- PPF Points
- 2,100
Looking Back: The Weird, Wild, and Kinda Awesome Road That Made Me
Man, when I glance back at the last few years, it honestly feels like one of those Netflix limited series—full of jaw-dropping plot twists, ugly-cry breakdowns at 2 a.m., and a couple triumphant “heck yes!” moments I never saw coming. I still can’t believe all those tiny, slightly desperate choices somehow added up to a life I’m pumped about. But hey, here we are. Here’s the bare-bones, no-filter version of the moments that seriously rewired me—as a person, as a creator, as some version of an entrepreneur (whatever that title even means half the time).
Starting Out: That Dream I Kept on Mute
Picture this: early days were not Instagram-worthy. No montage, just... silence. I had this little dream tucked away where nobody could hear it, not even my family or best friends. Most days, I’d go clock in at my boring 9-to-5 and try to convince myself ticking boxes was “the responsible thing to do.” Classic imposter vibes, right? But way deep down? Emptiness. Bored outta my mind.
I was hungry for more.
More freedom (duh), more meaning in the stuff I was putting out into the world, and for sure way more excitement than another Slack notification. I wanted to build something that was actually mine... clue level? Zero. Nada. So I did what loads of people do: waited. Twiddled my thumbs, basically, until suddenly I didn’t have any patience left to keep pretending.
Moment #1: Jump First, Stress About It Later
First big “aha” moment? I just jumped. And not because I had a spreadsheet full of plans (lol—if only). I quit my job. For real. No backup plan. Was that a genius move? Eh, probably not. But I was so freaking tired of muting myself, that it felt like the only option.
Panic mode set in—hard. Rent was due in two weeks and my “savings” was the digital equivalent of a tumbleweed. But being all-in has a way of lighting a fire under your butt. I started hustling: freelance gigs, blog posts, random online work, you name it. My income was a joke and I made every mistake in the playbook... but it was mine. And that mattered.
Moment #2: My First $100 (AKA Proof I Wasn’t Delusional)
Okay, $100 isn’t exactly baller status, but you never forget your first digital paycheck. That little bank notification? Wasn’t even about the cash—it was a sign from the universe (or Stripe) that I could actually create something worth paying for.
That was the spark. I wasn’t just “thinking” anymore—I was in the game, baby.
Moment #3: The Fail That Almost Sent Me Crawling Back
You’re waiting for the magical up-and-to-the-right graph, yeah? Nah. Six months in, it all imploded. A big client ghosted me on a project where I’d poured in all my energy, time, AND money (shout-out to the way-too-expensive software I didn’t need but bought to “impress” them).
Lost thousands. Ego and confidence flatlined. Honestly, I was ready to quit. Spent two weeks trawling LinkedIn for jobs I didn’t want. Then I stumbled over some old journal entries—the ones from right at the start. Felt a little spark, just enough to claw my way back. Sometimes your past hype-man self really does know best.
Moment #4: The First Digital Product... And Three Sales (Yes, Three)
Freelancing was cool, but “trading time for money” gets old fast. So, I made this mini guide—just packaged up stuff people kept DM’ing me about. My launch plan? Wildly high-tech: DM like 20 folks. Three people bought it.
You’d think I struck gold. That was leverage, baby, and I was hooked. Build once, sell a bunch. That’s when the business side really started to click.
Moment #5: Screaming Into the Content Void (Until Somebody Heard)
Hands down, the loneliest part was making stuff when no one even knew I existed. Wrote posts. Hit publish. Checked the analytics (mostly just me refreshing). Twelve views? I’m pretty sure half were bots and the rest were me.
But I just. Kept. Going.
One post finally caught fire, then another. Turns out, you don’t get to go viral until you actually bother to show up for a while. Growth happens when nobody cares yet. That’s where you get your reps in. So don’t waste time side-eyeing the tumbleweeds.
Moment #6: My First 10k Month (Cue the Happy Dance)
I had this mental block that it’d never happen. Ten grand in a month? That’s influencer flex levels, right? But then, after ages refining offers, fumbling through email marketing, and actually listening to what my audience wanted, it happened. Not all lightning bolts and confetti—it was just tiny wins, stacked over time.
Did I throw a party? Nope. Paid off debt. Hired some help. ‘Cause, real talk, that win wasn’t magic. It was just grind plus luck finally shaking hands.
Moment #7: Nah, I’m Good—Saying No to the Wrong Yes
Momentum’s a weird beast. Suddenly, more offers and shiny “opportunities” than I knew what to do with. But damn, not all gigs are good gigs, trust me. Saying no—even to stuff with a fat paycheck—ended up being the move that saved my sanity (and probably my business). Every crappy yes is a hard no to something way better that hasn’t come along yet.
Boundaries aren’t just self-care—they’re strategy, y’all.
Moment #8: Hired My First Team Member...
(And now you know exactly where my stress level doubled and my coffee intake went off the charts.)
Man, when I glance back at the last few years, it honestly feels like one of those Netflix limited series—full of jaw-dropping plot twists, ugly-cry breakdowns at 2 a.m., and a couple triumphant “heck yes!” moments I never saw coming. I still can’t believe all those tiny, slightly desperate choices somehow added up to a life I’m pumped about. But hey, here we are. Here’s the bare-bones, no-filter version of the moments that seriously rewired me—as a person, as a creator, as some version of an entrepreneur (whatever that title even means half the time).
Starting Out: That Dream I Kept on Mute
Picture this: early days were not Instagram-worthy. No montage, just... silence. I had this little dream tucked away where nobody could hear it, not even my family or best friends. Most days, I’d go clock in at my boring 9-to-5 and try to convince myself ticking boxes was “the responsible thing to do.” Classic imposter vibes, right? But way deep down? Emptiness. Bored outta my mind.
I was hungry for more.
More freedom (duh), more meaning in the stuff I was putting out into the world, and for sure way more excitement than another Slack notification. I wanted to build something that was actually mine... clue level? Zero. Nada. So I did what loads of people do: waited. Twiddled my thumbs, basically, until suddenly I didn’t have any patience left to keep pretending.
Moment #1: Jump First, Stress About It Later
First big “aha” moment? I just jumped. And not because I had a spreadsheet full of plans (lol—if only). I quit my job. For real. No backup plan. Was that a genius move? Eh, probably not. But I was so freaking tired of muting myself, that it felt like the only option.
Panic mode set in—hard. Rent was due in two weeks and my “savings” was the digital equivalent of a tumbleweed. But being all-in has a way of lighting a fire under your butt. I started hustling: freelance gigs, blog posts, random online work, you name it. My income was a joke and I made every mistake in the playbook... but it was mine. And that mattered.
Moment #2: My First $100 (AKA Proof I Wasn’t Delusional)
Okay, $100 isn’t exactly baller status, but you never forget your first digital paycheck. That little bank notification? Wasn’t even about the cash—it was a sign from the universe (or Stripe) that I could actually create something worth paying for.
That was the spark. I wasn’t just “thinking” anymore—I was in the game, baby.
Moment #3: The Fail That Almost Sent Me Crawling Back
You’re waiting for the magical up-and-to-the-right graph, yeah? Nah. Six months in, it all imploded. A big client ghosted me on a project where I’d poured in all my energy, time, AND money (shout-out to the way-too-expensive software I didn’t need but bought to “impress” them).
Lost thousands. Ego and confidence flatlined. Honestly, I was ready to quit. Spent two weeks trawling LinkedIn for jobs I didn’t want. Then I stumbled over some old journal entries—the ones from right at the start. Felt a little spark, just enough to claw my way back. Sometimes your past hype-man self really does know best.
Moment #4: The First Digital Product... And Three Sales (Yes, Three)
Freelancing was cool, but “trading time for money” gets old fast. So, I made this mini guide—just packaged up stuff people kept DM’ing me about. My launch plan? Wildly high-tech: DM like 20 folks. Three people bought it.
You’d think I struck gold. That was leverage, baby, and I was hooked. Build once, sell a bunch. That’s when the business side really started to click.
Moment #5: Screaming Into the Content Void (Until Somebody Heard)
Hands down, the loneliest part was making stuff when no one even knew I existed. Wrote posts. Hit publish. Checked the analytics (mostly just me refreshing). Twelve views? I’m pretty sure half were bots and the rest were me.
But I just. Kept. Going.
One post finally caught fire, then another. Turns out, you don’t get to go viral until you actually bother to show up for a while. Growth happens when nobody cares yet. That’s where you get your reps in. So don’t waste time side-eyeing the tumbleweeds.
Moment #6: My First 10k Month (Cue the Happy Dance)
I had this mental block that it’d never happen. Ten grand in a month? That’s influencer flex levels, right? But then, after ages refining offers, fumbling through email marketing, and actually listening to what my audience wanted, it happened. Not all lightning bolts and confetti—it was just tiny wins, stacked over time.
Did I throw a party? Nope. Paid off debt. Hired some help. ‘Cause, real talk, that win wasn’t magic. It was just grind plus luck finally shaking hands.
Moment #7: Nah, I’m Good—Saying No to the Wrong Yes
Momentum’s a weird beast. Suddenly, more offers and shiny “opportunities” than I knew what to do with. But damn, not all gigs are good gigs, trust me. Saying no—even to stuff with a fat paycheck—ended up being the move that saved my sanity (and probably my business). Every crappy yes is a hard no to something way better that hasn’t come along yet.
Boundaries aren’t just self-care—they’re strategy, y’all.
Moment #8: Hired My First Team Member...
(And now you know exactly where my stress level doubled and my coffee intake went off the charts.)
