When I boarded a plane for Korea just over a year ago, I had a few very simple goals in mind. These were:
- Make enough money to pay off some college debt, at least put a small dent in the total.
- Save some money if I don’t spend too much paying off college debt.
- Totally immerse myself in a completely new culture.
- Activate my secret plan that I wouldn’t dare tell my parents about.
I didn’t lay out too many specifics. I just wanted to get my feet on solid ground and start thinking about the rest of my life seriously because I figured that’s what you’re supposed to do when you’re all grown up.
What’s this secret plan?
Well, it’s nothing monumental. I hope I didn’t build it up too much.
I still haven’t told my family and friends, only hinted around the idea a bit. So, Mom, Dad, in case you’re actually reading my blog…
I’m going to work online.
What I mean by this is that I’m not going to take a day job right when I come home. I’ll be attempting, I hope successfully, to make a living by working on the Web.
The secret plan has been to establish myself in some corner of the Web, actually the WordPress corner. Mostly, it was to build up an online presence. I feel like I’ve done that well enough in the past year.
I’m usually pretty upfront about what my plans are with friends and family, but a conversation I had with my dad almost two years ago made me seriously think about what it is that I want out of life and how I must go about achieving whatever it may be. I was a bit less mature and a bit more naive at the time, but I knew I needed to take a spin in the real world before getting any crazy ideas (i.e. working online).
I wanted to feel like I’ve established myself somewhat before any of my family or friends would take me seriously, before I could take myself seriously.
So, you want specifics, right?
Well, I’m not going to lay out all my plans in this one post for you. I just wanted to kind of make everything official — it’s a personal motivation technique. If I’m telling the world, I’m much more likely to see my plans through.
I will say that Theme Hybrid will be my top priority. That’s not going to change. Business has been going well enough there for me to feel comfortable with this announcement.
I have a couple of other projects lined up too. Announcements on those will come in due time.
The plan was to start the new year with my major career decision. I wanted to stay in Korea until December, but as I recently announced, that’s not going to happen. So, I’m adjusting the plan. That’s life.
I’m both excited and nervous, but I also feel like I’ve been blessed with good timing (I’ll talk about what I mean by “timing” later).
In a couple of days, I’ll be embarking upon a new journey — one that I hope you’ll stick around to help me through.
dont worry Justin
you will make it .. you have a good future 
all the best !!
I found your plan insightful and inspiring. As an old guy who spent much of his life taking the ’safe way’ I salute you and wish you well. I don’t know if you follow Steve Pavlina, if not you should look at his essay on ten reasons you should never have a job. (Steve is one of the richest bloggers in the world but few know him as he doesn’t write about making money online ;-).
If you can’t make enough out of the themes and other WordPress derivatives, did you ever think of continuing your language training work using the Internet? I worked in Japan for three years and had to turn away ‘face to face’ language students. I have always held the secret thought I should be pursuing that on an on-line basis.
I’m an American currently living in the Philippines and we have tons of ESL schools for Koreans that have popped up here … many of them are poorly run in my estimation and can not attract the level of instructors they ought to … I’d be surprised if a guy with accreditation, expereince and contacts in an asian country couldn’t find a way to convert it into online instruction instead of the traditonal classroom format.
Anyway, Godspeed and keep us posted … this is not a good time to join the ’submit your resume’ crowd anyway, I’m pretty confident you’ll do better on your own, for sure.
dinu
Thank you for the wishes. I think if I just keep looking at things realistically as I’ve tried to do over the past year and work hard, it’ll pay off in the end.
Dave Starr
Thanks for the mention about Steve Pavlina’s article. While I don’t necessarily agree with every point made, he definitely brings up a lot of key issues about working a 9-to-5 job.
Mixing ESL and the online world has crossed my mind a few times, but I haven’t given it any serious thought. It’s something I should think more about once my upcoming projects take off. There’s probably a lot of opportunities, especially in countries that aren’t as established as Korea is with its ESL businesses.
God Bless You Justin.
Hope you’ll find your way to that…
But, one thing for sure… You’ve gone so far by having that “Theme Hybrid”…
So, just “Plan before action”…
Regards…
Pangeran
Thank you. Theme Hybrid is at the top of my list of priorities. I actually have quite a few plans to reveal once I get settled in a little back home specifically for that site, some of which I hinted at in a recent preview post.
Good luck on your mission Justin.
Just go for it.
And sure stay in the Wordpress corner for a while, you’re keeping it very vivid
Justin,
I work full-time as a web developer and I also develop many different sites in my free time using WP. I have always had the entrepreneurial spirit and have had several successful small businesses, both online and offline. However, none of them have been the it solution.
After reading 4HourWorkWeek on my honeymoon, I discovered two key ingredients I had been missing in my quest to make a living from my online activities. The first was to create the plan, and put that plan into action. The second was the courage and faith to follow through.
I can really relate to your vision and desire to make your living independently online and I truly wish you the best in your endeavors. If you would ever like to confer on different techniques of making a living online, please feel free to contact me anytime.
Adam
Fans await secrets.
Get ready - Adventure begins new chapter.
cubus
Thanks. WordPress will be my main source of income, and I’m going continue keeping things “vivid” by reinventing the business models we’ve seen.
IndieLab
I’ve been thinking about reading that book. Creating a solid plan is a must, even if that plan has to change along the way. Having the faith that it will work out is part of the reason I wrote this post — it instills in me a sense responsibility to myself. It’s like say, “Justin, you’ve gotta see this one through.”
I’ll definitely hold onto your email address. Maybe we’ll talk when I get a few minutes of free time.
Harmony
Well, I have no huge secrets, really.
Mostly, I want to continue working hard, learning, and creating communities that can work and create innovative ideas together online.
I’m looking forward to announcing some of the work I’ll be doing in the upcoming months though.
Best of luck mate!
Justin,
As one of your oldest followers (I received my AARP application a couple of months ago) I am so delighted for you and so delighted for all of us as well. Thank you so much for the work you do. I finally changed two of my blogs over to the Structure theme a few weeks ago. I have been in love with that theme for so long…(practiced on a private site to get it right) and finally got up the courage to use it (in its simplest form, but I’m getting it).
I depend on you and all the wonderful comments, questions and answers from all your fans to teach me what I need to know to set up my themes so they work well. I have to admit that I plow through every forum entry trying to learn because all too often I don’t feel as if I know enough to ask an intelligent question. Sometimes I don’t understand the “why” behind the answers, but you clarify everything so well that even an old lady with little know-how has gained confidence.
The very best to you with your goals. There is nothing more exciting to someone my age than seeing a young person follow a dream and make it a reality. I have no doubts about all the successes that will come to you. For those who are brave enough to state their dreams and goals, and follow through, life is always a success.
So, to you… and all those who participate in the forums, thank you. I am sure without you and your forum I would still think computers were fancy typewriters that send email.
SinDe
Best of luck, Justin. I’ve no doubt that you will make a big splash in the WordPress universe, you’ve already proved your talent and focus, I can’t wait to see what you achieve when you throw yourself into it fulltime.
Justin,
Good luck with your move my friend. Starting my own online business was the single greatest move I ever made.
Does it have it’s ups and downs? For sure.
But it’s also very liberating and fulfilling.
Here’s a quick (but important) tip for you - start building your email list. You have lots of us who read your blog on a regular basis and like hearing from you. So stay in contact with us!
It could be as simple as adding a checkbox below the comment field that would add people to an email list. This list could be used to give us updates, announce new product ideas and so on.
That email list will become your single biggest asset once you start your business.
All the best.
Stu McLaren
you can earn lots of money by adding adsense and cpm ads to this blog.
hope to see ads here soon.
Allow me to share one of my favorite quotes…
“If you can dream it, you can do it.”
~Walt Disney
Blessings to you, as you continue on your journey.
Nice one. There’s nothing like workin’ for yourself. Congrats on taking the plunge.
I m not a regular reader to this blog, but i sometime come here for some wordpress coding lessons or themes. After reading this post i think i should subscribe and also make myself a great follower of yours. U r actually doing the right thing, job is not going to take you ahead but the world of blogging will.
In the end i should say thanks for your themes and many other articles which i found interesting and inspiring.
Zac
Thanks. I’ll take all the luck I can get.
SinDe
Thank you for all you’ve said. It means a lot to me.
I’m hoping with the extra time, I can do a lot more exciting work with WordPress. Maybe even have enough time to write more tutorials for the average user or people new to WP, so that they can get the most out of their blogs without a lot of worry.
WordSkill
Thanks. I figured it was about time to go at it full time, especially since I’ve just left my old job and moved back to the States.
I’ve got some exciting stuff lined up in the near future, so keep watch!
Stu McLaren
I’ll definitely keep that tip in mind. Keeping an email list would probably help a lot in the future. It’s good to hear from someone else that’s taken that plunge. Feel free to share any other tips you have.
beautymakupdivas
I probably could bring in some extra money by putting ads on my blog, but it’s just never felt right to me. It’s just one of those things I don’t like to do with my personal blog. Advertising revenue will play a part in some of the stuff I’ll be doing though.
Lady G~
Thank you. I’ll be sure to add that quote to my list.
Danno
Thanks. It’s something I’ve always wanted to do, and now I’ve managed to land myself in a position to give it go.
Jaspal Singh
Thank you. And, please do subscribe.
I’ll be continually writing new articles on how to use WordPress, and I hope with the extra time, I’ll be able to write even more.
Justin, it is about time you make good money from your dedication to making WordPress themes better and more manageable for designers! Your themes are some of the best I have used even when compared to high priced “premium” themes.
I congratulate you on following your dream. Your talent and heart will help you conquer this new phase of your life! It is exciting to know you will have more time to work on themes now! Can’t wait to see what kind of jewels you create!
Best of luck!
Hey Justin - best of luck with this.
It sounds very similar to what I did a couple of years ago, and I’ve not looked back.
If you need any help with any of the monetizing stuff you are likely to be needing, feel free to send me an email - we’re using your themes all over the place, so it would be nice to give you something back too.
There is some money available for guys like us out there, which is encouraging…
LidiaAnain
Thanks. I’m excited about it too. I’ve got a couple of new projects in the pipeline in the next few weeks. One of them involves WordPress, and I’ll be trying to rock the “premium” theme boat a little more.
Rob
Thanks for the offer. So far, everything’s been going well. There are definitely ways to make money using open source software. And, there’s plenty of room for everybody at the table.
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