Hi, I’m Colin.
I'm Colin, husband, dad of 2, kayaker, runner and lifter. I've had one SaaS exit and run an ecom store for 13 years. None of it was about the money. It's about freedom: time with my family, energy to train, and businesses that don't need me every hour. I share how I use automation and simple online businesses to buy that time back.
Hey, I'm Colin.
Husband, dad of two, kayaker, runner and lifter. I build simple online businesses and use automation and tech so they don't need me every hour. It all comes back to freedom: time with my family, energy to train, and work on my own terms.It started on the edge of a bedAbout 13 years ago I was in sales and my then girlfriend Helen was a buyer at the same company. One day the business closed without warning. My company car went the same day. No kids yet, both suddenly unemployed, and a small mortgage on a two-up two-down in Chester.Sitting on the bed, I said to Helen: "Let's start our own business." That became Cartwright Fitness, and Helen's now my wife.Learning by tinkeringI built the store on BigCommerce knowing almost nothing. Every time something ate my time, I found an app to streamline it. Over the years I handed warehousing and shipping to a 3PL, and even outsourced content. Thirteen years on, it's still going.What I've actually learnedIgnore the "big money for a few hours a day" crowd. It's graft. But with consistency and the right systems, you can make it work and buy your time back.Don't wait for perfect. I've watched polished products from smarter people go nowhere. Launch and adjust as you go.Go narrow. Fix a small problem, and enough people will pay for a life on your terms.I work like I train: a couple of hard sessions a week, the rest easy. Intense action, then recovery. And if the grind starts costing family time, remember why you're doing it.What I'm building nowOne SaaS exit so far. Today my Freedom Machines are Cartwright Fitness, The Chester Step Test, Cartwright Assess and Votiq.Outside of workOn the water in a kayak, out running, in the gym, or with my family.Say hiWant the real systems behind all this? Get my weekly notes, or find me on X at @cartwright_fit.
Freedom Machines
The businesses I've built to buy back time. Tap one to have a look.
Contact
Want to get in touch with me?Use the form below to get in touch with me, or email [email protected]