creating escape velocity (or how I left my 9 to 5)

My 9 to 5 drained the energy out of me.

I knew I wanted to build my own business, but every time I tried to work on my side-hustle after spending my day at the office, I’d hit a wall.

No creative energy left.

Things changed after I committed to waking up early.

I set my alarm for 5 AM, and dedicated 5 AM - 8 AM to building my own business.

This was a huge unlock.

In the morning I was sharp, fresh, and full of ideas.

Exactly what I needed to test products, experiment with ads, and iterate on my brand.

I did this 7 days per week.

7 days x 3 hours per day = 21 hours per week dedicated to building my POD business.

But I didn’t stop there.

I found another 30m-45m during my lunch breaks.

I’d take my car to the top of the parking garage, use my phone as a hotspot, and work on my business some more.

That was 2.5 more hours per week.

THEN… I FOUND MORE TIME I COULD TAKE ADVANTAGE OF.

My son would take a nap every day from 1 PM - 3 PM.

So, I added 2 more hours on Saturday and Sunday.

In total, I was spending around 28 hours per week on my business.

With this kind of focus - and some luck - I hit my first big winner that Christmas, and generated $33k in revenue in a single day.

The profits paid for a travel trailer we used on our family adventures.

BUT more importantly, it proved something else…

If I treated my POD store like a real business, I could make this work.

I wasn’t an expert when I got my first win.

I’d spent 4-5 years building marketing skills, running small tests, and failing more often than I succeeded.

But I was constantly learning.

Even after my first win, I chased other products for 2 years before hitting another real breakout winner.

And that led to ShineOn’s CEO at the time, Eric Toz, to invite me to join the team.

Honesty time:

Building a successful POD business while holding down a job, staying married, and raising a family is HARD.

If you’re stuck in your 9 to 5 trying to create your own “escape velocity,” here’s my advice:

Don’t make quitting your 9 to 5 your primary goal.

Instead, focus on building systems and habits that move you forward every single day.

• See if you can find 3 hours of focused time per day

• Build up your skillset with youtube, courses, and coaching

• Acknowledge that it takes time and effort to build a real business

• Create an environment of HYPER-FOCUS and put your blinders up to shiny objects

Every top-selling POD merchant I know treats their store like a REAL BUSINESS.

They invest their energy, build skills, learn from failure, and just keep plugging away.

If you’re serious about getting out of your 9 to 5 and doing POD full time, your secret weapon isn’t a hack or some new guru.

It probably won’t be overnight success.

Instead, it’s going to be consistent, focused action one day at a time.

Keep winning,
Michael ✌️

P.S. If you read this far, reply to this email and let me know. Would love to hear from you.