The Self-Employed Home Business Journey

After a few short stints at various jobs, it was clear to both Devin and I in our early 20's that the employed life was not for us. Even though we were productive and well-liked on the job, working on someone else's schedule and being paid according to someone else's criteria did not fit into our idea of freedom and happiness. Neither of us EVER enjoyed punching a time clock, adhering to a dress code or having performance reviews.

Interestingly enough, Devin hired me when I was 24. He had already struck out on his own, a real maverick entrepreneur. We met on an interstate highway in a very bizarre turn of events (read the story, soon to be published in an upcoming Chicken Soup for the Soul book; watch this blog for details!) ...he hired me, and then made it a permanent contract.

Our 30-year journey of unemployment has been on a long and winding road. Of course, there have been road bumps, pot holes and dead ends. We have had a few major wrecks along the way, usually out in the "wilderness" with no one to help. It could be pretty darn scary during the fog, the storms, and in those moments of contemplating the vast UNKNOWN.

Have you ever taken a road trip through the Rocky Mountains? There are times on those switchbacks that you feel way too close to the edge, in danger of rolling down the steep precipice ...then, just moments after, the most awe-inspiring landscape takes your breath away and you're filled with immense GRATITUDE. It's the same with being on your own, being self-employed, self-responsible, self-reliant and along the way, self-fulfilled.

This road trip metaphor is perfect for the entrepreneurial home business journey ...being successfully unemployed is not a destination, but an ongoing adventure. It's never complete; it's like one great unpredictable itinerary with new and often exciting scenery around each twist and turn in the road. YES ...it can be gut-wrenching. YES ...you may sometimes wonder what in the heck you're doing this for.

The truth is, we wouldn't trade this self-reliant way of living for anything!

This blog is our way of providing some confidence-building SIGNPOSTS along your own journey, whether you're just starting to consider breaking free and working for YOU, or you've been self-employed for a while. We can give you a general map to guide you on the way to being successfully unemployed and feeling free to do and be what is best for your life.

Stay tuned ...

your partners in self-reliant living,
Devin & Maria

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**WARNING** --- the unemployment path is not for everyone! You probably know people who prefer going to the same vacation destination year after year ...the same hotel, same activities, predictable food, tried and true and SAFE. They take comfort in schedules, like it when someone else leads the way, and prefer not being responsible for what happens in their life. THIS BLOG IS NOT FOR SAFETY-SEEKERS.