We’ve all heard a tale or two about someone that lost their job and then turned things around to become completely successful at something else. The classic rags to riches story. Life hands you a lemon and you make lemonade. You get fired from one job and then end up starting a multi-million dollar company. You know the deal.

I’ve actually seen two sides to losing a job. I’ve seen friends bounce back stronger than ever by finding better work that paid more. Getting fired can be like getting out of a toxic relationship. You’re finally released from prison and now able to do anything that you want with your time. I’ve met at least 5 personal finance bloggers that lost their jobs and then went full-time blogging after. Pat Flynn of Smart Passive Income and Bob of Christian PF are two that come to mind.

I’ve also seen the flip side, the negative reaction to getting fired. This is a complete depression from losing a job. This is the feeling that you’re useless and not good enough to work. I saw a friend go through this in 2009 when he got fired from a job, not because of the economy, but because of his own foolishness. This person in question had been warned and progressively disciplined. He felt that he was untouchable because he had some friends in the company. He screwed up one time too many and ended up getting fired permanently. I saw him spiral into a year long period of depression after this. He lost his girlfriend and became unbearable to most of his old friends. He had no motivation to do anything. He slept on his brother’s couch and felt sorry for himself.

The point here is that losing a job can be inspirational for some and total doom for others. You can bounce back higher. You can also become very depressed for a long time.

How can losing your job be the best thing for you? Allow me to explain the positives of losing a job for those of you that are completely worried about getting fired tomorrow morning:

• You’re free to work on your own projects.
• Your health will improve because of the reduction in stress.
• You can finally move.
• There are better jobs out there.
• You’re no longer comfortable. You’re now working harder than ever.
• You’ll have more time for your friends and family.
• You’ll finally get that vacation you’ve been dying for.
• You’ll be humbled in a huge way.

Getting fired isn’t that bad, right? All I’m suggesting is that losing one job isn’t the end of the world. This is also why I often promote the idea of making money on your own.

What would you do if you got fired tomorrow? Would this be the best thing for you?

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About a year ago, I wrote my company long term plan. This post was divided in 4 sections according to a time horizon (1, 3, 5 and 10 years out). Since I’m a financial planner, I know a thing or two about effective planning. Plans do change in time and most plans are not realized as forecasted. But the power behind a plan is in revision and adjustments. If you don’t go back to your initial plan and look at where you have been, where you are at right now and realize the difference from the plan you have, then your plan has been worthless. It is darn important to follow-up. Not because you need to stick to your plan but to understand what went well or went wrong and what you can do to move forward.

I’m also a big fan of commitment. There is no point talking about something if it’s just to write it on a blog to be forgotten. This is why today I’m reviewing what was written a year ago.

1 Year From Now… It’s Today!

Last year, I wanted to accomplish several things in this company during the short span of 12 months:

-          10 niches sites up and running

-          2 sites (besides blogs) up and running

-          Make over 10K/month (I made $10,514 in May 2011)

-          Have 4 eBooks for sale

My goals were pretty ambitious and several things went sideways during the last year. We went “all-in” without a true direction. We didn’t have a huge plan. In fact, we just had goals… I must say that I’m somewhat disappointed with where we are at today when I look at my aspirations of a year ago. But, nothing is all gloom and doom.

We do have some serious niche sites running and generating over $350/month now. We do have our 10 niche sites but they are not as big as we thought they would be 12 months later. We were expecting these 10 sites to make $100/month each in orderto  generate $1000/month from this part of this business. I actually think that we will make it, but it’s harder than we thought. Our latest sites are well built and make a the bulk of our niche site income. Here are our 4 biggest niche sites (all generating over $40/month):

Canadian Dividend Stock

What is Dividend

EMT Classes

Home Security System

The “2” big sites are still under construction. This is probably our biggest “failure” as we didn’t make enough time to have them fly. On the other hand, it gave us the time to create a super nice structure around them. Both designs are done and the sites are live right now. However, we are still working on the content before officially launching them. The only advantage I see is that they are already getting search engine authority since they are live and updated regularly. We expect to launch both sites by the end of Q3.

When we wanted to make $10K/month on a regular basis, we were already “almost” there last year. But now, I can say that it’s great success. Even if we are currently decreasing our number of private ads, we have compensated those losses by bigger Adsense income and affiliate marketing. After 4 months of operation, I can say that I’m confident we’ll make over $120K in gross income for 2012.

eBooks… ish… do I really have to talk about this one? You know how my 2^nd eBook launch went (read here if you don’t!) but we are not discouraged. In fact, we learned a lot and tried something else recently with some good success (more details here). Our current project is a 2 version eBook on dividend investing (Canadian and US). Both books are completed and have been sent for editing/formatting and we will also have a complete site built for us for this launch. I expect to sell over 300 copies in 2012. It’s pretty ambitious but it will also be confirmation that I have (or haven’t!) learned from my past experience and that I can create, market and sell a great product! With an investing newsletter over 5,500 members strong, I’m confident that 5% of them will buy my book. The rest will come from an affiliate program and other referrals. So maybe I’ll be able to say “mission accomplished!” in 6 months .

What’s up with the 2014 plan?

I wrote that I was expecting the company to use leverage again to buy another site in the 3 years to come. Well, this happened faster that we thought! We actually made our big purchase about 3 months ago. While we are still integrating these sites into our network, I can say that the investment return is already showing. Our company currently owes around $82K in total. Yup, you read it right… 82K in debt! But this debt is dropping by 3K a month since February. We have put in place an aggressive debt reduction plan. In 27 months, we will be debt free and running a highly profitable business. OR…. we will be leveraged again and be making a lot more money .

Our second project for 2014 is to offer membership websites or other kinds of paid services. Well this will probably happen in 2013! The funny thing about our first 12 month plan is that it was tossed away by several other “opportunities”. This is why we started working on different projects instead on focusing on what we thought was important. So we already know what our membership product will be, how we will manage it and the platform / design has already been purchased. So all we need is manpower to generate content and setup the launch (this is already being put into place). To be honest, as soon as we can launch our eBooks and finish our 2 major websites, we are starting to work “full time” on this project: Canadian Aristocrats They Have it Too.

The main goal will be to make over 20K/month in 2014. As we are currently generating slightly over 10K/month, this is a 100% increase in 2 years. There is still a lot of work left but if everything that we launch works, I don’t see why we couldn’t achieve it. Worse comes to worst, we just have to buy 10 sites that make 1K/month over the next 2 years… lol!

2016 Plan

In 2016, I’ll be 35. I already wrote that my windows of opportunity will start to shrink after this countdown. This is why the current 5 years are crucial for me, my company and my pockets!! The big plan is to show a $1M net worth for my 35^th birthday. I’m now focusing on paying off my debts and both my investments and home will increase in value. However, we all know that if I show $1M in net worth at 35, the bulk of my assets will be my company. I’ve already mentioned that I would need my company to be worth 864K to become a millionaire by 35. This is roughly a 20% annualized revenue growth. It is still quite a challenge (now that we have to survive Google once again!) but I don’t think it’s impossible.

I mentioned on this blog that 2012 will be a “do or die” year for our company and this is really the case.

If our niche sites don’t grow and generate $1K/month by the end of the year,

If our 2 big sites are not generating money by the end of the year,

If I don’t sell 300 copies of my new eBooks,

If I can’t sell membership subscriptions to my new sites in 2013,

I won’t be able to bring this great sideline to the level of a great company.

What I like to see is I’m not too far away from my 12 month projections. While this is definitely not where I thought I would be on many points, I’ve also developed other projects and already bought 2 great websites (which wasn’t in the short term plan).

So I’m now ready to crush the rest of 2012 and boost my monthly income to $15,000 by the end of this year!

Readers, when is the last time you wrote a plan and looked back at it? How did it go?

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Everyone tells you that the real world begins when you’re out of school. Once you’re done with school, you need to grow up and enter the real world. The games and childish fun are now over. It’s time to get a real job. It’s time to get married and buy a house. Then wait a few years and have kids. Then let them repeat the process while you wait to retire.

“If you’re five years old and say you want to be an astronaut, your parents tell you that you can be anything you want to be. It’s harmless, like telling a child that Santa Claus exists. If you pass 25 and announce you want to float in space or sail around the world, the response is different: be realistic, become a lawyer or an accountant or a doctor, have babies, and raise them to repeat the cycle. Put all of your disposable income in a 401(k) and do your best to enjoy your “too-weak” vacation.” –  Tim Ferriss

I keep on getting bothered by friends that don’t understand what I’m doing. They ask me about why I don’t have a real job or why I don’t get into the real world.

I wanted to look at why I’m not technically in the real world right now…

I wanted to travel.

When you start your first job after college you might have to wait a long time before you get to travel or take any time off. I wanted to try to travel the world as much as possible in my 20s. Since I graduated from college I’ve been on six trips and I finally got to backpack through Europe by myself. I believe that I still have a few good long distance trips left in my tank.

I love working on my own projects.

I’m not motivated to work on stuff that I don’t care about. I can’t put all my energy into something unless I’m totally into it (ask any of my ex-girlfriends). The beauty of not finding a full-time job yet is that I’m able to focus on my own projects (freelance work, building up my site, and other random activities). Most of my friends that found steady gigs complain to me about how they have no motivation after a boring day of mundane work and that they don’t feel creatively fulfilled. I’m proud to have the luxury to work on my own projects for now.

I don’t have any debt.

I worked full-time hours during college so that I didn’t graduate with any debt. I didn’t want to be desperate for work after college. I didn’t want to be chasing after any random job. I wanted to be able to pick-and-choose and do what I want. I’m grateful every single day for the fact that my parents let me stay at home for free while I hustled through college. Being able to pick up my degree without the stress of student loans is one of the best feelings in my opinion.

I also didn’t max out my credit card or anything like that either. I made some foolish moves with my money, but I was able to recover by working even harder. My only debt right now is my home mortgage, but I don’t mind that because it’s a rental property and at this point I’m not losing any money.

Those three factors are why I still haven’t entered the real world. I don’t know what’s next, but I’m pretty pumped about life right now.

Are you in the real world?

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Today I’m going to talk about someone who saw one of those windows of opportunity and seized a while ago. I’ve recently talked about how you should get the ball rolling in order to be successful.  Well if you are up for something that will start your journey toward a better future, I have something special for you today!

I’ll be talking about my friend; Adam Baker from Man Vs Debt. This guy used to be a regular dude making a regular income with a regular job. He changed his whole life upside-down and he is now an entrepreneur.

Over the past 2 years, we did business together and this business turned out to be the start of a great friendship. Adam is one of the very few people who actually use a web platform to make the world a better place. The guy spent an entire year (and literally an entire average income) in building You Vs Debt, a course to show you how to manage your debts and live a better life. In the first launch in 2011, his participants paid off more than 300K in debts! Speaking of making the world a better place, huh? But you know that I’m not too good at paying down my debts so I won’t be talking debt management today J.

He Recently Contacted me To Offer me Something Special

Something “special”… really? No crap? If this email was sent by anyone else I would have just deleted. But because Baker doesn’t waste his time, he surely doesn’t want to waste mine! So here he is, back with another 72 hours only offer. I’ve ran 2 of the previous offer on TFB and I only got “thank you” emails from my readers who purchased it!

But this time, he’s not only offering a great package… he is also offering Chris Guillebeau new book: the $100 Startup. But you won’t get an online copy, you’ll get the real hard cover book with free shipping on top of everything else!

If you don’t know Chris Guillebeau’s work, I suggest you go check out his blog or check out previous mention on this blog (Epicness of the week and Where are You Really?). I’ve personally read his book, The Art of Non-Conformity and I REALLY LOVED IT! So if you were interested in getting his new book, this offer is for you!

Here’s a quick excerpt from the book:

“This book is different, and it has two key themes: freedom and value. Freedom is what we’re all looking for, and value is the way to achieve it.”

I don’t know about you but that speaks to me!

In case you’ve forgot about Only 72 hours, here’s how it works:

• $1,000 in best courses, ebooks, and digital downloads (real value – not inflated, details below).
• Price cut by 90%!
• Free shipped hard cover of $100 Startup by Chris Guillebeau
• 
  
• We only do this for a SUPER short-term period (72 hours).

Guess how much it’ll cost?

Yep, exactly $100.

That’s over $1,000 in real value (we make sure all courses REALLY sell at the price point listed, before we allow them in) for only $100 for 3 days starting… NOW!

You Want More Than Chris’ Book for Your Bucks? Here’s What You Get!

Before you get the full list, I’d like to highlight a few people in there.

Corbett Barr: I’ve had the opportunity to talk with him in regards to the launch of my next eBook and I can tell you that he truly provided me awesome tips that I never thought of before. I’ll share this knowledge with you in a few months when I have results from my eBook.

Ashley Ambirge: Hum… if you don’t know The Middle Finger Project, You gotta click on it now… If you can pass the fact that she is using the *F word, she is definitely going to the point and talking about real stuff. I use most of her trick to run my business as I like gutsy advices. Checkout this video:

Jonathan Mead: I like this guy a lot because he is talking about how to make money off your passion. Yeah… I know… sounds pretty BS stuff as several people do the same thing. So why don’t you download a few free eBook he has written and see yourself he is the real thing or just another BSer (click here to checkout is site and download his freebies).

All right, enough of my favorite crew, here’s the whole package you get for only $100:

Topics covered in this sale

Better Blogging ($177 in value) 

• Corbett Barr – Creating, Marketing, and Designing A Blog That Matters ($40)
• Susannah Conway – Blogging From The Heart (eBook version) ($137)

Passion-based Business ($137)

• Jonathan Mead — Identifying Your Passion Module + Workbook ($97)
• Scott Dinsmore — Live Off Your Passion (lite) ($47)

Freelancing ($111)

• Ashley Ambirge — You Don’t Need A Job, You Need Guts ($40)
• Men With Pens — Freelancer Package: Unbelievable Characters, Guest Posting Guide, Beyond Brick & Mortar eBooks ($70)

Confidence & Courage ($129)

• Johnny B. Truant — Tao of Awesome ($79)
• Marianne Elliot — 30 Days of Courage (w/ Yoga Module) ($50)

Selling & Advertsing ($144)

• Pam Slim — Ethical Selling That Works ($97)
• David Risley — Double Your Ad Income ($47)

Technology & Systems ($171)

• Joshua Kaufman — The Personal MBA Guide to Small Business Infrastructure ($49)
• Free The Apps — How to Make iPhone Apps ($97)
• Brett Kelly — Evernote Essentials ($25)

Artists & Writes ($130)

• Alyson Stanfield — Turning Your Hobby into a Career (download & audio program) ($51)
• Chris Guillebeau — Unconventional Guide to Publishing ($79)

And don’t forget – Chris Guillebeau’s brand-new book, “The $100 Startup,” shipping anywhere for free.

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How can you actually work from home?

No don’t run away just yet. This isn’t another piece on how to make money online or how to work from home. This piece is all about actually working from home. This article is for those of you that are already making money online and just want to improve the process.

I always thought that working from home was the coolest thing in the world. Now that I’ve increased my online income through freelancing and running my own blog, I find myself “working from home” most of the time. It’s still pretty cool, but it can get pretty interesting at times. It’s really easy to get lost and create the worst schedule in the world if you don’t know what you’re getting yourself into.

What are some practical tips to help you actually work from home based on my experiences?

Leave home if you have to.

The first tip might seem a bit counter-productive, but it’s actually the most helpful. If you’re not productive at home then don’t work from home. Get out of the house and go somewhere else. Go to the coffee shop, library, park, or any other random spot. Find a place that you feel comfortable and can focus. Once you find that spot you’ll want to go there all of the time.

Set boundaries.

What time will you work? Where will you work? Will you respond to emails during dinner? Will you bring your laptop over to your buddies place?

Where am I going with these questions? You need to set boundaries early on. If you create any boundaries, then your work can take over your whole life. Trust me, I’ve had many friends and girlfriends get mad at me because I didn’t set limits and would work when I shouldn’t. Once you set boundaries you’ll seen your quality of work improve because you won’t be cooking pasta while finishing blog posts.

Work with your body.

You need to work with your body when it comes to energy and time management. Maybe the reason that you hated a 9-5 gig is because your body just doesn’t function well during the day. Speaking from experience, I get my best work done in the middle of the night. I don’t lie to myself. I base my life around my energy and my focus.

If you want to work from home you have to work with your body. It’s going to take a few weeks for you to figure out how to work with your body. This also entails determining the following about your body:

• When you’re the most focused.
• What food fuels you the best.
• The best time to train.
• When you’re the most creative.

When you work with your body, you’ll be able to get the best results.

Wing it only when you have to.

When you first get started with working from home, you’re going to follow the typical pattern. You start off by thinking that you have all of the time in the world. You realize that you forgot to do the laundry. You then hit the gym. Then you meet a buddy for lunch. Then you stop by at the mall. Then you suddenly realize that it’s night time and you haven’t done anything. Just like in college, your deadline is approaching. You stay up all night. You get to bed at five in the morning. You wake up after noon. This pattern continues. You got your work done, but you had to wing it.

While I don’t advise winging it, the reality is that it’s going to happen once in a while. All I’m saying is that you try to limit this problem unless you absolutely have to. The worst habit that you can create through working at home is attempting to wing it every single day.

That’s how you can actually be productive from home. I hope that this article helps you work better from home. This is based on my own experiences and nothing else.

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