I just signed a 3 year contract at work. Am I a sellout?

[Paula S]

I've been working in education for the past 15 years.

My goal this year is to be making enough money online by this summer to be able to stay home with my two year old son starting next school year.

Recently, our school offered an incentive to all employees. If we finish work this year and work two more years, we will receive $2,000 a year in bonus money. If we quit before the three years are up, we have to pay back the bonus money.

We only had three days to decide. I really wrestled with the decision. Would I be selling out to sign up for the bonus money? Did that mean I wasn't confident in my ability to quit at the end of this year?

On the other hand, if I DID end up working the next two years, it would be nice to have the bonus money... especially since I'm already working this year. Having to work two more years... AND not get the bonus money others were getting would not be good.

In the end I decided that I would sign to receive the bonus each year. I could still become successful online and quit next year... I would just pay back the money - which hopefully wouldn't be a problem.

Now I don't feel as excited about thinking about meeting my goal and working from home after this summer... Now something in the back of my mind says "If you really believe that... would did you sign?

Right now I feel like somewhat of a sellout and I think it's holding me back a little.

Any advice on getting the right mindset back?

[mr2020]

Paula,

You've just had a dream come true. You get $2,000 a year to DELIBERATELY invest in your internet biz. You get to keep your job, and you get to grow your biz, with NO FINANCIAL pressure.

How cool is that? $2,000 a year to invest in your own education.

You are in education.... so you know this from experience, you know people LEARN best, when they are relaxed, focused and able to APPLY what they are learning.

So, with your job intact, you are relaxed...

And all you have to do in your "off the job" time is FOCUS AND APPLY.

I love it!

Maybe, I'll do a mindhack on this. Could be fun!

Thank YOU for the idea!

Mr Twenty Twenty
Whooo Yah!

PS: My question is have you developed a plan, one that is doable that will give you measurable results, to build your biz while still on the job?

Something that would take maybe 60 minutes a day? Something that keeps your net biz real and growing?

[Brad Gosse]

No you are not a sellout. A sellout compromises her morals for money.

You took something you needed to get you further down the road.

The good news is when you make it big in IM $2k will be a breeze to pay back

Don't sweat it!

[Paula S]

mr2020, Thank you SO much for your response. It seriously made me smile.

The best part is that you are right! The $2,000 can be invested into my internet business. Even if I have to pay it back, it's like I received a loan with 0% interest!

I do have time each evening to work online. Until very recently I've spent most of that time reading forums, checking email, checking stats, etc. Then I talked to a few GREAT people here who have given me some excellent ideas and help focusing.

You have really helped me change my mindset already. Thank you so much!

[Paula S]

Brad, you are one of the people here on the forum that has helped me the most.

Thanks for the words of encouragement. I'm excited about the day when paying back $2,000 will be no problem!

[bgmacaw]

A job is simply a stream of income. In general, it's a good idea for your financial security to have multiple streams of income.

IMO, the decision comes down to a few factors with the main two being: (a) Are the pay and benefits offered by the job worth it to you? And (b) Do you find your work rewarding and meaningful beyond just the pay and benefits?

[Paula S]

When I was actually teaching it was very rewarding, but took up almost all my time and energy... which worked for me before I had my own family.

Now I am in more of a leadership role and don't have my own class. It involves a lot of paperwork, meetings, etc. It also takes a lot of time and energy, but it is not as rewarding as before.

Since my son is home my ideal situation would be to work from home and spend time with him... and later as a volunteer in his school.

[Kay King]

Paula -

I think you are in a perfect position. Obviously you like your work and now it has rewarded you with a good fund to build your business.

You've been given options - and you have the luxury of being able to build your business without the stress of having to earn income fast to pay the bills.

kay

[Scott Million]

Originally Posted by Paula S

I've been working in education for the past 15 years.

My goal this year is to be making enough money online by this summer to be able to stay home with my two year old son starting next school year.

Recently, our school offered an incentive to all employees. If we finish work this year and work two more years, we will receive $2,000 a year in bonus money. If we quit before the three years are up, we have to pay back the bonus money.

We only had three days to decide. I really wrestled with the decision. Would I be selling out to sign up for the bonus money? Did that mean I wasn't confident in my ability to quit at the end of this year?

On the other hand, if I DID end up working the next two years, it would be nice to have the bonus money... especially since I'm already working this year. Having to work two more years... AND not get the bonus money others were getting would not be good.

In the end I decided that I would sign to receive the bonus each year. I could still become successful online and quit next year... I would just pay back the money - which hopefully wouldn't be a problem.

Now I don't feel as excited about thinking about meeting my goal and working from home after this summer... Now something in the back of my mind says "If you really believe that... would did you sign?

Right now I feel like somewhat of a sellout and I think it's holding me back a little.

Any advice on getting the right mindset back?

Paula, multi-millionaire Jeff Johnson was in the same boat. He had six months left on his contract and got a lawyer to settle out of it.

There's always a way

No matter what happens, just think how wonderful it will be to be able to work at home full time and have some extra cash when your son is only five years old. He'll be spoiled

[Paula S]

Thank you, Kay! I had options before the bonus... and I have options now... AND $2,000 to help me build up my business.

[Paula S]

Scott, actually we are allowed to quit before the three years are over without any legal problem. We just had to agree to pay the bonus money back if we do.

What you say is true... being home next year or when my son turns five. Either way it's going to happen!

P.S. he's spoiled already... but in a cute, nice way.

[hotftuna]

Suggestion- Once you have an IM opportunity that is profitable, you may find that you need a promotion budget. put aside as much of the $2k as possible and do not spend it on WSO's.

Good move going with the contract. If your IM biz takes off, you can always return the bonus.

[Paula S]

I think setting aside the bonus money is a good idea.

I have bought some great WSO that have helped me... now it's time to save money... and make money by putting things into action!

[willdean]

[QUOTE=mr2020;1336312]Paula,

You've just had a dream come true. You get $2,000 a year to DELIBERATELY invest in your internet biz. You get to keep your job, and you get to grow your biz, with NO FINANCIAL pressure.

How cool is that? $2,000 a year to invest in your own education.

You are in education.... so you know this from experience, you know people LEARN best, when they are relaxed, focused and able to APPLY what they are learning.

So, with your job intact, you are relaxed...

And all you have to do in your "off the job" time is FOCUS AND APPLY.

I love it!

Very well put 2020.
Just make sure you don't allow yourself yo become comfortable and not pursue your dreams.


Best of both worlds

[Fun to Write]

You have a two year old and it's a sucky economy.

You went with your gut and I think you'll realize your gut is right.
You can still work on your internet business part time without feeling any sense of panic or anxiety about money.

I think this is a good deal.

[RCrooke]

Hello Paula,

Create a vision board and post it next to your computer. Post pictures and statements to help keep you focused. I see you are from Florida as well as I am. I am also a newbie wanting to build a business online. I have a great job, but trying to generate additional income to allow my oldest attend any college he wants in one and a half years.

Anyways, if you want someone to help keep you focused and motivated, send me a PM and went can stay in touch. Maybe we can help each other gain success quicker.

To our success....

Richard

[Paula S]

willdean, I hear you about not getting too comfortable. No way, I will always follow my dreams!

Fun To Write, did your two year old dress up for Halloween? Nick was a policeman. Thanks for reaffirming my decision!

RCrooke, thank you for the idea of a vision board at home. We use one at work, and I can definately see that helping. I'll send you a PM... having someone help me stay focused is always a good thing. I'm glad to help you with any online questions you may have.

[Black Hat Cat]

A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush. You made the right choice.

[mywebwork]

Aloha Paula

I think you made the right choice, and it looks like everyone here is in agreement with that. You have a steady source of revenue to support yourself and your family, you have bonus money that can be used to finance your IM ventures and you have a way out of the contact when your Internet business starts to flourish. It was a business decision, and you made a good one.

If you truly believe in yourself and your abilities then your passion for pursuing your Internet business won't die. In fact having to go into work every day instead of spending time with your son may be the incentive that drives you to success. A similar thing worked for me - I left a lucrative job to become a private consultant 12 years ago so I could work my own hours and spend time with my son (who was 8 at the time). My new lifestyle allowed me to become a regular fixture at his elementary school, fixing up the computers and helping in the science classes. I've never regretted it.

Best of luck to you...

Bill

[BIG Mike]

Personally, I think you made the right choice - you've locked in another revenue stream for 3 years, which opens up a world of possibilities for you as you pursue moving from a job to running your own online business.

It also gives you a clear goal - 3 years (or 2 and a half I guess), to formulate a detailed plan to follow, with a potential $2K a year of investment capital.

You did well

[Peter Bestel]

The decisions you've made sound very reasonable to me.

I think folk can get unnecessarily hung up on not wanting to get regular, paid employment as they see it as, as you put it, 'selling out'. As if there's some kind of rule that you're not allowed to take a J.O.B. because you've got your own business too.

Simply shift your perspective on the situation. You're still self employed, the job you got just happens to be a well-paid contract, possibly your best paid contract at the moment - no more, no less.

As long as you retain your self-employed mindset, even while working for someone else, you'll always keep your focus on your longer term goals.

Peter

[Paula S]

Black Hat Cat, thank you for your encouragement... and congratulations on having one of the top five avatars in the contest!

Bill, congratulations on being able to become a private consultant 12 years ago so you could spend more time with your son. Spending time with him and volunteering at his school are the same goals I have. Thanks for the warm wishes!

Big Mike, you're right. The three year contract does give me a clear goal timeline... and guaranteed income during that time. Thank you for being here to cheer me on!

Peter, I never thought about having a self-employed mindset right now. That will really help me stay positive. Thank you!

[sbucciarel]

Sound decision to me. You've got a contract for work, a nice bonus, and you can work on IM in your free time, but you're not going to go broke trying to make it in IM without a job. Sounds like a winner to me. Rather than setting a goal to quit your job, just keep working on your Internet business and when/if you reach that goal, then think about quitting your job if you still want to.

[Paula S]

sbucciarel, having work and a bonus while I work on IM really is a good thing. It would be more stressful to try to make it without those things. I do plan to reach the goal of working from home. Having a steady job and bonus should only make it easier. Thank you!

[Sylvan]

I don't think you're a sellout. This situation doesn't halt your IM career.

Now you can set like a mental deadline for yourself, or better yet right it down. Look forward to returning the bonus oney and plan to quit before those next to years are up.

[Paula S]

Thanks, Sylvan! That would be so nice. Turn in my resignation and when they ask for the bonus money back I say... "no problem".

[Floyd Fisher]

Originally Posted by Paula S

I've been working in education for the past 15 years.

My goal this year is to be making enough money online by this summer to be able to stay home with my two year old son starting next school year.

Recently, our school offered an incentive to all employees. If we finish work this year and work two more years, we will receive $2,000 a year in bonus money. If we quit before the three years are up, we have to pay back the bonus money.

We only had three days to decide. I really wrestled with the decision. Would I be selling out to sign up for the bonus money? Did that mean I wasn't confident in my ability to quit at the end of this year?

On the other hand, if I DID end up working the next two years, it would be nice to have the bonus money... especially since I'm already working this year. Having to work two more years... AND not get the bonus money others were getting would not be good.

In the end I decided that I would sign to receive the bonus each year. I could still become successful online and quit next year... I would just pay back the money - which hopefully wouldn't be a problem.

Now I don't feel as excited about thinking about meeting my goal and working from home after this summer... Now something in the back of my mind says "If you really believe that... would did you sign?

Right now I feel like somewhat of a sellout and I think it's holding me back a little.

Any advice on getting the right mindset back?

Paula:

You don't have to do this, but here's what I would do.

Take the bonus, put it in a bank, and don't ever spend it.

Now it's accruing interest for me. When I'm ready to leave, just pay back the money, and use the interest I made on it to buy myself something nice.

Don't get upset, use it to your advantage and give yourself some extra incentive....at their expense.

[jendoe]

Hi Paula -

It sounds like you've gotten tons of positive support for your decision! And, I completely agree - it's a smart move. I'm still trying to figure out the IM thing too, but I suspect that when you get to the point where you feel comfortable leaving the job, you'll also feel comfortable enough to easily pay back the money if needed.

I am curious though... you mentioned the visionboard at work is helping... can you elaborate a little? I haven't tried doing one yet, and I'm curious what kinds of benefits you're seeing?

Thanks!
-jen

[Paula S]

Floyd, this is probably one of the best ideas. I could put it in savings... or even better a CD. That would make it easy to pay back... plus I get the interest. Thanks!

jendoe, thanks for the encouraging words. I'm not sure if what I'm doing at work is technically a visionboard.

We have a whiteboard and a bulletin board in our office. On the whiteboard we post a list of things to do that day. On the bulletin board we have matrix that includes each grade level down the left side... and monthly goals going across.

Having the daily goals and the big picture up visually helps us stay focused.

[jendoe]

Ah, got it - thanks for the clarification. That makes sense that keeping your goals "front and center", so to speak, would help keep you focused and productive! Thanks.

[Alexa Smith]

Paula, it sounds to me like you've done nothing wrong at all, here. You've simply increased your options, which can't possibly be bad.

More to the point, you haven't done anything very committal either way, because when you get your IM business up and running, it'll be easy to repay what you have to repay to free yourself from this contract, if you want to and if it's appropriate to do so.

You certainly haven't lost anything - including those very important things "freedom to choose" and "potential".

[Paula S]

Alexa, you're right. All this really did was increase my options. I still have the freedom to choose to work from home at any time.

I'm feeling much better about my decision. Thank you for your encouragement!

[AaronJones]

You are not selling out.

Many people work full time jobs, outsource most of their work and are able this way to build a stable foundation, reinvest IM profits back into their marketing while the J.O.B. gives you stability and takes care of the bills.

Aaron

[TelegramSam]

Originally Posted by Paula S

I've been working in education for the past 15 years.

My goal this year is to be making enough money online by this summer to be able to stay home with my two year old son starting next school year.

Recently, our school offered an incentive to all employees. If we finish work this year and work two more years, we will receive $2,000 a year in bonus money. If we quit before the three years are up, we have to pay back the bonus money.

We only had three days to decide. I really wrestled with the decision. Would I be selling out to sign up for the bonus money? Did that mean I wasn't confident in my ability to quit at the end of this year?

On the other hand, if I DID end up working the next two years, it would be nice to have the bonus money... especially since I'm already working this year. Having to work two more years... AND not get the bonus money others were getting would not be good.

In the end I decided that I would sign to receive the bonus each year. I could still become successful online and quit next year... I would just pay back the money - which hopefully wouldn't be a problem.

Now I don't feel as excited about thinking about meeting my goal and working from home after this summer... Now something in the back of my mind says "If you really believe that... would did you sign?

Right now I feel like somewhat of a sellout and I think it's holding me back a little.

Any advice on getting the right mindset back?

Do what is important to you.

The $2000 is a red herring.

[Bruce Wedding]

Just to put things in perspective, $2,000 a year is $1/hr on a 40hr a week job.

[drwhogoesthere]

Puala I have the same dream as you. As teacher it can be very frustrating to get up to go a to a a job where you are going to be abused everyday by the people you are trying to help.

I made plans and set a goal to 18 months ago to retire this Christmas. I am no where near acheiving that goal. However, I am closer to it then I was 18 months ago. I now have a good handle on what I am doing and moving forward in leaps and bounds.

While I may be dissapointed that I can move out of teaching into my own business just yet, at least I know that I still have a secure and stable income. The money I get from teaching will allow me to do what I want in life, the money from my business is being invested into my business and into investments.

You need to live first and you need to feed yourself and your family. The business will grow, and you will be successful. Sometimes it just takes a little longer than you think. Plus you never know, over the next two years the business may boom and you can leave your job anyway, and not have to worry about paying them back a measly 2000.

Oh by the way, do you teach your students about online marketing? As a business and commerce teacher, everything I learn about making money online I share with my students. That way they can start making money now if they want. It means that they will never have to working for somebody else and retire when they are mid 30's.

Well thats what I hope for them anyway.

[Paula S]

Aaron, that's true... I could use the bonus money to outsource some of the IM things I don't have a lot of time to do. Thanks!

hotcash, the money and bonus from the job should make things less stressful financially as I grow my IM business. Thank you!

Sam, you're right, the $2,000 doesn't really change my situation at all in a negative way. Thanks for the imput!

Bruce, and I only work 35 hours a week - 190 a year... so the bonus is actually more than that per hour. Plus, I didn't mention... if we bring our school grade up during the three years, we will receive an additional one time $2,000 bonus in addition to the $2,000 each year.

DrWho, congratulations on moving closer to your goal of retiring. It sounds as if you are in a good place. Also, great idea to teach your students about online marketing.
I plan to teach my son as he gets older if he is at all interested.

Our students are K-5th grade. We don't really get into IM... but I do try to encourage them to make and reach their goals.

[JonMills]

no your not a sellout

You can still do your business online and enjoy the best of both worlds

[Ken Leatherman]

Sellout, Smellout you made a good decision. From your additional post here you are teaching a lesson right now to others here on the forum. These are the things that others trying to plan out their future should take into consideration.

Take heart that you are teaching right here.

Ken Leatherman
The Old Geezer

[acedalright]

Selling out is when someone holds an ideal and goes against that ideal for money.

You clearly are not in the process of doing that

[Bruce Wedding]

Since you've signed, the question is... academic

Based on sheer probability, you made the right move. Feel better?