Hey everyone! A quick thought for today... The dream isn't a business. Most people think they want a business, but what they actually want is a life. A life where they wake up excited. Where they choose how to spend their time. Where they work because they want to, not because they have to. A business is just a tool. The life is the goal. What are you designing — a business or a life? Best, Colin _________________________ 🚀 Ready to take action? Here’s how we can connect: → Join the...
11 days ago • 1 min read
Want to know one of the biggest mistakes I see mid-career professionals make when thinking about escaping their 9-5? They completely undervalue their skills. You’ve spent 15, 20, maybe even 25 years developing deep expertise in at least a few areas—but when it comes to starting a business, suddenly, you think you have nothing to offer. I get it. I made the same mistake. Early on, I fumbled around with unprofitable side hustles—mainly because they weren’t aligned with the skills I had already...
about 1 month ago • 1 min read
Hey everyone, I'm excited to share something to help you take the first step toward leaving the 9-5! Step 1 of my 7-step roadmap to escape the 9-5 is all about going up to 30,000 feet to get clear on your vision. After all, if you don't know where you're going, how will you ever get there? 🤷♂️ That's where my "Blue Sky" document comes in. It's a simple but powerful tool that can help you map out where you want to be in 5 years and start reverse-engineering the steps to get there. How to...
about 2 months ago • 1 min read
I will never forget making my first $100 from my side hustle. In June 2018, I landed my first freelance writing client to ghostwrite a blog article. I made $200. It was a small fraction of my income, but it totally shifted my mindset. I had proven I could make money independently from my 9-5. And if I could make $200, I could make $2,000. I just needed to replicate the process. The following month, I made $400. Within a year, my side hustle was bringing in an average of $2,000 per month....
3 months ago • 1 min read
Happy New Year! 🥳 How are you feeling about 2025? Regardless of how the previous year has gone, I'm always excited about the New Year. It's like turning a page or working with a clean slate.But there's one thing that I no longer do...New Year's resolutions. In fact, I think January 1st is one of the worst times of the year to try and implement significant change, whether it's to your health and fitness, career, relationships, etc. I don't know about you, but my energy level is probably at its...
3 months ago • 2 min read
Hey everyone, I have a quick but exciting update for you this week. I've started a Facebook group and would LOVE for you to join! It's called "The 9-5 Escape Project," and my plan is for it to be a place where we can gather to encourage and learn from each other as we journey to build side hustles and lifestyle businesses and, for some of you, create a path out of the 9-5. Even if you don't have an active side hustle, I would love you to be a part of it! One of the challenges with the...
5 months ago • 1 min read
Happy Saturday! We're back and unpacked from our trip to Nova Scotia! If you missed my last email, Laura and I took her parents to the East Coast earlier this month. We flew into Halifax, rented a car, and spent eight days touring the province - four days in Cape Breton (drove the Cabot Trail) and then four days back in Halifax. The trip wasn't quite as relaxing as our last visit five years ago, as our role was more "tour guide" than tourist this time. ;) But we had a wonderful time,...
6 months ago • 1 min read
Happy Tuesday! I'm back to my weekly schedule after taking an unplanned break for a few weeks. A few of you reached out to see what was up — thanks for checking on me! : ) All is good! I thought I'd share an update on what's been happening this summer and my plans for the fall... Ottawa trip Laura and I were in Ottawa at the end of July for a few days to see my parents and attend a "cousins" reunion. I have 34 first cousins on my Mom's side of the family, and a few of them decided to plan a...
8 months ago • 3 min read
Happy Tuesday! While doing my once-per-month scroll-through of Threads this week, I was reminded why you should never look to strangers for advice on social media. (If you're unfamiliar with Threads, it's Facebook's parent Meta's version of Twitter). As I scrolled through my feed, I came across the following "Thread": "I NEED MULTIPLE STREAMS OF INCOME. What's your best side hustle?" Over 150 replies followed their question. I scrolled through about 20 or 30, stopped, and shook my head....
9 months ago • 3 min read