The 3 Phases of Going Solo

I just spent 10 years building a career from scratch. Now I'm starting over. Same phases. Different business.

Phase 1 — Get Out

I was working in a warehouse scanning waste products for a few hundred pounds a month. I wore headphones on every shift. Those shifts were dedicated to learning and finding a way out of that place. I listened to Tim Ferriss talk about 4 hour work weeks and selling Uber shares while I was wrestling with flies and out of date milk.

He wasn't someone who came from doing anything extraordinary. He came from being smart, asking the right questions, working harder than his peers and learning to learn extremely well. And he was sitting across from people I thought were completely out of reach.

At one point he said something like the people who listen to his podcast are in the top percentile of business. Whether it was true or not didn't matter. In my head I was getting information that the CEO of Airbnb or Spotify was also getting. That changed everything.

Phase 1 is all about exposure. Podcasts. Books. Interviews. People who show you a different way of thinking. People who prove: "This exists. You're not crazy."

The trap in Phase 1 isn't dreaming. It's talking. Beware of people, including yourself, who spend most of their time talking about "What if" but never move forward. These are the people who waste your most valuable currency if you're not careful: time.

This is your story. It's your job to explore and find new ways of doing things. New mindsets that shift something in your brain. And the only way to do that is by taking a shot. Being bold. Because in Phase 1, everything is on your side. And no one is expecting anything of you. You're free. So do what a free person does.

I mentally exited Phase 1 long before I physically did. That mental escape came earning $5 on a voiceover gig. Magic Internet Money for something I could do for myself. But my true exit came from a job that was 10 times my monthly wage.

A mentor once told me: never jump before you can see where you're going to land. So when I saw the landing, I took it and put that money into building my own studio.

Phase 2 — Prove It

This is where most people quit. Not because they're failing. But because they misinterpret what's happening.

In the beginning the loop in my head was relentless. My first voiceover sessions somehow managed to make me convince myself that I had severe dyslexia despite having a writing degree. I recorded live sessions where I had to perform for an hour. Be ready. Not stutter. Worry about mic positioning, breaths, projection.

Maybe I'm just not ready. Maybe I'm not good enough. Maybe the pressure is too much.

But people were paying me. So I had to figure it out. Jobs that should take 10 minutes were taking two hours. I was staying up late to send voiceovers even though I had to film in the morning.

You don't know what you're doing. But you better figure it out quickly.

And then something shifts. The chaos becomes routine. Jobs that took 2 hours now take 30 minutes. You've built competence. And then suddenly you go from absolute chaos to things slowing down. You find your groove. It all becomes easier.

You mistake the calm for the Plateau. The Plateau hit me recently. I felt like voiceover wasn't doing anything anymore. Nothing felt alive. It just felt the same. The voice came back: what does that mean for me? I've failed. Maybe I should just go and get a regular job.

But reality was that I was voicing jobs bigger than ever before and reaching people around the world like it was just an everyday thing. It became boring. But the boring was safe. I wasn't stressed in live sessions. I didn't panic about editing. I got paid more for basic jobs, which meant I didn't need as many.

It felt like a plateau because there was no chaos. But that was what I needed.

The plateau isn't failure. It's proof of stability. It means every single thing you used to worry about has either quietened or doesn't exist. You were right all along.

This is the point where I wish someone had said to me: "Well done. You have now earned yourself a career. Keep going."

So if you resonate with any of the above then I'm saying it to you. Good job. But the job's not done.

Don't confuse plateau for falling off. Celebrate it. The journey of Phase 2 can be one of the most electrifying and insightful moments of your life — but only if you allow it to be.

Phase 3 — Preserve It

Phase 3 is where you take everything you've learned and study it like you're studying someone else. Poke holes. Break it down. Find ways it could be better.

Shave off 10% of your time. 20%. 30%. In some cases, omit areas completely. Automate what can be automated. Lessen your brain usage. Strip back your thinking. Let it run.

For me: I found software that compliments my work style instead of creating friction. My accountant handles the financial layer. I run ads. I maintain client connections throughout the year. So overall, there are fewer surprises. And when surprises do come, they're good ones.

Things have only just become easier. I'm no longer chasing clients for payments or worrying as much as I once did.

I'm confident. And I can comfortably say that I have finally achieved what Tim Ferriss was preaching all along: The 4 Hour Work Week.

Now I can view my career as an asset in my arsenal rather than a daily stress. A blueprint that I can use across any industry or sector I choose.

Most people coast here. Some sabotage it because chaos feels familiar. I chose to start again.

The Prestige

I'm back at Phase 1 now. Same phases. Different cycle.

I've wanted a tool like the one I've built for five years. It was something I dreamt about before I made it exist. A system that gets it. A system that learns as I grow. A system that handles the chaos, while I get to live.

Everything I've done up until this point relied heavily on my physical, mental, spiritual health. Without keeping these intact, the last 10 years don't happen. I wanted to build stability away from myself. Meaning I don't have to perform every single day.

I've done everything before off my own back. Pushed through. Found systems along the way. Now I'm reaching into different areas that feel more healthy. Less stressful.

I can move faster because I know the pattern. But I've also learnt to learn better. I feel comforted by the fact I already have one badge and that I can trust the process.

The phases don't end. They cycle. The question is whether you recognise which one you're in — and act accordingly.