I Spent 1,101 Days Working For Free — Here Are The 4 Lessons I Learned
Don’t be afraid to make the journey your own
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On July 14, 2021, I began working free of charge.
It took over 1,000 days before I realized the full potential — 1,101 days to be exact before the message popped up in my inbox.
“$4,412.68 is on its way to your bank account.”
This investment was finally paying off.
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I spent 1,101 days investing my time and energy into something that may never have manifested into anything.
3 years seems like an eternity.
Stories like these are easy to tell looking back and reflecting. But when you’re in the moment it’s almost impossible to project forward. Because you have no idea how long it will take or if it will pay off.
But that’s entrepreneurship.
Over the last 3 years, I’ve spent time on:
Calls.
Building funnels.
Building complex email automations.
Building, launching, and managing ad campaigns.
Building multiple courses, memberships, and tech integrations.
Here’s one of many automations I’ve created for this project over the years.
Once you've tasted the reward of the work put in you quickly forget the struggle experienced along the way.
Close to 200 hours invested.
(I've tracked every single minute of my time)
I had no idea I’d invest over 3 years of my life into this project.
And, if I’m being honest… If you told me it would be 3 years and 200 hours on the slight chance it turns into something worthwhile, I’m not sure I would have kept going.
Delayed gratification is funny that way.
We must endure the ‘delay’ and trust we’ll see the ‘gratification’.
Except that pot of gold at the end of the rainbow is not guaranteed. And through all my other business ventures of the last 18+ years, the pot of gold was a mere fairytale where I would have ended up further ahead just by buying a box of Lucky Charms.
A gym that left me $100,000 in debt.
A supplement company that lost money.
Courses and mentorships that left me worse off.
Just to name a few.
Was this going to be added to that list?
I’ve always had a hard time with people telling stories of failure or struggle on the other side of the success they achieved.
No one talks about the fact that success on the other side isn’t guaranteed.
We only hear the success stories from the fraction of entrepreneurs that make it to the other side leaving us with just enough hope. We never hear from the 100s or 1000s that never make it to the other side.
My business partner will never know how many times I contemplated quitting.
(Unless they’re reading this)
We all say we’re willing to endure the discomfort as long as we know there will be a reward on the other side.
If that certainty is removed, what would you do?
I almost cried when I saw the Stripe notification for $4,412.68 pop up.
We hit a 21x ROI.
The following month I was paid over $4,000 — My percentage of profits.
After dozens of offer and product changes, new funnel builds, automation changes, turning the ads on and off, and new tech build-outs.
Calls were being booked.
Applications were flowing in.
And customers were pulling out their credit cards.
The investment was starting to pay off.
This number is only a starting point as it will continue to grow MRR. And this investment will grow disproportionately to my time spent on it.
1,101 days — Did manifest into something.
This project now has the capability of being a primary source of income.
We must think in ‘Decades Not Days’
Nothing great is built overnight.
(Credit to Dickie Bush for ‘Decades Not Days’)
Everyone I speak with (or work with) wants to make more money. Work fewer hours. Only attract ideal clients that are willing to spend 1000s without objection. To only take calls with people ready to say Yes.
Cool, because it’s that easy?
Would you work 1,101 for free for a chance to achieve that?
The industry is glorified by instant gratification.
90-day programs, exaggerated claims, and no shortage of persuasion tactics to show us how quickly we can ‘win’.
That’s never been my experience.
I think success lies in a change in perspective. Decades not days. Not 90-day programs to accomplish [INSERT EXAGGERATED CLAIM ACCOMPLISHED BY 2% OF STUDENTS] and instead consistent effort compounded over years and decades.
Here’s what I think I’ve stumbled across:
When you focus on the 90-day success plan, the odds may be against you.
When you focus on consistent effort, there’s always the chance you see wins and success within 90 days.
It’s a perspective, a philosophy, and a different way of approaching business.
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This experience has taught me some important lessons.
I followed my gut.
Deep down I knew that it was the right decision to stick with this. Here are a few lessons I am taking away from working for free for 3 years.
Lesson 1: Nothing is guaranteed.
Great things require risk.
And nothing is guaranteed. Say it with me… NOTHING is guaranteed.
Starting a business doesn’t earn us the right to make 6-figures or hit 10k months. Starting a business is a risk where we forgo the security of a steady paycheck in exchange for freedom, control, and autonomy.
For 3 years I knew this might never materialize.
Lesson 2: We don’t need to do it alone.
I’m a solopreneur.
But I didn’t get to where I am today, alone.
Don’t be afraid to invest in people, ask for help, build relationships, or join support communities.
When my mind would wander and ruminate on quitting my gut told me to keep going because I was investing in the person — my business partner.
I spent years thinking I needed to do it all.
Telling myself I needed to be an expert in everything I did, answer every question my client had, and hit home runs on every project.
Over time I learned that even as solopreneurs we do not need to do it alone.
Lesson 3: Great things take time, make it fun.
Don’t be afraid to enjoy your work.
While business may not be easy, it shouldn’t suck all the time.
If we’re taking consistent effort (decades not days) it makes the journey a whole lot easier when we enjoy it.
Over the last 2-3 years my north star has shifted away from material success such as monetary goals and moved towards the work I enjoy doing and bringing more joy and happiness into my life.
This project, if it worked, would amplify my quality of life. It was in line with the business I wanted to create and the life I wanted to live.
This allowed me to keep moving forward.
Lesson 4: There’s value in ‘free work’.
There’s value in everything we do.
If you choose to see it.
Every failure teaches you as much as each win.
And unpaid work can benefit you just as much as paid work, simply in different ways, or on different time horizons.
Free work can lead to increased experience, confidence, and testimonials.
When you’re just starting out taking on a ‘free’ client can build a portfolio that leads to closing future clients.
Unpaid work can be investing in building someone that materializes into something months or years down the road.
Free work can lead to referrals, recommendations, exchange of services, or building social capital.
To this day I still occasionally jump on calls (for free) to consult with or help people out. This often leads to getting referrals, people hiring me or building goodwill that can be called upon in the future.
Helping others and asking for nothing in return can also be good for the soul.
I’d do it again.
I’m currently pursuing this again.
Where I would be investing my time and energy up front, for free, in an effort to build something that I may realize in the future.
Now, I don’t take these types of projects lightly.
I must be willing to accept the loss.
I must be invested in the person I’m doing it with.
I must enjoy the work I’m doing.
I must benefit in indirect ways through the process such as refining my skills, expanding my network, or learning through the osmosis of my partner.
The end goal must enhance my quality of life.
Now, I’m not saying to run out and work for free as that decision is unique to you and your circumstances.
Rather,
As a solopreneur, there is no ‘standard path’. You don’t need to do it the way everyone else does. Don’t be afraid to make the journey your own.
Landon.
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What others say about The Solopreneur Stack:
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This was a very refreshing and highly motivational take on the building process of growing an audience online and building a thriving business around it. Thanks for sharing your experiences! There's lot of takeaways from this, but one key is certainly to strive to live in and enjoy the moment on a daily basis.
Thank you for the refreshing story. I believe most writers that want income from Medium, Substack or anywhere else are like Landon. Three years sounds about right before you see any profit. No matter what the hype articles from way too many online writers say, you have no idea how long it will take or if it will pay off. You just know the online hype people have your money and that can put you deeper in the debt hole.