Life Is Awesome

In college I studied history and journalism.  I stayed as far away from business classes as I could and buried my head in writing and reading about the past.  Somehow I managed to make the idea of business something I should ignore.  Somehow I managed to convince myself that business related topics were not for me, someone obsessed with words not numbers.

But lately I’ve been intrigued, even obsessed with the idea of business and entrepreneurship.  Perhaps it’s been my recent brushes with affiliate marketing and the knowledge that I can make money by connecting people to products (in a non sleazy way of course).  That concept makes sense to me and actually inspires me where previously anything business related flew straight over my head.  Or maybe it’s just the fact that I’ve learned Icould create my own job through creating a business, even if just to say I did it.

Either way, I’m enjoying learning more about how businesses get started and how the successful ones operate.  I’m extremely interested in the beginnings of businesses – the time when they move from concept to operating business and beyond.  That’s part of the reason why over the weekend I went to see the business demos from businesses created over the weekend at 48 Hour Launch in Memphis.

48 Hour Launch is a weekend event by Launch Memphis where people come together to take an idea and form a business in two days.

They have done three weekends like this in the past (called Startup Weekends, I think).  This time they had eight teams launch businesses within 48 hours.  The businesses they started over the weekend (some with websites, some are coming soon):

• Tipp Jar
• The List of Bands
• One Song Concerts
• One Day Professional Services
• Tourney Caddy
• Romance Playbook
• My Representatives
• Chrono Comics

Some of these ideas are really cool and I will end up using and recommending them in the future.  (Probably starting with Tipp Jar, because I’m a starving writer trying to move to a new continent and could use the tips.)

Don’t they all look like happy entrepreneurs after two days of work creating new businesses?

I’m excited to watch the businesses all grow and see which ones succeed as they moved forward.  It’s interesting to watch the process before (eventually) going through it.  Seeing how they basically created a brand new business in two days inspired me.  I may not be launching in two days, but I’m definitely inspired and encouraged by this event.

I forgot to do my monthly blog update that I started in January.  It’s probably of no interest to you, but I like seeing what I’ve done over the month.  So here we are in March looking back at what I wrote about in February.

Writing

My favorite posts this month included my BIG decisions: starting a business and moving to New Zealand.

On my healthy weight loss blog I wrote about emotional eating and compulsive eating.  Being very honest and open about things like that online are scary, but the response was amazing.  I’ve learned that blogging about personal matters invites a lot of criticism that can cut deeply, but it also allows people to connect with you on a whole different level.

Guest posting in February was non existent since I started working on some (super small) freelance projects and writing an ebook.

Awesomeness

Another couple of items from my life to do list were crossed off – falling in love and completing project 365.

A new project to help make Memphis better, or at least celebrate it – SHOOT MEMPHIS.

Other Stuff

I’ve been doing something I never thought I would be doing – wordpress setups.  Yep.  I’ve written instructions for people to start their own wordpress blog, but I’ve also been setting them up for people that don’t want to follow instructions.   Apparently in the last year or two I’ve picked up some skills thanks to blogging and I’m now using them.  I’m no expert, but I know some things.  It’s nice to know things, yes?

There are a lot of projects I start online, some for money and some just because I think they should exist.

One project that I thought should exist is a site for Memphis photography.  Something that showcases amateur and professional photography for one reason: to show everyone how beautiful and awesome the city of Memphis is.  To my knowledge nothing like this existed already.  But it should.

Long, long ago (sometime during college) I bought the domain name shootmemphis.com with vague ideas about something like this.  I neglected it and forgot about it and would every once in a while throw a photo up there.  I never made it a huge focus of what I did online.  Now I’ve decided to change that and donate a few minute of my day to making a blog celebrating Memphis and its photography a reality.

I know I’m not going to live around here forever.  But while I’m still here I want to celebrate it.  And I want to help others do the same. In the midst of all the discussion about whether Memphis is miserable or whether it’s not, I think more things like this are needed.

So check out the site.  Help me by contributing YOUR photos of Memphis (email me) or send me a message on flickr (I’m here). Let me know if you have photos of Memphis you want to share.  And if you are or know a Memphis photographer, list your services in the Memphis photographers directory.  But more than anything, if you live here… appreciate it.  Look for something GOOD in the place instead of accepting some label a magazine gave you.

I’ve made a decision.  As it is, it’s kind of a big one.

I’m moving to New Zealand this year.

I loved New Zealand and the person I love lives there.  Additionally, I’ve always wanted to live there.  Don’t ask me why, but it’s just always been one of the countries on my list of places I wanted to live (also including England, any European country, and Mexico).  And I want to move there by the end of the year, sooner if possible.

I’ve already chosen the path I want to take and now I’m just trying to figure out how to make it happen. Before going I want to finish paying off my credit cards and bank the money needed to go there on a working holiday visa.  Plus I need a plane ticket, insurance, and other miscellaneous expenses.  So now I’m at a place where I’m trying to figure out how to make it happen.

The past few months my online income has been rising dramatically each month.  It’s been encouraging to see more success, but it is still not a full time income.  It is more like pay equivalent to a part time gig.  With living at home it is currently paying all my expenses.   But it’s not getting me to New Zealand anytime fast at this rate.

I suppose one problem is that it’s not a full time job.  I don’t work on it full time.  I could but as of yet I’ve either had other jobs or been traveling.  So now that I’m in one place and settled I have a decision to make: do I go full speed ahead trying to create an income online or do I start searching for a job?

The correct answer is probably both.  But job searches can last months.  In months I’m hoping to be getting ready to move to New Zealand.  So perhaps instead I should look for short term freelance projects once again (anyone need a writer/blogger?) and even contemplate a waitressing job.  Plus, searching for a full time job when I don’t intend on staying longer than a year seems unfair to whoever hires me.

Or maybe I should continue with the online biz action. I’ve got an info product I’m working on that will be released next month and maybe I should focus hardcore on that launch before making a decision.  I know long term that this is what I want to be doing, I’m just not sure if now is the right time to make that jump.

If you want to share your thoughts, feel free.  But keep them positive, since this is a positive thing.

I’m excited to be moving abroad again!  And this time I will understand everyone for the most part!  It’s going to be awesome!