When I walked the halls of my corporate clients as a consultant, I would inevitably be pulled aside by someone. It happened so often, I came to expect it.
Each one had a similar question: do you think I should start a business? You’ve been so successful, and you look so happy – maybe it’s my next step.
My response has always been, yes – maybe.
It’s true, being an entrepreneur has been amazing for me.
I’ve never been happier than I’ve been with my own business. It suits me. I’m independent, a calculated risk taker, and I love being the author of my own destiny in all things, even in the day to day.
Deciding whether to leave your job is like any other big decision. It’s not about right or wrong in the big scheme of things. It’s about you.
There are many great things about working in someone else’s organization.
In my corporate life, I developed an amazing array of skills, from finance management to strategic planning to dealing effectively with people. I was part of a larger vision. Those were opening for me – they set the groundwork for everything I’ve done since.
And the income and regular paycheck were very useful! They provided a structure and grounding for my own finances.
Making good use of your time as a corporate citizen is always valuable, whether it’s expanding your skill set, making a contribution to the organization, or helping others to realize their career goals.
And being in a large organization may be exactly what you want in your work life. If you do, then do it with enthusiasm and commitment.
If, however, you’re finding that you feel called to the entrepreneur’s journey, you owe it to yourself to find out if it’s right for you.
In that exploration, things that just make sense to consider can masquerade as barriers to leaving your corporate job.
For example, some people hesitate to leave their corporate jobs because they fear the loss of job security. It’s true, being an entrepreneur provides no guarantees for income.
The thing is, job security doesn’t exist. You are always at the mercy of corporate decisions about staffing, even if your contributions are significant. It’s just part of the big business realm.
So, what look likes a barrier may actually just be something to look at closely and realistically. It’s just another aspect of your exploration.
If you decide that you’d like to go further down the path of the entrepreneur, you can also decide how to do it.
You can take the leap, quit your job, and go headlong into your own business. That can be the best approach, since you can focus and put all your energy into your business.
A leap with a cushion is an option you might want to plan for, starting now. One of my clients recently made the jump with two years of savings! Now that is planning!
Not everyone will or can have that kind of cushion – I had 4 months, and it was enough to get me started and well on my way to the 6-figure revenue I made that first year.
If you want to make the transition more gradual, you can always start a business without giving up your job right away. Income is an awesome thing – it supports you and your family in your way of living. So making the move as a slide rather than a jump might serve you best.
If you decide to slide, maintain your integrity by starting a business that doesn’t conflict with your promises and commitments to your current job. Your business, and you, will be the better for it. When the time comes to make the break, it will be clean, honest, and full of the energy of new beginnings.
Whatever you decide to do, do it with intention, with passion, with your whole Self.
If you feel called to the entrepreneur’s journey, building something new and unique, and making your own choices in your work life, then go for it!
The how of going for it can be the big leap, or the slide – it’s all about what you decide is best for you.
Whatever you decide, if you make that choice from the deepest place within yourself, your own inner knowing, you can never go wrong.
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Are you thinking of starting your own business? Which approach feels best to you – leap or slide?
What feelings are coming up for you as you consider this possibility?
I’d love to hear about your process of exploration – please share your comments!
I found you today via a start-up group in IoD & Linkedin and was inspired by what I read. I married at 22 (wife 21) and 36 years later we remain happy with two children. Money was the motivator for me to become an Entrepreneur and also to create security; I have 100% faith in my own ability but not of an employer and therefore wanted to be the master of my own destiny. I have however always maintained a “day job” for added security and protection for my family.
My motivation was self-improvement, challenge, and the experience, I will explain. We both come from Council homes, secondary education and no possibility of any hand-outs or inheritance (not that we have ever thought of asking for anything). My wife is a Nurse of 40 years, the last decade as a Palliative care nurse. I started life in factories, so between us we were poor by today’s standards.
We sold our possessions, car, moped and stuff, lived with our parents and saved as if our life depended upon it. No going out, no nice holidays, no meals and drinks, just work, sleep and work. After 18 months we saved over £2K for the deposit on our first home, paid for our wedding and honeymoon (a friend’s house in Bournemouth) and we set about our new life together.This was in the 70’s when strikes, 3 day week, the Unions were at loggerheads with just about everyone and the interest rate was 15%, so today life is a light breeze.
I refurbished the house and started my first business and within 18 months had turned our £2K deposit into £14K, (enough to pay outright our first home) moved upwards and so continued for the last 36 years. Today we own 4 properties and I have started several businesses that provided the capital for the property portfolio.
Coming from nothing, today we have £xM, a healthy property portfolio, my wife retired and I will step down from being MD of ZF in 2015 to explore new opportunities. Today most want instant, instant food, happiness, money, fame, celebrity lifestyle, certainly not work or the thought of 20+ years slog to achieve the financial freedom we enjoy today. That is the biggest killer of today’s budding entrepreneurs, they want it all NOW and they want it for FREE.
I have my own personal rules and milestones that I preached to friends, family and those working for me over the years and willing to listen and learn, so congratulations on taking your enthusiasm and turning this into a business.
Wow, Michael, thank you for sharing your story. I’m delighted to hear that you made that move to being an entrepreneur early in your career. Your attitude of doing whatever it took to do what you chose for yourself is inspiring! Congratulations on all your success!