Quitting The Day Job

Get the Spouse On-Board!

The best secret weapon in the quest to quit the day job is the spouse (if you have one).

You may very well initially view them as an obstacle in your escape path, however you can turn them (hopefully) from obstacle to ally by using a few simple strategies.  I’m not saying this works for everyone.  There are spouses who will be dead set against any deviation in career path, life path, etc.

1) Do not work in secret:  You need to be open about what you are doing.  Don’t hide away in the study and keep papers, books, resources, purchases or subscriptions from them.  Working in secret could be the biggest mistake you could possibly make.  It’s okay to explore some ideas and do some minor work on your plan, but once you have a set idea of a plan you’d like to explore more or execute, inform them.

2) Make them your devil’s advocate:  let’s face it, your spouse is probably your worst critic already.  They question everything from your clothes, to movie choices, to use of spare time.  Why not turn that into a positive?  Bounce ideas off of them.  Get their opinion.  You might very well find that YOU might be the one who might be changing their mind.  A thought, an idea, a criticism from them might very well start you down a path you hadn’t considered in your own planning.

3) Make them a partner in the escape:  make them invested.  Get them interested in what you are doing, explain to them the benefits.  Especially in today’s world where money is tight, nothing can turn around a mind quicker than an explanation of how you could actually “make more money” with your escape than if you stayed in your work prison.  Get them physically involved in your process.  Have them research ideas or write up items for you.  Make them physically and emotionally invested in what you are trying to do.  Especially if you are trying to better your life.

4) Never ever take an idea of theirs for granted:  While my wife tends to not understand the way that many things work, there have been numerous times, especially over the last year, that she has suggested something.  I might brush it off and explain to her why it won’t work, or why it’s not a good idea.  Often she retools it and brings it back to me in a new format that I have not even thought of.  At that point we evaluate the idea.

5) Don’t overlook the obvious and don’t assume that the spouse “knows” how things work:  Example: Over the last 6 months I have been working to try to make some money on the internet.  I’ve made some, not a lot.  But I’m trying to work though ideas that I have.  One night while discussing something, my wife made an offhand statement about how she loved to shop and look though catalogs.  She said she wished she could get “paid for it”.  I mentioned a mutual acquaintance who was a “mystery shopper”.  She blew off that idea.  Then, somehow I got onto the subject of affiliate sales on the web.  How you can make money, a percentage of sales, if someone clicks on a link from your website or if they click on ads.   She had NEVER HEARD of this concept.  As I explained it more, it was like a revelation to her.  As we discussed it, we came up with the idea for her to do “a little side work”.  We’d create a website, a blog, where she would post items that she comes across while reading through the tons (literally) of catalogs that come to our house every week.  I convinced her that with a bit of set up work, some applications for affiliate programs, that she could continue to do what she already does, shop and read catalogs and maybe make some money off of it.
(NOTE:  She of course took it to the extreme: “OK, so I’ll blog and they’ll give me a car…and…”).  That is how my wife’s web business was born.

In conclusion:

Use the spouse to enhance your escape plan.  Bounce ideas off them, keep them informed of your progress, even get them physically involved in the process.  You just might be able to quit the day job sooner.