I’ll admit, making the transition to self-employment isn’t the same as changing jobs. It’s completely different.
It takes time and preparation, but with the right plan it’s possible to start working for yourself within the next 6 months like it was for Trevor Page.
He’s gonna tell us exactly how he did it!
He is the founder of the CraftyCodr based in Toronto, offering educational training about how to become a java programmer. He’s also the author of How to Program With Java.
In 2002 he taught himself how to program using Java in college, worked several years as a software developer and then turned himself in the recognized Java expert he is today.
Once he discovered the opportunity of generating passive income by creating content online, he spent the next 6 months learning everything he could about how to start his business.
He first started a blog, then wrote an e-book and finally left his job to focus full time on building his business.
Today his two core products are a 50+ hour course on Java programming and a membership to his entire course archive. On average he gets a new customer every other day. This is another great example of building a niche business.
On average he gets a new customer every other day. This is another great example of building a niche business.
He’s making slightly less than when he left his job, but says he enjoys the flexibility of how he can work much more. He’s actually working around 20 hours a week right now!
Some great lessons in our conversation include:
- How listening to podcasts convinced him to take a shot at working for himself.
- Why you have fewer hours each day to do your best work than you might think.
- How he started writing 5 blog posts a week as the first action to starting his business by creating a roadmap to teach people about Java programming and less on SEO tactics.
Life Skills That Matter In This Episode
- Practicing self-awareness.
- Self-direct your own learning.
- Manage your energy.
- Build a community.
How Trevor Works and Thinks
- Wake up time: 8:00am
- Core work activities + habits: 1) Posting blog articles. 2) Creating podcasts. 3) Keeping a pulse on the numbers of the business.
- Ideal work environment: From 9:00am-12:00pm and with a good night’s sleep, he can work anywhere.
- Book recommendation: With some caveats, The 4-Hour Workweek by Tim Ferriss and Influence by Robert Cialdini
- 90-day goal: Double his revenue over the next year.
Inspirational Quotes
“From me hearing my first, sort of, business podcast to me quitting my job, it was probably six months.”
“I didn’t necessarily say that this was for sure gonna be the rest of my life, I was just like, ‘I wanna try it.'”
“The upside to being an entrepreneur is there’s no ceiling on your income.”
“At the end of the day, you’re not writing articles for a search engine, you’re writing articles for human beings.”
Coaching Advice
For those just starting their business, Trevor believes the following metrics are the most important to monitor:
1) Pre-sales for your product. If someone is willing to pay for a product you haven’t even created, that’s a powerful gauge of market interest.
2) Conversion rates. If 3 people out of 100 are willing to buy that pre-sale, that 3% is a great conversion rate and is also a powerful market indicator for your business.
Resources + Bonus Materials
Trevor’s interview with Pat Flynn’s Smart Passive Income podcast