This is the third Quitter Profile we’ve posted; the first two were profiles of future Quitters. This is our first profile of someone who actually escaped his day job, started an online business, and is now living a true success story. Pat is a regular guy who suddenly found himself facing a difficult situation. What I love about his story is that this could be anyone’s story. With so many people loosing their jobs and facing tough times, I feel that Pat’s story can be an inspiration to us all…a story that shows us the possibilities, if only we’re willing to take a chance and be bold.

Every time I read this interview, I feel a little more empowered. That’s because this is a powerful story. Have you been thinking about starting an Internet-based business? Do you have the soul of an entrepreneur? Do you wish you could work from home and spend more time with your family without having to worry about paying the bills? Then read this interview! Pat was just like you. If he can do this, so can you!

Name: Pat Flynn
Your age: 26
Location: San Diego, CA
Main website: www.SmartPassiveIncome.com

Other site: www.GreenExamAcademy.com

Q: Did you have a “day job” before you became self-employed? If so, what did you do?

A: I did have a day job, and I actually enjoyed it very much. I was working in an Architectural Firm here in Southern California and everything was going well. I was on some really high-profile projects, traveling all around the U.S. and meeting some really important clients. I managed the organization of construction documents for various projects, and also did a little 2d and 3d designing as well. If you go down the Strip in Vegas and run into the Hilton Grand Vacations Club Timeshare Resort, you can see the exact project I was working on for a couple of years. It was exciting.

Q: When did you quit your day job and how did you know the time was right to quit?

A: I never quit my day job because I was actually forced out of it. As we all know, hard economic times were felt by all – myself and my day job included. In October of 2008, I was let go and was left to figure out exactly what I was going to do. I panicked for a good 2 days until I realized I had an opportunity to do some wonderful things online. I was doing some very minor things like blogging in my free time before I was laid off, but now…I had all the time in the world. I decided to take what I was doing online to a whole new level and start my own business.

Q: What was your biggest motivation for escaping the rat race?

A: Even though I could of searched for a new architecture job, I decided not to. The primary motivation behind that decision was my fiancee. At the time of my layoff, I was engaged to be married in just a few months, and I already knew what it was like to be gone 8 hours a day, come home really tired (and often stressed), and just want to sit and do nothing. I didn’t like that kind of lifestyle. As much as I loved my 9 to 5 job, I still dreamt about working from home and not being tied down by some kind of schedule.

Today, I’m married and we actually have a baby boy due in January. Even though I work from home, often only just a couple of hours a day, I have more motivation than ever to do bigger and better things and make sure I’m able to be here for my family.

Q: Since you’ve quit the rat race, what is your main stream of income and how did you choose it?

A: My main source of income is from a blog I created that’s dedicated to helping people pass the LEED exam. The LEED exam is a test that people in the building and design industry take, which involves understanding green building and sustainable design principles. It was a test that I took myself and as I was studying, I created a blog to keep track of my notes and easily organize concepts and ideas for the exam. I actually never had any intention of monetizing it when it began, or even showing it to other people.

Little by little, I noticed that more and more people from around the world started using my website to help them study for the exam too. I didn’t really know how Google and Search Engine Optimization worked at that time, but apparently I was doing a great job of landing the top spots in certain keywords that were related to the exam, which drove people over to my site. After just a few months, I had over 1000 people checking out the website each day, and the numbers were not slowing down.

This was around the time of my lay-off, so when that eventually happened, I decided to just go full steam ahead on trying to make money online. I read a lot of books and blog posts about how to do this, but decided to first try out Google Adsense, which places ads on your website based on the content that are on the same page. That first month, I made a whopping $20, but I considered that a success. It was indeed possible to make money online – I just needed a whole lot more.

I soon joined the Internet Business Mastery Academy, learned a lot of valuable content there, optimized my blog and eventually launched my first Study Guide. After one month, I had grossed $7,906.55. Even though I’ve had a few different projects underway, since then, that blog continues to be my primary source of income today.

Q: Did you establish a formal business entity (such as an LLC) for your online business? Why or why not?

A: I was quick to establish a formal business entity, an LLC to be more specific. There are a couple of reasons why I chose to do this. First, it gives me a little bit of protection as far as if anything were to happen to my business, my personal assets would not be affected. That’s the theory, at least. There’s a lot that has to be done in order for that protection to actually hold true, such as making sure your business and personal financials are separate, your books are in order, etc. – but it’s definitely something that all sole proprietors who do business online should at least look into.

Secondly, starting a business was just something that I’ve always wanted to do. Having a formal LLC with documents from the State and everything like that made it seem more official and real for me.

Q: What’s most challenging about being self-employed?

A: There are 3 things I’d like to point out based on my own experience.

First, YOU make all the decisions. The freedom to do whatever you what is awesome, but you’re also responsible for things that you wouldn’t normally even need to think about when working a 9 to 5 job. For example, important tax and financial decisions that you might not know about or feel like dealing with. But, you’ve got to do it.

Secondly, your schedule isn’t set in stone. I had said earlier that this is exactly what I wanted, so why so I mention it here? Well, the problem comes from not having a specific time of the day when work it over. In a 9 to 5 job, after 5 o’clock, work is done and you can go home and not even have to worry about it until the next morning. Being self-employed, it’s REALLY easy to keep working and working just because you can. Your office is right there and you usually always have something you can improve on or do. It’s very challenging to make yourself stop working or checking your email – especially if you have an iPhone. I still need to work on this.

Lastly, it’s really easy to get distracted. Right now, I’m in an apartment and my work area is right next to the living room and the kitchen. Television and food – right there at my disposal. It’s hard to get into “work mode” and really focus sometimes.

Q: What do you enjoy most and least about working from home?

A: What I enjoy the most about working from home is that I’m able to stay close to my family at all times. Especially now that my wife is 6 months pregnant, I want to be there for her in case she needs me.

What I enjoy the least, besides being around when my wife gets those cravings and asks me to go out and get her food at random times during the day (kidding! sorta…) is just not having other co-workers around to talk to. I used to really enjoy water cooler talk, taking breaks with my co-workers and walking around the business complex. Also, there are no company parties or picnics, and no Halloween pumpkin carving contests or crazy tie days, which I used to enjoy.

Q: How many hours/week do you work now compared to your day job?

A: In my architecture job, it wasn’t uncommon to put in 60 hours a week, especially if there was a deadline or a presentation coming up. Now, as far as my main income source is concerned, I put in about 5 hours of work per week. I use all that extra time to work on other projects or teach people how to create similar passive income businesses too.

Q: Can you share any details about your income?

A: Sure. I’m actually known for being very open with how much I made over at my other blog at Smart Passive Income, so I’m happy to share my figures here with you and your readers.

As I said before, my first month after launching my Study Guide, I earned $7,906.55. A few months later, when I launched a related audio guide, I grossed $19,400.37. I peaked at $30,328.48 in March of 2009, but am still going fairly strong today. I also do a bit of affiliate marketing and article writing that combined earns a steady $4k to $5k a month as well.

Q: In hindsight, is there anything you wish you’d done differently, or better, or not done at all?

A: I would have started earlier. I was very fortunate to have the business almost form right underneath me without even knowing it, but if I was proactive and knew exactly what could have been right from the start, I could have potentially made so much more. That being said, once I figured out that I had an opportunity, I acted on it. It’s all about educating yourself, but not being scared to implement what you’ve learned.

Q: Do you provide any products or services that might help other Quitters on their journey to self-employment?

A: I’m so fortunate to be where I’m at today and I think it’s only right for me to give back and teach others how they can create a business and make money online too. This is why I created my other website at www.SmartPassiveIncome.com, to give away free tips and strategies for creating successful businesses online, specifically ones that you can set up in a way where you don’t have to be watching over it or actively involved to generate an income. It’s not exactly a coaching course or mentoring program, but I’m always happy to answer emails if anyone ever has any questions. You can reach me at the following website address:

http://www.smartpassiveincome.com

or, you can also find me on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/smartpassiveincome

Q: Any particular success you’re proud of, or a milestone, a goal accomplished, etc.?

A: A couple of years ago, I had made a list of goals to accomplish by the time I was 30. One of them was to start my own business, and another was to earn more than $100k in one year. Just in this past year, at the age of 26, I’ve done both.

Q: Is there any particular resource that has been helpful to you that you would recommend to other Quitters?

A: I have to give credit to the Internet Business Mastery Academy. I know you’ve talked about the Academy before, but I can honestly say it gave me the tools and advice I needed to turn my blog into a profitable online business.

I also have to give inspiration credit to Tim Ferriss and his book, The 4-Hour Workweek. I think the tagline says it all: Escape the 9-5, Live Anywhere and Join the New Rich.

Q: Got any advice/motivation for other Quitters reading this?

A: If I was only allowed to give away one piece of advice, it would be this. When trying to setup a business or even just a blog online, it doesn’t have to be perfect in order for it to succeed. So many people worry about perfecting the product before even launching it or publishing, and most of the time they worry so much that it either never gets done, or by the time it is done, it’s already too late. Take bold actions and start something! Remember, every day you don’t have something for sale is a day of potential profits lost.

BONUS!

Sterling and Jay, of Internet Business Mastery, did an interview with Pat Flynn for episode 55, Real Life Cubicle Escape Stories. You can listen to it online and hear Pat talk about his success. Also, Sterling and Jay used Pat’s success as a case study. Click on the 2nd link to check that out.

IBM 55 | Real Life Cubicle Escape Stories (How They Did It and How You Can, Too)

Ultimate Success Story #1: From Laid Off To $20K Per Month In This Tiny Niche?

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