Individual freedom is the key that unlocks maximum human happiness, creativity, and productivity for the entire species.
Pete Sisco and his wife Connie escaped the 9-to-5 around twenty years ago. They were early adopters of online business and raised a large family in Idaho completely from online income. That allowed them to home-school and travel with their kids. When the children were grown they sold absolutely everything. Pete and Connie packed one suitcase each, and traveled the world for about ten years living on three continents. When we caught up with the Sisco’s, they were living in Ireland. But they were traveling and his email came from their daughter’s home in Ethiopia. “These days we help other people who want to live life on their own terms the way we do. We teach and mentor every element of starting and running an online business”.
The Side Hustle
Pete had a side hustle in the early 90’s that was a self-published book about weightlifting. He also had a small mail order catalog of related products. He did this while working in Los Angeles in a management job. “Back then ‘self publishing’ meant paying a book printer $10,000 and taking delivery of a half-ton of books in your own pickup truck, then selling them via mail order.
When the internet began to be ‘a thing’ I realized my whole side hustle could be moved online. I set up a website in 1996 and, because of the massive advantages of the online world, it went on to make us several million dollars. It continues to make us money literally every day. More recently we’ve begun to help people who want to create their own online income. “
Discovering Minimalism
Like many Escapees, Connie found Rolf Potts’ book Vagabonding and that changed things. It was very helpful in developing the mindset of living ‘outside the box’ without anyone else’s permission. Pete and Connie were already living 100% from online income. But they were still tied to the full-on consumerism of an American lifestyle. They had a big house in the Idaho mountains and more than a dozen licensed vehicles. There were almost daily Amazon deliveries, and offsite storage for the overflow.
When their six kids were all old enough to move out, it took them 18 months to liquidate everything. This including their home and everything in it, then hit the road with one suitcase each. “We did that for 12 years and right now we’re living in Ireland on the path to citizenship. It will be Connie’s second passport and my third”.
Discovering Freedom
The author Christopher Morley has always resonated with Pete when he says, “There is only one success – to be able to spend your life in your own way.” Pete puts his own spin on this. “You can make, say, $100K per year in a job with difficult coworkers, a petty boss, a long commute, and no gratitude from anyone year after year. Or, you can make the same $100K per year doing something online that you enjoy and that has meaning to you, for customers or clients who appreciate you. And if you work hard, or smart, or both, you can double your income without needing anyone’s permission or undermining.
And your online income is completely portable and 100% owned and controlled by you. So you can live where you want, under circumstances of your choosing. And you can change your mind about all of it any time you want.
Two guys, both making $100K per year, but one is miserable and hanging on by his fingernails and the other feels like he is living a charmed life. Be the second guy. I’ve been both, and the online lifestyle is unimaginably better. “
Get in the game!
For anyone who has thought about escaping the 9 to 5, getting started is the first step. “Just do whatever you have to do to get started. You can do it on the side and it costs a pittance. Find something online that you have a genuine interest in that other people are already making money doing. Then buy a domain name, set up a site, and start chipping away at a comfortable step-by-step pace. Get the basics in place so that when you get a lucky break you can capitalize on it”.
For example, many years ago Pete and Connie took Connie’s mother out for Mother’s Day. While they were out MSN.com put one of Pete’s articles on its home page! When they got home Pete checked his computer and thought he had a massive problem because there were over a thousand email messages. But all the messages were sales confirmations! “In a few hours I made over $30,000 and the new emails I added to my mailing list that day made me another quarter million over the next several months. ”
It was a lucky break. (And not even my biggest one.) But it only happened and paid off because I wrote a good article that another site posted and MSN linked to, I had a good offer for people who landed at my site, and I had a nice freebie for people if they joined my email list. Luck met preparation. But you have to get in the game!”
Finding Connie and Pete Sisco
Connie and Pete Sisco ‘s online businesses are humming along at this point and they are enjoying working 1-on-1 with their customers. They are also remembering to take advantage of having an online business offers. When last we left them, they were planning a little time off. They are riding the French, German, Swiss, and Italian Alps on a motorcycle over a period of several months. Catch up with Connie and Pete Sisco here https://www.safelyleavetheratrace.me
