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From Employee to Hybrid Entrepreneur: Finding Purpose and Freedom in My Career Journey

I previously talked about decision fatigue and systemizing routine decisions. Since that post resonated with many of you, today I want to share my recent thoughts on feeling stuck when it comes to the bigger decisions that shape our future.

This time, I’m focusing on my career and the feeling of longing for change. It’s about self-imposed stress and recognizing that this choice is entirely mine to make. I could drop everything and walk away, or I could commit to working hard for a brighter future.

Background #

For context, in 2019, at age 28, I was single, living with my parents in Stockholm, and working as a full-stack web developer at a tech consultancy. It was a decent-paying job.

Being a full-stack developer means my role involves solving technical problems for clients by designing and implementing web-based applications. A typical day is a mix of meetings (deciding on tasks and roles), coding (trying to avoid breaking anything), troubleshooting, and often waiting on support tickets to resolve issues. The job has its highs when things go smoothly and definite lows when I’m stuck with no one available to help, as everyone else is juggling their own deadlines.

Now, at 34, the surface details haven’t changed much. I finally moved closer to the city and am making more money, but the job feels just as repetitive as it did five years ago. I wasn’t thrilled with it then, so it raises the question—am I genuinely satisfied now?

Beneath the surface, however, things have evolved. Just before turning 29, I quit my job and moved to Brisbane, Australia, on my own—a significant leap that changed my perspective.

In Australia, I had an incredible experience, making friends like Cam and Mandy and finding community support at Raymont, which was invaluable during the pandemic.

When I decided to study music, I was fully committed—no plan B. Coding was off the table, and I stepped away from tech completely. During trimester breaks, however, I began exploring ways to generate income beyond music. I read about side hustles, attended property meetups, and realized there were other avenues I wanted to explore. Then, during my “Entrepreneurship in Music” course, we dug into the essentials of starting a business. I learned how to make a business model canvas, write a mission and vision statement, and handle basic finances—all skills that are proving valuable now. Inspired, I even rebranded my YouTube channel from “Ras World of Music and Lyrics” to “Bangers ‘n’ Biz,” reflecting a growing interest in the intersection of music and business.

As part of this exploration, I also started attending crypto meetups in Brisbane, where I developed an interest in Ethereum and music NFTs (playlist). I couldn’t stay away from coding for long, it seems, since I even took part in a few hackathons focused on Web3. This experience opened me up to the exciting possibilities of blockchain technology in creative industries.

In 2021, I also enrolled in the Rich Dad Choose to BE RICH System by Robert Kiyosaki. This course exposed me to various wealth-building vehicles, including real estate, business ownership, and paper assets. Due to compliance regulations at my finance job, a stock portfolio isn’t an option for me. This has led me to focus more intently on real estate and business ownership as paths toward financial independence.

Leaving a high-paying tech job to become a musician may seem impulsive to some, but I view it as a leap of faith. And honestly, it’s one of the best decisions I’ve made.

Present-Day Struggles #

Being a music student gave me a lot of freedom. I decided when to study, whom to write music with, and where to live. Now that I’m back in a traditional job, I appreciate the opportunity, but I feel confined. Keeping up with the ever-evolving tech landscape is overwhelming, and I’m back to feeling lost. That’s why I’m evaluating where I want to go next year.

I'm searching for my next "best decision" that will transform my life in a meaningful way.

While my motivations aren’t fully clear, one is crystal: achieving financial freedom. I want to find a way to make more money with less time and effort. It’s a self-imposed stress, but I know I want more in life—thinking ten years ahead, I’d rather endure the effort now, even if it’s lonely, risky, and stressful.

That’s why I recently went down the YouTube rabbit hole, researching high-paying tech roles (like DevOps or Cloud Engineering) that might suit me. The salaries, often around $100k per year, are tempting.

But I hesitate. Transitioning would mean spending three or more months learning new skills, like following a DevOps roadmap and taking courses in Python, which I already abandoned once after just ten days.

There are plenty of certifications that could make me more marketable, but is it worth the time, money, and effort if I might still end up in a role I don’t enjoy? Even with the potential for higher pay, I’d still be facing constant learning and staying updated to remain relevant—clashing with my goal of working less.

So I stepped back, pulled myself out of that rabbit hole, and talked to Cam, a friend with firsthand experience in running a business.

The Solution: Becoming a Hybrid Entrepreneur #

Reflecting on my experience working for others, I’m seeing that maybe I’m meant to be on a different path—one that leads toward entrepreneurship.

It’s becoming clearer: make a plan and commit to it.

I know what I value:

I’ve always admired digital nomads for their autonomy—the freedom to travel, work, and immerse in different cultures. And when it comes to transparency, it’s about being honest and open, sharing the good and bad parts of life, whether on a blog or YouTube. This openness builds trust, keeps me accountable, and is something I aim to incorporate into my work.

I envision building a business focused on solving complex business challenges efficiently, possibly leveraging cloud technology. Ideally, I’d work remotely, maybe splitting my time between Stockholm, Costa del Sol, and hopefully even Australia.

But there’s more to consider than just income. How do I want to spend my time? Do I want to immerse myself in tech, run a business, or manage properties? My decision should align with my values. And because I currently work in finance, trading stocks is restricted for compliance reasons. So to put my money to work, I’ll likely need to look into buying property or starting a business.

I've recently looked into businesses for sale, to assess the viability of buying an existing company. I may start with freelancing or hobby-based business activities and eventually scale up to a registered business once I’ve built enough experience.

Embracing Hybrid Entrepreneurship #

The concept of Hybrid Entrepreneurship (also called “halfpreneurship”) is about leveraging my current job while building a business on the side. This dual path allows me to develop business skills that can benefit my job and, in turn, prepare me for self-employment.

Hybrid entrepreneurship also allows me to build my skills as an intrapreneur, positioning myself as a leader in my current role by taking on extra responsibilities and asking to participate in more strategic decisions. My aim is to balance the stability of my job with the experience of building something part-time, making sure each informs and strengthens the other.

Next Steps Toward Hybrid Entrepreneurship #

To set myself up for a future in hybrid entrepreneurship, here’s how I plan to begin:

  1. Start Small: Begin with freelancing or a hobby business to gain experience.
  2. Establish Transparency: Have open conversations with my manager about my business aspirations, including discussing potential contributions to HiQ’s strategy beyond coding.
  3. Clarify Rules: Review employment policies, including non-compete clauses, to understand what’s possible within my current role.
  4. Build Skills and Connections: Read up on sales, find a business mentor in Stockholm, and explore roadmaps for becoming a business owner or developer.

Deep down, I know I don’t want to stay on the employee path indefinitely. This plan keeps me grounded in my current role while letting me explore entrepreneurship at a sustainable pace.

Thank You to Cameron Seale for inspiring this post.