In 2011, Jill Loeffler was managing the email program for a major retailer. At the time, she was bored, frustrated, and unfulfilled with her job. She left to travel for a few months before starting her online business. She visited places such as Istanbul, Skopje, Barcelona, and Marrakesh. “I needed time to unwind and I truly enjoyed my time traveling. After the eight months, I got serious about my online business”.
Today, she is still running her first online business, SFTourismTips.com, and starting a second one, DreamExploreInspire.com. SFTourismTips.com is all about helping those visiting San Francisco. Since she lived there full time for years, she was able to build a successful site that continues to grow everyday. Now that her first business is successful, she is starting to help others also live out their dreams on her
DreamExploreInspire.com site.
Don’t Look Back
Once she left the 9 to 5, Jill never looked back. “I always wanted to have a small business that would allow me the freedom to travel”. Since 2011, Jill has traveled to a number of countries and work full time while on the road. “It’s so amazing to learn about other cultures and I wouldn’t give it up for anything”.
Jill likes that she is able to decide how to spend her time every day. “I can pick the activities that I think will drive my business the most vs. just doing work to get it done. Plus, some days I work 12+ hour days, while other days I can work just a few hours and go to the beach. I also love that I’m no longer location dependent and I can float from country to country exploring new locations and cultures vs. driving the same route to the same office every day”.
A key factor in Jill escaping the 9 to 5 was to start working on a plan and a side business BEFORE she quit her job. “Working for yourself is so much different, so it’s good to start immediately to see if you enjoy it. I would also recommend that anyone starting a company learns everything they can about sales and marketing. Great products and ideas go nowhere if you don’t know how to market your product and yourself”.
Like many entrepreneurs, Jill probably waiting too long to outsource. “I was trying to do it all and that slowed me down. I now have two people that work for me and I give them all the work I’m no longer interested in doing”. This is allowing her to start a second business. She’s also able to focus on big picture plans for her current site instead of just working all of the time. “My approach to life is taking the necessary actions to turn my dreams into reality”. Her new website DreamExploreInspire.com is about just that. “My plan is to make it a great resource for others looking to escape the 9 to 5. It will also be a great resource for those that also want to travel full time as I do and to enjoy everything that life has to offer”.
