From 100 Hour Weeks to Passive Income:

I have not posted anything on social media in about 10 years.

In 2026 that genuinely confuses people. But here is my reasoning.

I never much liked social media when it came out. As a tool for business it is undeniably powerful, but I did not think most people, myself included, were ready for it. Like any tool in the hands of someone who has not learned to use it properly, it can do more damage than good.

So I left it alone and got to work.

Seven years ago I started my first business.

We began in waste removal, then expanded into property management, then construction, then vehicle and equipment hire. For the first two to three years I was working 100 hour weeks. On the tools. Running the businesses. Doing everything myself because I did not know any other way.

I did not have time for social media. I barely had time for sleep.

Then my body gave out completely.

Somewhere between year two and three I herniated two discs, damaged my root nerve and lost all feeling and function from my ribs down. I recovered, thanks to a close friend who happened to be exceptional at what he did. But at the time it was the worst thing that had ever happened to me.

Looking back it was one of the best lessons I ever learned.

Out of sheer necessity I finally did what I had been avoiding. I built the systems that meant the businesses could run without me. Proper processes. Real structure. A business that did not require me to be physically present every single hour of every single day to survive.

That injury forced me to build passive income the hard way.

The businesses are now as passive as practically possible. I have seen a large chunk of the world. And in the last two and a half years we have helped over 1,000 small business owners avoid the exact mistakes I made getting here.

Our goal is to reach 5,000 in the next two and a half years.

To do that I need to do something I never really wanted to do. Step out of my comfort zone and pick up a tool I left in the shed for a decade.

So here I am. On social media. One decade behind everyone else. Ready to share everything we have learned along the way.

Let's have some fun.

More to come.

Dale

This is what the TSP Podcast is all about. The real journey from startup to passive. No shortcuts, no fluff, just honest conversation from someone who has lived it. Listen on Spotify and Apple Podcasts and come join us in The Sequoia Project community on Facebook.