By Nicholas
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The younger people say that as you become older you stop dreaming. The truth is you don’t stop dreaming, and necessity often forces you to dream more creatively.
Ask Harland Sanders — he worked at many jobs for many years before setting up Kentucky Fried Chicken when in his sixties. He lived until he was 90, and his dream lives on.
However, while it is nice to consider a famous man in history such as Colonel Sanders, I need to think “what about me?”. I am a gentleman going through an interesting period of my life. I am around about the same age that Colonel Sanders was when he set up Kentucky Fried Chicken.
Conventional work is becoming hard to obtain. However, I still have a useful brain, and I can still make a contribution. What do I do?
Adopt a “Laptop Lifestyle”, someone suggested. What is that? It is about setting up a business where your laptop computer and the Internet are the primary tools. So it is an Internet Based business where you use your laptop computer as your means of accessing the internet, plus as your means of managing the business.
In theory, I can take my laptop anywhere in the world. This means I can run my business from anywhere in the world at any time. Well, doesn’t it?
This sounds romantic — too good to be true. It also sounds like a lot of fun. I love doing ICT Projects. I am a Project Manager of note. Why not try it?
Please note — I said “Try it”. I didn’t say “Do it”. Well, I’m not sure if I can do it, but it sounds exciting enough to try.
Alright. What are the pros and cons of my proposed Laptop Lifestyle adventure. I’ll spend just 5 minutes (timed with an alarm clock) thinking about this. This is what I came up with for pros:
1) More freedom with the work I do. I won’t be forced to do things I don’t wish to do.
2) Better job security — not needing to be in favour of a horrible boss.
3) Work the hours that I want – potentially more time to do things that I want to do.
4) Potential to control my income better.
5) Run the business from any location, so long as I have an Internet link.
6) Cost overheads relatively low.
Here are the cons I came up with:
1) Can I make it work?
2) What do I need to set up?
3) Am I clever enough to achieve it?
4) Is there a magic formula?
5) Are there scams to avoid?
As I said, 5 minutes on the pros and cons. I have to confess that I have found today’s Corporate Job market hard to break in to. This can be depressing.
However, I have a new project to work on. As I attempt to transition into the Digital Economy, I think I have just achieved Part One of the Laptop Lifestyle. Part One is the Contemplation Stage. Perhaps Part Two (next blog) is the Planning Stage.
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Nicholas (Nick Thorne) is the founder of NicksDigitalSolutions Limited a company that specialises in Education and Training; ICT Consultancy; Infopreneur; and Writing. He lives in Levin, New Zealand.