The REAL American Hustle
Apr

If you’re hoping this post has something to do with the movie, I’m sorry to disappoint you. Although, who doesn’t want to see Bradley Cooper sporting a sweet perm?!?
The hustle I’m talking about is what put Gary V on the radar of every person out there who wants to live off of their passions and is willing to go balls to the wall to get it.
Hustle and Write….
As you now know, I am working as a freelance writer and trying to build a client base as quickly as possible. If you aren’t familiar with my story of quitting my job a few weeks back, please take a moment to read it.
You must also know that I didn’t just up and quit without a plan, especially since I have child support, alimony, and my own bills to pay each month. It may have taken guts to quit my new job, but I’m not a fucking idiot!
And for those of you considering making a similar jump, here’s how I’m paying the bills right now:
- Personal training. I’ve been a personal trainer for 16 years and have had my own business for 10. I currently train clients in their homes in the DC metro area. The good news is that the going rate for an in-home personal trainer is between $50-$100 per hour. This adds up fast and with just a handful of clients, I am able to make a significant amount of money.
- Writing. Since I started freelance writing just a few short weeks ago, my earned income is approaching $1,000. I’ve been hired by a half dozen people and have been receiving unsolicited offers for writing jobs as well!
- Tax refund. Yes, I need it to live on and although it was a far cry from what it was last year (I miss you mortgage interest!), every bit helps right now.
- Last paychecks. I should also mention that I received a month’s worth of paychecks from the gym, so I have that as well.
I am by no means in good financial condition, but I am hustling each day to make it work. Just starting out working for yourself is exciting and at the same time unnerving, especially if you don’t have a fat bankroll to fall back on.
Working Conditions
You’ve probably heard of a couch to 5k running program, well what I’m doing is sort of the opposite. I went from running a gym to sitting on my couch!
It should come as no surprise that working at home is a far cry from having to report to a job on a daily basis. With a job, you just get in your car and drive to work. At home, you get up, walk around in your underwear, and figure out how you’re going to best use your day.
And I’d be lying if I didn’t say I have had a few of these days already. Getting motivated to write in my apartment has been a struggle for sure so I’ve had to find other outlets.
One of my favorite hangouts is the local library and I can be found there often. There are also a few parks that have Wi-Fi and with the weather warming up here finally, I will be using those as well.
The issue is not finding a decent place to write, but rather taking the initiative and actually leaving my apartment. I love the idea of working from my couch, but it just doesn’t work and I just don’t have the space for a home office.
I’ve read about the benefits of treating your own writing business as a “job”, meaning waking up at a set time, getting dressed as if going to work, and actually leaving your house as if you were reporting to a job.
The Ups and Downs of Working For Myself
It’s been an interesting month to say the least. I went from moving 1,000 mph to 20. My body didn’t know how to respond when it didn’t have to move continuously for 10 hours a day but now I can confidently say that I have far less stress and my body is thanking me for slowing down.
Here are some of the benefits of working for myself that I’ve noticed so far:
- I feel great! (and don’t look too shabby either). I’m training hard every day during the week. Making time for the gym has been incredibly helpful not only for my physical well being but for my mental wellness also. When I was working at the gym, I lost so much weight that my underwear were literally falling off of me. I just didn’t have time to eat enough, let alone actually workout! Now that I have the time, I train hard, eat well, and have packed back on about 10 pounds. I’ve been really consistent and it’s amazing how awesome I feel afterwards!
- Far less stress. I was so stressed out at the gym that I simply couldn’t unwind. I was in constant go-go-go mode. And although the financial stress is an issue and I do see a “job” in my near future, I feel so much more relaxed and content with where I am.
- Being more patient with my daughters. Since I couldn’t let go of my job and was expected to be working on weekends at home as well, I let the stress affect my time with my girls. I have them every weekend and it’s just not fair not to give them my full attention.
- I love writing. It’s feels so liberating to be in 100% control of my success or failure. At my last job I was subject the the whims of an unreasonable owner. I had zero control over whether I had a job or not. In fact, although I was doing excellent work, the threat of being fired was thrown in my face numerous times. Not a great way to live…
- Freedom and flexibility. Being able to work from anywhere is an amazing feeling! Whether it’s sitting outside with my laptop on a 65 degree sunny day or working from a hotel room overlooking a beautiful lake, the ability to work remotely is priceless in my opinion.
And of course I’ve had my share of struggles as well:
- Time management. I have tried using Google calendars, excel spreadsheets, old school paper calendars, and several iPhone apps and have yet to find one that I will actually look at every day! So far my favorite is just writing my top 3 things I must do on a scrap piece of paper.
- Overwhelmed by my to-do list. Although I try to limit my daily to-do’s to 3-5 things, I have 47 things on my list at this precise moment. I know, it’s ridonkulous and I haven’t yet figured out how I will ever get to them all. I have SO many ideas about what I want to do and where I want to take this, that the list just continues growing and growing…
- Focus. Not having to be anywhere each day is harder that it sounds. At least it is for me. I’ve had a regular job for the last 27 years, so this new schedule (or lack thereof), is really fucking me up..
- Being consistent. Although I have set up a daily schedule with time blocks on my Google Calendar, I am struggling to follow through on it. Although, I think it could possibly be that I don’t actually look at it most days….
With all the shit I need to do every day in order to try to make it as a writer, I’ve come up with a short list of must do’s.
Top 5 things I need to do every day:
- Write! If I’m going to try to make a living writing, it makes sense to do it every single day. And with my lofty goals, it’s even more important that I do it.
- Actively look for writing work. I search sites like Problogger Job Boards, Craigslist, Paid To Blog Jobs (which I just joined), and various blogs/sites that pay for content.
- Network. I’ve been reaching out to many of the people I’ve been in contact with since I started blogging. It’s amazing what can happen when you build relationships with people. They actually want to help you!
- Read 5 blog posts each day and comment. I’ve heard it said many times that commenting is no longer effective for building relationships, driving traffic, blah, blah..Well I think that’s bullshit. When I get a personal comment that someone clearly has taken time to think about and write, it means a great deal. I want to know more about the type of person they are and will often visit their site and/or reach out to them.
- Exercise. This has been HUGE. Not only am I getting into good shape, but the energy and motivation I get from training hard is invaluable in my writing. I find I get inspired during my workout and often can’t wait to get home to write.
Goals
I’ll admit that I’ve struggled with writing my goals in the past, but given the recent change, I’ve had to take the time to set some realistic but challenging ones. I have long-term goals as well, but for now I will share my short-term ones.
Here are my short-term goals to be done by July 31 or sooner:
- Have at least 30 guest posts published including at least one article on MenWithPens, LifeHacker, and Huffington Post. You’ll find out a lot more about this in an upcoming post….
- Launch my new coaching program. Yes, I am finally going to start offering a service and am really looking forward to it! It’s going to be pretty unique and will be sharing the details with you all shortly.
- Receiving 3,000 visits per month on this blog. It’s around 1,000 right now. See above as to how I’m going to get to this number.
- Adding 300 new subscribers to my email list. The growth and conversion rate has SUCKED ever since I started it and I know it’s because my opt in offer is not very attractive and the email content I write is not exceptional. Updating it is something I have been putting off for a long time and it’s changing shortly.
- Have my new eBook completed (for my opt in) as well as an entirely new auto responder series done for my email list. My plan for the book is to revolve around the business/life lessons I learned from my interview with Penelope Trunk. This will be done by April 30th.
- Consistently earning $1,000+per month from writing work. I’ve already earned close to this in my first month, but I want to have consistent income with regular (and happy) clients.
- Start a mastermind group. I actually started one a few years ago and it was a great way to share ideas and get quality feedback. If you are interested in becoming part of this, please email me directly at steve@endingthegrind.com.
Coming Soon..
As you can see, I have a lot going on right now and you don’t even know the half of it! I’ll be sharing a lot more in my next few posts and hope you will continue to share this journey with me…

Bethany
Go, Steve, go!
I love the proactive language you’re using — i.e. “this WILL be done by ____.” Part of the problem a lot of folks face is the lack of a deadline. Chris Baty talked a lot about it in his book, “No Plot? No Problem!” about the National Novel Writing Month (it’s short, sweet, and fun). While I know your goal is to write every day, have you considered trying to pump out a lot of quantity versus quality? That’s another place some writers get stuck — everything has to be “perfect” on the first draft. I don’t know how it works for you.
And I love that you’re open and honest about how the calendars and apps don’t work for you — I’m the exact same way. 😉 Right now, I’m resorting to sticky notes and small lists on my dresser at home. I had one on my mirror for about a week or two and FINALLY got all of it done. It was a nice accomplishment!
I’m really glad that you’re able to be more patient with your girls. Maybe you should make a note of it to keep it in your picture of your lifestyle goal?
Here’s to the hustle! o/
Steve
Well, well..good to hear from you again Bethany!
I am much more of a quality vs quantity person when it comes to writing. I do tend to be a perfectionist and it takes longer for me to write posts than it probably should. I’m still struggling to find a time management system that I will follow, but for now I am using the MIT method.
And I keep my girls pics on hand all the time and look at them daily 🙂
Susan
Glad to hear it you’re figuring it all out. Have you thought about running a group bootcamp at a park? Seems like a way to add a lot of revenue over an hour or two by training 5 or 10 people before they go to work.
My daughter is 2.5 and I stay home with her and write for magazines, newspapers, websites and content marketrs, do naming/brand consulting, creative briefs, social media maintenance, etc. etc. The list goes on and on.
It took me YEARS to really nail down productivity. Google the pomodoro technique – that helps. But over time I’ve found it’s a pleasure to work my ass off just so I can then take 15 minutes (like now) to relish in doing whatever I feel like. It feels good to know my days are filled with taking care of her and then taking care of us/finances/my creative needs every spare second. It’s hard and takes practice to hustle. I’ve been doing it for years and have ups and downs, but now I still have faith in the downtime. I know if I’ve done it for 10+ years I can do it now.
Good luck!
Steve
Hi Susan,
It’s funny you should mention boot camps because I ran one in a park for 3 years. It was actually a great way to leverage my time and I made really good money. I got burned out on it although I may start it again this Spring..
I am really beginning to see the challenges of working from home and keeping on task and focused. I’ve been an employee my whole life and this is a HUGE change! That’s awesome that you can make it work and I know it will be an ongoing battle for me for a while.
Thanks for stopping by!
Marvin
Hi Steve.. Thanks for the blog.. I notice you have a lot going on, and I say this because this evening I listened to the Penelope Trunk interview… OMG, she murdered you completely, but I think the information and self analysis she made you do is gold, I was really ruffled, but it’s clear you’ve taken on board what she says and are taking lots of goal oriented action. That interview scared the shit out of me… I need to do some serious honest reality checking, thanks for posting
Steve
Hey Marvin,
I do have a lot going on and now that I’m officially back to blogging, I’m not going anywhere again! I did get my ass whupped pretty good by Penelope but I needed it! I am actually writing an eBook about it and the lessons I took from it. So many people said they felt like she was talking to them and I know it was a big wake up call for them.
Ruth Zive
Great stuff here Steve! Try using Asana for task management – I really like it. $1000/month from writing is completely reasonable! In fact, you’re low balling it. Go for $2000! Look forward to hearing more about your plans.
Steve
Hey Ruth,
I haven’t tried that one, I’ll give it a whirl..
I like your confidence in me and I’ll do my best to make it happen!
Michaela Mitchell
Have you ever had a life-changing moment from reading a blog post? I think I just did…
I just discovered your site, and I’ve crawled all over it. I’m in love with your natural voice coming through the blog and am horrified by what I’ve been doing on my own site. I just put my notice in at my current job and am going the freelance route as of June 1. I’ve been building my site and adding content, trying desperately to show that I know what I’m talking about (and I do!), but I’ve gotten myself trapped in the bland world of trying to appeal to most people on the hopes that it will help me get hired.
What I should be doing is practicing what I preach which is to be authentic and let my voice shine through. I have a unique voice and point of view, and I’m so scared that I won’t succeed at this on my own that I’ve been boring and bland. Ugh.
So whether you meant to or not, you inspired an unusually long comment from a total stranger who’s also going to take your influence to heart. Thank you.
Steve
This is quite a comment and a compliment Michaela, thank you so much! A few things: 1) Kudos to you for taking the leap and starting your freelancing gig. I know how scary it is and although I don’t know your personal situation, I can tell you that if really have a true passion for this, you can make it work.
2) I’ve looked at your site and have a few comments. I was going to send you an email with this, but I thought that making it public might be more beneficial for you and my readers. I know you didn’t ask for my opinion, but I am going to share it anyway in hopes of helping you. As you noted, my style is to be myself and I do come across as harsh sometimes, so don’t take this personally.
I like your home page and how you focus your readers eyes on the most important thing..your services. But when I click on “Learn more about us”, I am disappointed by what I see. Your About page is boring and lacks any real differentiators from the million other sites in your niche. Nothing stands out and I fear that your readers will just leave out of lack of interest.
If you do have a unique voice and style, THIS is the place to show it. Just check out the about page for TMF Project and see how compelling it should be!
I think you need to focus less on knowing what you’re talking about and more on showing people you are different. Every writer/copywriter writes the same boring ass posts. Be different and shine. If you care too much about what your readers/potential employers care, you will continue to write watered down average content.
Your Services page asks the reader “what do you need”? Instead of offering anything they need, why not tell them what you are awesome at? Spice that shit up and add your personality. I read that page 3 times over and as soon as I left it, I couldn’t remember a single word. Why? It reads just like every other boiler plate template Service page.
Also, why do you have 3 separate header categories for Services, Packages, and Consultations? Make them all fall under one header and make it compelling.
The following paragraph from your Consultations page really bothers me too:
“The first step is a free evaluation and 30 minute consultation. Answer a few questions and then set a time for a phone call, Skype call, or Google hangout – whichever you prefer and whatever works best for you. If after the first conversation, you feel like you need more guidance and help, prices and options can be discussed further. Think of this as an interview – personalities and energies don’t always mesh. Why pay money to find out it won’t work for your business? I’d rather earn your business than take your money and disappoint you later.”
You sound desperate and maybe you are (it’s OK to be), but you will not be taken seriously if you just tell people they can contact you and talk with you any time they please. You have to value yourself and your time or you can’t expect others to.
A few other things. Are you starting an email list and are you going to be changing/customizing your theme? Spend $50 on Theme Forest and get a unique theme that displays your personality and style.
Also, do you use a lot of plugins? Your site loads very slowly from page to page and under other circumstances, I would have moved on to another site. How are you choosing your headlines? To be honest, I see nothing unique or interesting that would make me click on a single post of yours.
I am hopeful that you take all of this constructively because I really know what you’re going through and would love to see you succeed. Feel free to email me with any comments or even better, reply right here.
Michaela Mitchell
If you’ve got the cojones to do this publicly, I’ve certainly got the cojones to answer you back in a public forum.
Everything you’ve said is stuff I’ve been thinking about, dwelling on, and chewing on for weeks – but have been too scared or lazy or both to act on. I’m that really horrible Type A personality who always wants to do things right – if by “right,” I mean listen to all the so-called experts and attempt to take ALL of their advice down to the last letter. And, from my own personal blogging experience, I know it’s bullshit.
I’ve been struggling with the only advice I’m positive is 100% correct and that’s the “show your personality, be yourself” thing. Mostly because I couldn’t imagine how to make that jive with “smart, professional, willing to work my ass off for you.” Guess I could just say that, huh? The frustrating thing is my personal style is to speak bluntly, say it like it is, and mince few words…all while writing really long posts and that meander and ramble a bit (I know, I need to work on that).
And as to the speed of my site, thanks for saying something because that tells me the plug-in that was supposed to help fix that didn’t do it’s job. I’m a total newbie that’s trying to do everything cool all at once…even though I know better. Damn it.
Ok, so, all that to say, you’ve confirmed what I knew (and feared) to be true. I’ve gone against my own nature and advice I’ve given others in the day job I’m about to quit (gulp). And basically, I have to stop playing it completely safe and just be me, do what I know is right, kick some ass, and take a few names. Oh, and fix my damn website. 🙂
Thank you. You’ve pretty much just acquired a fan for life.
Steve
You’re right in the fact that you MUST be yourself and let your personality show. By following the A-listers,you have become yet another drone online. Have some balls and tell the world what you can really do! I do like the “will work my ass off” bit. I think it might work. Ash Ambirge drops more F bombs on her blog than the movie Goodfellas and she has created a 7 figure (or almost) writing business.
You can worry about the design later (which you need to make it more attractive and improve the readability), but the lag is pretty bad. Are you using a plug-in like W3 Total Cache?
Just be yourself,start writing unique stuff that hasn’t been rehashed thousands of times, and people WILL find and hire you. Keep me updated on your progress and I’m glad I could help…
Adrienne
Hey Steve,
You quit your job at the gym and are going all out! Well good for you and remember when you wanted to do that way back when but with the family and all it just wasn’t possible! I think that once you’re thrown into a situation you find the way out.
My situation was a little different I guess. I was let go from corporate America but made the decision to not go back but I really thought this would be a breeze. WRONG!!! But it was a quick learning experience and I found something I was good at and the money started coming.
I think you’ll have no problem reaching all of your goals, I can see that happening for sure. Oh and that relationship thing! Spot on my friend, it’s still the best thing you can do because it WILL open doors for you that were previously closed. 😉
Go Steve!
~Adrienne
Steve
I am going for it, Adrienne! It’s amazing what happens when circumstances change. I’m not sure I have the confidence that you do (for me) about my goals, but I’m going after it with gusto. And I truly believe that this business (or any) revolves around relationships. I tend to keep in touch with many people from my past and it has really helped..
Adam
Fortune favours the Brave Steve. Good to see you committing to an independent lifestyle.
Suggestion for you – write a short Ebook and whip it onto Kindle .
Quickly establish whether your target audience are merely ‘opportunity seekers’ or BUYERS for your unique viewpoint . You can only give so much away.
Steve
I like that idea, Adam and have been thinking about it a lot. I work with Steve Scott a bit and he is doing very well in that market.
Your second point is huge and I’ve heard it before. I think there are a great many opportunity seekers here and I have yet to really find that market of individuals who will buy what I sell. Let me ask you this; knowing what you know about my blog/life, what would you think would be the best specific topic to write about in order to test the market?
Sebastian Aiden Daniels
I am curious to know how many of the goals you achieved since it has been a few months since you wrote this post.
I understand what it is like to have a long to do list, but 47 holy shit.
I need to get back in the habit of writing everyday.
Steve
Hey Sebastian,
In looking back at the goals I listed, here is what it looks like.
1. I have 26 guest posts out there as of today
2. I launched my coaching program on a few weeks ago
3. I’m getting more than 4,000 monthly visits
4. I changed email providers and lost most of my list in the transition. My list is slowly building but not yet at 300 new subs
5. My new eBook was released last month
6. I have backed off from the writing a bit and am earning most of my income from personal training right now
7. I have a handful of people interested in joining my mastermind, but I have put it on the back burner
I was going to write a post with updates but given that 95% of my old audience (who really was interested in that stuff) is gone, I decided to skip it.
Sebastian Aiden Daniels
That’s a pretty big amount of guest posts. How is the coaching program going so far?
That makes sense. I am sure the personal training is more profitable right now and potentially more fulfilling since you are working in person with people.
How do you feel about the amount of traffic you are getting?
Steve
I could definitely be writing more although I have done quite a few. I have big ideas for hitting up some major sites, so those are in progress as well. The coaching is going well so far, just started this week..
As far as the traffic, it’s OK. I feel like I should be getting more but I haven’t done everything I need to do in order to drive it. Again, I have some ideas on all of this and the next 6 months are going to be exciting around here!
Sebastian Aiden Daniels
That is true, but we could technically always be doing more. Don’t push yourself beyond the brink. Nice. I look forward to hearing about the results of it.
You will get more over time as it seems to be an avalanche. You write awesome articles so it will pick up traction : D.