From Law school to Entrepreneur

The story below is, in part, a bit about who I am, what I do but most importantly why I built Simplified Me. If your life is anything like mine you should be able to relate to, at least, parts of my story and have a better understanding of why Simplified Me exists.

 In 2009 I enrolled in law school specialising in energy law with the goal of working in a top tier law firm. Two things struck me during my time there: doing something you’re not passionate about and doesn’t fill your days with joy is a fool’s errand and, my passion lies in entrepreneurship. So, I made a plan to move from law to entrepreneurship. With my plan in hand and end goal in mind, I asked myself how I could learn as much as possible as quickly as possible about entrepreneurship. How do I live an authentic life filled with things that I am passionate about? And then, took massive action.

 I figured the best way to do that would be to jump in at the deep end. So, while working part time, still at law school, and single with no kids, I co-founded the Bond Business Accelerator at Bond University which helps students take their business ideas from concept to commercialisation. I also volunteer as a mentor at the Startup Weekends. In short, I had surrounded myself with likeminded people and built my tribe. This is what I love doing. This is what I am passionate about; the startup space, building businesses and helping others do the same.

So, why is my story important to you?

 But, while at law school and in the startup space (I’m pretty sure this happens elsewhere too), I noticed two things. Firstly, the soapbox proclamations of martyrdom and self-sacrifice, through lack of sleep all for attention and perpetuating the glorification of “busy.” Secondly, I noticed many people, just like me, experiencing the same problem; time, or more specifically lack of it.

 It’s difficult to explain the issue at hand without sounding like I’m glorifying “busy.” However, I assure you my sharing comes from a place of humility and is done so not to impress you but to impress upon you the challenges myself and other experienced. What I saw were people constantly working 15 – 18 hour days 7 days a week because they had to do everything ourselves. Personally, I had law school, my part-time job, cooking, cleaning, shopping, laundry, bills, exercise, research, and then building the Bond Business Accelerator. While I loved what I did, I figured there had to be a better/faster/cheaper/easier way. I wanted to get rid of what I call “personal admin” so I could concentrate on living an authentic life, doing what I loved, and helping people along the way. And, I wanted to replace the glorification of “busy” with the quietness of a simplified life. So, I started researching how to make my life easier, how to streamline it, how to simplify it.

 After finding solutions I was still left wanting for better ways to simplify my life and thought that if I’m experiencing this and I’m willing to go to all this trouble to try and fix it, there must be others out there, in my tribe, with similar time-related challenges and aspirations as me. This was the catalyst that launched Simplified Me.

 Simplified Me is only a nascent company but its vision to provide products and services that will allow its tribe members to reclaim their most valuable resource of all: time. Time to do what they love and follow they’re passionate, time to become the best version of themselves, time to make our world just a little bit (or a lot) better.

 Simplified Me’s growth is made possible by providing people like you with clever, affordable, quality products and services along with a great Simplified Me experience. Our growth is inextricably linked to connecting with, speaking to and listening to its tribe.

 We understand the reason you have visited Simplified Me site is universal; reclaiming your time, but how do that as individuals this may vary. So, Simplified Me aims to provide a variety of different solutions but we will only ever sell products and services we believe will simplify your life and want to hear from you if you have:

• any ideas that you think could benefit the rest of the Simplified Me tribe
• feedback on how we can make our products and services better
• a story to share about how Simplified Me has helped you simplify your life

To be stuck in the paradigm of “being busy being busy” is a road to nowhere. To spend time on things you are not passionate about is to live a life unfulfilled. To not work on being the best version of yourself robs not only you, but the world of all you have to offer. In this hyper-connected, overstimulated, techno-centric world maybe it’s time to stop the glorification of “busy,” simplify a few things, reclaim your most valuable asset - time, and focus on that which matters most – you.