You probably spat out your cornflakes reading this. I know I would. Like you, I clock a pretty standard 80 – 100 work week. I look at my friends who work 40 hours a week who complain about 5 hours overtime like this:
I have a friend who, like me he worked in public, then moved to industry thinking that life would be greener. Presumably he, like me discovered that industry is not the rainbow sunshine paradise we made it out to be. So he setup up his own practice at the exact same time as I did. Now starting a practice sucks, you work longer hours for less money with more pressure.
Two years later he calls me and says he’s closing shop and wants me to buy him out. So I did. He packed up and moved to Thailand where his cash goes way further, and proceeded to build an internet marketing business working out of local cafes. I’m pretty sure he now makes more money from that than he did accounting. I know who got the better end of that deal.
And here I am all like:
Turns out he’s not the only one. In my travels, I’ve met many CPAs who’ve ditched the 6 to10 (c’mon Tim Ferris, it’s not 9 to 5) and left the grind altogether. They either have started up their own businesses on the web, or they’re freelancing for a big firm during busy season for $50 to $100 per hour then they take the other nine months off! They travel the world, living in countries where there cash has greater purchasing power. And they post photos on Instagram that make me die a little on the inside.
So what do you guys think? Have you ever thought about ditching your cubicle?