I built a job (& I’m done with it) ... [🐝U]

(prefer to listen to the audio version in 7 minutes, 22 seconds?)

There’s a version of business no one really questions.

You book calls.
You get clients.
You deliver.

& if you want to grow?
Just “rinse & repeat” more often

There was a week last month where I had 32 hours worth of Zoom calls
that’s pretty much full time hours JUST for that
But I also had people no-show & re-schedule at the last minute

Let’s just say the “Zoom fatigue” is real

But what if the exhaustion you feel isn’t because you’re bad at business…

What if it’s because you built a model that demands you’re “on” all the time?

If every dollar you make requires:
→ sales call
→ follow-ups
→ a live delivery
→ & a personality

That’s not a business.
It’s a job you own.

& that’s what I’ve built.
But that’s NOT what I’m going to grow.

Because the moment you’re tired, sick, burned out, or just not “on”?
Revenue stalls.

That’s not freedom & flexibility.
It’s a performance contract.

& if you’re introverted?
You also own emotional exhaustion.

You probably don’t believe this…
But I’m an introvert.

Not the cute “I like quiet mornings” kind.
The kind that feels physically drained after too many “tug-of-war” conversations.

That I’m currently sitting in a trailer with faulty electrical, a broken toilet, & no constant (or reliable) heat in the “middle of nowhere” during a blizzard (currently “feels like” -28 C) says more about my desire to NOT be around people than it does my “sanity” (though that’s at question sometimes too!)

Don’t get me wrong…
They’re not all bad

I’ve had encounters with almost every kind of wildlife on my travels

All those wild solo adventures & the ONLY issues I ever had with wildlife…
→ getting swarmed by mosquitoes in the Florida Everglades
→ squirrels breaking into my car to steal my hazelnuts (JUST the hazelnuts!)

Animals are pretty straightforward

But people?
People smile while calculating

They can have ulterior motives
& the stories they tell can have hidden motives even from themselves.

This isn’t about skill

As introverts, we don’t always struggle with skills.
& when you break it down, it’s usually not even mindset that holds us back.

We struggle with:
→ energy drain
→ constant relational maintenance
→ feeling like growth requires us to become someone else

The internet doesn’t just reward extroversion.
It worships it.

Loud & visible wins.
Constantly showing up for the algortithm.
& these days, they want it all on video.

Or at least that’s the story we’re told.

Daily posts.
Endless networking events.
Cold DMs.
High-energy sales calls.

& without all those things, you don’t seem to stand a chance.
But that’s #FakeNews

We need a business that matches our nervous system.

You CAN have a successful business
without “owning” a job
without forcing yourself to be something you’re not.

Because the problem isn’t ambition.
It’s our capacity.

Not everyone is meant to run a loud business.
Some of us aren’t wired for daily performance.

We might prefer the
Quiet.
Durable.
Unbothered.
& still successful businesses.

The hidden tax of client work

Your hidden tax of client work isn’t the hours you put in.

It’s the fragmentation.

The 11:00am call that shifts to 2:00pm.
(assuming they show up at all)

The “quick question” that isn’t quick.
(but they want the answer for free)

It’s the mental tabs that never close.

You’re not just delivering work.
You’re managing momentum

& when momentum isn’t yours to control, it’s exhausting.

(Most) Clients aren’t bad.

But clients are variables.
& they create volatility.

When your income depends on someone else …
… replying, deciding, paying, or showing up…
you don’t control momentum.
They do.

→ No-shows for scheduled calls
→ Last-minute reschedules
→ Waiting on them for information
→ Delays in decision-making
→ Scope creep
→ Late payments

None of that’s about your skill.

Client work isn’t wrong or bad.
I’ve developed some great friendships with clients.

It’s just that the process is high-friction.
& that demands high energy

The “right” client can fuel your energy
The “wrong” one sucks it out of you
& the “nightmare” ones make you rethink your entrepreneurial choices.

I’ve learned to avoid the nightmares
But the energy vampires haven’t been as easy to spot or avoid

So it’s time to redesign my business.

Fewer income streams that end in scheduling Tetris.
More income streams that run without me (or clients!)

What’s that going to look like?

I’m not entirely sure … yet!
But I do know…
→ Digital products don’t miss Zoom calls.
→ Templates don’t argue about scope.
→ Programs don’t need mindset coaching.

The good news is, there are options…

Asset-Based
→ Build once & sell repeatedly
i.e. … templates, calculators, kits, digital tools

IP-Based (Intellectual Property)
→ Your thinking packaged
i.e. … frameworks, books, self-paced courses

Audience-Based
→You write or create & monetize attention
i.e. … Newsletter, blog, podcast (asynchronous)

Platform-Based
→ You own the infrastructure
i.e. … Job boards, directories, curated marketplaces

Notice that nothing I listed involves stocking inventory or multi-level marketing?

This doesn’t mean having to fire all clients tomorrow … or all-together
It means you stop building a business that collapses without you.

“Clientless” might be a buzzword.
But for some of us, it’s a design choice.

You start:
→ reducing variables.
→ building assets.
→ designing around your nervous system instead of fighting it.

Some businesses scale by adding clients.
Others scale by removing dependency.

& if you’re introverted?
Quiet isn’t a weakness.
It’s leverage.

Design accordingly.

I’m going to document my journey in detail
what works (& doesn’t)
& look at why

If you want in, reply & let me know.

I’ll share my detailed progress in emails separate from this main newsletter.

Make it a great “controlled, client-optional” week.
EG

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