Who I am and why I’m here

Hi, I’m Sarah.

Working for myself fundamentally changed my life.

Before I worked for myself, I felt controlled by circumstances instead of controlling them. Most of my time was controlled by how others wanted me to spend it. My money was controlled by what others thought I was worth. My work was controlled by others’ priorities and values.

Let me be clear. I’ve had amazing jobs—jobs that truly allowed me to make a difference in the lives of others. I’ve worked for amazing people—people who pushed me to grow my skills as an employee and a human. Most of these amazing people are still my close friends to this day.

The thing is, I wasn’t satisfied. I kept defining things that I thought would make me happy and eventually checked those things off.

  • More autonomy over my work

  • More flexibility in where and when I worked  

  • More money

I checked those boxes while working for other people. I still wasn’t fulfilled. I felt trapped by the structures I had to operate within as an employee.

I watched people who didn’t deserve it get promoted and paid more than people who did. I watched bureaucracy rob people of their agency to make decisions about what was right and necessary. I watched hierarchies decide what was valuable and what people and ideas were worth. I watched people who did most of the work get paid less and get less recognition than people who just thought about work in theory.

And so I leapt. I quit what, on paper, was the best job I had ever had.  

I started doing contract work as a stop-gap as I tried to figure out what my next thing was. After a few attempts at careers, partnerships, and other ventures, I realized that I actually couldn’t work for someone else. Not that I couldn’t have made it work, I had plenty of opportunities to partner with great people on what would have been lucrative and interesting work. The thing I realized was, in working for someone else, I would still be ceding control of my time, work, and life. I’d still be letting others make decisions about what I was worth.   

I learned that operating within traditional systems of work was never going to get me what I wanted. I couldn’t play the game of incremental raises, performance reviews, office politics, pointless promotions, and warranted terminations framed as resignations. I had to step outside of that system and build my own framework that allowed me to rely on my own value and competence. A framework that gave me the flexibility to control my time and income, and take on diverse work that kept me engaged.

Now I’m obsessed with helping others build their own frameworks and find their own definition of freedom.

I also believe that we are active participants in a living universe, not victims of circumstance. We use all the tools at our disposal—market metrics and historical patterns, astrological events and tarot cards, our instincts and prayers—to anticipate outcomes, hone our timing, and maximize our success. My framework involves astrology, so I also share an astrological forecast once a month.

Whether you’re an entrepreneur, solopreneur, side hustler, or 9-5er looking for a better life—The Hustler’s Manifesto will show you how to manifest a life you love and control, manage the next apocalypse like a boss, and turn uncertainty to your favor.

I’ll give you a macro perspective on labor, capitalism, rest, worth, productivity, the decentralization of work, and the reclamation of personal agency.

I’m not here to tell you how to make a quick buck; I’m here to change the way work is done so we can live more meaningful lives right now instead of betting on an uncertain future.

Join the Movement

I publish four-ish times a month.

  • An astrological space weather forecast at the beginning of each month

    • Paid subscribers also get a monthly calendar

  • Two-three podcast episodes a month

    • Published here before they go live on other platforms

  • One-ish original article(s) you won’t find anywhere else

  • The monthly rundown

    • Curated resources

    • Hustlers in the news

    • What I’m reading

Subscribe to The Hustler's Manifesto

Whether you’re an entrepreneur, solopreneur, side hustler, or 9-5er looking for a better life—The Hustler’s Manifesto will show you how to own your work, worth, and wisdom.

People

Sarah Duran

I quit my 9-5 because I was tired of people telling me what to do, how to do it, and what I was worth. Now I run a successful freelance business and help other solopreneurs get what they need out of entrepreneurship and life EVERY. DAY.