Why I Got a Full-Time Job After 5 Years of Successful Online Business
I was sitting on a balcony in Pugliano Imare, Italy, hot tub bubbling beside me, overlooking the stunning Puglia coastline—living that “laptop lifestyle” dream I’d spent five years building. And all I could think was:
What am I doing with my life?
This wasn’t just vacation blues or entrepreneurial burnout. This was the culmination of years of trying to convince myself I was living my dream when deep down, I knew something fundamental was missing.
Let me back up. For the last five years, I’ve been running a successful online business. I’ve had six-figure years. I’ve traveled between the US and Europe freely. I’ve created programs teaching others how to build businesses like mine. From the outside, everything looked perfect.
But I’ve been harboring a secret: I wasn’t happy.
The Uncomfortable Truth About My “Dream” Business
My business journey started in Barcelona in 2019 as what I thought would be a temporary gig until I figured out “what was next.” Then COVID hit, online work boomed, and suddenly I was making real money. Coupled with a long-distance relationship that had me traveling between the US and Netherlands, the flexibility was perfect.
But there was always this underlying sense that this wasn’t my forever path. I didn’t have the passion or deep “why” that seemed to fuel other entrepreneurs. What I had instead was:
- An obsession with my business (not because I loved it, but because it had become my entire identity)
- A constant chase for the next revenue goal thinking it would finally make me happy
- A series of pivots and reinventions trying to find the magic combination that would make me fall in love with my work
- Program after program, coach after coach, trying to “mindset” my way into passion
During a particularly low period last April, I told myself: “I’ll give it one more year. If I still feel this way, I need to make a change.”
Fast forward to February this year, sitting in that dreamy Italian Airbnb, I realized nothing had changed. Despite changing:
- My business model
- My marketing strategy
- My client types
- My offers
- Working on my mindset daily for over a year
I couldn’t change my intuition. I couldn’t force passion where it didn’t exist.
The Zone of Excellence Trap
Have you read “The Big Leap” by Gay Hendricks? He talks about the difference between your zone of excellence (things you’re good at) and your zone of genius (things you’re passionate about).
I was firmly stuck in my zone of excellence. I’m good at systems, I’m good at tech, I know I deliver value to my clients. But that deep, driving passion—the kind that makes you excited to start work each morning—was missing.
What’s tricky is when you’re successful in your zone of excellence, it’s even harder to leave. People are impressed. Clients are happy. The money is good. Who walks away from that?
The Plot Twist: I Got a Corporate Job
After we moved to Utrecht earlier this year, that first week back at my home office felt suffocating. I couldn’t keep living my life behind a computer with no team interaction and my business as my entire identity.
So I did something that goes against every online entrepreneur narrative: I started looking for a regular job.
With zero corporate experience, I didn’t even know where to start. A friend advised me to look at entry-level positions on LinkedIn that matched my skillset. I found a sales role that seemed perfect—essentially doing discovery calls all day, something I’d mastered and genuinely enjoyed in my business.
After four rounds of interviews, I got the job. And here’s the shocking part: I love it.
I love:
- Being part of a team
- The in-person interaction
- Having clear boundaries between work and life
- The collaborative environment
- Learning something completely new
Plot Twist #2: I Didn’t Close My Business
Here’s where my story differs from the typical “I quit my business” narrative: I didn’t shut everything down.
I still have:
- My retainer clients
- Some done-for-you projects
- My systems audits (though there’s now a waitlist)
The difference? Now my business is just a part of my life, not my entire identity. Working 10-15 hours a week on client projects feels exciting again because it’s a choice.
The Freedom to Follow Your Intuition
There’s so much noise in the online business space:
- “You can’t have a successful business while working a 9-5”
- “Just work 20 hours a week in your feminine energy”
- “Real entrepreneurs don’t quit when it gets hard”
I got caught up in all of it, ignoring the persistent voice inside telling me something wasn’t right.
But here’s what I’ve learned: True freedom isn’t about working from anywhere or making six figures (though those things are nice). True freedom is giving yourself permission to change course when something isn’t serving you anymore—even when it doesn’t make sense to anyone else.
Your Turn: The Intuition Check-In
If anything in my story resonates with you, I invite you to try this simple intuition check:
- Picture your current business/work situation continuing exactly as it is for the next five years
- Notice your immediate emotional response—does it feel expansive and exciting, or constraining and heavy?
- If it feels heavy, what’s one small change you could make to better align with what you truly want?
Remember: being good at something doesn’t mean you have to do it forever. Being successful at something doesn’t mean it’s your calling.
Sometimes the most courageous thing is to admit when something isn’t working—not the business itself, but your relationship with it.
What’s Next For Me
I’m navigating this new dual identity—corporate employee by day, business owner by night (and weekends). It’s a lot of work right now (about 50-55 hours weekly between both), but it feels right.
I don’t know what the future holds. Maybe I’ll eventually close my business, or maybe this balance will be perfect. Either way, I’m finally listening to that intuitive voice instead of trying to override it with “shoulds.”
Want to hear more about my journey from full-time online business to corporate job (while still running my business on the side)? Click above and listen to the full episode of the Beyond the Systems podcast where I share all the details.
Connect with Sam:
- Website: https://www.systemswithsam.com/services
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/systemswithsam/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/samwhiz/
