Shatter the Template Lifestyle
Hello and welcome! What is Untemplater about? To live an “untemplate life” means to shatter the template lifestyle in favor of a truly exciting, unique, and unconventional one. Untemplaters actively seek new ways to improve our lives and make healthier, smarter choices.
We are out of the box thinkers, hustlers, personal finance enthusiasts, knowledge addicts, entrepreneurs, philanthropists, business-savvy leaders, travelers, adventure seekers, iconoclasts and bloggers from all over the world. Untemplater.com was founded in October, 2009 and focuses on unique content about unconventional lifestyles and how to get there.
Untemplater’s goal is to build a thriving community for anyone who ever sought more out of life — and our goal is to help you learn how to shatter the template lifestyle so you can find the career path, side hustles, insights, and adventures that make you come alive!
About Sydney – Principal Author, Owner, Freelancer, Multiple Hat Wearer
Thanks for stopping by our About page. I’m looking forward to having you as a regular reader. Now for a little bit about me…
I grew up with parents who constantly fought about money. The positive outcome was that I knew early on how badly financial troubles can cause stress and ruin relationships. I didn’t want to end up constantly worried and unhappy like my parents.
They lived paycheck to paycheck, and racked up a lot of debt, some of which they are still struggling to pay off in their late 60s. I was determined to break this cycle. So I studied hard, graduated from college in only 3.5 years, and worked many 60-70 hour weeks building my career to become financially independent. I’m happy to say I exceeded my expectations.
I worked at a startup for a few years and then eventually fell into several traditional office jobs sitting in front of a computer all day. My first attempt at a creative, untemplate lifestyle failed during my quarter life “crisis.” I wanted to act and be a professional photographer.
Even though that failed and I gave up that dream, I knew I still wanted something more out of my life. I wasn’t sure what I really wanted to do for many years. I think everyone goes through at least one period when we just don’t know what we want to do with our lives. Fortunately, as my career ebbed and flowed, the more I started to tap into my strengths. From there, I realized there were a lot of better things I could do with my time.
Preparing For Plan B
As my eyes started to open to new opportunities, I realized my true loves are writing and helping other people. Although I kept slaving away at my day job, I started to fill my free time with odd jobs and started to blog. I was determined to build enough savings and revenue streams to escape my day job and finally succeed at an untemplate lifestyle. I didn’t want the traditional, safe route of Plan A anymore. I was burnt out and no longer satisfied with Plan A. I wanted Plan B.
Writing was an incredible outlet for me. I began to connect with other bloggers, freelancers, travel writers, and entrepreneurs. And suddenly there was an endless amount of things I wanted to learn and work on. I felt alive for the first time. So I started a business and became more motivated than ever to grow my bits of side income into full-time entrepreneurship. I made a lot of sacrifices and worked harder than ever juggling many things at once, but all my efforts were finally worth something.
Breaking Free
In 2015, my goal of breaking free came true! I left the office job I held for ten years to pursue an untemplate lifestyle full-time. Now my days are focused on working online in various capacities. I primarily spend my time writing, editing, researching, working on projects and managing websites. I’m also an addicted organizer and great with spreadsheets. If you’re interested in hiring me or want to learn more about my services, please contact me here.
I strongly believe in the importance of personal finance and developing a foundation of financial security as early as possible. I’m a frugal person and enjoy writing about ways to build wealth. I also think it’s important for women in particular to be proactive in personal finance matters and overcome fears of asking for raises and promotions. I share both my wins and losses on Untemplater to help others learn from my successes and avoid my mistakes.
Having Fun And Loving Life
When I’m not writing or working on freelancing projects, I’m usually out hiking, traveling, or taking photos. I’ve been to 30 countries and counting, climbed mountains, swam with sharks, got certified in scuba diving, and have taken over 40,000 photographs. And my adventures are only just beginning. Check out my bucket list to keep track of what I’m up to. Thanks for coming along for the ride!
– Sydney
About Sam – Contributing Author, Entrepreneur, Financial Samurai
I’ve known Sydney ever since she first arrived in San Francisco more than 10 years ago. She is one of my best best friends and one of the kindest and most admirable people I know. When Sydney asked if I could help contribute a man’s perspective to Untemplater, I happily obliged.
In 2012, I escaped from cubicle nation after spending 13 years after college working in finance. My original plan was to work for 18 years until the age of 40, but the downturn in 2009 and the backlash against Wall Street left me disenchanted with my career.
I decided to start Financial Samurai in the summer of 2009 to help deal with the financial chaos at the time. Losing 30% of your net worth in a matter of months was disconcerting! I find writing to be tremendously cathartic to the soul. My site discusses early retirement strategies, real estate, alternative investing, protesting big government and much more.
Immediately after leaving my corporate job in 2012, I launched my book, “How To Engineer Your Layoff: Make A Small Fortune By Saying Goodbye.” The book teaches readers how to profitably quit their jobs by negotiating a severance package and more. My book was edited by Sydney and provides readers a financial runway to lead an untemplate lifestyle. I personally managed to negotiate roughly six years of living expenses!
I look forward to interacting with all of you here and on Financial Samurai!
– Sam
Tips & Recommendations
Entrepreneurship and self-employment aren’t for everyone, and it’s possible to lead an untemplate lifestyle in many different ways. I encourage everyone to maximize the opportunities and benefits they have while working, save diligently, and methodically build an escape plan by maximizing your time after hours.
Starting an Untemplate lifestyle can feel overwhelming at first, but don’t worry that’s why we’re here! There’s a lot to take into consideration before launching a new career, figuring out how to become self-employed, moving to a foreign country, or starting your own profitable online business. Untemplater covers a variety of topics that will get you inspired, teach you new things, and help get your creative juices flowing.
I know what it’s like to be working around the clock with a million things on your to-do list, and I want to save you time and headaches. It can be stressful and scary venturing into the unknown, but I know first hand that it can be done. I really believe in making the most out of life and finding ways to achieve our dreams. You’re never too old to change your life. Here are a few of my favorite recommendations so you can get started on the life you want!
Start Your Own Website For Only $3.95!
Starting a website doesn’t have to be complicated. It’s actually super easy now with Bluehost, a one stop shop to purchase domain names (URLs) and sign up for affordable, easy to use web hosting. For only $3.95 a month, you can even get your very own domain name for free! Bluehost also offers free instant setup, free site builder with templates, unlimited email accounts/file transfers/hosting space/domain hosting, and different web hosting plans to meet your needs.
Take A Free Mini Course On How To Start Your Own Online Store
If you’ve been thinking about starting an online business, you should consider starting an online store. Check out Steve Chou’s free mini course on how to get started creating a profitable online store. If you sign up for the full course later you’ll get access to over 70 hours of step-by-step videos instruction that guide you through the entire process.
The Best Way To Be Free Is To Take Control Of Your Finances
Personal Capital is a free online money management platform I use that organizes all of your money related accounts in one place. It lets you safely and securely link your checking, savings, retirement, CD, mortgage, credit card, overdraft protection, and investment accounts together in the cloud. Since I use four different banks, being able to see all of my money in one place makes it SO much easier to manage and analyze my spending, and savings progress. Their offices are also right in my backyard in Silicon Valley and SF.
It costs nothing to join and takes just a minute to sign up. You don’t need to input any credit card info to sign up or maintain an account either. Personal Capital also is offering one free session with a financial adviser after you register, and you also have the option to pay for additional advice if you like. A few of my favorite features of their website are being able to add offline assets into my account (jewelry, heirlooms, electronics, etc.) and their 401k fee analyzer. If you want to be free and have more flexibility in your lifestyle, take control of your finances now and start paying more attention to your money.
Take Time To Explore
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Please stick around and join us at Untemplater to learn how you can Work where you want…Live how you want…Be who you want to be! We love to hear your thoughts and experiences in the comments, so please don’t be shy. 🙂
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Work where you want… Live how you want… Be what you want to be.
Cheers,
Sydney
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