Hello SOTGC community,
This is my 4th post for SOTGC where I talk about making the career jump from corporate to entrepreneur. In Make Your Move from Corporate Executive to Entrepreneur I compare your entrepreneurship journey to running your first marathon. And in Assess Your Entrepreneurial Skills you learned to identify knowledge gaps needed in order to make the journey successful.
Moving from corporate job to e-ship can be a drastic lifestyle change. The impact on your family and your boss (who is really your network) cannot be underestimated. In my last post I provided a guide for preparing your family and your boss and now it’s time to turn our attention to you. Obviously it is you who will feel the greatest impact from this decision.
Run the numbers
Can you afford to do this? Get a handle on your living expenses, your savings and other income sources. Can you afford to leave behind the steady paycheck and bootstrap it? For how long? Consider creative options to keep some money coming in while you work on your new business.
Don’t Get Discouraged
Take it from me – starting your own business is humbling. The big picture can be discouraging, so appreciate the micro-accomplishments! Develop a plan with milestones and timelines for yourself. Establish dates where you will step back and see how far you have come and what you learned along the way. Check something off that list every day!
Work that network
You can’t do this alone. You’re going to need a strategic professional network. Set a 3 month deadline to identify, contact and follow up with 3 key people missing from your network.
Start now with skill building
It’s not too early to start developing the skills you identified as a gap. A good example is becoming comfortable with social media. Identify the best online resources to learn about Twitter, Instagram, Google+ etc. Pick one to master and set a deadline to become proficient at it
Your day-to-day routine will need a makeover
Rethink your days (and nights). Most women entrepreneurs I’ve talked to (including me) do the majority of their work in the dark. Meaning before the sun comes up and after it goes down. The house is quietest at that time and everyone else in the home is taken care of. Now it’s your time to focus and crank out the work. Get used to a new routine.
Now that you have assessed the skills and network you’ll need as an entrepreneur, prepared yourself, your family and your boss – you are ready to start the process of building your business
Starting with my next post “Turn Your Great Idea Into Real Business”, I’ll interview Patti Fletcher, CEO of PSDNetwork, on the 6 stages entrepreneurship.
