This post was originally published in December 2012.
“Have a nice life!”
Um, did that just happen? Needless to say, quitting hadn’t gone over as well as I had hoped.
I stood in the middle of my office and looked in surprise at my fellow co-workers, digesting the last words to me from my soon to be ex-boss.
But, before we get to the quitting, let’s go back to where it all started.
The Beginning: My Email to Sean
May 16th, 2011:
Hi Sean,
I found your site through Dan at Tropical MBA, and have been reading a lot of it over the weekend. I just signed up for the Location Rebel updates, and love what you are doing.
All I wanted to do was just drop a quick note of thanks. In the past year I quit my high paying corporate finance job, and took a job that makes me happier (and has plenty of vacation time), but I’m still not where I want to be, I spend a lot of my day bored and unmotivated, except when I am working and thinking about my own side projects. You’re become an SEO freelancer in 48 hours will be a welcome distraction this week.
I’ve loved reading Location180, and I cannot wait to be a Location Rebel myself, so keep it up, and thanks for all of the tips!
Take care,
Liz Froment
The Job Hopper
I’d call myself a serial job hopper. Right around the 2 year mark in any role I was in, I’d start to get antsy, feel trapped and wanted to get out of there.
For the longest time, I had just assumed it was that I hadn’t found the job that was right for me.
When I ended up in academia, I thought this has to be it for me. Coming from Wall Street it was like a different world: casual dress code, little stress, lots of vacation time. But, even after a few months, I still wasn’t happy.
In late 2010, I figured I might as well do something with all that free time and started a travel blog. In all honesty, I didn’t do it thinking that it would be my ticket out or I’d make it big as a blogger quit my job and run off into the sunset, though it would have been nice.
Fast forward to that Spring.
The job wasn’t cutting it, I was bored out of my mind, but I didn’t know what to do. I dreaded the thought of going back into finance and I didn’t want to have to start looking all over again, either. The thought of going to yet another office where I’d just end up feeling unmotivated and trapped was overwhelming.
Obviously, I reasoned with myself, I am not meant for an office.
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Taking the First Step
But I had absolutely no idea how to get out on my own. It was way too daunting, I had no skills, I had no way of making money, I didn’t even know where to begin to start looking for help. I was desperately afraid of being trapped in this life forever, and the thought of 35 more years under the florescent lights was too much.
And the divine Internet Gods threw me a lifeline.
I found the TropicalMBA, and spent a day reading all the old posts, in there was one about the TMBA1: Sean Ogle.
Sean’s story resonated.
Finally, someone like me.
After I read the “My Last Day” post, I sent Sean that email. I am 100% sure I didn’t realize it at the time, but that email was the first step to where I am right now, officially location-independent.
If you’re here, then you read the site, and you know that Sean is legit. By the time Location Rebel came out, we had been emailing back and forth a few months, I trusted him enough to know this product would be a game-changer.
Enter: Location Rebel Academy
Once I got in Location Rebel, I found my people.
Between the forums and the blueprints, I found all of the tools that I needed to get myself into gear and start making all the moves towards becoming location independent.
LR gave me a step-by-step guide into figuring out how to become independent. Each one of the blueprints act like building blocks of skills, SEO and copywriting blueprints build to product creation or affiliate marketing, for example.
October 12th, 2012 was my last day in the 9-5.
I won’t lie and say it was easy, it wasn’t. It took a lot of hard work and sacrifice, I did everything while still working full time at my job, so I spent a lot of nights and weekends building my skills and working on projects. It took two full years from thinking about starting my blog to the day I left the office.
Yes, it is really scary, but I can’t wait to get started.
Sean Ogle
Sean Ogle is the Founder of Location Rebel where he has spent the last 12+ years teaching people how to build online businesses that give them the freedom to do more of the things they like to do in life. When he's not in the coffee shops of Portland, or the beaches of Bali, he's probably sneaking into some other high-class establishment where he most certainly doesn't belong.Join over 40,000 people who have taken our 6 part freelance writing course. Sign up below and let’s do this together.
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Your story sticks with me as well. Quit my mining job to become an entrepreneur in Rio and am now living here and enjoying Life. However I am not yet location independent and want to improve my skills. What is the Best way to Learn!?
Congrats on leaving your mining job Ilya. LR was a big help to me in giving me a focus towards learning some skills. To start for me I focused a ton on improving my writing. There are a ton of places out there that will pay good money to quality writers, so while it’s not easy it’s totally doable.
One of my favorite things to read are case studies of people who took the leap and made it. Liz’s story is no exception. I love it when they make it all the way to location independence and not just “working towards location independence.”
I know, I should be totally supportive to all but, what inspires you more? Someone in the process of making it, or someone who has made it? Hell, this is from someone who took a major leap and fell on hard ground. While nursing my bruises, I want proof that it can be done. I ain’t finished yet!
I even like reading about people who took the leap and didn’t (yet) make it. Of course, that could be totally personal “I-can-so-relate” spiel, but if I get this inspired by case studies of all types, I’m sure others do, too, and for the same reasons.
Liz, all the best!
Thanks Ana. I also loved (and still love) hearing stories of people who are in the process of making it and have ‘made it.’ I always got really pumped to watch people who were also a year a two ahead of me, working and doing their online stuff and then taking the jump. Totally inspired me to keep going.
Pardon me for being rude but I’m a little confused. What’s “taking the leap” here? Starting a blog? Doesn’t seem like a sustainable income to me…
Natalie,
Along with the blog Liz does freelance writing and has done PR work for a couple notable adventure personalities – among other aspects to her business. Most of the people here (myself included) have a variety of projects that work together to form a full time income.
Thanks for the comment!
Hi Natalie, Like Sean said I have a variety of projects going on that bring in income (including the blog), however the first thing that I did was start a blog and that got things rolling.
Hello Liz!
Your story is really great, I wish you all the best in your new location independent work. I am also trying (thinking) to build my skills and become location independent. I must admit that Sean excites me with the idea of working wherever you want from! I really want to know, how did you build your skills? Was it all through the tools of LR? And how did you get your first online project/job/task?
Really looking forward to your reply!
All the best!
Hi Luka, A lot of the skills I learned was through LR. I had my own blog, but I started in with the SEO content blueprint, and it took me about 3 until I had my first paying writing job for a few hundred a month writing for a SEO content firm. I can honestly say without those first steps I never would have felt ok leaving my job.
Liz,
I can totally resonate with your post, situation, and life. I think it’s a hell of an accomplishment to quit your big gig and do something different. So what if it took you another position to figure out office work wasn’t your bag. I think all your effort, and balls for that matter, are what is to be celebrated here. That is often the hardest part, so you took a big leap. Bravo!
Thanks Anika, so much of it was just listening to my gut. I might not know what exactly it is I want to do, but I for sure know what I DON’T want to do.
Woohoo – go Liz! Great to see your progression in LR and love the story =)
Thanks, Tristan!
Liz, you are my LRBFF.
You’re who I attached myself to from my first day in LR back in Fall 2011, and you’ve help me nearly every day!
You’re one cool person, I wish you all the success in the world, and if I’m right, all of the beers that I owe you for helping me out equals 3 or 4 cases worth.
I’ll bring them to our House Of Champions in Switzerland.
Cool story. After breaking out of your day job, how are things going now? Are you still doing SEO writing and whatnot or have you branched out and grown your business?
Hi Liz,
Your story is so honest and awe-inspiring. Right now, I am in the similar situation. Since I came to know about LR, I have been doing extensive research, and found only great reviews and stories.
I have been doing jobs for many years. When I got tired, I did quit for some time, then again re-joined in another. But I could not find any concrete solution to get rid of the 9-5 tangle. Now, I have found LR, and going to join soon.
I am also a little scared, but people like you inspire me a lot and I know I will make it. Thanks for sharing your story.