Shutting Down My Home Business

I’m closing my home business due to my health reasons and spending the months ahead on my memoir, end-of-life planning for MAID, and making sure my Mom is supported.

Photo by Tim Mossholder on Unsplash

After four years of trying different ways to build my home business and get it off the ground, I’ve reached a point where the limits of my serious health issues are no longer something I can work around.

I kept experimenting with new ideas, adjusting the way I approached things, and giving myself time to see if any version of this work could fit into the reality of my IBS, and make enough money. It hasn’t. My body can only handle so much, and I’ve run out of ways to stretch my energy any further.

The Reality of Today’s Tech Content Landscape

There is also the state of the tech world itself. Online spaces are packed with people making how-to content. Platforms are dominated by videos and posts covering the same topics from slightly different angles. AI tools have become a go-to for people as well. Even when the information is helpful or unique, very few people financially support it.

YouTube can generate income under the right conditions, but the effort required to produce regular, polished videos is enormous. Most of the creators who manage to keep going do it because they have another job or a repair business that covers their actual living expenses. I don’t have that option, and my health doesn’t allow for that kind of workload, nor for taking on the number of hours that seem to be required to get ahead in this world.

That said, I continue to post occasional videos on YouTube for fun.

What This Work Has Meant to Me

Despite all of this, I have deeply loved and enjoyed this work. Writing, explaining things clearly, and helping people troubleshoot their devices have always been passions of mine.

None of it was a chore. But enjoying something doesn’t guarantee it fits within the limits of a chronic condition, and I’ve had to accept that no amount of my interest or ambition can make up the difference.

Where My Health Stands Now

Anyone reading my Life With IBS Substack will already understand the wider context.

I’ve been pursuing MAID (Medical Assistance in Dying) because of my chronic IBS, and I expect final approval soon. Up to this point, my goal was simply to have the choice be mine. I plan to have the procedure in April. Knowing that timeline has forced me to decide what to do with the months I have left.

My Focus for the Months Ahead

My priority now is to make sure Mom has everything she needs after I’m gone, finish writing my memoir, which I am considering posting on my personal Substack blog. I will also give myself space to handle the emotional and practical realities ahead, and do things I enjoy in the time I have left.

A Thank You to Those Who Supported Me

I appreciate the people who supported me while I tried to make this business work through its iterations, whether through reading what I wrote, watching my videos, or simply caring enough to follow along.

I will continue to post occasional thought pieces on my personal Substack, and updates on my IBS blog. I will not delete this website, and I hope many find value in the content I have posted here.