wants on his terms.
Education: B.S. Marketing
Occupation: Product Marketing Manager
Industry: Software
Location: Dallas, TX
Income before/after: $88,650/$550,000
Age: 48
You seemed to have had a great job and career. What drove you out of corporate America?
“I just noticed that it was becoming harder and harder to go into the office every day. The demands kept increasing but my salary only inched along. Plus with the 24/7 nature of work; I was getting bombarded at all hours of the day and night with emails, messages, and meeting invites. I knew I couldn’t sustain this for another 15 or so years and I knew that something had to change. So I started looking at options.”
What were the options?
“Really, I thought I’d go back and get my master’s degree. But that is super expensive and I think the ROI of that would be minimal and my workload would just increase. I already work hard but have no work-life balance. I then thought about my own business. I looked into franchising but I didn’t have the initial downpayment fees which are pretty steep. Then I found the Internet as an option.”
How did you come to find the Internet an option?
“Actually it was my daughter that said I should look at freelancing online. Then a friend told me to look into working online with my own online business as an option, as he and his wife were learning how to do that. I got a link from them and started my due diligence. That was the introduction to using the Internet as a way to leverage my skills in ways I didn’t originally think of.”
What did you discover?
“There are some very crucial concepts about how to take what you do for a living or what you know and the need to move that to digital form online. After I learned that, I knew that was something I could do. It was my background and skills, I just needed the information to shift that online. That’s when I made the connection to what was really possible.”
What did you wind up doing online?
“First, you need to really figure out what you’re good at and probably getting paid for now and how and where to move that online. I have been in product marketing working for large companies for over 15 years. When I started down the road of understanding the size of the market, I found that there were a lot of companies in the SMB (small and medium-sized business) world that were in product development. I created a product development AND market analysis workshop that is 100% online. I started offering that to some initial target customers that needed my expertise and insight and it took off from there.”
What was the hardest part?
“The transition because you have doubts when you start, but with the right information on how to create a successful online business, it’s more about when to make the transition from 9-5 to online. I know my craft. But what I lacked were the fundamentals to take what I know and move it online using the Internet to establish, position, and market my offer the exact kinds of customers that need it, and how to automate it all. Once you know how, what, and where to do that, it’s not hard. It takes putting forth the effort of course, but it’s not difficult once you know what to do.”
Did you have any fears?
“No, I was excited. I didn’t leave my job (as my wife would have killed me) until I was making at least the same amount of income per month for three months straight. For me, that was about $7,500/month. I did that in four months. After that, it’s kind of like taking the training wheels off: you’re excited to go but cautious too. But having the right resource network so you’re not doing it alone is key. I still ask questions from time to time.”
How does work now compare with the 9-5 life you gave up?
“I thought the dream of no more meetings, idiot bosses, e-mails, meetings, and corporate politics would be what I liked most. It’s not. The money I make now is unreal. I won’t lie. That’s awesome too. But what I found was the biggest upside is the freedom now to do what I enjoy, my way, on my time is the biggest reward of them all. That by far is the greatest feeling. I can now catch all of my son’s games!”
What advice would you give to someone like you who might be looking at options outside of the 9-5 corporate life?
“You really have nothing to lose. It’s just a choice of what makes you happy. Moving my skills online worked for me and gave me the happiness I was looking for. Give it a shot. Start the process of learning what’s possible and then decide for yourself.”
