It’s the start of a new week, early morning and as the alarm rings your dream ends. It’s 6am and you have to pull yourself out of bed to get ready for another week at the office. You might ask yourself, “Why do I put myself through this for a job that gives no satisfaction and is taking away the best years of my life?” You are not alone in thinking this way as so many people are asking the same question. According to a global study by Gallup employee stress has increased. If you hate your job and you know that you need to find meaning in your life; that burning feeling inside your soul is telling you that it’s time for a change. Are you tired of all the rules, the office politics, the pointless meetings and the backstabbing culture of conflict and drama? If yes, continue reading to find out how to make the transition from employee to entrepreneur.
1. What do you really want?
The important question to ask yourself before you make any decision is “What do I really want and is it going to make me happy?” So many people don’t know what they want or they do know what they want but they have no plan on how to achieve their dream. Treat yourself to a short break, go away on a holiday and use the quiet time away from the chaos to think about what you really want to do with the rest of your life. For example, if money was no object what would you do and would that make you happy? Do you see yourself jumping out of bed in the morning with no alarm clock looking forward to working on your dream business? If you want to start your own business you need to be prepared to ask yourself some tough questions as the transition from employee to entrepreneur is not to be taken lightly. It requires hard work, motivation and persevering through all the challenges, in other words having your own business requires a whole lot of patience. This is not meant to discourage you but having your own business is not a walk in the park and you have to know that you are taking a big risk with your life and it can take years before you are earning a good salary and able to pay yourself an income. If you have made your decision and you are willing to take steps towards your new future continue reading.
2. Start small and build slowly.
So you are ready to “take the leap” but hold on just a minute before you kiss your corporate job goodbye and fly out the door. Your dream can turn into a nightmare before it has begun. You have no guarantees that your business will succeed and you could be heading for disaster if you don’t have savings or a backup plan. Stay in your job for as long as possible if you can tolerate it or look for a part time job to pay the bills until your business is making enough income and you are in a stable financial position to quit the day job. Work on your business in the evenings and weekends in your spare time, start small and build slowly.
3. Develop a positive mindset
There will be tough moments and you will think about giving up as things will not be easy. This isn’t a walk in the park and if it was easy everyone would quit their jobs. You will need to remain positive and continue thinking about why you started your business and all the reasons why you need to keep going until you are able to quit the day job.
There will be family and friends that will tell you that it’s not worth your time and it’s better to have a steady paycheck than the uncertainty of running your own business. You have to know yourself and what you want to achieve for your future, there will always be people that will have their negative opinions. You will need to stay strong and develop your positive mindset even in negative environments.
4. Make your own rules
As an employee you have to follow rules and spend your precious time working to make another company successful. No matter how many promotions and pay rises you get you will still be an employee. You will get paid for your time but remember that you can always make more money but you can never make more time. Time is the most precious commodity and once you have used it you can never get it back. Most people spend over 20 years working as an employee only to realize that they have wasted the best years of their life working in a career that doesn’t resonate with their soul. It’s never too late to start thinking about your own rules for your business as that will be your future. Be willing to try new things for your business and use your creativity.
5. Adapt to changes
It can take many years to grow your business and there can be many frustrations along the way as you navigate working in a job and spending most of your free time building your business. Your situation can change along the way and you might lose your day job and depending on the financial strength of your business at the time you might decide it’s finally time to be your own boss. If you are not yet earning a full time income from your business you can find a part time job to pay the bills until you are ready to take a leap of faith and be self employed full time. There are many options available but you have to be willing to try different things and adapt to the changes along the way. There can be many dark moments but if you are patient and stay the course you can reap the rewards.
6. Develop your brand
It can take many years to grow your business and there is no magic formula for success.
The proven formula for many successful entrepreneurs is hard work and creating a strategy for growing your brand. Get on social media and start growing loyal followers as these are your people, your tribe that can buy your products. Do what you enjoy as when you like something you will do more of that and it can make your time growing your business easier. For example, if you like writing, start a blog and write about your experiences or products. If you prefer speaking, start a YouTube channel and share your experiences. We live in a technological world and if no one knows who you are, how can they trust you? People buy from people that they know and have built a relationship with online or offline. In other words, people need to trust you, they need to trust your brand. Brand loyalty builds loyal customers and returning customers can help your business grow and weather any storm.
7. Never give up
You want the dream and the lifestyle but you also need to look at reality. The dream can turn into a nightmare if you don’t plan for your future. Yes, you want to have your own business but everything has a price and the price for living your dream life in the future is hard work now. You need to wake up early, work on weekends and late nights and continue working in your day job to pay the bills. It is not a walk in the park but if you are willing to stay the course then you can reap the rewards of your hard work. A business can take many years to develop and you can get frustrated when you don’t see results in the first few years and when no one is following your posts but you can start small and build slowly and that way your business can have longevity. Be prepared, save money and to avoid headaches don’t quit your day job until you are ready for that leap of faith. The most important part of your journey is to believe in yourself no matter how long it takes and never give up. You only fail if you give up, think about who you will become in the process and not about how much money you can make. So keep going and fall in love with the adventure.