I’m the Jedi master of escaping the rat race.
I don’t say that to impress. I say it because I’ve done it and proven this formula works. Quitting a job to make money online is a disaster worse than Kim Kardashian’s casual life advice that lights the internet on fire.
Let me help you rethink the transition from a job, to making money online, to accessing that sweet, sweet f*ck you money.
Do some life math to see why a job is a joke
First you need a strong why, otherwise all of this makes no sense.
The traditional retirement age is 65. Average life expectancy is 79, although the processed food diet we live off could ruin that little party.
You work for roughly 40 years of your life…
Then relax in retirement for 14 years before you die.
Am I the only one who sees the huge problem here?
Life is too short to work a job your whole life, especially given the majority of people hate their jobs. This is why after-hours skills you build are so crucial.
F*ck you money equals unlimited power
F*ck you money is the answer.
I first heard the phrase from creator Jack Raines. He says it’s enough money to allow us to do whatever we want. For Jack, it allows him to travel as he’s a young punk fresh out of college that hasn’t tasted the foods of other cultures.
The psychology is this: F*ck you money means you don’t need to check your bank account before you make a purchase.
F*ck you” money is pure, unadulterated freedom with no strings attached.
Jack says you know you’ve got f*ck you money when your thoughts about money are rare.
Don’t get confused though.
This doesn’t mean you’re rolling in cash and can buy a Lambo. It just means the symmetry between your expenses, income, lifestyle, and bank account are aligned.
After hours, while working a pain-in-the-ass job for UPS in Atlanta, Georgia, Jack built up a portfolio of online skills. That’s how he reached his version of unlimited power.
The part many people misunderstand
Yes, you need online skills to build f*ck you money, but they don’t have to be different from your 9-5 skills.
Entrepreneur and founder of Gumroad marketplace, Sahil Lavingia, explains in plain english:
A job is a way to get paid to learn.
Use and abuse your boss during 9-5. Siphon off every skill you can from the poor bastard. Bleed him dry. Then love him and leave him (eventually).
If your job is a toxic hellhole then find a new job. Choose a job that’s not too demanding. Pay careful attention to work hours so nothing finds its way into your 6-12 time slot.
The dumb game that makes you a sheep
A 9-5 job involves going through the hiring process multiple times throughout your life.
To get a new job opportunity you send your resume to employers and apply through job ads. This game leads you to become a sheep.
You’re competing with the rest of the world. And that competition is harder to beat now that work-from-home is normal. Employers can hire anyone from anywhere, so if you’re not the cheapest, you’re tough out of luck.
The online skills you build after hours (for example, 6 pm-12 pm) blow the game up. This visualization explains better than I can:
Image Credit: Moina Abdul via Twitter
After hours online skills increase the number of opportunities.
You transform from wanting to be chosen, to doing the choosing yourself. With more opportunities comes the ability to make more money. The extra money then feeds your f*ck you fund.
An uncommon approach to learning is key
Formal college learning will burn a 6-figure hole in your pocket that takes a lifetime to pay back.
Informal learning is a different way to think. Between 6-12 pm you:
- Carefully consume a heavily curated Twitter newsfeed
- Do online courses from Teachable and Gumroad
- Watch Youtube videos that teach skills
- Read the best Substack newsletters
The impact of informal learning is higher because it doesn’t feel like learning. It feels like chasing your curiosity and following your interests — and it’s fun AF.
Image Credit: Jeff Kortenbosch via Twitter
There’s one mindset most don’t have. You can easily learn it.
The path to f*ck you money that leads to time freedom has one giant obstacle. I’ve seen it so many times.
Too many people look at this 6-12 after hours approach and start to plan. They dream. They think big. They strategize. They book their calendar full of meeting with people they need to speak with.
This is after hours masturb*tion.
Entrepreneur Sahil Bloom reminded me that a bias for action is what will ultimately decide if this f*ck you money formula works for you.
The key isn’t to know what to do between 6-12 every night. It’s to trust yourself and spend the time to learn skills and figure it out as you go. It’s to build the parachute after you’ve jumped out of the plane.
That might sound risky. It’s not though because we’ve removed the risk by completing this process after hours while your 9-5 job pays the bills.
With no risk means you can apply an I-don’t-give-a-fudge mindset and actually hit your goal and become wildly successful.
This happens when you decide to proceed
Once you’ve decided to try the 9-5/6-12 life, something will happen: you’ll tell another person.
This can be detrimental.
Most of us hang out with excuse makers, not problems solvers.
It’s the default way for big chunks of society. So, they start throwing excuses at you so they can feel better about how far away they are from f*ck you money.
Angel investor Matthew Kobach reminded me that chasing f*ck you money is easier when you hang out with people who have similar goals.
Because without a few f*ck you money friends around you, loneliness will take over and you’ll likely think you’ve screwed it all up when, in fact, you simply need to keep going.
Steal this simple blueprint
Let’s get straight down to action. No more fluffing around and stroking each other’s backs.
1. Learn
If you hate your current 9-5 skills or don’t think they can work online then it’s time to acquire new skills. If your current skills are fine then skip ahead.
Digital creator Easlo says some of the best skills to choose are these:
- Figma designer
- Canva designer
- Bubble developers
- Photoshop editor
- Zapier automation consultant
- Webflow designer
- Adobe video editor
- Twitter ghostwriter
- Notion consultant
- Blender Studio artist
2. Build the skill
Between 6-12 pm every night focus on using the skill in the real world.
If you’re learning to ghostwrite then ghostwrite someone’s tweets for free. If you’re learning to copywrite then do someone’s website copy for free. If you’re learning SEO then get someone’s website to rank number one in Google for a keyword.
The key is to implement the skill for free. Work for $0 because your 9-5 has got your bills covered.
3. Launch quietly like a badass
This is another point where people screw up. Don’t sell to everybody. Don’t try and be the best in your field. Don’t try and be an expert.
Just sell the new skill you learned to people two steps behind you.
This happens in two ways:
- With a digital product
- By selling a service
Easlo’s suggestions in point one are all examples of digital services. A digital product is simply an eBook, community, course, podcast with ads, template, etc. This stuff is child’s play. You already do one of these two at your 9-5 job.
Steal ideas from your 9-5!
Why? Because they’ll steal the precious hours of your life to profit off you.
4. Iterate and feel terrible
I’ll tell you upfront: the first launch of whatever it is will flop. You’ll feel like a giant failure. No problemo. You’ve still got your 9-5 job, remember?
Figure out what can be improved. Ask your free and paid customers what worked and didn’t work.
Relaunch multiple times, getting 1% better each time.
5. Learn more
The learning process shouldn’t stop the entire time. Keep learning about your current skill. Dare to stack another related skill on top. For example, if you write online, then learn more about copywriting.
After hours learners become the biggest earners.
6. Repeat
Keep doing the first five steps over and over.
7. Do this one tiny thing
Stay consistent. The 6-12 momentum won’t magically buy you f*ck you money in 30 days — sorry, that’s success p*rn.
Consistency enables the transition from wage slave to f*ck you money to occur. Most people don’t stay consistent long enough to transition from one to the other.
Bringing it all together
None of this is hard. You’re probably doing some of it already.
This formula I’ve presented allows you to easily understand why, how, and what to do. It’s a roadmap 5th graders can understand. Good.
Let your 9-5 job reduce financial risk. Then trade in Netflix for 6-12 skills that will help you build f*ck you money.
Life is too short *not* to do whatever the heck you want. Start tonight.
