Total Reading Time: 6 minutes
It’s 9 AM. A small fan is blowing the cool San Francisco breeze toward my desk. I’m sipping on a Yerba Mate I just picked up from a new tea store on Polk street. There are no fully stocked refrigerators, no free gourmet lunches, no massage chairs, and definitely no slides. As I sit in my office in SoMA, San Francisco, I ask myself as I do every morning — “So Arman, how does it feel to be a solopreneur?”
This question brings a huge smile to my face, every single time. And not only a smile, but true feelings of gratitude for finally taking the huge (and yes, scary) leap and making what I consider to be the most important decision of my life.

The two most important days in your life are the day you are born and the day you find out why. — Tweet this!

-Mark Twain

I vividly remember the day I was sitting at the metaphorical crossroad and realized, “Oh sh*t…I’m here again.” As the fear pulsed through my body, I could see my options like two giant freeway exit signs. The first exit, staying at Google to work my way up the corporate ladder and build a career for myself in the booming technology industry of Silicon Valley, had a nice paved road with fresh asphalt, plenty of stop signs, and unlimited resources to guide me along the way.

The other option, the one that has been taunting me since the age of sixteen, is a dirt road with no lights, no cars allowed, and no gas stations for miles. I knew I’d be forced to create my own resources and that the fear of failure was something I would have to dance with for the rest of my life. But for some indescribable reason (as many have experienced) something told me that this was my ultimate destiny and that every time I delayed I was simply avoiding the inevitable.

Many of us have experienced similar feelings. A deeper calling is buried within all of us, and most of us are still living by someone else’s script and have been hired by someone else to build their dream. Have you felt this way before?
It is ten times easier to live the easy life, maintain the status quo, and settle for what is comfortable. But, I truly believe the day we finally find out who we really are and why we were born (and actually take action) is extremely important and life-changing.

A Freedom Lifestyle is really quite simple. You dedicate yourself to living a life designed by you in every way. You no longer exchange your time for money. Instead, you use your money to buy time (freedom). My Freedom Lifestyle is location-independent, yours doesn’t have to be. Travel is a big part of my life, and a passion of mine, so my freedom gives me the ability to work remotely. My micro-businesses and projects will be created with this in mind.

The projects will require much work up front, but this will enable passive income to bring revenues for long after. Sure, I’ll mostly be working from home/office, but the work must continue as I travel around the world. Ideally you’re able to continue working and operating the business from anywhere. Sure, that takes time and will require much initial sacrifice. But this is true freedom.

Here is Freedom Lifestyle defined: 

1. an intentional and adventurous way of life.

2. the ability to do what you want, when you want, how you want. 

3. a lifelong commitment to crafting and sharing your unique genius (yes, you’re a genius).

Then comes solopreneurship. This is what enables the lifestyle, and gives you an opportunity to truly spend your time doing what you want, when you want, how you want. And not only selfishly. This is about being fulfilled (not just happy), doing meaningful work, and tackling projects that are in line with your actual dreams and goals in life.

A solopreneur and entrepreneur have many things in common, but differ in a few very specific and important ways. As a solopreneur, I’m not looking to create, launch, and build the next Silicon Valley tech darling. And I’m definitely not looking for investor funding. No, as a solopreneur, I’m building small, sustainable, micro-businesses that will enable me to trade the dollars I make for actual freedom.

Here is solopreneurship defined: definition: noun. 1. a unique long-term strategy to creating a self-directed life 2. a modern, multi-dimensional approach to entrepreneurship with a focus on building independently owned business(es) that generate wealth through limited financial investment. 3. an ideology that allows a person’s chosen craft and lifestyle to take precedence, not the business.

Dusk in Habana, Cuba
Dusk in Habana, Cuba — just after I left Google.

Hmmm…Freedom.

The day after I left Google I got on a plane and went to a place many would consider the complete opposite of the country I live in — Cuba. Not only was I completely disconnected from email, my cell phone, and In N’ Out burger, but I was also completely detached from any sense of time or urgency. Here, I built out the details of my future and mentally prepared myself for all the “how’s” I knew would continue to pop into my mind at any given moment.

While large corporate behemoths (as my musician friend once called them) like Google, Apple, and Facebook are absolutely incredible companies to work for (with opportunities to work on world-shifting projects), they are not your projects, and the contributions you are capable of bringing to the world are far more fulfilling and important.
So…at ArmanAssadi.com you will find strategic, actionable, insightful content on a variety of topics — like:

  • The tools needed to be a successful solopreneur, plus reviews on all our favorite programs, tools, and software.
  • How to leverage your time, scale your company, and outsource the tasks you shouldn’t and don’t want to be doing.

And that’s just a small taste. I’d like to extend an invitation your way. A simple invitation to keep the conversation going.
There is truly a revolution happening in the world of work. Solopreneurs, entrepreneurs, and even wantrepreneurs all around the world are choosing to create self-directed lives. You’re not the only one who’s ever wanted more. Together, anything is possible.

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How would you design your Freedom Lifestyle? If you’re already on your way, what’s the next goal you have to create more freedom? Comment below. 
Know someone who feels the same way and would benefit from this? Be a good friend! Send them this post so they can also get the insights and resources they need. 

Note: This is the first post ever published on the site 🙂

Photo link: White Temple—CC License