More Money Podcast - 121 How to Screw Your NIne to Five - Jill Stanton, Co-founder of Screw the 9 to 5

Episode Date: October 18, 2017

Ever dreamed of saying "Screw you!" to your 9 to 5 job? Then you'll definitely want to listen to my interview with Screw the 9 to 5 co-founder Jill Stanton on entrepreneurship, choosing making your own opportunity, and making your own money. Long description:  For this episode of the podcast, I talk to Jill Stanton, co-founder of Screw the Nine to Five. Currently living in Vancouver (but originally from Toronto), her and her husband started an mega-successful online business because at the end of they day, they wanted to be able to screw their 9 to 5 jobs and live life on their terms. That’s why I was so drawn to Jill’s story. She was able to finally find her passion, start a business and essentially become completely location independent. She was even able to live in Thailand for a number of years, needing only her laptop to keep her business going. But as you’ll learn in her interview, it wasn’t that easy to get off the ground. Her and her husband started a number of different businesses before finding one that clicked. We talk more about the ups and downs of being an entrepreneur, what you should consider financially before screwing your 9 to 5, and how to not let anyone tell you what you can and can’t do as your career. What to Ask Yourself When Starting Your Business Does it feel heavy or light? If whatever you’re working on in your business feels heavy, edit it out. Focus on your plan A and don’t look back. When you have this attitude, you’ll feel more pressure (and motivation) to make it work. You don’t need a business or marketing background, degree or a business coach to start a business (just take Jill as a prime example). But that being said, work hard, do your research, and be smart with the decisions you make. Helpful Resources Check out some of Jill’s recommended resources Join ScrewU University Check out the Screw the Nine to Five blog Subscribe to the Screw the Nine to Five podcast For full episode show notes, visit: https://jessicamoorhouse.com/121 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Hello, hello, hello, and welcome to episode 121 of the Mo Money Podcast. I'm your host, Jessica Morehouse. Thank you so much for joining me for another fresh episode of the show. So I'm excited for this interview because it's actually kind of funny. So my guest is Jill Stanton. She is the co-founder of Screw the 9 to 5, which I love. And it's funny because we were talking before I hit the record button that we kind of swapped places. She's originally from Toronto, now lives in Vancouver. I'm originally from Vancouver, now live in Toronto. I don't know how these things happen, but it's kind of funny. So I wanted to chat with her because she is all about mo money. She created Screw the 9 to 5 with her husband as a way to help other people screw the 9 to 5 like they were able to. And she has a very

interesting story of how her and her husband were able to basically quit their day jobs to start their own business and live life on their own terms. And they got to do a lot of awesome stuff because of it, such as living in Thailand for a number of years and just living that kind of life, living completely location independent. And now they teach others how to do the same. And I've been following them for a while and they're pretty, pretty awesome. So I know you're going to love her. And also she's just super funny, super blunt, and we'll just give it to you straight. And I like that kind of lady. So before I get to that interview with Jill Stanton from Screw the 9 to 5, here is a few words about this episode's sponsor. So you're racing against the clock to wrap up three projects, prepping for a

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chat with me from lovely Vancouver. It looks beautiful out there. I'm so pumped to be here and I love Mo Money. Mo Money. I know. You're all about Mo Money. Without Mo problems, hopefully. Exactly. I dropped that part. It's just my money. I like it. Um, so I would love to get to know your story a bit more. I think I always kind of knew about your, um, brand, but it wasn't honestly until I heard you on an episode of Amy Porterfield's podcast and really loved your story and your advice about Facebook groups. And like, Oh,

and then when I found out you guys were Canadian, I loved you even more. So I definitely wanted to chat with you to learn how you basically did, I think, something that a lot of people dream of, which is screwing the nine to five. And not only that, but you like created your business. And that is his name, which I love. I think that's hilarious. Yeah. So, um, let's go from the beginning. Yeah. I would love to know where you started from. Let me take it back like 11 years then. Um, I got started online in doing web TV when really web TV wasn't even a thing. Like I got started doing it in 2006 when like frickin myspace was still oh my gosh So like no one's watching web TV back then

And I did two shows Thankfully it was when you could still delete shit off the internet because one was called 20-something TV and it was around Dating sex and relationships and I legit don't know if I would have this business. You can still find that stuff online. So I got started in that and then I started a web travel TV show and that's how I ended up in Australia. And at the same time I was starting, I was bartending at just a local place on the Gold Coast. And my manager heard about what we were doing and just asked me if I would be interested in like consulting on video marketing for him. And I just saw an opportunity to like get out of bartending, which I've been doing at that point for like 10 years and hated.

I was probably the angriest bartender you can be served by. I was just the angriest bartender you can be served by. I was just zero Fs. And so he was spending so much money on like traditional media, like tour guide books. He would pay like five grand a month for like one entry. And I was like, what if I could get paid five grand a month and I'll do all this, this and this for you. And he agreed to it. And so I was like, out. That was my first like profitable business. I quit bartending right away, which I don't think he was expecting. Cause I was like, Oh, well now that I'm going to do this, I'm going to quit bartending for you. So I hope that's cool. Um, and I started diving into that and I carried that from Australia into

New Zealand when we moved there and then back into Toronto. And I realized at that time, Josh had his own business with a former partner and they were selling software and online courses. And so here I am busting my ass for clients, like getting them out there on social media, like tweeting up a storm, small talk in my face off. And this fool sitting beside me, like working minimal hours and making all the money. And I was just like, what the F am I doing wrong? And so around the same time, we were both kind of getting disenchanted with our businesses. And we decided to just like test out a skincare website together, start a business together. And we started our skincare website.

Why did you choose skincare? I don't know. Okay. Cause I'm like skincare. Okay. Do you really like that? Well, like I grew to find it quite interesting. Well, yeah, I hope so. But it's a big market. It had a lot of search traffic. It had a lot of affiliate offers and it just made sense to try and carve out a little space in that market. And so, um, we kind of hit the ground running with that, stumbled our way through it. But by the end of 2012, we had built our business up. Like we started learning the ropes and we started duplicating what worked and cutting what didn't. And we had by the end of 2012, I think we had like six or seven sites by that point,

which allowed us to be making a decent income. So that was also the year we were getting married. So don't ever start a business with your significant other the year you're getting married. Yeah, that's testing the relationship out hardcore. It really did. I was just like, are we going to get married? I don't even know. And so we figured out our process and on our wedding week was when we had the idea for Screw the 9 to 5 because we had this big dream of moving to Thailand. So that was like our goal,

like build our affiliate business up to making $6, six or $7,000 a month so that we could afford to not only live there, but live like Westerners. Yeah, yeah, yeah, exactly. And be able to reinvest back into our business. And so we kind of set this like goal of 7,000 a month for that. And once we hit it, we're like, we out. And so, um, we were talking on our balcony during our wedding week and we were a few rums in like Bob Marley was playing. We're just talking about like, we want to share this journey. Like,

what does that look like? And what would we call that blog? And Josh is like, what would we call it? And I was like, I want something that like really reflects how we feel like, like screw the nine to five. And we're like,

Oh, I wonder if that's available um and we registered it right then and there and so we never really had any intentions we didn't know what to do with it because we didn't go into it to be coaches um we didn't go into it with any intentions really but it slowly started picking up steam and people just started resonating with the message and so we eventually by like mid 2014 sold off our other business, the affiliate business, which at the time had like 32 websites to it, um, to go all in on the screw. And, and from there, it's just been like a long process of figuring out what works and like cutting what doesn't and scaling what does and

really going all in on it. So it's been a ride. That is quite the journey. I'm curious because you started so early into digital marketing. I mean, digital marketing has only been around for like a little bit. Facebook didn't exist, you know. I mean, it started existing when I was in university and now people can go to university to learn about Facebook, which is mind boggling. I'm pretty sure. Yeah, they teach that in school now. And so I'm curious, like, how difficult was it to like, evolve your business? Like you're trying to figure out how to do business online, but also evolve when technology is evolving so rapidly. Yeah, I mean, honest to God, there's been so many frustrating moments just trying to figure it all

out. But I feel like entrepreneurship makes you so resilient and so resourceful. So when something doesn't work, you're like, okay, shit, that sucks. But whatever, what are we going to do? Give up and go get jobs. So you just kind of have to stay spotting what works and going in that direction and just staying true with what feels good to you. Like one of our like go to litmus tests, and this is something I learned from Danielle LaCorte was, does it feel heavy or light? And if something feels heavy, we cut it. If something feels light, we amp it up. And so I've never really, I mean, that's a lie.

I have followed what others have done because at the time I just didn't know any better, right? Like no one tells you exactly what you should be doing. And so we were just like kind of winging it, being like, oh, well, we see so-and-so doing this so maybe we should do that. Or we see this person doing that so maybe we should try that. And so it was a little messy and kind of cluster

fucky for a while but we have finally found our groove with communities and like what we're good at. And so it's just been a process of like identifying the platforms that feel best to us and like where our peeps hang out and then going all in on those. So you kind of mentioned like, you know, what are we going to do? Go get jobs. Was that just basically you're like, we cannot quit. We cannot fail because we got because we do not want to get jobs again. Yeah.

Like I would – I just would – I'm the worst employee you could ever have. Like I'm such a dick. When someone tells me like, go clean that, I'd be like, what? No. So I'm terrible. But there was a time like in 2015, when shit was getting really real for us and things weren't clicking the way we had hoped we had, our business model was wrong. And we were just kind of not really, we're just aimlessly floating. Like why should I write our

docs? Um, there were times where things were like tough. And I said to Josh, Oh my God, do we have to go get jobs? Like, I do not want this to happen. Um, but it was that pain that made us like extra scrappy. Yeah. So we could just dive in. We got super motivated, right? Like no motivation, like starvation. So we just hit the ground running, did a bunch of webinars and started kind of climbing our way out of that feeling. And so once I had that facing me, like, this is a possibility, I was like, so I just, we came out swinging and just did whatever we could to make it happen so that we wouldn't have to go get jobs because no. Yeah. So is it kind of like, it's maybe a good idea, not necessarily to have a plan B to fall back on. Cause sometimes that plan B can, it's almost too easy to fall back on. Like I've definitely like found, yeah. When you have this mentality, you're like, I can't go back to my job. I literally have to make it work. Then you make it work. I actually remember when I had my first web TV show, my producer was like, I don't believe in plan Bs because then you have a way out. And I was like, ooh, I like that.

So that's how we've always rolled. I mean, we had our affiliate business. So that gave us a bit of a cushion when we were starting this group. And I know not everyone has that stuff when they're first starting out. But that doesn't mean you can't have that. You know, like when you learn how to make money online, you have a very repeatable skillset that you can use over and over and over again. And I feel like people don't actually recognize that sometimes. And they're like, what am I going to do if this doesn't work out? If you've made a dollar, like you're good because you can just get scrappy and figure out how to make more dollars

um but with that being said like we've started a third business now and so I mean I wouldn't consider that a plan b I just like having diversified totally totally but no jobs are no no they're not an option but I don't think it's a bad thing like Like I have a few people on side screw you who have kind of opened up this conversation. Like what happens if I have to go get a side job while I make this work? I don't think there's anything bad about that. As long as you're not giving up on the dream. Like if you have responsibilities and kids and family and a mortgage,

like you need to do whatever you need to do to get that taken care of. But as long as you're not giving up on what you're there to do, then I could care less if people go. Yeah. I'd say, yeah, it's way smarter to, you know, if you realize I need to make some cash, then go a traditional route and make some cash. I think that's a responsible thing to do instead of trying to, you know, borrow money and then you're in debt and that'll, you know, hurt you in business because you'll be less, you know, likely to take risks in your business because you feel so cash restricted. And the worst thing you want to do is make desperate decisions in your business, right? Or like lower your prices because you need money. So whatever you need to do to get yourself out of

that mode, I think is smart. Absolutely. So what, so now that, you know, it's your business has grown, um, like what did it kind of start out as like the screw you to what it is now? Like, is it something like is what it is now something that you envisioned or is it totally different? Screw you or just like general screw the nine to five? Yeah. The general screw the nine to five kind of brand business. I feel like we've had almost every single business model. When we started out, we were like, we're going to do coaching because we had this whole affiliate business. So we'll teach people how to do that. Then we went to done for you services. So we had kind of a recurring done for you service based business, which lasted all of three months until

we're like, fuck this noise. This is a lot of work for not a lot of money. We went into digital products. Then we landed on membership sites. So we've kind of done all of them and have realized that membership sites, like that is our true jam. That's where our strength lies at least. Like we are community builders. That is what we like.

I love a dependable recurring business model. So that kind of plays to our desires and stuff. But really, it's just been a process of figuring out, again, what feels heavy and what feels light. When we had a one-off digital product business where we were relying on launches and selling a $2,000 course, it felt really heavy. Like I was really stressed all the time trying to say like, okay, well, how are we going to beat last month's revenue? You know what I mean? That's stressful. And I understand that a lot of people thrive under that pressure. I just didn't like it. And so when Josh brought up like, what happens if we switch the screw or screw you into a monthly membership model? I was like, tell me more.

And then you don't have to hit the reset button at the beginning of every month. You have the predictable, defendable money that you can use to map out the growth of your business, hire a team, invest in your growth, like all of that kind of stuff. That is my jam. And now that we have that like lockdown, now we've started layering on additional things. So we have our one-off products as well. We have live events, we have, you know, little quick coaching calls, that kind of stuff. So, um, it's just been a process of gradually layering on. Well, it's been a process of figuring out what we hate and cutting it, finding out what we love, going all in on it, and then slowly stacking from there.

What do you say to people who think that in order to kind of be an entrepreneur or start your own business, you need to have a background in business or marketing? I mean, I didn't have a background in business in marketing. Well, I started a skincare site, right? So that allowed me to cut my teeth and figure out how to build a business online, how to brand, how to write for the web, how to build an email list, how to get traffic. I mean, that's the biggest thing, right? Like if you don't have attention around your brand, you really don't have anything because who the F is going to buy anything. So it allowed me to cut my teeth that way. But I still felt all of those worries that everyone feels like,

oh, do I know enough? Or if I put myself out there, what happens if someone calls me out on this? Like that is a struggle of mine because I'm a nurturer and I never want to mislead people or be dishonest. And so it's just been a process of like figuring that on my end. But my only qualm around business coaches opening up business coaching who have never had a business is you're charging for something that you have no experience or results in. So like if I'm going to fork over cash for

you to tell me this is exactly what you do, but you've never done that, then yeah, I see a conflict of interest there. And I think that feels really heavy and just dishonest. But I also think that that's kind of like what's happening in our space right now, which is so effed up, which is why I like want to be the anti-trend to that. Yeah, no, that's another thing. Absolutely. I think that's another thing. Like I absolutely get targeted on Facebook for all those people from all the searching I do online. So I'm used to it, but I'm also very, you know, aware of like, okay, who's legit, who's not, but it does seem like, oh my God, are there just a million business coaches out there and who's legit. And they're all charging incredible amounts of money. And when you kind of, some people are totally fine,

but sometimes you dig deep and you're like, did you start? So your only business is the business right now that's teaching people about business, but you've never actually had a business. So what are some things that I guess you probably see a lot of this too, that people should look out for and be aware of so they don't sink their cash into someone that doesn't know what they're doing. Ask them what their results have been. What was your first business before you started coaching on business? I mean, that's- Yeah, if they silence. Right. Like that would be my first question. What results have you gotten other people? Okay. Okay. I'm your first client. Okay. what results did you get in your own business then

before you started coaching on this like how do you envision being able to help me and how do you see my message and how i'm like where do you see that going and how can you facilitate in that growth like really being smart doing your homework this is the shit that's driving me effing crazy online right now is these inflated promises. I feel like they're so misleading and so irresponsible. Um, this whole, like make your first hundred K in your first year. I'm like, shut the actual F up around that. Like it's getting tired. Um, but I also think those people will turn out i really do like i really think it's gonna be yeah if you burn someone word is gonna spread it just is you know like people are gonna talk

your reputation is gonna tank and no one's gonna want to work with you having integrity and a clear message and the proof to back it up that's how you create these sustainable businesses not going after this quick cash so that you're all about yourself but really building an experience for people and providing them with results and having the proof to back it up and and and having integrity like that's really I think what it comes down to. And then having the smarts to actually grow a strong business like that in itself speaks for itself. But I know people get burned all the time. People come in to screw you and they're like, I just got taken for 20 grand by a coach who did nothing for me. And I'm like, that's devastating. Like, how do you go from,

oh, I've never built a business in my life. 20 grand. Yeah. I should totally spend that. You know what I mean? Like you have to be more savvy in our own decisions and not just blame it on the coaches. Yeah. Your homework, like flashy marketing is not everything. You really need to look into people and ask them the right questions. Like ask them smart questions, ask them what they can do and what their proof is and what their results have been. And like, can I have referrals? Like, can I talk to your other clients? Yeah. Um, I, Josh and I got burned by a dude, not a coach, but he came on as like a strategic partner in a, in a course we were creating back in 2014. It took us like two months to realize home. We didn't know what the F he was talking about, but he listed us as like successful clients on his website. And when someone reached out to me, I was like, no, run far,

far away from this dude. Um, that's what you need to do. Like you need to do your homework. Don't just assume that people are telling the truth online because you can say anything online. Yeah. You really need to look for those beacons of truth, like the ones who have the proof and can show you that they're doing something similar to what you want to build. And I'd say a clear indicator too is sometimes I'm just curious and I'll look at someone. I'm like, okay, you say that you can build someone's social media following to crazy numbers. I'll look at their own social media accounts and it's like, I have more followers than you already. You need to have that proof out there, the obvious proof if you're saying that you're a genius with social media accounts. And it's like, I have more followers than you already. Like, you know, you need to have that proof out there. The obvious proof of you're saying that you're a genius with social media and it doesn't look like you are. Well, like that shit's vanity

metrics to me. Like I actually don't give a flying crap about someone's follower accounts. I would much rather have 1000 versus 10,000. 1,000 gave a shit about what I was talking about versus 10,000 who were like, I'm just here for the free exposure or I'm just here wasting time. I only care about the people who believe in the message. I only want the people who are going to actually interact with us. Otherwise, that stuff just doesn't matter because it doesn't move the needle in your business. And then who cares yeah because like you need to get in front of the people who will actually spread the message and believe in what you're trying to do and further it and want to work with you and i mean sales are the lifeblood of your business so if they're not converting into

customers yeah why does it matter if you have big flashy numbers? No, absolutely. Absolutely. Perfect example. I had a huge ass Facebook group, which looks great on paper. Yeah. That was 5,000 and I shut it down because I'm like, what's the point? It's an echo chamber of bullshit in here now. Yeah. I saw that. And I thought I kind of, I'm glad actually that you did close it down and then you created a new one. That's definitely a little bit more curated and, you know, private. And then I saw after you guys did that, then a bunch of other people started doing that with their huge mega groups too. And it's interesting to see this shift where lots of people, it's all about like growing those numbers, but now they get to this certain amount

and it's just like, yeah, people just saying the most ridiculous crap. And that's why I really appreciated you doing that and just like all the stuff people just saying the most ridiculous crap. And that's why I really appreciated you doing that. And just like, you know, all the stuff that you've talked about, Facebook groups. I've started a Facebook group myself. And at first I thought the goal was to have a big community because it's like more people, you know, more exposure, but not necessarily if they're saying stuff you don't want them to say. And that's like, oh, that's off brand or that's really negative.

That's not my brand. It's all about positivity. And so, you know, actually having to like kick people out and, or just like, you know, putting some barriers, like, okay, you have to, you know, ask or answer this question before you get in. I need to like do my due diligence. So it's a little bit more work than I think people expect just, and that's like one little element to kind of creating a brand and stuff like that. Well, I don't think anyone really talks about what actually goes into building strong communities, let alone a profitable business, because it's so easy to sell. Oh, my God, the simple six step system to creating a million dollar business.

And you're like, oh, really? It's like, if it's that simple, why aren't we all rich? Yeah, exactly. And like when groups come into play, like people if it's that simple, why aren't we all rich? Yeah, exactly. And like when groups come into play, like people think it's just an easy fix, but you don't understand if those people aren't engaging with your group, then again, why does it matter? Like, what's the point? Because you really only want a group of people who believe in what you're doing and are there to participate in it.

Otherwise, it's an echo chamber of noise. Exactly. Yeah. It's not beneficial for anyone. No. So you said that you moved to Thailand and that sounds like my dream personally. Like I've talked to my husband about his, his name is also Josh,

which is funny. Really? Yeah. I'm like, Oh yeah. Two J's. Two J's. And I know JJ.

And cause we went to Thailand four years ago, loved it. We're there for a month and I'm like, yeah yeah. Two J's. Two J's. And I know J and J. And because we went to Thailand four years ago, loved it. We're there for a month. And I'm like, yeah. Where'd you go? Oh, everywhere. We stayed in Bangkok. We, as a friend who lives there, we went to Chiang Mai and then we stayed in Koh Lanta for a bit.

So we went everywhere. Absolutely loved it. So you were there when I was there? Yeah. Yeah. It was 2013, I think. 2013 were you there? I was there yeah yeah it was 2013 I think 2013 I was there 2013 till the end of 2014 oh my gosh yeah we were there probably well I don't think there's any way I could have passed you on the street it was so freaking busy and we lived in Chiang Mai most of the time yeah

oh I love Chiang Mai oh yeah like I would probably move there also it's less hot than the lots of the other places way less hot way less hot I love the meme of Bangkok where it's like earth Bangkok sun yeah it's true like sometimes we just have to go into a mall because I'm like I can't handle this I need to go to a mall right now my saving grace in Thailand the 7-elevens that are like ice cold love those so good, I miss it. Just daydreaming about it. But anyways, so you kind of did like, I feel like my dream, maybe other people's dreams is to move to a tropical location where it's way cheaper. You can do whatever you want. What made you decide to move back to Canada and Vancouver? Time zone. Yeah. Like I was over getting up at 4am to run webinars. I just thought it was like, no.

Yeah. Especially in the initial growth of our business. That was 2014. We had just, for the first time ever, launched a successful product. And doing coaching calls that early, doing webinars, interviews. I remember my first interview for Entrepreneur on Fire. I had to get up at like 3 a.m. I was so stressed about it because I had just met John at an event and like our friendship

was very new. So I like wanted to knock it out of the park for him. So I didn't even sleep. But like getting up that early, like that's craziness for if you really want to go all in on that. I wanted to be in the action and on a better time zone, to be honest. Like that's craziness for if you really want to go all in on that. And I just, I wanted to be in the action and on a better time zone, to be honest.

And like 70% of our clientele is Canada and the U S. So it was a no brainer for us. Yeah. I can't believe that's like something that I never really considered. It's like the time zone. Done. Who would have thought? Who would have thought?

I'm like, Oh yeah. Different time zone. Oh, that, that little zone. Oh, that. Yeah, that little thing. That's important. My gosh. So now that you're back in Vancouver

and I love what you're doing, especially the Screw You, the membership site. I want to talk a little bit about why, like what's really involved in this membership site. Some of them want to go in there. What's in there? What can they expect? A lot. But in a good way so nothing overwhelming so i'll just break down like the structure so that you

know um so it kind of sets the stage and also i feel like it's important to be honest about this kind of stuff because there's people who say oh you can just start a membership site and it's so easy and i'm like yeah until cancel. Um, and then you're back at square one, right? So for screw you, if you join, um, right away, you're invited to hop on a call with our community manager and he really helps you get integrated into the community. So he tells you how to use the virtual campus, how to use the members portal, like the emails to expect, the people to meet, where to request access to the Facebook group, how the calls work each month. And I really think that when it comes to membership sites and communities, integration is your

biggest win and your biggest priority because people want to feel involved. And if you just let them come into a Facebook group where they're like, um, hi, um, I'm new here. Like they're not going to have the best experience. Whereas if you talk to someone on our team, you get information around who you can connect with that's relevant to your business or where you're at location wise. He really helps you kind of get into the family. So you're not feeling like an outsider so that you can actually participate. Then from there, every first Wednesday of the month, we have our screw shrink sessions.

So this is with our resident screw shrink and her name is Heather Gray. And she was a member for a year, but she's a licensed therapist. And she did a free, she did like a strategy session for our members. And it was one of the most popular. And I just kept saying to Luke, who's our community manager,

I can't help but think this needs to be a monthly thing. Mindset is 90% of the battle in this journey we're all on. And when you don't know how to navigate or reframe or get some perspective around a lot of this emotional torture we all go through, it can really bring you down. So she hosts monthly sessions where people can come on and talk through different mindset beliefs or challenges or hiccups they're having, like the fear of putting yourself out there or like how to get your friends and family on board and like all the stuff that we all go through. Then the second and fourth Wednesday of the month, we hold hot seats. And this is where Josh and I bring three members on each month or sorry,

each call. And we deep dive into their business for like 20 to 25 minutes per person. And then on the third week of the month, we have office hours with Renee, who's like our customer success manager, but she also used to run a WordPress maintenance business. So she comes on and helps people work through their tech hiccups, gets their websites all looking fresh. And then we also have member led masterminds, which we call momentum masterminds, um, which go down that week as well. And then on top of that, we have weekly Q and a videos.

So if anyone has questions before, you know, if our hot seats are booked out for a few months, so if you can't get in there right away, but you have a few questions, you can just submit them to us and me and Luke and Josh answer them every week and their timestamp and you're tagged in there. And then on top of that, we have our virtual campus, which is the one thing we're most excited about. And it is legit a virtual campus.

We have productivity rooms where you can go do Pomodoro sessions. And we have like the parents room where you can come and work with your kids. And we have private rooms where you can come lead your mastermind calls and we have content creation rooms and social media rooms and all of these things that allow people to come and work together with their audio and video on have conversations we have casual conversation rooms we have a disco we have a drinking lounge so it really allows us to further that connection because one thing we kept hearing is, I just feel so alone doing this.

No one really gets what I'm doing. And so we're like, ding, we can cater to that. So we just set up this campus. So that is a huge part of Screw You. And that basically sums it up. We have a live event, Facebook group, all of that kind of stuff. So the idea that, and I feel like this have a live event, Facebook group, all of that kind of stuff. So the idea that, and I feel like this is a big misconception that lots of people think a membership site is an easy way to get, yeah, just, you know, monthly income.

You can set it, forget it. That sounds really busy. That sounds really busy. And I mean, this didn't all happen at once, right? Like we've been at this over two years. So we, when we started, we started with two calls a month. That was it. And a Facebook group and a member's portal to like list all our content. But it never was. And it was like one hot seat and one Q and a call. And that was that.

Then from there, as we started bringing on help, we started adding on different features. We started asking our members what they wanted more. We do an end of the year poll to see like, are we on track with what you guys want? What could we include that helps facilitate these things? Um, and we've brought on help, right? Like, yeah, it's not just Josh and I anymore. We have a community manager, we have an operations manager, we have traffic and marketing, we have customer support, we have, you know, so it's an operation, but it's the bedrock of our business. And so we went all in on it. But yeah, it's a lot. A lot.

It's a lot. Yeah. But that's awesome. But it has a certain charm for a reason. And people stay as long as they do because of that. And so we really are protective around that. So we want to do whatever we can to just give people a place that is like almost like a one-stop shop. Like I always say, you don't need to go throw down on the $2,000 courses left, right, and center. Yeah. Because there's so many people in there. Like one thing I love the most about, they call themselves the

scrambly, but the screw you family. They are all so willing to help each other out. Like there's a girl, Sarah Christensen, who has a mastermind service, or there's Jessica, who is like a visibility strategist, or there's people who do Facebook ads, or there's people who do bots, or there's people who do WordPress setups or copywriters, and they will come into the campus with you and really work alongside of you for no money, just out of the goodness of their hearts. And that's what makes that community so, excuse me, so fricking rad is that people are just so damn selfless in there and they help each other so much. And it's really just the bee's knees. And that's what it really should be.

I totally agree. I feel like me being a relatively new entrepreneur, I've only been doing this for six months on my own. I found the biggest struggle is feeling alone. So that's really cool that you've like found, Oh, that is honestly one of the biggest besides like making money and figuring out what to do and scheduling yourself. It's like keeping yourself accountable and, and feeling like you're not in this world alone. Cause I am in my own desk alone. I don't have any staff. I don't have any staff. I don't have any coworkers. So that's just how it is.

So I think that's a really cool idea. I've never heard of anything like that before. And you're not like so many people feel that way. Yeah. You know, like so many people feel alone. That's why Josh and I moved to Thailand because I was so sick of answering, are you still working?

Like I actually hated that question so much. Or like,, are you still working? Like I actually hated that question so much or like, why are you working on a weekend? Don't you have your own business? And I'm like, shut up. You don't get it. You don't get it at all. Um, and so we moved to Thailand because as you know, it's such a huge hub of online entrepreneurs. Um, and so we really saw what was possible there for this sense of community that not everyone's getting. And so, yeah, I couldn't agree more. A ton of people feel lonely, like entrepreneurial loneliness is a real thing that people struggle with. Absolutely. Absolutely. Wow. So wrapping up, thank you so much for sharing all of that. That's super motivating and inspiring. No, I love it. I absolutely love it because I feel like a lot

of people don't really get to the core, like this important stuff, you know, they'll, the splashy stuff is, you know, easy to kind of talk about, but it's, you know, the hard stuff kind of isn't. But just to wrap up, if someone is, you know, on the verge of thinking of doing a side hustle or their own online business, but they're terrified, what would be some of your pieces of advice to give them? And I know, you know, entrepreneurship isn't exactly for everybody, but I think a lot of people don't even try because they're scared to fail. My number one suggestion would be go join relevant Facebook groups to like what you want to do. Get involved in communities because those are

packed full of people who are chasing a similar dream, who get the sacrifices we all have to make, and they're there to cheer you on, right? Like that is the best thing you could do is surround yourself with people who are doing it so that you can see it's possible. Yeah. That's, that would be my first piece of advice is like surround yourself with people who are doing it because they will show you what's possible and they will be there to cheer you on all the way. And without that, I really think it's going to be an uphill battle because when you, when you have people who subtly undermine what you're trying to do, it's going to take a toll on you. And if you don't have that support network, you're going to, you're going to get dissuaded or deflated or discouraged, and you're going to want to give up. But when you have these communities, whether they're free or paid you know that keeps you going

it fuels you yeah no i know i eat up groups meet exactly you can go yeah absolutely no i i totally agree it's it's the people that have been in the community i've been in like personal finance and also kind of going into more you know facebook groups that are more focused on online business it's really nice to know that other people have the same questions. They have answers to some of my questions. And generally, if you find good groups, they're all supportive. And it's not about competition. I think that's the important thing to remember. 100%. And then do your homework if someone tries to pitch you. Yes. It's always like, oh, really? Come on. Because you don't need a business coach to start a business. I'm just going to throw it out there. I like that. Yeah, I like that.

Absolutely. Well, thank you, Jill, for taking the time to chat with me and share some of your wisdom. I really, really appreciate it. Thanks for having me on Mo Money. And that was episode 121 of the Mo Money podcast, talking to Jill Stanton, co-founder of Screw the 9 to 5. Make sure to check their website out at screwtheninetofive.com and nine and five are written out. They're not letters. So screwtheninetofive.com for more info about them and what they're up to. And also make sure to check out the show notes. I'm going to put a lot of information in there about what we talked about, helpful links, helpful tips and stuff that you will definitely want to check out. jess. JessicaMorehouse.com slash 121 will be where you can find the show notes for this episode.

And also, here are a few words about this episode's sponsor. Did you know that one in three Americans are self-employed? Because of the internet, it's now easier than ever to become self-employed or start a small business. That's why I was able to take a huge leap of faith and leave my nine-employed or start a small business. That's why I was able to take a huge leap of faith and leave my nine-to-five almost a year ago. What started as my side hustle is now my full-time job, and I can run my entire business out of the comfort of my own home. Now, it has not been a walk in the park. I will not lie to you about that. Going from employee to entrepreneur is not for the fainthearted. But what has made the transition

so much easier in my life is by using software that really fits my needs. That's why I use FreshBooks as my go-to cloud accounting software. It helps me stay organized. I can pull reports within seconds. I can stay on top of payments from clients. And it basically takes a huge weight off my shoulders come tax time. And what's really cool is FreshBooks just came out with an all new version of their cloud accounting software. And they're offering a 30 day unrestricted free trial to all of my listeners. If you want to take advantage and try FreshBooks out for yourself, all you have to do is go to freshbooks.com slash Mo and enter MoM podcast in the how did you

hear about a section once again to try it out for free go to freshbooks.com slash mo and enter momoney podcast in the how did you hear about a section all right so of course since today is wednesday tomorrow i have another episode for you on thursday but it will not be part of my listener series it's actually uh an expert interview. I will be interviewing Edward Kolodenko. He is the CEO and founder of Questrade, a discount brokerage. So if you're interested in learning more about investing, especially DIY investing, how to do it yourself to save on fees and just be more involved, you will definitely want to tune into tomorrow's episode. And also a big thank you to everyone who's been really, you know, awesome lately,

sending me all these nice emails and tweets about the show. I always love feedback, especially positive feedback. So one way you can do that and also, you know, be in line to possibly win a $25 Amazon gift card is by giving me an iTunes review. I'm going to put more information about this contest in the show notes, JessicaMorales.com slash 121. But essentially, I just need you to give me an iTunes review as your kind of entry into the contest. Tell me what you think about the show. And then send me, you know, a screenshot of it

with your contact details and you'll be in the running to win a $25 Amazon gift card. I will be running this contest from now until December. So there are three chances to win and I'm excited to see who's going to be our first winner. I will be drawing that winner very soon and will be announcing it on my email list. And I hope you're on there because that's how you'll find out who is the winner. So go to jessicamorehouse.com slash subscribe. Again, I'll put some info in there in the show notes so you won't miss out. So thanks again for joining me for this episode of the show. I'll see you back here tomorrow with a fresh new episode.

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