How to survive as a ghost (3)
The crazier your project, the more you need solid, diverse backup plans.
(Begin the series here)
On top of my two current jobs—one in-person and temporary, the other remote—I’ve recently taken on a role as general manager at a U.S. startup, squeezing it into the little free time I have left. This extra sacrifice is a long-term bet: I’m not drawing a salary yet, and only if things go well over the next few months and the company survives this phase will my investment pay off.
As I mentioned in a previous post, in my past life, I had some success as a writer in my niche. A while back, I connected with this startup, and they were interested in developing products tied to one of my books. Up until now, my role with them was simply as an IP owner they did business with.
But the company has recently gone through some big changes, and a new growth strategy called for comprehensive management that no one else was available to handle—a role I happen to fit. I’ve got enough immediate problems to deal with, and taking on more is, in the short term, more trouble than it’s worth. The only reason I’ve agreed to dive in is because it aligns with my plan. If things go south, I’ll have burned a few months on max stress and exhaustion. But if they go well, I’ll have a potentially stable job to add to my other income streams.
When you’re aiming for something big, something beyond your normal reach, you need a plan. That plan is like a machine that extends your ability to achieve what you can’t with just your bare hands. And that machine is made up of different parts and subsystems, each with its own traits, requirements, and specific uses.
The pieces of the machine aren’t important on their own—they matter only for how they contribute to the plan. To succeed in my goals, I need a machine that runs as smoothly as possible. Every decision, investment, and sacrifice I make has to be not just right in itself but also serve the bigger picture. When I first thought about becoming a ghost, I never imagined it would be this hard.