Tom Pham · Toronto
Working a full-time job and quietly building something on the side?
I work nights at a five-star hotel in Toronto. After hours, I write honest books, build small games about money and time, and learn Korean. Everything here starts free — and none of it promises you will get rich.
Play first · No email needed
Small games about real life.
I build little browser games after my shifts — about paycheques, spare hours, and quiet saving. They are free, they take minutes, and you do not need an email to play.
The games keep no score anywhere and ask for nothing. When something here does ask for your email — the five questions below — it goes through one Kit form, one list, and it is easy to leave.
The books
Two honest books, written after hours.
No overnight success, no quitting your job by Friday. Just a real account of building something quietly, and the road that led there.
The thirty-second trailer for Alive After Hours.
From readers
Honest, not hype.
A Diary Every Shift Worker Will Feel
“Tommy, your honesty makes this diary feel deeply personal as if you’d shared almost everything with me. If you’ve ever headed to work with your heart not in it this book hits home. Every shift worker should read it.”
Journey one must read
“Tom didn’t spend all his energy trying to escape his job. He kept working, but at the same time he was building things for himself. … A job is important, but it’s not the only thing that determines your future. Sometimes the most important work happens after you clock out.”
Best book
“The book helped me realize that a job should be seen only as a source of income rather than a source of meaning. … I would recommend this book to anyone looking to improve their financial mindset and take greater control of their future.”
How this book changed the way I think
“What stood out to me is how honest and relatable the book feels. He isn’t just trying to sell a dream or tell people to quit their jobs and become millionaires overnight. Highly recommended for people who are feeling stuck in their job.”
Not a self help book, but much more than that
“Tom’s story is not about escaping a job overnight or achieving instant success. … I was inspired because his journey felt realistic. It showed that ordinary people can continue building skills, knowledge, and opportunities while fulfilling their everyday responsibilities.”
A must read to level up in hospitality
“An insight into a typical day of a hospitality worker from a unique point of view offers comforts knowing we all going through it.”
Practical lessons beyond the job
“Instead of promoting unrealistic shortcuts, Tom shares how he used his free time outside of work to develop new skills and create additional income streams. Realistic, relatable, and easy to apply — even with a busy schedule.”
A Great Start to a Remarkable Story
“Having worked with Tom, it’s great to see his experiences and perspective come through in his writing. The book is engaging, authentic, and easy to connect with.”
A Must-Read for Anyone in Hospitality
“I honestly loved this book. As someone who works in hospitality, I related to so much of it. It reminded me that you don’t have to quit your job overnight — you can start building something bigger while you’re still working. Really inspiring and easy to read. I’d definitely recommend it.”
The shop
Start free. Go deeper when you are ready.
Plain prices, nothing hiding behind a webinar. The free questions come first — most people should start there.
The first evening
The Quiet Build Starter Kit
Three tools and a short guide to get moving in a single evening — find your real hours, choose one thing to build, and take a first step this week.
$9 USD
Digital edition · PDF
See the Starter Kit
The deeper work
The Alive After Hours Workbook
The companion to Alive After Hours — thirty honest questions, and the room to answer them, for building a life on the side of a full-time job.
$19 USD
Digital edition · PDF
See the Workbook
The founding cohort
The First Stream
Four honest weeks and a small group — you get the first real thing out of your notebook and into the world, with the Workbook included and a one-to-one with me. You do not do it alone.
$129 USD
Four weeks · Ten seats
See The First StreamEvery step is optional, and the earlier steps are enough for many people. I would rather you start with the free questions tonight than buy anything before you are ready.
The side quest
Being a beginner again keeps a person alive.
I am learning Korean, slowly, after my shifts. I could not find a game that practised it the way I actually use it — ordering coffee, finding my way, making small talk with new people — so I built one.
Twelve quests take you from your first 안녕하세요 to handling daily life. Learn the words, live them in a short story, then say them out loud — the game listens and coaches your pronunciation, syllable by syllable.
Start Quest OneTom’s Korean Quest · Practice line
안녕하세요
annyeonghaseyo — hello
I am not a coach. I am a few steps ahead.
I am Tom. I moved from Vietnam to Canada at fifteen, and I have spent the last twelve years in hospitality — these days as an in-room dining supervisor at a five-star hotel in Toronto. I have not made it, and I will not pretend to. I still work the night shift, and I am grateful for it.
Start with five honest questions.
A free mini-workbook for when you are stable but quietly stuck. Enter your email, confirm in one click, and the PDF arrives in your inbox. After that, I send an occasional honest note about money, work, and building something quiet on the side.
The free questions · By email
No spam. One list, through Kit. Leaving takes one click.
We can do this. I really believe that. — Tom