The Story Behind ‘Say No! to the Office’

Say No! to the Office was born out of my own desire to avoid a dull career – simple as that.

Websites, forums and blogs extol the virtues of “Making Money Online”, but most people are rightly wary of instant, internet-based riches.  The internet, though, is so much better than “Make Money Online!”.  Whether it’s self-employment, freelancing, consulting, writing, starting a small business or simply getting your boss to let you work from home, communications technology should be revolutionising the way individuals and companies work.  But progress is slow.  People still sit in traffic jams, day-in, day-out, on the way to jobs that restrict their present and future prospects.  It’s so old-fashioned.

That’s where Say No! to the Office comes in.  I am lucky enough to have had the experience of setting up and running a small business in the UK.  From the outset, I set up the business with flexibility, mobility and modern working-practices in mind.  A number of years on we were able to move to Spain and run the company at a distance with little impact on its day-to-day functioning.  Since then, I’ve become interested in how technology, in particular the internet, can revolutionise the way we organise ‘work’. I believe it is possible, or even easy, to set up what most people would consider a traditional ‘bricks-and-mortar’ business (e.g., selling physical products), but run it in a way that most would consider ‘online’ (i.e., from a distance, or whilst travelling, or in geographically remote groups). That’s where ‘Making Money Online’ becomes ‘Making Money Using Online’.

I realise many people would like to do something liberating with their jobs or careers but are held back by outdated concepts of work or business.  The tools and techniques I have used are not rocket-science by any means, and colleagues have often been surprised by the ease with which traditional processes can be transferred to the virtual or digital domain.  There’s nothing illegal, illicit, dishonest or dodgy about running a consultancy from the beach, or operating a stationary supplier from a caravan, but people generally expect all businesses to run on old-fashioned principals and technology.  As long as you are open and honest about the way you operate, I believe virtually anything is possible in the times in which we live.

I set up this website to share and discuss the details of the techniques, processes, services, software, hardware (what I call ‘tools’) and philosophies that can make worklife freedom a reality.  These tips and tutorials include theory and practice and range from tiny personal productivity tips for the self-employed to full walk-throughs to achieving your goals.  Whilst here, I’d also like to start a dialogue on modern working practices and philosophies.  These subjects should be of interest to everyone who wants to effect positive change in their own or their organisation’s work, whether employer, self-employed or employee.

And to set the record straight: I don’t hate offices.  In fact, it’s sometimes incredibly useful to get together with colleagues or have a dedicated workspace away from home.  A physical office might play a key part in a company’s working practices or an individual’s worklife.  But there are other ways to work that might be as good, or even better, in certain circumstances.  An office, in combination with modern, technology-based services is a powerful combination.  More than anything, ‘the Office’ in ‘Say No! to the Office’ is a tongue-in-cheek dig at old-fashioned and restrictive working practices, career progressions and companies.

Oh, and I don’t work on the beach.  I don’t even live near a beach.  In fact, it’s quite cold here.

Let others praise ancient times; I am glad I was born in these. -Ovid (43BC-18AD)