Fix Your Finances to Quit Sooner

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I started learning how to write copy in January 2019.

Six weeks later, I landed my first client – February 16, 2019.

I landed a blog post client on Fiverr.com.

It was magical.

So, like any normal person, I waited until I built up a full-time income from my freelance writing business before I quit my day job…

Right…?

Wrong.

Six weeks after I made my first dollar online, I quit my job.

Up until that moment I picked up my iPhone 6 to call my boss on that fateful day in March…

I had made a total of $60 with writing.

I repeat…

$60.

I didn’t care.

I knew it was real.

I knew this could work.

I knew if I could earn $60 in a month…

I could earn $600, or $6,000, or even $60,000.

So, I quit.

And not only did I put in my two weeks' notice…

But I also put my wife’s two weeks' notice in too.

You see, we were working at the same job together.

And we were miserable — my wife especially.

I couldn’t handle seeing her like that anymore.

The job was taking a toll on her physically, mentally, and emotionally.

I had to get her out.

So, when I called my boss on that day, we didn’t lose just one income…

We lost all of our income.

Gone.

Our excitement of our newfound freedom quickly turned into fear when we started to realize this.

But, we were all in on the writing business.

Fast-forward to September 2019, and we:

• Sold everything

• Moved out of our leased apartment

• Went on a two-month vacation in Australia and Thailand

All before finally reaching the $5,000 per month mark while living in Chiang Mai, Thailand.

Living the dream, right?

Well, it was amazing (don’t get me wrong).

The beaches, the sunshine, the food, the people, and most of all, the freedom to never have to commute to a miserable day job ever again…

But, there was one problem…

We were foolish when it came to our finances.

You see, when we quit our jobs back in March, we didn’t have a ton of savings.

Coupled with the fact that I was earning less than $1,000 per month from my writing for the first 7 months as a writer…

We had one other choice: credit cards.

And back then, it seemed like a proper “business investment” to us.

‘Oh, we’ll just throw it on the card.’

And when that card maxed out, ‘Well throw it on the next one.’

But, what happens when there isn’t a “next one”?

You go into overdraft in your checking account.

Which is exactly what we did.

September 2019.

Leading up to our first $5,000 month…

I was hovering around $1,000 per month from my writing at that point.

My wife, Jenn, was making a bit of income on the side teaching English online, but it wasn’t much.

We were running out of money.

We were down to our last $600.

And in two weeks time, $700 was due for rent.

Thankfully…

After working 12-16 hour days for about a month straight, I landed a few clients and we managed to give ourselves some decent runway.

It all worked out, and I thank God for that.

But… we were holding our breath as we were literally days away from hitting zero.

You know what?

We made some dumb mistakes along the way:

• We didn’t save up enough money

• We quit our jobs too soon

• We lived off credit cards

• We went on vacation for too long

I wanted so badly to quit my job and be my own boss.

I wanted to travel the world.

Have more free time.

Make more money.

And finally live.

And I got all those things and more.

But… 

It could have easily gone the other way.

We could have really run out of money.

And ended up homeless.

The financial stress and anxiety alone isn’t worth it.

So, if you’re wanting to quit your job and work online…

If you’re looking for ways to duck out of your day job as fast as you can so you can start living life on your terms…

Prioritize mastering your finances just as much as you’re prioritizing mastering writing.

Because, if you can’t handle your own finances when you have a stable income, how are you going to handle the freelance life full of ups and downs?

Here’s the fun part of figuring out your finances:

Even though I was on the scarier side of the financial equation…

You might actually have more runway than you think.

And, you might be able to quit your job sooner than you think.

Here’s what you need to do:

• Write down your savings

• Figure out what expenses you can cut back on

• Figure out how much money you need to survive

• Determine how long it will last you

• Then start saving like crazy

For example, if you have $10,000 saved up, and you can cut back on $1,000 of Netflix, eating out, and a few other things each month…

Well, in 6 months time, you could have an additional $6,000 saved up.

How long could $16,000 last you if you quit your job tomorrow?

In a western country, maybe 4-6 months?

What if you temporarily moved to a lower-cost-of-living country like, say… Thailand?

You see, the one thing we did right with our finances is choose to live somewhere cheaper (temporarily).

If we stayed in Canada, we would have ran out of money by the end of June.

But, because we left for Thailand, we got an extra 3 months (since living there is a fraction of the cost).

You don’t have to do what we did and move away to a cheaper country…

But, start thinking outside the box.

Do the math.

Figure out what your exit number is.

How much do you need to make per month from your writing to survive?

By calculating your cost of living, you can calculate your first major writing income goal.

Sure, you probably want to hit $10,000 per month with writing…

But, what can you survive on?

What monthly income from writing is enough so you can confidently quit your job?

$5,000? $3,000? $2,000?

If you moved to somewhere like Thailand, that number could be as low as $1,000 (depending on where you live and how you live there).

The point is, the sooner you figure out your finances, the sooner you’ll be able to quit your job and work from your laptop whenever (and wherever) you want…

Even if you only reach $1,000-$2,000 per month from your writing business.

Your goal could be much closer than you think.

-Brandon “I quit once I made $60 online” Storey

P.S. Struggling to figure out how to navigate the online writing world?

Confused about how to niche, how to master copywriting, how to land clients, and make money online… all so you can quit your job?

This July, I’m offering a paid mentorship to four writers serious about cracking a full-time income.

So far, two spots are filled.

If you’re interested in one of the two remaining spots, reply to this email with “July” now.

Especially if you’re wanting to see some results like this…

Interested in hearing more about the mentorship?

Reply with the word “July”.

I don’t expect the last two spots to stay open long, so reach out now.