i'm quitting everything... what would you do?

[Coffeecuppony]

I can't believe i'm saying this. I'm so scared and excited

I'm in my late 20s, live in a large UK city, have run a small business that has afforded me to live but not thrive. I have had the same panics and stresses day in day out for the last few years and something has to change.

My friends make four times my salary in their corporate jobs and dislike their jobs. i just know that life isn't for me. I just need new experiences so I can figure out what excites me.

I am going to quit everything, sell all my stuff, move country, and start a whole new life, and try and become a writer.

I have enough savings budgeted to last two months so wherever I go I will need to find work - preferably doing something fun and different e.g. tourist guide. Hopefully one day I can be a full time writer.

I would love to write business books and also comedy but have a lot to figure out yet.

I need somewhere inexpensive, warm climate, exciting new experience and safe for a lone women.

I currently own and live in a small derelict flat which I need to renovate before I move so I can rent it out and have a little income but at least cover my mortgage. I will spend most of my savings on these renovations.

I have given myself until June next year to move which feels very close but is enough time to plan.

I don't yet have kids but would like to in the future which is a lot easier for moving. I just have no idea how to go about moving and getting work in another country.

I just know I can't live my current life anymore.

What would you do ? Where would you go? Do you know of any opportunities? How do I not become broke? How do I become a writer?

Nobody is saying don’t go- they are saying do it sensibly. Forewarned is forearmed.

You don't have children so should have time to write now. Why not try to write a short story or poems and start sending things off to competitions. Do a writing course. I think it's mad to think you'll suddenly be able to write if you move country. By all means move - but don't link the two in your mind you could write perfectly well now if you wanted to.

Can you tell us why you're not making more of a profit from your current business?

I wish I'd had the opportunity to move abroad but I got pregnant young. Now is definitely the time to do it! It sounds like a great idea, but your plan seems to be lacking in clarity though.

2 months living expenses is NOT enough. Depending on what country you move to, jobs might not be that easy to come by. £4k will get you nowhere these days. 6-12 months of living expenses would be more realistic.

If I were you, and writing was something I wanted to do, I'd make sure I was an established writer BEFORE I went. That way you can make money anywhere in the world.

I have websites and hire freelance content writers. A few of them make 6 figures a year. However, it takes years of writing practice and crappy low paid jobs to get to that stage. Most of them don't apply for jobs but cold email pitch potential clients. The more high profile clients you can work for, the better your pitch will sound. They get a lot of their work through social media contacts as well.

There's a difference between writing for pleasure (and being able to write all day doing it) and writing for pay. You may have to write thousands of words a day on topics that don't even interest you.

If you intend to self publish business books/ebooks, do you know who you will be marketing to and how will you market to them? You could write the best business book in the world, but if you can't get it in front of the right people, no one will buy it. You really need to build up your profile as an authority in your niche before people buy from you. To do this you could really do with having your own blog, build a subscriber list, or at least be good at social media marketing on the platforms where you potential market exists - e.g. Youtube, Facebook, Linkedin etc.

Just curious, how do you know all about SEO if you don't actually do it? A lot of SEO is learnt by testing things on your own websites. Everyone I know who does SEO read a lot of SEO blogs to keep their knowledge up to date. If you DO know SEO well and are experienced in it, you could do freelance SEO work and offer your services on freelance websites like Fiverr, Upwork etc.

It's hard to tell from your posts as you've only given minimal information, but I get the impression that you have A LOT of preparation to do before you embark on such a life changing experience.

@Coffeecuppony

I quite my job, rented out my house and moved to Australia at 30.
Best decision I ever made.
I got a working holiday visa.

It's changed a bit since I went, but back then you could work up to 6 months for a single employer.
I had to do 3 months farm work (or other suitable regional work) to extend the visa to a second year. (I think you can possibly get longer than 2 years now?)

There are loads of woofing jobs where you don't necessarily get paid, but you get food and board in return for helping out a bit (nothing like FT hours).
I worked with a family and looked after their baby 2 hours a day for example. The rest of the days and weekends were mine to do as I pleased.

I did work proper jobs as well on and off. Hourly rates are pretty high for entry level jobs, and I had so much disposable income when working I saved it all up for the periods I wasn't. In the two years I think I worked full time about 8 months in total maybe and that was enough income to cover me the whole two years I was there.

It is interesting how so many people are so defensive and negative when someone suggests leaving the rat race...

• you are doing the right thing by keeping your flat and renting it out to have an income/continue to pay your mortgage and I would make renovating it your priority and also finding a good estate agent who can rent and manage it for you while you are away as you won't be able to deal with things like repairs and so on while you are travelling
• have you investigated teaching English while you are travelling? a friend of mine has done this in many different countries (she is a qualified teacher though). Check if there are agencies who will find your placements abroad to teach English abroad and what qualifications you would need to do that
• Rather than focus on moving to one new country, why don't you just plan to have a gap year where you will be travelling in a few chosen countries and decide where you want to settle? you can always move back if it does not work out at the end of the year or plan to stay longer in a place your really like
• Make sure you think about things like travel insurance and medical cover.

You can use your time to write as well. Usually when you want to pursue creative work the reality is that you need at least a part-time job to make ends meet so you are unlikely to only be able to support yourself through writing but that does not mean you should not pursue your passion.

Frankly young people go travelling all the time and I think a lot of people on this thread need to stop being so negative about it all...yes be realistic and plan careful but there is no rule that says you must spend the next 50 years of your life being miserable in a job you hate and never explore the rest of the world.

I don't think people are being negative about the idea of selling up and going abroad. Just trying to give a note of caution because OP sounds like she's going to wind up in a lot of trouble. But yes, go abroad, work in bars, live cheaply - why not? I've travelled loads as a teacher and writer and lived abroad for around 20 years out of my 50. I'm planning to go off again for a 'gap year' - but I have saved up to be able to to do this! It's just sensible to sort out your business and your flat before you go, and have more than 2 months savings and a dream of being a writer.

Living and working abroad is perfectly possible and to be encouraged. The worst thing that is likely to happen is that you end up broke and back where you started, having had some memorable experiences and a lot of fun along the way. But you don't need to go abroad to write.

And you probably don't need more than two months savings IF you can get your business sold and your flat sorted before you go. There's always bar work, work on farms etc. Really cheap to stay in hostels and you'll meet loads of people.

What about St Helena?

thank you to everyone who has been so kind and supportive @hban

The flat is in a state because I just bought it six months ago and I spent all my money on the flat so have been saving up for renovations. I decided to try and sell my business five months ago and found out it would be very hard to. I decided I was going to leave the UK two days ago.

My business right now pays me a decent salary but I have two friends on almost £200k and my business doesn't pay anywhere near that.

For years I put all my (very handsome) profits back into the company so it can grow. Times are much harder now, markets have changed, and I would have to change up the business model to be relevant in three years time.

I am unprepared to move because I made the decision to two days ago and I need to do my research.

I'm not running away from mental health problems but rather away from the cold winter and towards adventure.

I would get an opportunity lined up before I left that preferably had accommodation included.

I am just very thankful to have so many great ideas and words of encouragement from people. If anyone has any more I would be very grateful.

I know not doing it or waiting longer would only lead to regret. Theres a whole world out there. There are many people who have done similar and have been enormously successful so I know it is possible

The flat is in a state because I just bought it six months ago and I spent all my money on the flat so have been saving up for renovations. I decided to try and sell my business five months ago and found out it would be very hard to. I decided I was going to leave the UK two days ago.

That’s a lot of big decisions in a very short period of time.

Had anything happened recently in your life to cause this, OP, a bereavement or break-up?

Or are you generally a very spontaneous person?

I don’t think anyone is saying don’t go, but I think people are trying to nudge you towards slowing down and putting a bit more thought into it.

Difficult to work abroad post Brexit. EU countries employ their own residents first so unless you've something exceptional to offer you'd be at the bottom of the pile

Ps. I think what you're doing is amazing! Just get your ducks in order, do your research and if you're able to go for it

OP, do it! You won't regret it, but even if you do, you never gonna have the 'what if' feeling..

We moved to the UK almost 7 years ago, (it was much easier before Brexit) I was barely speaking the language, had no plan, no accommodation, no friends in here with just a little bit over £6k in our pocket. We sold our belongings (no mortgage or own place) and bought the one way ticket.
I'm not saying it was easy, and don't have homesick sometimes, but I never gonna regret the decision (which was really spontaneous on my 30th birthday and we moved within 4 months)

I wouldn't worry about the language, it will come along, maybe try some language apps to have the basic knowledge once you decide where to go (Duolingo is an excellent app for this)

If your business not makes you happy, just cut the cord and close it. I know it easier said than done, but life is too short to being unhappy.

I wish you all the luck with it and hope you have a wonderful experience!

Ps I'm not a writer and never wanted to be 😅

Good for you OP, I'm excited for you and your future adventures! Of course you need to do some planning and preparations, but don't let that stop you.

If you rent out your flat, at least you have somewhere to come back to. a
Also, if you are unhappy with your business then you can move into something else, travelling for a while might give you the headspace to decide what you want.

If I were you, I would definitely look into the Working Holiday Visas for Canada, NZ etc, as you are late 20's and they are usually only up until aged 30, although you have a year to use them once they are granted. It would be a great way to travel and work for a few months, you could even stop over in SE Asia on your way to NZ.

I did similar in my mid 20's and had a blast, would love to do it all again, however I am stuck where I am for a few years because of a sick parent. But in years to come I will try and travel again.

Good luck!

Wet blanket here...

Sit down and think really hard about how you were feeling when you bought your flat.
Hopeful?
Glad to have a place of your own?
Enthusiastic about eventually decorating and renovating and making it your own?
Looking forward to entertaining your friends there?

Or did you buy it because you felt everyone else was getting ahead, climbing the property ladder, and you were being left out?

You keep on mentioning your friends who are making huge salaries, and you seem to be comparing yourself with them. I think you need to think really hard about how you are comparing yourself with these people and why, and how this makes you feel about your own life and accomplishments. Would you be happier and less inclined to seek adventure abroad if you had friends who were making £40k a year?

Please think about this.

You have made quite a few really serious decisions in the space of a year, decisions that come with long term consequences.

I know this may sound boring, but if I were you I would seek a qualified therapist to talk over your hopes, your feelings of failure or inadequacy, and the feeling of urgency that seems to be gripping you.

What about going somewhere that offers discounted accommodation with a job? Someone I know works in a restaurant in Guernsey. The money is more than minimum wage here, plus they share tips, and they can add up. She pays about £300 a month for an en-suite room, and that includes some meals.

You could write during your time off. The climate there is warmer than here

The person I know is so so happy there.

Another copywriter here, I have a great relationship with an agency and have just invoiced over £1k for this month.

But the irony of you saying you are writing about entrepreneurship when you don't seem to have the first idea about where to start, how to write / the importance of blogs or even what to do about your flat...

OP - Yoi say: My business right now pays me a decent salary but I have two friends on almost £200k and my business doesn't pay anywhere near that.

What your friends earn has absolutely nothing to do with the life decisions you make for yourself. I have friends who earn high salaries (I've no idea exactly how much but I know it's a lot and I also know they spend well beneath their means and are still very comfortable. Most of my friends have average salaries as teachers or working for the local council etc. but so what? I have a job that works well for me. The issues seems to be that you don't. You're not happy. But at the moment your plan seems to be to take a minimum wage job somewhere warm in a years time. I'm not sure what relevance your friends lifestyle or earnings has on your decisions. Do you want to become a writer to earn high wages?

You know your skill set best. If you want to move abroad somewhere hot and earn decent money wouldn't you rather look at one of the gulf countries? it wouldn't be my cup of tea. I know someone who trained as a teacher purely with the vision of working in Dubai- they weren't the best teacher, but they were male and Muslim and very much into bling, so I can see why they made the life choices they did.

I have made the leap to working abroad (when working in EU was easier) but I went purely for the job, so that's what I would advise, as finding a job abroad while in the UK and then going where the wind blows you is mich easier than turning up in Lisbon and offering to be a tour guide in a place you're not already familiar with. The only tour guides I've known were both natives of the city, knew the attraction they were touring well, were well educated but no real previous work experience (think very well off people who suddenly needed to work)

People I know who have let their UK properties and gone abroad haven't really earned abroad, they've mostly worked for a church for accommodation, but that could work if you are a member of a church and happy not to have a massive amount of money while you write.

I agree

And no aptitude for languages would worry me

I think you need enough funding for at least 6 - 9 months

@LynetteScavo what I am more getting at is that the other options in my city aren't interesting to me. I want to become a writer to feel alive

There IS money in writing fiction but you have to be able to churn out kindle series after kindle series.. if you can do that, it’s possible but will still take a good few years to make a living.

You're living in a fantasy world. A writer writes. You've given no suggestion of any writing occurring, just this wish-fulfillment fantasy of how you'll quite your work, up sticks to another country and while doing some odd jobs within a couple of months write a book that will sell enough to live off. This imagining you'll 'feel alive' when you 'become a writer' is so off the beam. What have you written prior to this? What is stopping you from writing now?

If you want to write to feel alive, just do it. For many years I woke up at 5am so I could write before work. JK Rowling used to write in her lunch hour when she was a teacher and a single mum. Start writing now and by next June you'll have a much more realistic idea of what it entails.