Taking The Leap From Employee To Entrepreneur
Lots of people dream of being their own boss, dream of having more time to work on their own projects, work with people they want to serve, and have the flexibility in their day that the 9 to 5 can’t give them. The transition from full time employee to entrepreneur can be a challenge and requires some forward planning to avoid overwhelm or exhaustion at the early stages of your business.
Making a definite decision to move into entrepreneurship and out of the office job creates amazing energy and momentum to keep you on track. Giving yourself a deadline of 6 months or 1 year to ‘get out of Dodge’ will really focus your mind on what needs to be done. Make the escape plan and stick to it! Putting the decision on the long finger and talking about it as if it will happen ‘someday’ won’t serve you in the long run.
And while it all sounds nice and idealistic to quit your job and follow your dreams, the reality is that you need to pay your bills in the first few months while your business gets off the ground. Best to run your side business for a few months while working your full-time job and create a financial cushion so you have one less thing to worry about when you go solo! It’s not easy to burn the candle at both ends but knowing that you can make money from your side venture before you jump ship makes it easier to leave the office,
It’s important to plan each day to a T at the beginning, this will help you stick to a routine while you make the transition from full time job to entrepreneur. If it helps, plan your day around normal working office hours initially while you figure out what works best for you, and adjust as you go. It’s best to work to your most productive hours, that will depend if you’re an early worm or a night owl. Don’t work all the hours, best to have a cut-off point each day to reduce stress, tiredness and overwhelm.
When making that transition to full time entrepreneur, focus on money today, money tomorrow and then everything else. Work first thing every day on the things that will create money or profit for you today, then work on the things that could bring money into your business tomorrow or next week, and then after all that is done, do the admin or social media or arrange those networking events. Don’t start with emails and social media, or else you’ll get sucked into the rabbit hole of being busy, and not being productive!
It’s important before you leap into the world of business to take a good look at your budget and outgoings. How much money do you need to make ends meet? How much is a client worth to you? How much product do you need to sell to make a decent profit margin? What can you do over the next few months to ensure the pipeline is providing new clients for you? Knowing the numbers and the profit plan will help you keep your eyes on the prize.
Another important aspect of transitioning from employee to entrepreneur is to develop your skills in sales and promotion of your business. The one thing I find most of my clients fall down on is that they don’t follow up with prospective clients! Keeping track of who you spoke during your working week, and who was interested in your product or service is key to maintaining the pipeline of potential clients coming through the doors.
There will be days where you feel it was all a big mistake to leave the security of the 9 to 5, there will be days where all you get is the word ‘No’. It’s important to realise that your product or service may not be for everyone, it may only be for a chosen few who understand, who ‘get it’ and who will be ambassadors for your brand and business. Remember why you started the business in the first place – to be your own boss, to control your own destiny, so don’t panic.
You can make the decision today to start your escape plan and be your own boss. It can be a scary and uncertain time making the transition, and you will never work harder than when you run your own business. Being an entrepreneur is personal development on steroids, you will learn a lot about your capabilities along the way.
But if this is something you dreamed of for a long time like I did, you come to realise that there is no alternative, except a dreary life in the office until you’re in your late sixties and put out to pasture with a handshake and a ‘keep in touch!’ from your colleagues. Life is very short. Too short to waste your talents and your true calling to the beat of someone else’s drum who has no vested interest in your future. Give it your best shot, believe me, it’s worth it.
Want to build your wellness business? Why not get on a call with me to avail of my 30 minute complimentary Profit Road Map Session to explore what you want to achieve and create in your wellness business, you can contact me here!
