There’s an unspoken rule in most MBA programs: once you graduate, you’re going to work a lot.
I’ve spent a lot of time chatting with classmates over the past few weeks. Without exception, we’re all working a lot. I chose a less-demanding career path than my consulting friends, logging 55ish hours per week compared to their 70-plus. Tech is notably less strenuous than consulting. But by and large, everyone is accepting their newfound stress and learning to balance the weight of their nascent responsibilities as they settle into their new, different lives.
During my two years in business school, I don’t remember talking to classmates about the role work plays in our lives. Given how fully we’ve stuffed our plates with the stuff, it’s something I wish we’d spent a bit more time with.
As best I can tell, work serves two purposes:
It’s a means of providing, and a means of stability. It’s the bottom of Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs.
It’s a means of self-satisfaction and self-actualization. It’s where we derive personal meaning. It’s the top of Maslow’s Hierarchy, too.
People in careers like Tech and Consulting are a privileged bunch, smart enough and skilled enough to earn their keep and set their fiscal house in order. On a long enough timeline, that first bullet becomes less and less relevant. High earners save and invest and eventually don’t deal with daily financial stress.
Over a sufficiently long timeline, the purpose of work creeps higher and higher up Maslow’s Hierarchy. We work as a means of self-satisfaction.
I’ve been thinking about this a lot recently. I like my job, I like my industry, but I don’t really want the lives our executive team leads. They exist to work, and their daily stress is a cattle prod, zapping their energy and often crushing their spirits. The further I progress in my career, the less I want money and status to matter. I want self-actualization to come from meaningful and influential work.
So, I’ve set a rule for myself: cool jobs only.
Position myself well enough to leave jobs that aren’t fun, and stick around so long as I’m doing meaningful work. Should that change, and life drift back toward stress, then I’ll step away and do something else.
The above can’t happen without multiple income streams, so here’s an update on what I’m building:
Exam Date
I’ve begun Chapter 6 of my CSCS textbook, and the most complex chapters are mostly behind me. Still on target to sit for the CSCS exam in late February 2024. Currently in the weeds, learning biological adaptations to anaerobic and aerobic training.
Finding Product/Market Fit
I’ve had about a dozen calls with folks over the past few weeks, drilling into different populations that could benefit from more training guidance. After pivoting once from combat sports to folks in high-status jobs, I’m refining this one more time:
When I go to market early next year, I’m targeting folks who meet the following criteria:
They do not have a consistent resistance training routine
They want to change their body composition or get stronger
They don’t know where to start
In the first two markets I explored, these are the folks who gave me the most positive feedback. It’s folks who want to be stronger or fitter, but can’t figure out the right approach.
Existing solutions include personal trainers (either in person or virtual) and free/low-cost workout plans online. The former is expensive - especially in-person trainers - and the latter doesn’t typically work without hands-on guidance.
This Will Be Successful If
In my first six months, I want to be generating $500 of net income per month.
More to come.