The Very First Step To Your Own Freedom Business: Live From Thailand Freedom Trip One

How are you?

Big content-rich post for you this week that will have you living the freedom dream in no time!

The above video I shot whilst in Thailand on the Secret Society Mastermind freedom trip which I just got back from (see the end of the video for a little teaser on the upcoming movie from the trip).

It also includes a great interview with SSM member Pieter on how he is progressing from his day job of doom (DJD) to full time freedom business.

I get asked all the time: “Tim, if there is ONE thing I can do to get rolling on this freedom business thing – what is it?”

I decided to answer this question as it relates to not only the beginners in Freedom Business but also veterans who want to take their freedom career to the next level.

This is if you are itching to dive in and take control of your life situation right now.

Make sure you watch the above video before reading on.

In the video I discuss a few things…

1. You must become an authority

This is A LOT easier to do than you may think. In a lot of cases all it needs is a simple website with “Hey, I can do this” on it.

The area ideally is something that you can solve a common problem in. If you can help ONE person in an area of your specialty then chances are you can find a lot of companies or people needing that same problem solved.

One of my freedom businesses centred around video for websites as I saw that most websites didn’t have (and still don’t) a cool intro/sales video to rev up their site.

As you can see in Pieter’s case in the video, he has a specialised skillet built up working day-job-of-doom style but has yet to step out as an authority in his own right.

A simple website with a nice profile picture, bio and some sales copy around his problem solving ability would be enough to separate him from 99% of the people in his industry.

This will allow him to consult private clients through Skype from anywhere in the world, at a time and a price that suits him. That’s true Freedom Business style.

SSM Members Living The Freedom Dream

Becoming an authority means you can step out into the world and say “Hey, my name is Barry and I can help you with x-problem. I’ve helped these people too. So if you would like my product which solves that or need me to consult for you, fill out this contact form or call me here”.

Your personal brand is also something you can use as a placeholder for all the projects that you work on.

So for example if Pieter decides to do 2 different businesses in totally different markets, he can showcase both of them under his name www.pieterdeluxe.com (note that his name isn’t Pieter Deluxe, you would put your full name).

The beauty of this is if you start NOW, in five years time your personal brand site will be showcasing all sorts of amazing projects and businesses that you have been involved in, making you even MORE of an authority and trustworthy to people looking to buy your products or have you consult in the future.

A fantastic book on this is Million Dollar Consulting by Alan Weiss. Even if you don’t see yourself as a consultant, you may just see how you DO have some highly desirable knowledge and skills that could be built into a freedom business by reading this book.

So what are the steps?

Firstly a massive warning: You will feel a LOT of resistance to putting your photo and a bio on a website.

Thoughts like “I’m not good enough”. “I’m not an authority in anything”. “People will laugh at me”. “Who would want to buy what I have to offer – there is much cooler, talented, amazing, good looking people out there than little old me”.

BULLSHIT. BULLSHIT. BULLSHIT.

Just like Pieter, you probably have NO IDEA how good you actually are!

(Here’s Pieter leaving one of our SSM party nights with two hot Swedish girls… Goes to show if you don’t put yourself out there you never know what might happen!)

“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won’t feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It’s not just in some of us; it’s in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.”
- Marianne Williamson

So… here are the actual steps:

1. Get a domain name.

I use NAMECHEAP because they are cheap and also they don’t try and upsell you the world like some other providers (*cough* godaddy).

2. Put a simple, cool website on that domain

This is tricky if you haven’t done it before but I recommend starting out with a basic WORDPRESS theme and having an experienced coder from freelancer modify/build it for you.

Let me explain a bit…

WordPress is fast becoming the standard Content Management System (CMS) for all websites. It’s free and allows you to update your content on your site simply and easily with a back end login.

Sitting on top of WordPress you will need a THEME.

The theme is what you see. The buttons, navigation, colours, fonts and all the other cool stuff.

I use THEMEFOREST to get wordpress themes for as little as $30.

Then if you are technical minded or don’t mind learning, you can have a go at installing WordPress and the theme yourself OR if you are like me and like to outsource your work (recommended), head over to http://www.freelancer.com or http://www.elance.com and post a project for someone to install and modify these things for you.

You will need to provide them with photos and content you want on your site and a detailed brief on where you want things… then sit back and wait for them to build it for you!

So domain name $10
Theme $30
Experienced Coder ~$100

TOTAL COST FOR WEBSITE: $140

Excuses? None.

(My Freedom Office: Thailand)

3. Get business cards

There are cheap card printing services online that design and print a simple business card for you.

A business card showcasing your personal brand domain will give you more confidence in “this is REAL” when you see it actually physically printed on a card.

Plus when you are at parties or events you can pass it to everyone you talk to. Including girls you want to date.

Awesome.

Who else is doing this well?

In the video I mentioned Chase Jarvis who started out as a photographer but built his personal brand up to be followed by thousands all over the world.

Check his site out here. Some great marketing interviews and tips too.

Just remember all those super successful people started in the exact same spot you are starting from: NOTHING. They had to fight off the internal resistance and put themselves out there just like you are going to.

After all, your freedom, fun and adventure lifestyle is waiting…

So get to it!

We are about to hit a crazy period in Freedom Business land as we unlock the doors and prepare to take on new people into the Secret Society Mastermind program in March.

The stuff in this blog post is a very small piece that we walk you through step by step through video training and also live coaching calls – not to mention the awesome community of people who are already smashing it to help you as well.

In the upcoming SSM course, i’ll walk through my own personal building of my authority site www.timothymarc.com as it happens so you can build yours right alongside me.

Make sure you have put your email address into the right hand side so you can stay updated on the next intake of SSM members. I wouldn’t want you to miss out!

Much love.

T

P.S. Comments, questions? Make sure you put them below so I can answer…

2013: How To Follow A Path With Heart (Plus Goals, Books and Goodies!)

First post up for 2013! Whoohoo!

In this one I have 3 things to share with you.

1. An amazing story that may shape the course of your year (even LIFE).

2. A massive book recommendation. Seriously the best book i’ve read for the last 5 years or so.

and 3. Some things that are happening with the blog, our Secret Society Mastermind course plus details of my own adventures and goals for this year.

It’s been a great start to the year. I just finished watching the Australian Open tennis with some friends on the weekend.

Now, Roger Federer. This guy is just incredible.

The reason I like him so much is because no matter what is happening in the game he always maintains the same temperament.

If he is losing, he seems calm and collected.

If he is winning, he seems calm and collected.

He doesn’t celebrate too hard, pumping fists in the air after a point, nor does he drop his head or throw his racket if things are going bad.

The ULTIMATE professional.

In part 2 of this post (the book recommendation) I talk about a personal philosophy called Stoicism and how it can help you attack your day to day game with the same level of skill as our friend Roger.

So let’s explore the first thing I have for you…

1. Following The Path With Heart

Click to play now

Note: I’m just getting used to my new camera rig. Canon 5d mkIII. So bear with me on the new camera shots!

Have you ever been doing something, hanging out with someone or just felt like things are just RIGHT? Like you are plugged in, totally focused and energised and excited for what you are doing.

That’s the path with heart.

In the above video I share a really personal story that I was reminded of from one of my very first freedom trips.

This story and the lesson I learned from an old man at a remote beach asked me to wake up and follow the path that had the most heart in it.

As it’s the start of the year you should be very conscious of wether you are on a path with heart or not. Have this question in the back of your mind for the next week or so as you start to shape the course of your year.

I know whenever i’ve followed the path with the most heart myself, things have ALWAYS worked out.

One of our Secret Society members made the decision to quit his day job during the 2021 course and poured his heart and soul into it. It was his path with heart and now he is making great sales and connections in his freedom business leading him to an entirely new way of life.

Lesson for you: Might be time to take a leap on to the path with heart?

2. Book Recommendation: A Guide to the Good Life: The Ancient Art of Stoic Joy by William B. Irvine

I’m not quite sure how this great read came into my lap (well, on to my kindle).

The book describes, in detail, the characteristics of every great person i’ve ever met and also the skills/philosophy on how to actually live like them too.

Have you noticed that some people just GET THE JOB DONE. No complaints, no worries, just pure DO-ers?

Or have you ever known a man who is so courageous that he almost seems like nothing could ever phase him?

This book will show you how to live moment to moment unshaken by life’s ups and downs and also how to obtain an inner peace that will bring great joy to your moments.

It’s like Zen/Eastern philosophy mixed with western logic. A perfect combo for me as I find the eastern stuff to be a little too woo-woo a lot of the time and had trouble getting into authors such as Eckhart Tolle.

Without going into the origins of stoicism (note though that the most powerful man in the world, the Roman emperor Marcus Aurelius was a stoic) It’s the PERFECT philosophy for entrepreneurs or anyone trying to do anything amazing.

One quick lesson from the book was that when you are with someone, imagine that this is the very last time you will ever see them again.

This will ensure you don’t take this moment with them for granted and start being more present to them.

I used this technique with a girl i’m seeing during the week. To be honest I wanted to get some work done rather than hang out, but since I was with her I didn’t want to think about work…

So I pretended this was the last time i’d see her.

Then I really started to enjoy being with her. I made more eye contact, listened more and enjoyed the company a whole lot more than if half my brain was focused on other stuff and just pretending to listen.

Lesson for you: Over the next couple of days, pretend this is the VERY LAST time you will do things. For example, hanging out with someone pretend this is the last time you will do it.

OR when at the gym or going for a run, pretend this is the last time your body will ever get to move or lift like this again.

Notice how much more focused and powerful that moment is.

Grab a copy of the book here and let me know what you think!

3. Freedom Business Blog and Tim’s goals for 2013

Tonight I fly off to Thailand to meet with the people who went through our Secret Society Mastermind course and will be filming the entire adventure for you.

This will be the start of many adventures this year as I put my life into a bag and hit
the road. I want to film/photograph and send you as much inspiration from the road as possible. More details on this soon!

Whilst in Thailand i’ll be filming a serious of Freedom Business introduction videos.

These videos will be free to the email subscribers and will help you get started in your own Freedom Business.

Also of great news:

WE WILL BE OPENING UP A BRAND NEW SECRET SOCIETY MASTERMIND COURSE TO NEW ATTENDEES IN MARCH 2013.

Yep. It’s happening so stay on the email to get more information.

The blog structure this year will be changing up to 1 blog post/email per week instead of the daily email.

I feel that although I like the daily snippets, 1 content-rich post and email per week is probably more valuable long term as I can’t even remember what I wrote in any of the daily emails last year!

What do you think?

Important: Leave a comment below now with your ideas/comments/suggestions/excitement about your own 2013 and also what YOU would like to see happen with the Freedom Business Blog in 2013.

I’ll reply to you when i’m in Thailand… Flight out in 8 hours. WOOHOO!

Can’t wait to continue the adventure with you!

T

PS. Here’s the article where the guy outsourced his job to China.

Quitting The Day Job Of Doom For Freedom With Kable (Plus Freedom Business Blueprint Announced!)

In the video above I invited Secret Society Mastermind member Kable over to talk about how he managed to go from his DJD (day job of doom) in the health care industry, to building a little freedom business and then quitting his job to go full time freedom.

Kable gives his top 3 tips to starting your own freedom lifestyle and eventually quitting that day job of doom to chase some adventure and connect with like-minded people all around the world.

Now I got a little side tracked in the video when talking about who this stuff is for, so let me clarify:

This whole freedom business stuff is for people who either…

A) Have a day job of doom (DJD) that they feel is sucking the soul out of them slowly whilst craving to get out there and travel/seek adventure

B) Have read all the business books out there but still can’t seem to TAKE ACTION or find a solid business idea that has the ability to support a freedom lifestyle

C) Have a business of their own, but what to make it a whole lot better, generate more sales, clients and automate it so it’s not running your whole life but frees your time to go do fun stuff

This is NOT for people who want to be a Doctor, a Lawyer or any number of jobs that require specialist training i.e college. I think it’s great for people who want to do these things and love it (for example my accountant Paul absolutely loves accounting) but if you love university or your job this is not for you.

This is NOT for people who are struggling financially. My advice if you are really struggling to make money is to pour your energy into getting a job to support yourself whilst you cross over to freedom business (like Kable). Freedom business isn’t going anywhere, you can always come back to it later on.

So as you can see in the video, Kable now gets to choose the time to wake up, the time to be productive throughout the day and now the time to finish work completely (I personally like to get started early and finish at 2pm to enjoy some sunshine each day).

Here is Kable’s words (reposted from our private forum) when he finally made his first big sale (in the thousands of dollars) and quit his job:

I’m starting to feel some kind of click, like the “FB first sale click”… I think, when I get the money transferred to my bank, that will be really fucking crazy for my mind… I can just that that will be big for me.

I was at a party tonight with some of my really good friends, telling them that I’ve started a business and quit my job (some of them didn’t know)… Now I’m doing it, and have a paying customer – so strange.

I feel like a very different person that I was 8 months ago – and plenty of weird life growth over the past 3 months with SSM totally.

Announcing The Freedom Business Blueprint Program

COMING NOVEMBER 2012

In November, i’ll be launching the official Freedom Business Blueprint program, which is the entry level program for you to get started in building your own little freedom business that funds a life of freedom, fun and adventure.

The program will cover EXACTLY how to pinpoint your first freedom business idea, build it from scratch and go all the way to the first sale and beyond.

Right now i’m crafting the program to be the very best it can be but would love to hear what YOU would like to specifically learn in it.

Click here to go have your say on what’s included in the program.

Hope you got a kickstart into your freedom journey from todays post.

Stay free

T

PS. Don’t forget to post any questions you have for Kable in the comments section below!

The REAL Secret To Happiness

(click the image to see full size)

One of our Secret Society Mastermind members, Paul (who is crushing his own freedom business) sent me this yesterday… Note that this is not his balance, but he found it somewhere… I don’t care where he got this from but I love it!

I couldn’t believe it when I read it. Pretty much echoes my own experience… Well, apart from the bank balance which we are not at quite yet

Here’s what the little note next to the $12,810,611.09 says:

The secret to happiness is FREEDOM. This right here (arrow to balance) is FREEDOM.

The secret to freedom is COURAGE. All of your dreams can come true if you have the COURAGE to PURSUE them.

RID your life of distractions.

Don’t focus on RELATIONSHIPS, that’s a big one.

Don’t listen to the people who say STOP.

Just focus on YOU and your BUSINESS.

Everything else can come later, as it’s easier to get later than THIS.

Now the cool thing is you don’t need $12 million to live a freedom lifestyle.

That’s more like the super upgrade version that’s a hell of a lot easier to chase
when you have no boss, commitments or distractions that swallow up your days.

Definitely can relate to the relationships thing too. Any of you that have seen my dating stuff from the past, I spent many of my early years just worrying about having a girlfriend/life partner/girls in my life.

When you’re truly living the freedom lifestyle – waking up each day choosing how to spend your time… it becomes a hell of a lot easier to date.

Think about if that above bank statement was yours.

How would you move in the world?

How would you hold yourself?

How would you speak to people?

Here’s the thing: You would not take ANY shit from ANYBODY.

You can say NO to doing stuff you don’t like doing.

And this natural ease with yourself, when you aren’t worried about money or commitments will naturally attract the right type of people into your world.

I’m currently sitting at the airport right now writing this blog post and getting ready for a little freedom trip myself. This past couple of days was spent with a gorgeous feisty little girl I met out and also my closest mates watching football.

Freedom Lessons:

1. Put $100,000.00 in the bank ASAP

Figure out how to put $100,000.00 in your bank account with a freedom business (fastest way).

What will you sell? (physical product, virtual product, information product)

How much will you sell it for?

How many customers EXACTLY will you need to hit the $100k goal?

How will you reach and sell to those customers? (online/offline?)

When you bank your first $100,000.00 EVERYTHING changes.

2. What would you do with your freedom?

Who cares about the numbers in the account. What matters is what they represent. You need to figure out exactly what your days would look like when you have this freedom.

Question (post in the comment section below):

WHAT WOULD YOU DO WITH YOUR DAYS IF YOU HAD TOTAL PURE FREEDOM?

No money constraints, no time constraints, no commitments.

What would you do if you woke up tomorrow and were totally free?

I’m really keen to hear what your freedom looks like and i’ll do whatever I can to help you get there.

T

PS. Don’t forget to post what your perfect freedom lifestyle would look like below!

From Adversity To Freedom: Building A Business On The Road With Dave [VIDEO]

For all of its faults, it gives most hardworking people a chance to improve themselves economically, even as the deck is stacked in favor of the privileged few. Here are the choices most of us face in such a system: Get bitter or get busy.                 – Bill O’ Reilly

Want to learn how to build a freedom business whilst travelling on the road?

Well I couldn’t wait to introduce you to my friend Dave today who is doing exactly that.

We caught up with him for a video whilst he travels the world building and running his freedom business… I thought this was a perfect opportunity to sit down and chat to him about life, freedom business and how to do it all.

This Dave is one persistent dude.

For a start, he was born without the part of his brain that controls the whole right side of his body.

He was relentlessly picked on at school and had no respect from those around him.

“Basically I had no choice but to look up at the bright side, because it’s not going to get any worse”

… Dave told me in the interview below.

I got a taste of Dave’s persistence over email.

He’d signed up for my daily email and then kept replying and offering his services to me for free and I agreed – our relationship went from there and he ended up all the way from Bulgaria to Melbourne to film this video.

Quick tip: If you’re wanting to build a relationship to make a sale or just to connect with someone influential – think “what can I offer this person that is of real value to them and their business?”…  Chances are a free coffee is NOT that valuable.

If you’re personally in a situation that you don’t like right now – maybe it’s a job that’s numbing you or maybe you’ve been hitting your head up against a brick wall trying to get your freedom business off the ground, then this video will give you some great tips and insights from a dude who has probably started off in a much more disadvantaged place than you.

In the video above we talk about 3 really important things:

1. The Low Cost Freedom Business

A good low cost freedom business is a digital services agency, offering anything from mobile applications to website redesigns to social media strategies.

These types of businesses can be set up with very low capital and all you need is to get your first sale to know your business will be profitable.

It’s a good idea to get familiar with just ONE of these areas and find a good outsource provider (http://www.elance.com – http://www.freelancer.com) to guide you through their services.

You need a strong brand, a website and some tenacity to go sign on your first client.

Fun Experiment: Could you set this up and get your first client in 2 weeks?

2. No Matter What Business You’re In, Relationships Are EVERYTHING

Dave starts off every conversation with “Do you have a website?”…

This has led to sales, free office space and all sorts of great partnerships and friends.

It’s a brilliant conversation starter that is focused around your potential client and NOT YOU. This is very important because if you start talking to someone about how cool you are, they will likely tune out and not care.

On the other hand if you start the conversation focused around them, their needs and their frustrations then you can start to mentally build a solution  for them right their on the spot, offer some suggestions and sometimes even get a new client right on the spot.

Remember: Keep the conversation focused on THEM (and how you can help) not on YOU and how amazing you are (nobody cares).

3. No Room For Negativity

This is Dave’s personal life philosophy. Right now he misses his girlfriend back
home, but is making the most of the situation by enjoying his travels and connecting with new people.

“Instead of seeing the problem, like missing my girlfriend, I turn it into an opportunity – like setting a goal to sign on a new client so I can fly her out here to have fun with me”

Connecting your personal life goals with your freedom business is THE way to get motivated to build your freedom business and sign on some new clients.

Dave has kindly offered to answer your questions in the comment section below…

Fire away quick before he’s out on his latest adventure!

T

PS. Dave’s new business he built on the road can be seen at:
http://www.fusion-360.co.uk/