January 2nd I'm not showing up (here's why)

Last Christmas, I took 5 days off.

December 23rd to 27th.

Spent it with family. Opened presents. Ate too much.

Then January 2nd came.

Back to the desk. Back to the commute. Back to pretending this was "the plan."

This Christmas?

I'm taking the whole week off.

And I'm not going back.

Not because I quit my job in some dramatic exit.

Because I built something that doesn't end when the holiday does.

Here's the thing:

I was never the type of person who saw themselves working a 9-5 forever.

Not because I thought I was "above it."

Because it just never fit.

The idea of asking permission to take a day off.

Trading 40 hours of my week for someone else's goals.

Sitting in meetings about meetings.

Pretending that was freedom.

It wasn't me.

But here's what I didn't know for the longest time:

You can't just "not be a 9-5 person."

You have to BUILD the alternative.

And I spent 3 years thinking about building it without actually building it.

2022: "I'll start something this year." (Didn't)

2023: "I'll start something this year." (Didn't)

2024: "I'll start something this year." (Actually did)

The difference?

January 3rd, 2025.

Everyone else was back at work complaining about "the grind."

I decided I was done being one of them.

Not in 5 years. Not "someday."

That week.

Started a newsletter. Didn't know what I was doing. Didn't have a massive following.

Just had a decision: Build something or stay stuck.

And something shifted.

Not overnight. Not in week 1.

But slowly, I stopped being "someone who hates their 9-5."

I became someone who was building their way out.

Different identity. Different actions. Different future.

This Christmas, I'm not counting down the days until I "have to go back."

I'm counting up.

Months until I can hand in notice.

Revenue milestones I'm hitting.

Freedom I'm building one email at a time.

Not because I got lucky.

Because I started.

If you're reading this during Christmas break...

And you've never really seen yourself as a "9-5 lifer"...

You know the feeling I'm talking about.

That nagging sense that this isn't what you're supposed to be doing.

That there's supposed to be another way.

Here's what I learned:

There is another way.

But it doesn't find you.

You build it.

And you don't need months to start.

You need 3 hours.

Here's what 3 hours gets you:

Hour 1: Pick your niche (newsletter topic you actually care about)

Hour 2: Set up platform (takes 20 minutes, spend 40 minutes writing first email)

Hour 3: Create simple lead magnet (PDF with 5 tips, that's it)

Done.

You're now "someone building a newsletter business."

Not "someone thinking about it."

But here's the thing nobody tells you:

Most people get stuck because they're building it backwards.

They think: Build a personal brand first, then figure out how to make money later.

Wrong order.

The right way?

Build a newsletter that makes money from email 1.

Not email 100.

Not "someday when you have enough followers."

Email 1.

Creators and founders like you are being told to “build a personal brand” to generate revenue but…

1/ You can be shadowbanned overnight
2/ Only 10% of your followers see your posts

Meanwhile, you can write 1 email that books dozens of sales calls and sells high-ticket ($1,000+ digital products).

After working with 50+ entrepreneurs doing $1M/yr+ with newsletters, we made a 5-day email course on building a profitable newsletter that sells ads, products, and services.

Normally $97, it’s 100% free for 24H.

Get the course 100% free

This time next Christmas, you'll either:

A) Be taking 5 days off and dreading January 2nd again

B) Be taking the whole week off because you built something that actually fits who you are

The choice you make this week determines which one.

From: Someone who never fit the 9-5 mold but didn't know what else to do

To: Someone building the alternative

That's the shift.

And it starts the moment you decide "enough waiting."

I decided January 3rd, 2025.

When are you deciding?

— Digital Savage

P.S. If you've never seen yourself as a "career person," you're not broken. You just need to build what fits. That's what I'm doing. That's what this is.

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