Ten years ago this month, I made a life-changing decision. I submitted my resignation as an Academic Advisor at a local community college. After more than six years of dedicating my best efforts, ideas, and energy to Santa Fe College, I chose to redirect that same commitment to my family and our future.
For the previous four years, my wife and I had been growing our small business. By the end of 2014, we finally started turning a profit. One week, we made half of my yearly salary. The next month, we made a little more. That’s when I did a simple calculation and asked myself a pivotal question:
If we could generate my salary in just two months, how much could we make in a year?
The answer felt obvious. One morning, I walked into my boss’s office with a short, two-sentence resignation letter. I explained that after a simple cost-benefit analysis, I realized my job was costing me more than it was benefiting me. I handed in my two weeks’ notice and walked back to my office feeling a mix of excitement, relief, and anticipation for what lay ahead.
Just a month after my last day at work, my wife signed a deal with a major company—one that would pay her twice my former salary for work she was already doing. As a sewing, quilting, and crafting teacher specializing in video instruction, she was the perfect fit for their needs. The company wanted her to create videos for them at a competitive rate, though it required her to travel to a remote location every six weeks for filming.
At first, the opportunity seemed like an incredible step forward. But a few months into the partnership, we realized that our business had far more potential than the company was willing to recognize. We met with their leadership to express our concerns, hoping to renegotiate the terms. In the end, however, we had to walk away—the arrangement was too limiting for what we envisioned.
Once again, we made the bold choice to go fully independent, pouring all our energy and focus into building something of our own. At the time, it felt like a massive risk. We were turning down a deal that paid twice the salary I had just walked away from.
Then, just two months later, my wife released a class that earned in one week what the larger company had been willing to pay her for an entire year.
The Lesson? Bet on Yourself.
The moral of this story is simple: Believe in your own ideas and commit fully to your success. When you take control of your future and put in the work, the rewards can be greater than you ever imagined.
Until next time, make it a great day!
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