Hey everyone,
Its such a strange thing to go mentally from "I cant afford to loose my job" to "technically I don’t need to work any longer”. This has been a LONG process, going on about 5 years. As some of you know, we did live in an offgrid tiny cabin for 2 years. Technically we could move back into the cabin and rent our current house with enough cashflow to live. As tempting as that sounds, and believe me somedays its super tempting, its not something I get excited about. I worry about getting stuck in a rut that is very prohibitive to getting out of, and I like to have options. So I’ve looked into different jobs that might “fill the void” so to speak and allow flexibility post FIRE.
I’ve looked into fighting wildfires, piloting small aircraft, programming, tax preparation, blogging, writing articles for magazines, etc. Firefighting and piloting sound like a blast, however they require being ready at a moment’s notice and accountability when called upon, which is prohibitive to traveling. The others are a little more flexible, but I’m not real excited to do anything computer related on a regular basis post FIRE. So I’ve had these bouncing around in my head for a few years, I’ve even spent the last 2 years training and volunteering with a local fire department. I’ve also logged about 20 hours of flying time and enjoyed every minute of that. But these are tough to get jobs (not that I’m worried about that part) and they wouldn’t allow the kind of flexibility I’m looking for.
Recently, My wife and I decided that we want to move up to Alaska in 2 years. We both like living remote. However, she was concerned about not getting enough socializing. In the past we talked about maybe one day opening a bed and breakfast, but we weren’t into the idea of constantly having people staying with us. Then came a fresh idea the other day that I think might fit the lifestyle we want to live post FIRE.
We discovered fishing lodges that only operate part of the year! My mind was blown, they only operate for about 15 weeks out of the year. That leaves the other 37 weeks of the year to do other things! So for us it sounds like an amazing opportunity to earn some extra spending money, meet some cool people, and live in a beautiful location.
My question to all you entrepreneur mustacians is, given 2 years until we make the move, what can we do in the mean time to start laying the foundation for a future customer base?
I’m pretty knowledgeable in SEO and internet marketing, but who would you contact and network with?
I need help developing a plan of action so when we are ready to open up we already have an audience, that would be my goal. I’ve read a lot about it, I just don’t really know how to do it.
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Side Note:
Part of the reason for this post is to share our progress to FIRE, its pretty amazing. Anyone that tells you it cannot be done is dead wrong. You just have to have a goal and the will power to see it through to the end. I would have never thought I would be in a position to open a fishing lodge in Alaska, debt free no less. Its amazing what you can accomplish when you are free from debt, this would not be possible if we still had car and student loan payments.
2 years, start the count down! : )