When people talk about fighting for freedom, often it conjures up images of wars and battle cries.
They think of what history books and Hollywood movies tell us.
“You’ve gotta fight to be free!”
“Freedom isn’t free!”
And lately, with all the realizations around America that we live in a surveillance state, there’s the talk of “staying and fighting vs. leaving for greener pastures”.
People love war and sports analogies. I’m guilty of this. One of the biggest motivators in my young life was the movie “Rocky“, along with it’s inspiring soundtrack.
But do we really need to fight? How are we fighting? What are we fighting for? And exactly who are we fighting against?
I say we don’t need to fight. Not in the traditional sense that most people think of And…freedom isn’t “free”, because you need to put in the time to build it…but there’s no reason it needs to be paid for with bloodshed!
Instead, let’s claim our freedom.
This is a more empowering way to go about it. The way you achieve more freedom in your life is through starting a business. And if you already have a business? Focusing on it is going to build much more freedom in your life than fighting a political battle, raging against the machine, or trying too hard to fit in with mainstream societal expectations.
“Ok fine Kevin, start a business. Tell me something new.”
Ok!
A business on it’s own can’t bring you more freedom. In fact, in many cases, people get trapped by their business, and end up feeling like they are consumed by it and have no time for anything else. It goes back to the Rich Dad, Poor Dad “quadrants”:
So what should a business that gives you more freedom be? Simple. It must pass these freedom tests before you sink your teeth and your time into it:
1. It needs to be worldwide. Local businesses are a trap for someone looking for more freedom. Staying local can limit your mobility- and it puts you at risk for being put out of business by a larger retailer moving into town.
2. Price cannot be an issue. People must need your product regardless of price.
3. It cannot be easily copied. Don’t rely on IP to save you. Be your own protection and make it tough on the fakers.
4. Don’t have “employees”. Employees are a pain in the ass and can sue you and make things miserable for you. You don’t need to hire staff these days. You can hire contractors and virtual assistants from freelance sites like eLance and oDesk. And they can live in countries where the cost of living is much less, so your costs for the help you need will be much less than hiring a traditional employee.
5. Have low overhead. You can run your business from anywhere (see #9), no need to live in an expensive area. In fact, you can move yourself overseas to someplace like Chiang Mai, Thailand and rent a place for $300/month while you get things going in your business.
6. No big startup costs. You don’t want to have big costs up front. If your idea fails, you may be left with debt paying for equipment, inventory, etc.
7. No complex credit situations. Stick with cash billings. Credit extensions can get complicated and bog you down.
8. Be as free as you can from government & industry regulations. Highly regulated industries are no fun to work in. If you currently have a business, you know what I mean. Internet businesses in general typically qualify here.
9. Your business is mobile. I don’t mean cell phones. I mean, you can work from anywhere and make your income. You can become a location independent entrepreneur and travel the world while you work (or put it on autopilot).
10. It must be in line with your purpose. The guys at Internet Business Mastery call it your Single Motivating Purpose. It just needs to be something that is intellectually and emotionally satisfying. Work is fun.
11. It gives you free time. Ideally, your business allows you to do things when you want to. You may work 14 hour days, but it’s because you want to. You also may choose to work 2 hour days. Or, just check in on your business in between rounds of golf or surf sessions, but not actually be doing work in your business.
12. You are not your business. Doctors and lawyers have this issue. They have to be there doing the work, or money stops coming in. You want to be able to sell 10,000 products as easily as 1. Think of what Amazon.com does.
Most people don’t have a business that can pass the freedom test completely. But we can all work towards getting there, whether it’s just getting started, or automated our processes, or outsources some task that we shouldn’t be working on. For getting started or refining an internet business, you can start your journey by going to http://getnicheprofits.com or http://internetbusinessmastery.com– both provide an excellent step-by-step process to making money online, and building a business that meets the 12 steps outlined above.
This is how freedom is claimed, forget the movements and mantras and….even Mel Gibson.
