Should I quit the day job yet??

[magitam]

So, I've been struggling, and struggling with this question for ages, and finally decided I have to get it out of my system, and come on here, and ask people for their input, and just ask the question..

Should I quit the day job, that is draining my of my life, and vitality, and get ready to start working full time on my SBI website??

I've had an SBI account since March, and my website, Meditation Students, Start And Deepen Your Daily Practice, so far, only has about two or three web pages on it, but when googling meditation student it comes up near the top, so I know SBI works, and it works really well...

Part of the problem has been that I'm usually too tired, after a full day at work, to be able to concentrate for long enough to be able to stay focussed. Part of the problem is that I just can't get enough work done on my site, whilst I'm at home... My bedroom ends up being a sleep/resting place first, and so work on the SBI site is next to non-existent. Part of the challenge, is also that I'm not getting to work on time, spending too long, stuck in the possibilities of what I could be doing, and just not doing it.

I know from previous experience, that once I commit to something, I'll be stuck at it for a few solid months, and then if I'm not getting any positive feedback, or it's not working, I'll start looking for something new, or changing direction, until I find something that works. With my current job, I've been able to secure an income, but unfortunately, at the 3 month review, I just didn't have the guts to quit, when I knew I should have...

Now, I'm just dragging my feet, even though I've told my employer that I will be leaving by the end of the year.. I just haven't given in my notice, and I'm afraid of taking that step. Though I don't know why...

I know that a months salary, as long as I don't spend it, will act as a buffer for at least a month, and that if I use that time, every day, working, as I do right now, from out of the house, that I'll be able to get work done on my site, and make some significant progress.. I even know my niche pretty well, of meditation, and relaxation, and understand the power behind generating lots of keyword specific pages, to generate traffic, to pre-sell, and then start to monetise the traffic, after reaching a certain critical mass.. I know the theory, and I can see what I need to do, to make a 200/300 page strong website, that will bring in highly targetted traffic, and generate real value.. I even know that I can keep re-working my pages, once I find my voice, and have enough critical mass, to bring in some basic income.. And I'm living with family, so worst case scenario, I won't be out of house and home...

I can even claim unemployment benefits, if it ever gets really bad, and things don't work as they should.. So I know that things aren't going to get any better, until I put more time into my website, and after I upgrade my RAM and hardrive, my laptop will be responsive enough that I can get back to just working, and not waiting for programs, and screens to load.. But I'm still not sure if I should just hand in my notice today, leave my job in a month, and then start working on my website full time, until it starts to pay dividends.

I've been mulling it over for a few weeks now, and if money weren't an issue, I would leave immediately... I'm just wondering how much longer I'm torturing myself, by staying on unnecessarily, when I know that once I start working on my website, within a month or so, I'll have a healthy income once again, from sales of high value items, as well as relevant adsense... I just don't know if I should trust myself, and take a leap of faith, once again (after having it done once before, and three years later not having anything to show for it), or if I should just trust that as long as I work with the SBI tools, I will build up the traffic, monetise my pre-sold visitors, and be able to save face, in front of my family, who I said I wouldn't leave my job again, until I got another income coming in...

I guess the question is do I keep my word to my family? Or hide from them the fact that I've left my job, but use that excuse to get out of the house each day, with my laptop, go to a local eaterie that offers free wifi, and slowly build up my income, until I get to a point where I can just give them a cheque, and let them know what I've done, once I'm financially liquid again??

I just don't want to feel trapped, or obliged, and didn't know where else to ask the questions... You can see my pre-SBI attempt at http://magitam.co.uk and you can also see my blog at http://life.magitam.org.uk and my twitter stream at Twitter / magitam

That should help you get an idea of me, as a person, some of my writing style, and perhaps give you some context to where I'm coming from as I ask you all for your advice and suggestions on whether I should quit the day job yet??

Thanks for taking the time to read, and respond, in thoughts, words, or any other small kindness.

Farhan
farhan@magitam.co.uk
Meditation Students, Start And Deepen Your Daily Practice

[sbdiane]

Maybe you are looking at this too all-or-nothing. There are other things you can do besides just quitting wholesale to focus on the web site. You could get a part-time job, for example, or a job with different hours so that you can devote your better hours to your web site, or you could see about changing the hours at the job you currently have (maybe not possible for you, but an option for others.) A helpful book I recently read from the library was called the Anti 9-5 Guide. It showed me a lot of options I had never considered before.

[Mantius]

It takes time to build a website that generates traffic and money. Maybe you should take it slowly, doing a part time job as suggested earlier. Don't expect the cash to come rolling in quicky. Judging from your writing, you are well poised to do well, but this takes a lot of time and work. You would need money to keep you going for the months in which you aren't making any money. Every situation is different but if I were you I wouldn't quit my job as yet. I echo the sentiments of sbdiane.

[mustard76]

Here's my 2 cents:

It will take a long time to generate decent income from your website. So you have to be realistic about how you will meet your financial obligations until then.

You should expect it to take a year or two to start making good money. And my forecast assumes you work you diligently the entire time. You're trying to achieve something that most people don't have the motivation to do.

I recommend a good book by Seth Godin about quitting. It helped me get in the mindset I needed to avoid quitting after 6 months like most people:

The Dip

[Orange]

get to the stage that its almost making enough money and you can get it making just as much as your job in like a month of working on it ful time.

[Marth]

It's not so much are you ready to quit your job yet, it's are you ready to accept all consequences & responsibilties that come with living your dreams.

[BrettAshlee]

Hi Farhan,

As a career and personal development coach, as well as a fellow SBIer, I would suggest looking into part-time or temp work as an interim solution. Signing up with a temp agency where you can work just a few days at a time, or pick and choose short-term jobs may give you more time to work on your site without completely cutting off your income and having you resort to keeping secrets from your family.

Clearly you are unhappy with your current job. Stepping in the direction of your interests is a good thing, but you may want to take a closer look at how quickly you can generate income with your SBI site. You will need to put up at least 30 pages before monetizing, and then only after you have a decent amount of traffic. It is possible to take right off, but in most cases it takes time. There are many stories on the forums that include information on how long success has taken.

Best wishes,
Brett

[tycoondreamer]

I wouldn't recommend that you quit working just yet. Maybe you can try to cut back on your hours or find another job that allows you to have a couple of free hours a day to work on your blog.

Here are the reasons why I think you should take it slowly:

1. You don't know if you have the right niche for earning an income.
2. It will take months, maybe even a year or two, before you start making money at blogging. And some people never even make it.
3. You might get discouraged with blogging early on or realize that it's not really what you want to do and you decide to quit.
4. You will become frustrated living with no income.
5. Usually, starting a business requires that you have at least 6 months to 1 year of living expenses saved up.

These are just my thoughts. Hope they help.