This transcript was generated from the episode audio and may contain minor errors.
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I believe we can learn as much from failure as we can from success, if not more. It is with this principle in mind that I offer you a weekly segment called Failure Friday. As the name suggests, it is a collection of short stories about mistakes, missteps, disasters, and of course, actual failure. That's right, we're talking about things that don't go well, things that go wrong, things that are unexpected, or assumptions that are false or incorrect, or otherwise turn out to be different from reality. So just like our Throwback Thursday segment, you get to hear directly from a side hustler who has struggled to get something off the ground, and they'll tell you that story themselves.
Today's short story features Julia Taylor from Breckenridge, Colorado. And we told the success story of her adventure themed brand of totes, mugs, and more on episode 1042, 1042. But when she leveled up the adventure side of this adventure themed brand, she discovered that Nomad Life is not all it's claimed to be. In fact, I can tell you that myself. It's tiring, folks.
It's not how it always looks on Instagram. So let's hear how she tells it, her story, her experience, and her lesson. And I'll come back at the end to wrap us up. [Music]
My name is Julia, and I'm the founder of Aligned Adventure. I create adventure and travel themed mugs, prints, and canvas artwork.
When my story originally aired on Side Hustle School in late 2019, my husband and I were preparing to embark on an eight month round the world journey. Since my business was already 100% virtual, and I was able to rely on production partners to print and ship my orders, I had plans to continue running my business from the road. We flew to Santiago, Chile on Christmas Eve that year. And I was filled with anticipation for exploring a new continent, trekking through remote mountain villages and experiencing new cultures, all while continuing to earn a good income while traveling. It felt like a dream come true.
I had visions of creating new designs and continuing to grow Aligned Adventure even bigger in between epic hikes and devouring scrumptious empanadas. And for a few weeks, that's how it went. I was cranking out artwork on buses and in hotel rooms, sending my alarm at the crack of dawn so I could eke out a little bit more work. But by late January, I didn't have any creative energy left, which totally caught me off guard. Before we'd left the US, I figured with all the incredible places we'd be visiting, I would never be short on inspiration.
But much to my surprise, it was quite the opposite. We were traveling at a very fast pace, averaging a new town every one and a half days. This was very different from the previous work and travel life I'd led. Most of which consisted of spending two or three weeks in one town before heading on to another or simply visiting family for extended periods of time. If you've done more of the whirlwind style of travel like we did in South America, you know that you spend every day making a lot of decisions and figuring out a lot of details, like which hostel is Beth?
Who has the best internet? Where's the grocery store? And where can I do laundry? Details you just don't have to navigate in normal life, not to mention in a different language. I quickly burned out on trying to grow my business and pretty much gave up on taking it to the next level for the time being, doing only the bare minimum to keep it going.
By mid-March, I was exhausted from traveling too. You can probably guess though that the pandemic cut our eight month plan short, but I was secretly relieved to head home and have some downtime. Instagram and travel bloggers make working while traveling look extremely glamorous. From the outside, their lives look like a fairy tale as they share images of themselves on a beach with their laptop and a Mai Tai. But the reality is that working from the road can be very challenging, especially if you move around a lot like we did.
I learned that I personally need a lot of downtime to charge my creative batteries. Fast-paced adventures can be awesome. But for me, that type of travel will be reserved for the once or twice a year vacation rather than a way of life. For 2022, my husband and I are considering a couple of one or two months since in a couple of different places where we can discover our ultimate balance of work and adventure. And I can't wait to see what new inspiration unfolds.
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Never confuse a single defeat with a final defeat. That is the theme of Failure Friday. Now, I also travel pretty fast, that whirlwind style, or at least I used to. And inevitably, I have a Mai Tai with me right now as I am preparing this episode for you on the beach. Actually, it is an iced coffee and I'm just at my desk.
But I can dream. So for now, thank you to Julia for sharing this honest story. Check out her website at AlignedAdventure.com. That is AlignedAdventure.com. Or follow her on Instagram @Aligned_Adventure.
She also has a new coaching business. And that Instagram account is Julia Baldwin Taylor. Julia Baldwin Taylor. If you've got a question or an update for us about your side hustle, just come to sidehustleschool.com/questions. Thank you for tuning in today.
I've got so much more to share with you before the end of the year. I hope you'll subscribe or follow and come back tomorrow. My name is Chris Guillebeau. You're listening to "Side Hustle School." [Music]
From the Onward Project.
