My Failed Online Business Made Me Better at My Job

It took me over a decade in my career and one failed online business to realize this truth:

You can't build a liberating career from within it.

Careers are critical to our livelihood. Our careers provide us income to exist in society, give us a sense of growth & accomplishment, and act as a meaningful pursuit that consumes our energy. We need our careers but we don't always know when to stop optimizing for it.

When we pay attention to the culture, especially if we spend any time on LinkedIn, we are fed the idea that a high-powered career is the source of status, fulfillment, and security. We're told that we must "learn AI or fall behind" or "build multiple income streams" or "use these strategies to make more money". Everything we see is in service to striving for more.

I tripped, stumbled, and fell into this trap, multiple times.

My obsession with data science

In 2018, I was obsessed with data science.

I convinced myself I wouldn't find fulfillment in my career until I was a data scientist, building predictive models, and putting them into production. I listened to data science podcasts, spent hours working through technical books, and did side projects to solidify my learning. Every important decision I made in my career was evaluated against the possibility of becoming a data scientist.

I moved from Manager to IC, hoping that being an individual contributor would allow me to work on my own projects. I left a company after 2.5 months because a small start-up promised the potential of me doing machine learning. Those decisions didn't pane out and didn't offer the satisfaction I was looking for.

Then in 2022, I became a manager again, reached a point of contentment, and coasted until I became attached to another ideal.

My obsession with building an online business

I started writing online in 2022 because I had a creative urge inside me that I needed to express and felt I had valuable experiences and perspectives that could help people.

That sounds very reasonable, noble, even. What I didn't expect is to get sucked into the hustle culture. It's difficult to write on LinkedIn 5-7 days a week and not constantly see other people reaching goals you want to reach, telling you what to do to be successful online.

Over time I thought, "I can do that too. I'm smart enough to make money online. That's how I build a resilient, stable career."

I started to believe that job security and financial stability hinged on my ability to have a successful online business. Not all of my motivations where spurious. I genuinely wanted to write online to help people and act as an avenue for my creative energy.

My good intentions didn't stop me from striving to make money online, and failing.

My online business failure

I failed to make money online enough times to quit.

I wrote online daily, wrote a newsletter weekly, did 1:1 career coaching, started an online membership, pitched a cohort based course, ran sales calls, and put on a free workshop. I didn't make much money but spent countless hours in the mornings and evenings trying to build the business. The pursuit ate up so much mental energy that it was making me less effective at my day job and left me with no energy to pursue other meaningful things in life.

Pairing this continued failure with uncertainty within my employer, family obligations, and an internal feeling that I wasn't living a full life, I found mental suffering to be a constant detractor in my life.

I wasn't burnt out, but I wasn't living the life I wanted to live.

The break that made me better at my job

In May 2026 I finally decided to take a break.

I shut down my free community, stopped writing on LinkedIn, and stopping sending my newsletter. The newfound headspace was liberating. Not only did I stop writing on LinkedIn, I blocked the site on my browser. My focus and productivity at work noticeably improved. Instead of constantly feeling underwater, I felt like I could rise to the occasion.

I also started using the Brick to block attention-wasting apps on my phone, like YouTube, Reddit, and email. My entire life started to feel different. I started a meditation practice, read more, became more present with my family, and had the mental headspace to consider what else I could do to bring fulness into my life.

A clear mind gave me energy to invest back into my career. I'm refocusing on becoming a great manager, supporting my team, learning AI tools, and building the next level of data maturity within my organization. And it feels good. Dare I say that it feels joyful.

Non-career pursuits

Pouring too much energy into career pursuits left me empty.

I wasn't balanced.

I've learned that having other, non-career pursuits is the key to a full life and one that consequentially makes you better at your day job.

For me, I need 3 pursuits:

• a creative pursuit (writing)
• a physical pursuit (going to try rock climbing)
• a career pursuit (leadership in data/analytics)

Who would've thought that channeling my energy into creative and physical pursuits would make me a better manager?

Not me.

But I'm glad it's the truth.