3 side hustles I would have never built this year without quitting alcohol

Jul 25, 2023

OK, this may come off as a bit of a brag post, but to be totally real with you, I’m pretty dang proud of myself.

I’m proud because my life is the exact opposite of where it was some 11 months ago.

Back then, I was downright disgusted with my life and the behavior that got me there.

Following years of personal and creative stagnation thanks to a drinking habit that kept me numb and negative, I finally decided enough was enough.

I battled to kick the booze and finally, mercifully, transformed my entrepreneurial ambitions from lifelong fantasy to reality.

Since then, I’ve managed to:

create a five-figure writing business
launch a YouTube channel that could be monetized as early as next month and …
as of this past weekend, launch my very own publishing company

As much as I’ve enjoyed the first two, I think it’s the latter that means the most to me.

Creating digital content and products is fine, but I’ve always been especially fond of the idea of creating something tangible, something that I could hold in my hands.

And now, I have it!

Me holding a proof copy of my first printed product — a lined journal with pixel art of my late, beloved pup. Side note, what is going on with my thumb in this pic? (Author’s image)

Another key milestone

Prior to quitting drinking, I was a serial project starter who never actually finished anything.

I’d get obsessive about hobbies (i.e. drawing), but my activities would peter out just as I earned some skill
I’d build websites and then fail to populate them with content
I’d start writing a book and then just let it die off

It’s not long ago that actually writing 250-ish articles, publishing 39 videos, and publishing a real, live, printed book over the course of 11 months would have seemed unfathomable.

And although this all may be coming off as bragging, that is not my intent at all.

Rather, it’s to prove to anyone seeking a little motivation to get off their rump, tackle the lifestyle choices they aren’t happy with, and start working toward the life they want that:

If I can do it, anybody can.

Turning it around

Eleven months ago, I considered myself a huge loser.

This was probably overly mean (I tend to treat myself that way, unfortunately) given I’m a pretty great husband and father and have put together a decent career.

But at 41 years old, with a drinking problem, the associated poor health, and an endless series of disappointments and half-assed, half-finished projects littered behind me, I was deeply unhappy and unfulfilled.

I knew I had more potential and I knew I was wasting it.

I guess I reached a point that the amazing self-improvement author MJ DeMarco refers to in his book Fastlane Millionaire as a “f**k this event”.

From that lowest of lows, I’ve actually started building a life I’m actually proud of.

A writing business, a YouTube channel, printed products?

Unbelievable.

A woman jumping at the top of a mountain. — On your road to sobriety, don’t forget to celebrate your wins. (Photo by Ines Azevedo on Unsplash)

Passion project

OK, so at this point you may be wondering: why this random dog notebook?

If you’re interested in why I settled on it as my first project, here’s the back story.

First off, I wanted something fairly straightforward and attainable to begin with.

For now, I’m using Amazon’s Kindle Direct Publishing, which requires no capital overlay on my part.

Although I do plan to launch my first actual book book next month, I felt a simple lined notebook would allow me to get my feet wet with Adobe InDesign — which I’m new to — and wouldn’t be overly onerous from a content or design perspective.

Starting with something simple can be a great way to prove to yourself that something intimidating is possible.

If you look at my first YouTube video — which was just a screen share with terrible audio — versus some of my latest work, you can see the progression.

Whether it be this site, YouTube, or KDP, I like working on platforms that have a ready-made audience, rather than me having to spend years making no money while I build that following myself.

That allows me to pick up little wins every day and stay motivated and encouraged.

Honoring memories

In terms of content, why that particular design?

If you’ve followed me here for any amount of time, you may have noticed that I’m a bit of a pixel art fan.

It illustrates my stories and almost every one of the avatars representing my half-dozen publications is in that style.

I assume it’s because the meat of my childhood took place between the mid-1980s and the mid-1990s — which coincided with video games starting their march to entertainment world domination.

My late Uncle Alan was a huge tech geek throughout his life, and I always knew him to have the latest gadgets.

He’s also the guy who delivered our first-ever game console one Christmas: the Nintendo Entertainment System. Yes, the first one with the robot, the gun, the whole deal.

He was also an aspiring author and adored dogs, so he was top of mind as I worked on getting my publishing empire off the ground with this work.

I also knew I wanted to make something for a community of people who are absolutely obsessed with their favorite thing — and dog owners certainly fit the bill.

The star of this notebook is my late labrador retriever, Brandy.

She was a great friend to me as a teenager who was going through a lot at the time, and I think it’s a cute way to honor her memory and put a smile on the face of all those beautiful golden lab owners out there.

Next up, I’m planning to design a pixel art notebook for my son featuring his hamster.

These are just fun projects to get me going, but it sure is exciting when something you actually made arrives in the mail!

A Golden Lab looking out a car window. — I love Golden Labs — my favorite dog breed (Photo by Overture Creations on Unsplash)

Moving forward

Again, the proof copy of that first notebook arriving at my door is an important milestone in my sobriety journey because it shows what’s possible.

In the past, it would have been a fleeting idea I’d have drunk away as I wasted another night on the couch.

Every time I see something like this through now, it builds my confidence — and further justifies my decision to get soul-sucking booze out of my life.

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