Unstoppable by Design: How to Build a Business while Working a 9–5
Get this straight: There is no time without passivity, and there is no leverage without business.
In this article, I’ll break down exactly how to build a business while working a 9–5 with the objective of hedging your downsides and maximising your upside.
But let me first say this: the idea of owning and building a business is beyond romanticised. At this point, it is becoming sexualised.
A business is not an escape from a job. It can enslave you more than a job can.
Your hours may be longer, your income may be lower, and your social status may be diminished compared to those who work traditional jobs because your business sucks.
Here’s some facts adapted from HEC Paris:
On average, entrepreneurs earn 4% to 15% less per year than their wage-earner counterparts, work longer hours, experience higher income risk, and their earnings rise less quickly over time.
Only a small fraction of entrepreneurs end up making a lot more money than they did as employees.
In other words, for every Richard Branson, there are thousands of restaurant owners, graphic designers, and plumbers slaving away for less than what they would as salaried employees.
Over a lifetime, it adds up to a substantial amount in terms of foregone earnings.
I hope you realize how high the bar is to become a successful entrepreneur. Entrepreneurs don’t become successful just because they decided to work hard. After all, working hard is a relative term.
A person who is used to undershooting their goals may define working hard as a 10% effort relative to a person who consistently crushes every single goal because they are just that much more competent.
You’re most likely not going to be part of that small fraction of glamorised entrepreneurs. The good news is that you don’t need to be.
1. Begin with your end in mind
I referenced the term “successful”. That’s a loaded word.
Instead of conforming to the culturally-derived intuitive understanding of success, contemplate about constructing your own version of it.
With a good understanding of your personal definition of success, your barometer is set. Everything you do should be measured against it, not against glamorised standards.
You define your own standards to pursue.
Have you heard of Mansa Musa? How about Mary Anning? Ignaz Semmelweis? Hedy Lamarr? Robert Boyle? Ada Lovelace?
Probably not, even though they were exceptionally sensational in their lifetime.
Likewise, people will most likely not remember anyone significant in this lifetime, including you and me.
It’s time to stop trying to impress anyone, this ultimately is vanity.
Lesson 1: No matter the level of success you’ve achieved in a lifetime, you are insignificant in the grand scheme of things.
What has been is what will be,
and what has been done is what will be done,
and there is nothing new under the sun.
Is there a thing of which it is said,
“See, this is new”?
It has been already in the ages before us.
There is no remembrance of former things,
nor will there be any remembrance
of later things yet to be among those who come after.
- Ecclesiastes 1:9–11; The Holy Bible
2. Select a business with Leverage and Passivity
The attractive thing about running your own business is its potential for leverage and passivity.
While a job may offer a comfortable level of wealth, it can never match the incredible leverage and passivity that a business can provide, if and only if the business is intentionally designed to cater to these needs.
Keep in mind that not all forms of businesses are coveted by the new rich.
Only businesses with the potential for 2 things are worthy of consideration:
- Leverage: Scaling impact with zero to little marginal cost
- Passivity: Generating revenue requiring little or no continuous effort
A job is confined to Level 1 leverage (Labour), and the key is to build a business that exploits permissionless leverage (Code & Media).
The new rich find the idea of only having wealth distasteful.
More than wealth, the new rich have time.
With time, it is possible to:
- Generate more wealth, if desired
- Attain greater levels of health, if desired
- Forge more meaningful relationships, if desired
- Experience more happiness and fulfilment, if desired
In our borderless era, time alone is the greatest resource of all.
Accumulate more time for yourself by only engaging in businesses that afford leverage and passivity. Anything else is smoke, mirrors and an unproductive use of time.
Lesson 2: By tapping into permissionless leverage of Code and Media, the new rich can have it all — Wealth, Health, Relationships and Happiness.
3. Create an Unstoppable Lifestyle from Day One
The above flowchart represents a pathway intentionally designed to be unstoppable from Day 1.
It also brings across a key concept: Businesses are simply jobs that can be scaled and sold (anything other than this is not a business).
Notice also that a “Business” defined in the diagram is synonymous to other forms of capital ownership such as Real Estate, Securities, and the like.
The goal is with every new Business, you increase the velocity from Start to Sold.
Step 1/4. Getting a job
Yes, you heard me right. Getting a job is your first step.
In most cases, when you’re just starting out, you have no money and no network. The simplest way to get started is with a job. The whole idea underpinning this logic is that your first stream of income is targeted at sustenance.
When your fundamental expenses, such as food, beverages, utilities, mortgage, and other basic necessities, are not covered to a degree that enables you to sleep soundly at night, you may become desperate.
Desperate people often prioritise short-term decisions that can inadvertently tarnish their own reputation.
Lesson 3: In business, reputation is everything.
Create for yourself a safe space to thrive, then shoot for the stars once your basic needs are well taken care off.
More resources = more opportunities.
Without a doubt, it is necessary for the job you choose to at least meet two requirements:
- Allowing for a savings rate of minimally 30%. (To boost your excess income for kickstarting Business #1)
- Respecting the standard 9-to-5 work schedule. (To allow for additional time outside of work to focus on Business #1)
Step 2/4. Breaking through the Line of Resistance
The danger of being in a job is that with a 30% savings rate, you might tend towards the default mode.
This is especially true for superordinate workers with high salaries. Please don’t lose sight of your personal philosophy.
If you aspire to change the world, explore new places and cultures, then why the hell are you still stuck in a job after 10, 30, 50 years?
I’m only saying this because you are reading this article, indicating that your personal philosophy tends toward breaking through the line of resistance. Otherwise, please keep up the good work.
Remember this: If you can be trained to do something well, the system can train somebody else to do it even better for less pay.
Lesson 4: Knowledge found in schools, workplaces or any organisation will never be the source of wealth found outside of it.
A good worker is someone who is replaceable by someone else who is willing to do the same work for less pay. Don’t be a good worker. Be the owner, the founder, the CEO. Then you can set the rules, and the world will play by your game.
- Naval Ravikant
Step 3/4. Straddling the Line of Resistance
This is where the rubber meets the road when you begin working on Job #1 and Business #1 simultaneously.
You are straddling on the line of resistance.
The concept of being unstoppable by design means that you are consistently operating two businesses simultaneously at all times:
- Job #1 & Business #1 (toughest)
- Business #1 & Business #2
- Business #2 & Business #3
… - Business n & Business n
Managing Job #1 and Business #1 simultaneously can be the most challenging aspect of your initial entrepreneurial journey, primarily due to the time-dependency of Job #1.
However, as you advance to managing Business #1 and additional businesses, they are purposefully designed to be time-independent, allowing for more flexibility.
Therefore, it is crucial to prioritise leverage and passivity when selecting your businesses to ensure that you can maintain them without compromising your time in the long run.
Lesson 5: Time, leverage and passivity unlocks greater time, leverage and passivity. This is the power of compounding in action.
Step 4/4. Destroying the Line of Resistance
Congratulations! You’ve made it.
At this stage, you’ve reached a significant milestone where Business #1 can now cover your essential expenses, and you are prepared to leave Job #1 and move forward with Business #2.
Then Business #2 & Business #3, then Business #3 & Business #4, and so forth. You get the point?
Some people title this “escaping the rat race”, but it is really only the liberating journey of compounding.
One final note
Here is Tony Dinh, celebrating the launch of his latest product.
He’s a 29 year old independent indie hacker that started as an Software Engineer employee, broke through the line of resistance, and today is on Business #3 (Xnapper) & Business #4 (Typingmind).
Business #1 (DevUtils) & Business #2 (BlackMagic) are not sold and are still generating a healthy recurring revenue.
Tony is an independent business owner, managing his ventures single-handedly, without any partners or VCs.
Here is Chad and Claire, a travel couple who’ve travelled to over 50 countries at 24 years old, and lived in a van for ~1 year.
Here is Jean, a Singaporean ex-lawyer who “retired” at 38 years old in Bali, realising that the corporate chase was not for her. Today, she’s a YouTuber.
How about you? What is your story?
Will it be one that is worthy of yourself?
Thanks for reading this Medium article! If it has helped you in one way or another, I’d be thrilled if you can let me know.
You can also find me on Instagram — @darienjacobtan
About Me:
Hi! I’m Darien — a proud husband and digital entrepreneur from Singapore.
One of the main themes you’ll find in my work is philosophy on health, wealth, relationships, and happiness.
I firmly believe that these four pillars of life are interconnected and that we cannot have one without the others. I also believe that there’s no one-size-fits-all approach to achieving success in these areas. Instead, we need to find our own unique paths and embrace our individuality.
My goal is to challenge you to think critically about your own beliefs and values so that you can live a life that you truly love. If you’re ready to start living life on your own terms, then you’re at the right place.
