You can grow a fulfilling business making money face to face (as an introvert)

Apr 10, 2023

'Congratulations. You made a sale: Garfield the Movie.'

I've been obsessed with entrepreneurship ever since I sold dodgy DVDs on eBay when I was 18.

The idea that I could persuade a human being I'd never met on the other side of the planet to pay me money was insane to me.

It still is.

Until I was thirty, I did everything I could to make money with the least amount of human interaction possible.

I would live my life as an aloof, brooding satellite of a man.

I was terrified of speaking up in class at school.

I hated being on calls or in meetings later in life too.

My heart would pound, my face would go red, or I'd say something goofy.

So I avoided social interaction in business.

I stuck to making illustrations behind a screen for money.

It's what an introvert is supposed to do, right?

Then I got hit by a $8,170 tax bill.

I had underestimated the tax I'd be liable to pay following a good year running my design business.

I had to find the money in two weeks.

But I was only making about $5k per month.

My coach at the time suggested I coach people in design to create the money.

I could charge upfront rather than wait for companies to pay weeks after finishing the work.

My heart sank because that meant actually selling things to people face-to-face and being on video calls.

But the urgency of the situation meant I had to do it.

My first couple of calls were awkward, and I was twitchy like a squirrel in heat.

But I got better at it fast.

I made some sales, and I covered the tax.

Turns out that regularly helping people face to face is a tremendously fulfilling way to do entrepreneurship.

I decided to become a coach.

Now I write, create courses and coach people.

The business does well and allows me to live wherever I like.

I actually look forward to meeting and talking to people all over the world.

Who knew an introvert could enjoy getting on calls?

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