Freedom Quest #1: Milestones and Mountains
Celebrating a milestone with 25% off paid subscriptions in this first post in a new series about living "freestyle"
Did you know that this year, I actually have a Substack content plan? Dive into the details here. Today I bring you my my first post in a new series called Freedom Quest. After all, freedom is the heartbeat of Eat Sleep Wild and my other projects. This series will dive into the state of my projects by the numbers - yes, stats! Alongside reflections on what’s working and what isn’t.
What is the Freedom Quest?
What does freedom mean to me? The definition evolves but the basic idea is this: freedom is all about having the time and headspace to pursue the things that bring you joy (and others joy along the way). I set out as a sole trader in April of 2008 so I could call my own shots and earn a living my way. Turns out that’s hard work, with a lot of highs and some serious lows. Money can't buy happiness, but a bit of it gives you the freedom to choose. This means freelance life involves a lot of hustling (more on today’s hustles below).
But the upshot is that I’ve gotten to do things like convert a camper van, travel around the UK, go hiking in the middle of the week if I want, and move to the miraculous - and very isolated - north west of Scotland.
It occurs to me that this could be the stuff that some of your dreams might be made of, too, so I decided to devote a little monthly section to talk about freedom, and how the quest is going. Because the quest never ends!
Also, it’s worth pointing out how lucky I feel. First of all, I was lucky to have been born in a free country with loving parents, a good education, plenty of food, and all those hierarchy of needs basics. I also happened upon some really smart people who’ve helped me broaden my horizons, embrace passive income streams, and learn to start and scale small startup projects, from software businesses to freelance writing. Yes it’s all about who you know, and on that point…
A massive thank you!
This year we achieved a significant milestone, reaching our first $1,000 in annual subscriptions through this humble Substack publication. It is a true labour of love and we are enormously grateful to those of you who find value in it, too.
This milestone seemed a good opportunity to actually get a bit more scientific about setting goals and tracking our progress. So as part of this Freedom Quest series, I’m going to provide an update on our goals, and our progress. Future editions of Freedom Quest will be behind a paywall, but I’m making most of this first edition a free for all so you can see what it’s all about. If you think it’s cool, consider upgrading to a paid subscription to read future editions! To celebrate this milestone I’m offering 20% off:
Progress Report
To give you a sense of how we sustain ourselves - and why this Substack is a job as well as a passion project - here’s the myriad side hustles that keep the bills paid, the diesel topped up, and all of us well fed.
🔄 Writer’s Residence - My SaaS online writing portfolio site for writers
🔄 Writer’s Residence Substack - “Notes from my desk”, my corner of Substack where I write about writing and how to make a career of it
🔄 Eat Sleep Wild Substack - Your reading it!
🔄 Eat Sleep Wild guided hikes and astro nights
🚫 Holiday Cottage at the Old School Byre (currently awaiting our short term let license)
🔄 Ad hoc consulting and freelance writing - i.e. working for other people
✅ Completed - Yay!
🔄 In progress - Still pretty good!
🚫 Blocked - Something’s stopping progress, boo.
❌ Cancelled - Some things just don’t work out, and that’s ok.
As we stand, #6 above, consulting, is the side hustle that brings home the most bacon. This year, the goal is to mostly phase out consulting work and earn a living from #1-5 above. We’ve set some VERY conservative goals this year, ticking all the S.M.A.R.T. goal boxes.
The overall aim is to turn #1-5 into our main means of earning a living by the end of this year. This doesn’t require explosive growth (that’s the beauty of not putting all of your eggs into one basket, as much as I love eggs). So here’s what we’re aiming to achieve by the end of the year - we picked these numbers based on our current outgoings and some savings goals …
Writer’s Residence Subscribers: 500
Writer’s Residence Substack Paid Subscribers: 20
Eat Sleep Wild Substack Paid Subscribers: 50
Old School Byre Bookings: 15 nights per month
Eat Sleep Wild Guided Hikes & Astro Nights: 4 per month
I feel like these aren’t crazy numbers!
Today we are 15% there!
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