What My Life Is Like After Running A Successful Business For 7 Years

Summary

In this video, the speaker reflects on seven years of running their business, AlgoExpert, which helps software engineers prepare for technical interviews. They discuss the evolution from working tirelessly during the early years to now having greater time and freedom as the business operates more independently. While they appreciate the benefits of flexibility and autonomy, they also note challenges such as maintaining discipline and dealing with unexpected boredom. The speaker emphasizes the importance of health, discipline, and self-reflection in managing both business success and personal well-being.

Takeaways

• 🌅 The video is filmed in a new location in Punta Mita, Mexico, with a beautiful sunset in the background.
• 💼 The creator has been running a business called Algo Expert since 2017, helping software engineers prepare for technical interviews.
• 💻 In the early years, the creator worked tirelessly, balancing a full-time job at Google and Facebook while building the business.
• 🚀 The business has grown significantly over the past seven years, reaching a stage where it is almost self-operational and on autopilot.
• ⏳ Over the last two years, the creator has gained significant time and freedom due to the business's maturity, leading to more personal time.
• 😌 The creator discusses the paradox of freedom: while there is no longer a boss, they feel 'chained' to the business and its responsibilities.
• 🛌 With more free time, the creator has struggled with maintaining discipline, experiencing challenges like irregular sleep and diet habits.
• 😔 Unlimited freedom has also led to unexpected boredom, despite having the ability to do anything with their time.
• 🧘 The creator emphasizes the importance of maintaining health—physical, mental, and emotional—now that they have the freedom to focus on it.
• 👫 The creator mentions the support system provided by their girlfriend, who helps maintain discipline and a healthy lifestyle.

Q & A

What is the purpose of the video?

The purpose of the video is to share the creator's personal experiences and reflections on running their business, AlgoExpert, for seven years. They discuss the changes in their life and business over this period, as well as the pros and cons of having more time and freedom now.

What is AlgoExpert and what does it do?

AlgoExpert is a company that helps software engineers prepare for technical interviews. It provides resources and tools to support individuals in their preparation process.

How has the creator's life changed since starting AlgoExpert?

Initially, the creator was working non-stop, balancing a full-time job and the startup. After the business grew, they left their full-time job and focused entirely on AlgoExpert. Over the past two years, as the business reached maturity, they gained more time and freedom, resulting in a significant change in lifestyle.

What are the pros of having a successful business as described by the creator?

The main pros are having a lot of time and freedom. The business now operates almost on autopilot, allowing the creator to enjoy flexibility and the ability to do what they want without having to ask for permission or feel guilty.

What are some of the cons associated with this newfound freedom?

The cons include a loss of discipline and the need for self-regulation. Without structured obligations, it can be challenging to maintain discipline, leading to issues like irregular sleep patterns. Additionally, boredom can set in as the initial excitement of unlimited free time fades.

How did the creator's work habits change over the years?

During the first few years, the creator worked non-stop, often sacrificing sleep and personal time. After leaving full-time employment and focusing solely on AlgoExpert, they continued to work intensely for several more years. Recently, with the business running more smoothly, they have shifted to a more balanced lifestyle with more personal time.

What advice does the creator give to those aspiring to run their own business?

The creator advises aspiring business owners to be aware of the challenges that come with having a lot of time and freedom, such as maintaining self-discipline and avoiding boredom. They also emphasize the importance of not sacrificing too much health in pursuit of success, as regaining lost health is difficult.

How has the creator been utilizing their newfound time and freedom?

The creator has been focusing on improving their health, including physical fitness and diet. They have been more consistent with going to the gym and maintaining a healthy lifestyle, which they previously sacrificed during the intense early years of building the business.

What challenges did the creator face when transitioning to a life with more freedom?

The creator faced challenges in adjusting to having more time, including feelings of guilt and a struggle to find new purpose and meaning in life. They had to train themselves not to feel guilty about taking vacations or enjoying their freedom, and they are still exploring ways to fill their time meaningfully.

What are some tips the creator suggests for maintaining health while running a business?

The creator suggests not sacrificing too much health for the sake of the business. They recommend maintaining a healthy work-life balance, focusing on good sleep, diet, and regular exercise, and not neglecting personal well-being even during the busiest times.

Outlines

00:00

🌅 Reflecting on 7 Years of Business Success

The speaker introduces the video as a reflective conversation on their life after running a business, AlgoExpert, for seven years. Set in a scenic location in Punita, Mexico, they mention the stark contrast to their usual videos. AlgoExpert, a company that helps software engineers prepare for technical interviews, has grown significantly since its founding in 2017. The speaker discusses how the first years of business were intense, balancing a full-time job at Google and Facebook while working non-stop on AlgoExpert. However, as the business matured, life became less hectic, leading to greater time freedom.

05:00

⛓️ The Paradox of Freedom in Business

The speaker dives into the paradox of freedom when running a business. While initially, freedom from bosses was liberating, over time, they felt 'chained' to their own business, clients, and responsibilities. As AlgoExpert matured and became more self-operational, they regained this freedom, finding joy in having the ability to do whatever they wanted without guilt. However, they note that training oneself to not feel guilty when taking time off was a process, and balancing personal and business responsibilities was a key challenge.

10:01

📅 Discipline and the Burden of Unlimited Time

With time and freedom come new challenges. The speaker explains that the loss of imposed discipline—such as needing to wake up early for a job—creates a burden to self-regulate. Without external structures, it’s easy to fall into unhealthy patterns, such as staying up late or forgetting to maintain basic routines like eating properly. They emphasize the importance of self-discipline to prevent life from spiraling out of control when there are no immediate responsibilities.

15:02

😩 The Irony of Boredom Amid Unlimited Freedom

The speaker addresses the unexpected challenge of boredom that comes with unlimited time and freedom. Initially, having time off feels exciting, but over time, activities like watching movies or reading books can become unfulfilling. This leads to a sense of guilt, as they feel that they shouldn’t be bored with all the time and opportunities they have. The speaker reflects on how their previous work at AlgoExpert provided meaning and purpose, and now they are searching for new ways to find fulfillment beyond work.

💪 The Pursuit of Health and Self-Discipline

The speaker touches on the positive side of having more time, which is the ability to focus on health—both physical and mental. They admit that during the early years of AlgoExpert, they sacrificed sleep, diet, and exercise to build the business. Now, with more time, they are prioritizing their health, going to the gym, and eating well. They also mention the role their girlfriend plays in supporting their discipline. The speaker advises viewers to be careful about sacrificing health for success, as it’s harder to regain once lost.

🏋️‍♂️ Balancing Success and Health

In their closing thoughts, the speaker reflects on how health is often sacrificed for success and urges viewers to maintain a balance. They stress the importance of self-discipline when it comes to physical and mental health, sharing that they are now in the best shape of their life due to consistent efforts. They advise viewers not to trade too much of their health for business success, as it's a harder currency to regain. They conclude the video by showing the beautiful sunset in their location and inviting viewers to engage with the video.

Keywords

💡Time Freedom

Time freedom refers to having the ability to control how you spend your time without external constraints. In the video, the speaker discusses how, after seven years of running his business, he has gained almost unlimited time freedom because the business has reached a level of maturity and operates almost on autopilot. This freedom allows him to enjoy personal activities, but also comes with challenges like the need for self-discipline.

💡Self-Discipline

Self-discipline is the ability to control one's behavior and make oneself do things that are necessary or desirable, even when there is no external pressure. The speaker emphasizes that although he has time freedom, the lack of external responsibilities means he has to maintain his own structure. Without self-discipline, he risks falling into unproductive habits, such as staying up late or neglecting his health.

💡Autopilot

In the business context, 'autopilot' refers to a business operating smoothly with minimal active involvement from the founder. The speaker describes how his company, AlgoExpert, has reached a stage where operations are easier to manage, products are simpler to add, and customer acquisition is more seamless, allowing him to step back from the day-to-day grind.

💡AlgoExpert

AlgoExpert is the company that the speaker founded, which helps software engineers prepare for technical interviews. It represents his entrepreneurial journey over the past seven years and serves as the foundation of his life experiences in the video. The success of AlgoExpert has provided him with financial and time freedom, but it has also come with sacrifices like long hours and personal health impacts.

💡Maturity

Maturity in this context refers to the stage in a business's lifecycle where operations stabilize and the company functions efficiently. The speaker explains that after several years of intense growth and hard work, AlgoExpert has matured to a point where it operates smoothly, allowing him more personal freedom. This shift marks a transition from constant hustle to a more relaxed phase of managing the business.

💡Burnout

Burnout refers to physical, emotional, or mental exhaustion caused by prolonged stress or overwork. The speaker alludes to experiencing a near-burnout state during the early years of his business when he was working '24/7,' juggling his full-time job and the demands of running AlgoExpert. This relentless pace took a toll on his health and well-being, leading him to reflect on the need for balance.

💡Health Sacrifice

Health sacrifice refers to compromising one's physical, mental, or emotional health in the pursuit of success. The speaker shares how he sacrificed sleep, diet, and exercise in the early stages of building AlgoExpert, prioritizing the business above everything else. He now recognizes the importance of health and warns others to be cautious about trading too much of their well-being for business success.

💡Purpose

Purpose in this context refers to the sense of meaning or direction in life, often derived from work or personal fulfillment. The speaker reflects on how AlgoExpert gave him a strong sense of purpose during its growth phase. However, as the business has stabilized, he finds himself searching for new sources of purpose and meaning, as the challenges that once occupied his time have lessened.

💡Guilt

Guilt is the feeling of remorse or responsibility, often for not fulfilling a perceived obligation. The speaker describes how, after gaining time freedom, he initially felt guilty for taking vacations or stepping back from constant work. This guilt stemmed from the mindset that he needed to be constantly working to ensure the success of AlgoExpert, even when the business no longer required his full attention.

💡Boredom

Boredom is a state of feeling disinterested and unengaged with one's activities. The speaker discusses how, despite having the freedom to do whatever he wants, he sometimes feels bored due to the lack of external challenges or responsibilities. This boredom, ironically, comes from having too much time and not enough pressing tasks, highlighting the paradox of craving freedom but also needing structure.

Highlights

Introduction to video: Sharing life after running a business for seven years.

Business overview: AlgoExpert, a platform for software engineers to prepare for technical interviews.

Discusses the early challenges of managing a full-time job at Google and Facebook while building AlgoExpert.

Highlights the relentless work ethic required in the first few years, including long hours and personal sacrifices.

Transition to full-time entrepreneurship: Quit full-time jobs and focused solely on growing AlgoExpert.

Emphasizes how the business became self-sustaining after five years, with less hands-on involvement required.

Mentions newfound time freedom due to the business's operational maturity.

Reflects on the paradox of freedom as an entrepreneur—free from bosses but tied to the demands of the business.

Acknowledges the importance of self-discipline in managing newfound freedom and time.

Shares the challenge of maintaining discipline and structure without external obligations.

Discusses feelings of boredom that come with having too much free time, despite having unlimited freedom.

Reflects on finding purpose outside of work as a critical aspect of personal fulfillment.

Stresses the importance of balancing health, particularly physical health, with business pursuits.

Advises entrepreneurs to avoid sacrificing too much health for business success.

Concludes by encouraging viewers to reflect on their own purpose, self-discipline, and health in pursuit of business goals.

Transcripts

what's up everybody how's it going in

this video I'm going to tell you what my

life is like after running my business

for seven years now quick disclaimer

this video is going to be very different

from my typical videos because I am in a

completely different location as you

might see from this jungle and from the

ocean behind me and this gorgeous sunset

right here I am in beautiful punita

Mexico and I figured that I would just

grab my cell phone and have a sort of

stream of Consciousness conversation

with you guys to share some of these

thoughts that I've been having so if

you're new here I've been running my own

business called algo expert for uh over

seven years now since February 2017 algo

expert is a company that helps software

Engineers prepare for technical

interviews we've done very well for

ourselves we've grown tremendously since

I uh created the business back in

2017 and over the course of these seven

years my life has changed dramatically

uh you know during the first few years

of running the business as a lot of my

uh old viewers know I was working like

247 you know I was it was constantly

working non-stop and when I started the

business I was uh also having a

full-time job as a software engineer at

Google then at Facebook for like over

two years and so I was juggling that and

running algo expert so is really

non-stop like very little sleep

sacrificing a lot and then when uh we

quit our full-time jobs and went

full-time on algo expert for the

following let's say three years so you

know about five years of the business it

was still like work work work non-stop

you know grow at all costs really try to

like make it so to speak and uh make it

we did kind of and so now over the these

last 2 years look at this beautiful

sunset you see it let me try to focus on

it it is absolutely gorgeous and I'm

I've been doing a a time lapse here uh

I'll probably show the time lapse in the

video on my other phone it's absolutely

gorgeous and in the video it doesn't

quite

capture how orange and like bright this

sun is anyway I divate so um over the

last couple years my life has really

changed and I'm talking about because of

the business and the the the stage that

the business has uh reached so you know

like I said during these first five

years it was like go go go all the time

and then we kind of reached maturity the

business became much more um like self

operational uh kind of almost like an

autopilot things became way easier

easier to do to scale it was easier to

add products on the platform to acquire

customers and so on and so forth to the

point that I would say over the last 12

months now but really 24 months but kind

of like progressively

faster I have had more and more and more

and more time freedom and and less of a

requirement to work constantly

and uh in this video that's what I want

to talk about like the kind of pros and

cons the pros might seem obvious of that

the cons not so much the pros and cons

of you know having run a successful

business for seven years and reaching

this stage so what are the pros well the

two most obvious Pros are time and

freedom I am at a point now in the

business's life where I have a lot of

time dare I say like almost unlimited

time why because like I implied a few

seconds ago a few minutes ago I have

like very little work to do these days

compared to before and uh on top of this

time I have complete and utter Freedom

now to be clear I've always had freedom

ever since I quit my full-time jobs at

Google and Facebook like as soon as I

was on my own uh only working on algo

expert I wasn't reporting to anybody so

you know I had the freedom to do

whatever I wanted when I wanted I could

go to lunch when I wanted I could go to

bed when I wanted but there was still a

sort of

obligation both to myself and to the

business or the business the business's

other team members to like you know be

there you know I had to be there

I had responsibilities towards them and

towards myself and so with that came a

sort of lack of Freedom that's the weird

like uh kind of paradox when you run

your own business is that on the one

hand you have complete freedom from

other people like you don't have a boss

anymore but suddenly you realize oh wait

I'm actually like chained to my own

business I'm chained to my own self I'm

chained to my customers Etc okay however

what I'm saying now is that over the

last few

years that freedom like I have regained

that freedom purely by way of the

business reaching uh a certain level of

maturity and uh being on autopilot and

that is truly amazing like as I'm sure

many of you can imagine it's awesome to

to be able to do whatever you want

whenever you want without needing to ask

for permission and without needing to

feel guilty or anything like that now by

the way quick quick side note you have

to train yourself to not feel guilty I

remember about 2 three years ago when

things started to calm down at algo

expert and I started to realize like huh

like maybe I can go on a vacation now

maybe I can you know travel a little bit

maybe I can do XYZ I was feeling guilty

at first I was like but wait a second I

need to be constantly working like if I

if I go on vacation and I'm not working

you know am I going to let myself down

am I going to let the business down and

so that was kind of a learning curve in

and of itself but um the point of the

matter is like yes once you allow

yourself to to to take advantage of this

complete Freedom it's

awesome but this is where some of the

cons of you know having this life of

being your own boss and and having you

know unlimited time and freedom this is

when the cons start to to kind of enter

into your life and so let me try to to

to explain these conss for some of you

who who might be you know confused of

them so the first con that comes with

this life is the con of you you feel

like you you no longer have discipline

or rather you you have have a much

greater burden to be disciplined like

when you have responsibilities when you

don't have unlimited Freedom when you

don't have unlimited time you naturally

have discipline that is kind of thrown

onto

you and and that can actually be really

helpful it's like this invisible this

this burden that is actually an

invisible blessing a blessing in this

like oh you have to wake up every day to

go to work and you have to wake up every

day at 7:00 a.m. you know well there's

actually kind of a a niceness to that

there's something good about that

whereas whoops sorry whereas um you know

when you're when you're when you have

unlimited freedom to do whatever you

want and all that you have no

responsibilities you have no one to to

to cater to things can kind of spiral

out of control quickly like one day you

go to bed super late next day you wake

up super late next day you you do the

same thing next day you do the same

thing then you forget to eat but doesn't

really matter cuz you know you can catch

up on your health the next day because

you have nowhere to go and you you start

to spiral out of control really quickly

and that can be really bad and so all

that to say you need to really remind

yourself to be self-disciplined the

second thing um that comes with uh you

know unlimited time and unlimited uh

freedom is and unironically boredom and

I know this one is going to be one that

people like roll their eyes at like what

are you talking about how can you be

bored when you've got like you can do

whatever you want all day long and all

that but you know just as with

everything in life it's like

you you you kind of like crave what you

don't have so when you are uh um you

know working non-stop 24/7 never taking

vacations and all that you crave to have

seven days of vacation or seven months

of vacation or seven years of vacation

where you can do you know whatever you

want you can focus on your hobbies catch

up on shows uh read books catch up on

movies travel so on and so forth but

when you start to have that you know for

the first seven days amazing for seven

months probably still amazing but then

you know there's only so many movies you

can watch so there's only so much

YouTube you can consume there's only so

many books you can read before you start

to kind of like you know crave a bit of

a change or crave something different

and so this is something that you know

I've been really conflicted with uh over

the last let's say 6 months or so

because like yeah you you just

inevitably start to be flat out bored

you're flat out bored and you start to

once again have a feeling of guilt kind

of like the feeling of guilt I was

saying earlier of like when you're

trying to to allow yourself to go on

vacation you know after working non-stop

for so many years here it's like you you

have to you feel really guilty cuz

you're like how am I bored like I'm not

allowed to be bored when I have this

amazing perk of complete and utter

Freedom you know and yet you are bored

over the last few months I've been

really thinking okay well how can I not

be bored maybe I need to like expand my

hobbies a little bit or explore new

hobbies maybe I need to um you know

really think about finding some sort of

purpose like you know after work and I

think you know there's been this

realization of I used to find so much

purpose and meaning in my work an algo

expert

and now that is no longer like the thing

taking up all my time and attention and

so I feel like I've lost a little bit of

that purpose of that meaning and I need

to refind it and I can't say that I've

necessarily that I necessarily have

found it but I'm looking for it I'm

thinking about it more

actively and um yeah you know it's it's

not easy is it a great problem to have

yes I'm not complaining but it's not

easy you know and it's just something to

think about like if you know I guess

like one of the overarching messages

that I have with this video with this

like rant this 12 minute rant if you've

made it this far uh um I'm I'm happy

that you're listening to my rant feel

free to leave like a let's see what

emoji could you leave leave a hamburger

Emoji in the comments below to let me

know that you've made it to to this

point in the video and I will I will try

to hard it but um yeah the the main

message I I want to send here is that

like if you're someone who who maybe is

not running your own business yet uh but

who who feels like you know you you want

to because you crave that unlimited time

and freedom I'm not here to discourage

you or to tell you like oh no it's not

it's not good it's not what it's got out

to be no it's fantastic but it does come

with some you know negatives uh some

negatives that uh you have to work uh

through and that you can honestly kind

of work through already which is by way

of like doing some internal reflection

about you know what are you looking for

in life what kind of purpose like what

brings you purpose is it work is it

something else um and so on and so forth

but

uh as a final sort of closing thought

one thing that is also amazing about

having like so much time and freedom but

that you know it goes back to the

self-discipline of like you have to

actually make use of it is you can

really focus on your health um and here

you know I'm talking mental health

physical health emotional health

spiritual health whatever um but for me

specifically I would say like physical

health during the the first few years of

algo expert um it was so easy to

sacrifice kind of everything above like

algo expert came first above everything

else and so I sacrificed sleep sleep was

the worst I sacrificed you know my diet

like I was eating like garbage all the

time um I was skipping the gym a lot

even though like I love the gym and I

used to never skip the gym and so now

over the last year or so I've really

really really really been trying to stay

self-disciplined um and focus on these

things like focus on my health you know

focus on my sleep like I have zero

excuse to not sleep well when when I

have so much time and so much freedom I

have zero excuse to skip the gym and so

now these days I'm super happy I've been

back at the gym like super consistently

I'm the strongest I've been like ever um

I've been bulking a lot which is what

I've been wanting to do um I've been

eating super well and of course it helps

to have like a support system I've got

an amazing girlfriend who's uh you know

super helpful like to keep me

disciplined and keep me motivated and

keep me you know we go to the gym

together we um you know she like wakes

me up on time keeps me on a good

schedule um Cooks great food and all

that but uh yeah Health super important

and uh something that like I truly have

no excuse use to to skip out on and

honestly it's like it's probably the the

biggest piece of advice that I would

give for anybody who's not quite at this

sort of unlimited time unlimited Freedom

point but who's like working towards

there is be careful how much of your

health you sacrifice to get here because

um like I've always said this before

health is a currency you can trade it

right like I traded some of my health

for uh some of algo experts success and

some of my you know current success to

get to where I'm at in life but at what

cost you know uh health is kind of the

you know it's more the unidirectional

thing than a bidirectional thing it's

harder to gain back Health that you've

spent and so um yeah just be wary of

that and uh if you do get to a point

where you have lots of time lots of

Freedom focusing on your health and

trying to be really self-disciplined to

focus on your health is going to be

super

important anyway listen this is uh my

rant this is my stream of Consciousness

rant um hopefully if you've made it this

far you found some value out of it and

uh let me know if you did let me know

what your thoughts are and I will see

you in the next video look at this

beautiful

[Music]

sunset look at this the sky

is all orange and like

yellow and the Sun is right behind the

water Horizon here all right see you

guys for