BLOG ANNOUNCEMENT!

Hey everyone!  As promised, I have an announcement for you today!  But before I get to it, let me say this:  If you belong to one of the following 3 groups, this is for you!

1. You dream of escaping the 9-5.

2. You’re a side hustler or wannabe side hustler looking for ways to increase your income.

3. You’re simply a fan of this blog, of personal finance and you believe in our message!

So what’s the announcement?

Beginning in February, I’m launching my very first monthly newsletter!

If that doesn’t exactly sound earth shattering, that’s ok, I get it.  But if I were to tell you that this newsletter will help you increase your income, would it pique your interest?

If so, keep reading!

NEWSLETTER BACKSTORY

A couple of months ago, I revealed my plan to climb down the corporate ladder.  To walk away from a well paying career in the corporate world, in favour of self employment.   My goal is to build a full time online business from side hustles in blogging/digital marketing, and a number of other projects I’m dreaming up (the list seems to grow daily).

Best of all, I plan to do it within 3 years 18 months!  (August 2019)

Make no mistake, it’s a BIG goal.  In fact, I can think of a number of reasons NOT to even try:

• I’ve been working in a 9-5 for almost 20 years = stability
• My current job provides a fairly high income, good benefits, pension = level of safety & income certainty.
• We are a one income family = no fallback income, element of risk.
• Three teenage kids = life is getting MORE expensive, not less.
• I’ve never been a full time entrepreneur = I lack experience
• I don’t HATE my job = relatively easy to stay put.

With so many reasons NOT to pursue my dream, one might wonder why I would attempt something so extreme.  Well, for starters…

My career values are shifting.  

When our kids were younger, the consistency of the 9-5 fit well with our family life.  Looking ahead, schedule flexibility and the desire to travel is already beginning to replace other career priorities, such as income potential or upward movement.

Increasingly, I feel like a creative trapped in a 9-5.

Aside from writing & blogging, I’m a songwriter & music producer.  I’m finding that the more I pour my energy into creative projects, the more I want to devote my full attention to those things I love.

Outside of my family and other relationships, the creative process is what brings me the most fulfillment in life.  My 9-5 feels more and more like it’s getting in the way.  In the past, I would have accepted this as an unfortunate reality.  No longer.

I want to find new ways to help.  

Like each of you, I’ve got a heart for people.  I want to find ways to help them get more out of life.  Am I able to make a difference in my current career?  Absolutely.  I have a staff of almost 30 people who mean the world to me, not to mention countless colleagues and clients who I do my best to serve every day.

That said, I believe there are ways that I can make a deeper impact through my work, free from the constraints of a large corporation.

A RESPONSE

At it’s heart, this newsletter is a response to my readers.  Since making my announcement to pursue self employment, a lot of people have expressed a personal interest in what I’m trying to do, and said that they want to follow my progress.

Many of them have shared a similar dream of escaping the 9-5 through side hustling/online business etc.

This newsletter will enable me to document me journey, while serving as a resource for those who wish to follow along, in real time.

HOW WILL IT WORK?

Each month, I’ll provide an update on my progress.  You benefit by watching my progress in real time.

You’ll be able to see what’s working, what isn’t; my success and failures.

I’ll share more info about myself and the projects I’m working on, stuff that won’t be found anywhere else on the blog.

In other words, I’ll become a little less anonymous to my newsletter subscribers.

Here are a few of the projects I have planned for 2018, which you will get inside scoop on as it all goes down:

• Release of new, micro-niche website (digital marketing experiment, not personal-finance related)
• Release of my first paid product (Mystery Money Man)
• expansion of BroGoLogo business model, service offering
• Possible development of online course (might be 2019)
• Official launch of digital marketing business / website

In addition, here are some of the other updates you will receive:

• Recap of previous months progress (successes and failures)
• Goals & objectives for the month ahead
• Updates on music production side hustle
• Insights from my entrepreneurship mentoring relationship.
• Monthly income reports/breakdown (TBD)
• Details of courses I’m taking/books I’m reading.

Last, but not least, I’ll share valuable content I’m finding on the web for all things related to entrepreneurship, personal finance, family life, or just life in general.

Disclaimer: There will be the occasional pictures of sunsets and bonfires.  If you follow me on Instagram, you’ll understand. 😉

ANONYMOUS NO LONGER?

The coolest part?  For me, at least. : ) When I finally make the break from the 9-5 (remember, the goal is 18 months), I will reveal my identity!  I will be anonymous no longer.  And you, my newsletter subscribers, will be the first to know.

Still on the fence about signing up?  Here are answers to a few questions you might have:

Why would I want to follow your journey to break the 9-5, when I can learn from someone who’s already done it?  There are a lot of guru’s out there who have been incredibly successful in doing what I’m trying to do.  Their stories and their insights are invaluable, and I’ve found a lot of inspiration in them myself.  I’m certainly no guru, just a regular guy.  But there’s value in learn from someone’s real time journey.  From getting in on the ground level.  You’ll see the good, the bad, the ugly.  Trust me,  it won’t always be pretty.  What you WON’T get is spin, or something that’s sugar coated or glossed over.  That I can promise.

Will you be sharing income reports?  I will share income updates as soon as my feel my income is becoming relatively consistent, even if it’s not a lot to begin with.  In 2017, side hustles that I was directly or indirectly involved in earned over $6000.  My goal is to increase that significantly in 2018.

How much of this content will be included in regular blog posts?  One of the reasons I’m developing the newsletter is to journal my self employment journey in an organized manner, rather than having my story scattered across random blog posts.  While some of my regular articles will touch on my journey,  blog posts will continue to focus on the topics this blog is known for: frugal living, changing the money mindset, consumerism & family life.

GET IN ON THE ACTION!

If you are already part of the Mystery Money Man community (email subscriber), you’re already in!There’s nothing else to sign up for, you’ll begin to receive the monthly newsletter, starting in February.

If you’re not, you can sign up below.  All you need to provide is your email address:

SIGN ME UP! I WANT THE FREE NEWSLETTER.    

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Remember, it’s completely free!  You’ll receive my newsletter every month, as well an email notification whenever a new post is published to the blog.  If at anytime these updates aren’t doing it for you, you can unsubscribe with one click. It’s that easy!

SPREAD THE NEWS!

One more thing…If you have a friend or family member who you think would benefit from receiving my newsletter, or becoming a Mystery Money Man reader, can you please share this post with them?  I want to help as many people as I possibly can.  Thank you!