Why I've Stopped Working On My Business
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- Опубліковано 12 лип 2021
- I've been in online business for over 15 years. I absolutely adored my business. And now, for the last year or so, I haven't done any work. The title is a bit clickbaity. My business still exists and makes money (although less than it used to) and I could get it going again anytime. But, I'm not doing anything at the moment and I'm trying to explain why that is and what I'm going to be doing in the future. Sign up for my updates here: robcubbon.com/free
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I don't usually comment on videos, but I am appreciative of you having made it. At 44, as an online French teacher, I have noticed that I still tend to look for work and am interested in it, but quickly lose my enthusiasm once I have applied or am contacted. I am so much more interested in Bella Figura and quietly enjoying every day that comes my way instead of going full steam ahead. I think that I could certainly even double my income, but I would just as soon organize my closet, watch videos on fashion, arrange flowers on my table, and take a walk around the lake. We get so caught up in so much for no particular reason. I also am not a social media individual - in fact, I passionately hate it and don't use it - and it is nice to hear that someone else doesn't spend all his time staring into his devices as well. I appreciate the post. It just reaffirms my own feelings about needing to slow down and enjoy smelling the roses. :)
Hello Rachael, thank you for your comment. Wow, this is certainly interesting that many people seem to be swapping ambition for quality time. Beautifully written comment as well. I had to google "Bella Figura". Let's all slow down and enjoy smelling the jasmine (I had to make it geographically relevant for Thailand).
Thanks for this. (...and don't worry - it all made sense!) I'm right there with you on many of the personal/emotional points: social media (posting about oneself just feels weird); less excited about the hustle (although mine wasn't online); looking to pivot ("midlife crisis").
I really appreciate your honesty. Usually UA-camrs will hide - or at least not feature - their doubts about their work and life. This is certainly a tricky thing to try to come to terms with. But your video has given me a little more courage to think about my own things. And I thank you for that. I look forward to hearing subsequent thoughts and ideas in your next video (but not in a pressure-on-you way 😉 ).
Haha, Strumpor, no pressure at all. Feel free to have a go at me if I don't post anything. I will be adding more videos soon as I'm feeling quite inspired because of people like YOU posting awesome comments. I will be making videos and more content in the future. Good luck with your journey as well. I hope we can learn from each other.
I faced a similar dilemma to you. My business was not branded as me, but it was all reliant on my knowledge and expertise. Said more simply, I couldn't scale. About a year ago I read "The Emyth" which is all about this topic. That inspired me to start a new business, similar to my first, but where I was no longer the bottleneck.
Hello Anthony, so good to hear from you. Where are you? I remember reading the Emyth book (work on your business not in your business) but I think I read it so long ago I didn't head its advice! What is your new business?
Hello there Rob! This video resonated with me in so many ways. Like you I've been online for a number of years and have found myself all over the place trying to "chase" this and that. I've decided this year to take a step back and just focus on ONE thing. It gets tiring trying to do ALL the things. So im on board with your sentiments. Best of luck to you Rob.
Thank you, Kim, I wish you the best of luck trying to channel your energies
I've been thinking about you lately Rob, wondering what you were doing now, so the video was good to see. Thank You again for your candor and wisdom that comes from the heart - I could see many parallels to myself in this video. You are one of those rare people on UA-cam that truly wants to give something back to the world, and it's wonderful to see. I agree with what Alison Langridge said in the comments - that 'there is a shift in people's expectations and goals now'... that it's not all about money. I think it's a worldwide shift, and it's been a long time coming. Whatever you do Rob, myself and all your followers will be waiting to see it. All the best mate!..
Hello Harry, I honestly hadn't realised that, because of the pandemic, people may be less into money. (I live in Thailand not "the west" so that may be why). Anyway, not being a slave to money certainly wouldn't be a bad thing. Honestly, Harry, some of the comments I've had here and on my blog have been so useful I think I'm going to make a new video about them!
I loved this video Rob. I'm 47 and I have a similar ish story. I began with Affiliate marketing and SEO. Didn't make a success of it! Then dropshipping. Tried to add FBA (it is doing ok but wasn't the great success I hoped it would be) now doing Print on Demand (two stores at once) and just added Mturk and similar to my ever growing list of flimsy businesses.
I have a similar nature in that I get bored easily and am lured in by other's online successes, but have stretched myself too thin.
I cannot get on board with social media, and as you alluded to, it's quite a necessary evil to get ahead.
My need to work online comes from chronic health issues so I work like a mad thing when I feel well and ease off when I don't. Therefore, unlike you, never really made a success of any one of them (yet!)
I felt what you said about age and the hustle. I want to get back to affiliate marketing and SEO but it's like learning all over again and my aging brain says nope.
My point in all my waffle is that this video was very interesting to me and I too look forward to hearing what others think, and watching the rest of your journey 🙂
@@robcub40 Hi Rob. Actually you did! I tried to reply to it also, but the whole thing disappeared! Both your response and mine. Strange! But I read your response and it was very helpful to me once again. I'm not sure if you remember what you said, but I do and it has stuck with me, so again, thank you 😊
@@nickysutton8300 Actually, there was a whole load of comments I remember replying to have disappeared now! UA-cam is obviously feeling the strain! Not to worry. Thank you, again, for your comment. :)
I agree that as we get older we don't get lazy but we do modify our goals. Life is something to enjoy above all else. Relax and enjoy what you have created over the years and take care.
So true, Nick! However, I'm in search for a challenge :)
That's the spirit. The theme of the motif should making friends and influencing people. You should do quite well if I know anything at all about you. Making money is nice, but a man needs challenges in his life. Things he can use his mind and physical power to overcome. I just finished taking a course in Contract Management and web design course from a college in the EU. It was fun and challenging and it had to be completed with a space of time. Now that was different. Kept me at the grindstone. I have a good feeling you are on a road to new discoveries while you flesh out you route going forward. Just don't forget at what you are best at and its something you can always renew and begin again. Good luck.
Thank you, Daryl, for that sage advice. I agree we need challenges. It's not all about enjoyment! :)
I love your video. You are so down to earth. I can relate to things that have been important shifting, when you get older. You should just live your life now. Who knows how much time we have, especially in this crazy world.
I love your comment, Ursula.
Sorry Rob. My comment was not very clear and to the point. My point was that you are not old. You are infact very young. Everything in the universe has a design. We are designed to learn and create. Without the pursuit of something new we become bored and empty. Year 54 was one of the most productive . It was one the best because I was learning so much doing new projects at work and at home. I was designing building things at work. I also designed and built my own 3d printer. It was satisfying for awhile and then came the sadness boredom. It was great to print some Eiffel towers and give them to my friends. Then the question. What now? Then came the clarity. It was never about printing plastic toys. It was about creating something that could print plastic toys. I just needed to move on to something new. I hope this was of some help.
Thank you, Cadsen. Your comment definitely does help. I appreciate that I have to pursue something new at the moment. I don't feel old but I do feel different. I need to hone down on my passions and skillset and see where they take me.
Hi Rob. In my late 40s and early 50 I seemed to have unlimited energy. I worked 12 hrs a day. 6 days a week sometimes 7 days a week and I loved it. After 12 hrs I would go home and spend time learning new things online. I'm 64 now and I still work 50 to 58 hrs per week. I'm still STRONG and doing well but now this year I started doing medium content books. I have really become consumed with KDP and my day job has become less appealing to me. Even though I'm at the end of my life I am still excited to learn something new. If KDP does well I will retire at 75. Maybe.
So Good to hear from you Rob! Have been wondering how you are doing and this video answers the question. Very Thought provoking video . Can totally relate ! So useful ! Would love to hear more about your reflections. Lee
Thank you, Lee
I am a 60 y.o female, but like you, I don't enjoy social media, and I am not feeling motivated to do any hustling lately.
Thank you, my friend. I guess there's no need to do anything we don't enjoy.
So glad to hear from you (I was worried)😧. I started to also reflect during the pandemic and income started to go way down. Was not making much on low content books. So I started print on demand with my favorite production partner Printful. I sell on Etsy and it is going quite well. I found a niche that works for me. Check out Printful. They have a new design tool that has really increased production and very easy to use. Love Etsy. Many male designers have gotten on board now. You are going to be OK Rob. You have what it takes.
Hello Rosemary, thank you for your comment. I did do a bit on Printful and sold on Etsy but it didn't go well. One of my many "failures". Glad to hear about your success. And thank you so much for your encouragement.
Thank you Rob for this video and sharing your heart. This is encouraging and helpful. I have drawn some valuable lessons from this which I believe will help shape my business and future.
You know what, Anthony? I've learned a lot from the comments on this video that I believe will help shape my future! :) Thank you for your comment and I wish you the best.
Long time no speak Rob. I never did get to buy you that beer when you were next in Cambodia. Great to hear from you again. Not sure I agree with the more years behind than ahead, but I do agree that delegating stuff seems more important when you've done it all before.
Hello Chris, well, we're gonna have to wait before we can meet up in Cambodia. A number of people have called me out for that comment of having more years behind me than ahead of me but I was trying to explain why I feel I look at things differently now. But it might be just another stage of my life and we all go through changes at any stage of our lives. However, 53 x 2 = 106! Wow, that's a good age!
@@robcub40 Sadly lost my grandmother this year, she was 101 so I'm in with a good chance of hitting 106 if we share the same genes :-)
I really resonate with your video and thank you for your authenticity.
I think as we get older we become more authentic about what we want to do or not do and it's less about following the crowd and doing what everyone else is doing especially what you mentioned about social media and wanting to work less ( taking you foot of the gas pedal).
I realize that the 9 - 5 rate race was not for me and only realized this from a burnout.
I hear many woman talking about how they feel about life/job, career as they get older so I appreciate hearing a male perspective.
I encourage you to continue being you! Take care!
Hello Penny, thank you for your comment. Yes, I've noticed that now I'm older I give less of a **** about what people think of me. If only I was more like that when I was younger. I'm sorry to hear about your burnout. I think I either had a burnout or I dodged the bullet. I can't decide right now. I can't decide on anything but that's ok. Thanks for encouraging me to continue to be me, I appreciate it!
Hi Rob,
Thank you for your honesty. I totally get where you are coming from. I am 60, and I am still trying to navigate my way around the internet. I do not like social media, but I know that it's necessary if I want to promote myself.
This video will be helpful to many.
All the best wishes to you.
I feel your pain, Sonia. Stay tuned for more content about how to re-invent yourself online when you’re one of my generation. :)
Straight shooter love the honesty. Sometimes we just need a break! I agree as we get older our hustle mindset gets less. Good luck to the future!
Thank you for your comment, David.
Wow Rob, so honest we can or should take a leaf out of your story here.
Thank you so much, David
So much wisdom in this video. If you do have aspirations of becoming a mentor or "guru", this video is strong evidence that you could!
Thank you so much, Anthony, I'm not really sure what my aspirations are at the moment ... we'll see
As a 54yr old - everything you said makes perfect sense to me - especially the not wanting to hustle & the social media comments ;-) Best of luck with whatever you decide to focus on and do keep sharing your journey.
Thank you, sir, I will be making more videos soon about how I intend to get my mojo back.
Hello Rob. Midlife may be a time of immense reflection. Love your new blog post and this video as well. I'm glad you are back. :)
thank you, Christina
Hi Rob, it's been very interesting to watch this video and I completely understand and empathise with what you've been experiencing. I completely understand about not wanting to be hustling anymore. I'm 15 years older than you and definitely don't want to hustle. I've been following you for a number of years now and have watched you move from Udemy Wordpress courses into your Amazon space. I retired about 5 years ago from a technical IT role and became interested in starting a little web design business, which is when I took a few of your WordPress courses. I've spent a few years building small sites for mainly startup businesses who didn't want to spend much money on their website and were quite tardy in providing content. So I'm now in the process of skilling myself up in core web development skills (HTML, CSS & JavaScript) in the hope of feeling more skilled and being able to find better clients - and manage them better. I don't know what but I've never been interested in the notebooks and T-shirts businesses that you've been involved with more recently, but I have enjoyed your videos and have continued to follow you. It will be interesting to see where the next stage in your journey takes you. Maybe it will help me in my journey, but if not I'm sure I'll continue to be a follower. In any case, I wish you well whichever direction you go in, and I look forward to watching more of your very interesting videos. Regards Phyl Roberts
Hello Phyl, thank you for your comment. You've done so well to re-skill after "retirement". I can sympathise about clients who are tardy on content. Always good to get the money off them first and let them do the content later but I know that's easier said than done. Thank you so much for kindly saying you'll stick with my content. I'll continue to post it in hopes it'll help someone.
Love your honesty
thank you
Great video mate. Love your honesty. Keep them coming, cheers
Thanks, man!