The Taoist Online: A Dream Come True
The more we earn, the more we must give back to those who deserve it.
As a kid, I used to pretend I was the boss. I’d hear Mom and Dad speak about the “boss” who kept telling them what to do daily at work. Could I be the boss one day and spend my entire day ordering people around the office? It turns out that yes, I can. Not in the way their managers used to call them around, but very much so as a boss nonetheless.
I’ve written about creating The Taoist Online before, but I wanted to spend a moment and convey what I want to see in the organization’s future. This won’t be a long article, so I hope you’ll stay with it and leave a comment when you’re done.
If I had to pick a founding date for TTO, the day I purchased the domain name would suffice: January 14, 2023. That means in a short two months, we will celebrate our first birthday. I remember my children turning one and reflecting on everything I’d accomplished as a parent. So, too, will I reflect this January on everything I’ve accomplished as the leader of an all-volunteer organization. I pay the editing team monthly tips and try to tip writers who create excellent work. I wish I could give so much more.
In the future, I dream that TTO will take on investment and turn it into a real business. But we are so far away from that future that it seems impossible to reach. However, today seemed impossible nearly one year ago. So, perhaps nothing is impossible. We must be lucky, solve our problems delicately, and stay friendly to everyone.
I was recently promoted from Manager of Customer Support to Sr. Manager of Customer Support, and the extra pay should allow me to support my editors, tip my favorite writers, and pay for the Substacks I subscribe to. Of course, I’m a father with a wife and three nearly-teenage children, which comes with its price tag. Christmas has been more expensive than we wanted because my student loan payments start again before my paychecks increase. Ironically, as my government demands more money from me, I’m given more money from my job. Life has a funny way of syncing.
I have not heard back on my The Taoist Online trademark. The review was scheduled to end sometime in mid-2024. If my application is accepted, I am seriously contemplating a return to owning the publication outright as an LLC with our website, where we would publish articles outside of Medium. This would, in turn, generate ad revenue. I fully believe there is a substantial market for a large, accepting online community full of spiritual, philosophical, and religious content. However, doing so would require an entire team dedicated to our site and not force Medium editors into splitting their time between two operations.
I’d also like to attend conferences and speak on behalf of the organization to find more writers, build a larger team, and reach out to the community. The absolute dream is to pay a part-time worker for their time. But with no money from Substack yet and poor merch sales (to put it lightly), I wonder if we’ll ever get there without taking on investors.
I’m always told, “You gotta spend money to make money,” but what if you don’t have money to spend to start? If I was 25 and starting my career without a family, I’d be much more likely to take a significant risk. I’m 41, however, and risking my children’s house and the well-being of my family on a crazy business idea isn’t something you can do without serious consequences or a lot of expendable income—both of which I don’t have.
However, the best part about dreams is that they don’t need to make sense. Dreams are fantasy, hopeful, and fantastic. I was always the kid who stared outside when I was supposed to listen to the teacher. I looked at the trees and birds and wondered what flying was like. I thought about the future I’d grow into and how many children I’d have. My imagination would zoom into focus with a beautiful wife, perfect children, and lots of money. Like Scrouge McDuck, I’d run a business where everyone was always happy and had plenty of cash to swim in, but while some of these have yet to come true, most of my dreams are real nowadays.
I don’t need more, but I know I can give people hope and comfort if The Taoist Online and The Taoist Corner are more successful. The more these two adventures can do, the more we must give back to those who deserve it.