Soaking up the sun in Cancun while he works on his online business, Navid Moazzez, 29, is living a life far different from the one he left behind as a part-time bank employee in Sweden, where he grew up. He's able to go skydiving in Cabo San Lucas or literally swim with whale sharks in another part of Mexico without asking a boss for time off.
Moazzez was in law school in Sweden when he began to dream of starting a business. Going to a university to study was expected in his family, he says. His father, who moved from Iran to Sweden in the 1970s, is a physician, and his mother, born in Sweden, is a teacher.
There was one problem: Although Moazzez loves to learn, being an attorney was not his passion. In 2013, he dropped out of school.
“I decided this is not for me,” he says. “I didn’t want to be chained to a desk all my life, even though I could make great money as a lawyer.”
He took a part-time job in a bank to support himself while he figured out his next move. What he really craved was freedom, and he gradually realized that starting a location-independent internet business was a way to achieve it. Books such as The 4-Hour Workweek by Tim Ferriss gave him inspiration.
“My motivating factor was to live and work wherever I pleased,” says Moazzez. “If I wanted to take a trip to New York tomorrow to meet my friend for lunch, I could do that. That’s something I could never do in a part time job in a bank.”
Moazzez decided to act on his dream after a tragedy. His brother Simon, who lived in Norway, passed away suddenly at age 22 in April 2013 as the result of an accident. By June 2013, feeling a sense of urgency to do what mattered to him, Moazzez started a blog where he documented his journey. “I made a commitment to myself,” he says.
Moazzez blogs in English--not his native language--which has made the task more challenging. What helped him keep going, despite self-doubts, was participating in a 30-day blog challenge run by Natalie Sisson.
Sticking to the program helped him build momentum, and he had soon launched a podcast. He began forming relationships as an affiliate marketer that brought in revenue. His venture still wasn’t making much money, though.
Finally, what helped him turn the corner was introducing virtual summits. In these free events, he interviews 20 or more guests on Skype or
In his first event in November 2014, The Branding Summit, he turned a profit of about $20,000, selling the passes for $99 each. (It didn’t hurt that he lined up 88 speakers). He also grew his email list by about 3,000 people. On Nov. 28, 2014, he quit his banking job and decided to devote himself to his business. He decided to focus it on virtual summits after reading The One Thing by Gary Keller. “I realized I needed to focus on the one thing that can really drive things forward in my business,” Moazzez says.
Gradually, the momentum picked up. Moazzez became an affiliate to personal finance blogger Ramit Sethi and business coach Selena Soo, introduced his own coaching program and in 2015 launched an educational program called Virtual Summit Mastery. He built his email list to about 10,000 followers. Last year, his combined revenue hit $200,000 and he is aiming to generate three times that in 2016. Moazzez runs his one-person business with the help of contractors, such as a web designer who has been an integral part of his operations.
Looking back, says Moazzez, "It's incredible how much personal growth I’ve had in my business and my life by taking consistent action and connecting with influencers and others in my industry in a very authentic way. That’s been the best way to grow my business."
Still, it hasn't been easy to achieve more freedom in his life. With little in the way of startup funding, Moazzez had to master everything from the nuances of running a WordPress blog to how to create great landing pages for his summits at Leadpages. Although he travels the world with his girlfriend while running his business, he needs to make sure he stays in Airbnb rentals and other lodgings with good internet connections. And he’s putting in far more than a four-hour workweek. “Most likely, I’m working 40 to 60 hours a week,” he says. “I’m in growth mode.”
Then again, he adds. “It doesn’t feel like work. I really enjoy what I’m doing.” And if he needs to take a break, he really takes one. “I can go to a remote island if I want,” he says. And he's only just beginning.
