Your business is in no way a guaranteed escape from the issues you have with your job.
When I began my first startup in 2012, I had been out of stable work for 2 years. My industry (architecture) took a big hit during the economic downturn of 2009/2011. I didn’t expect my business to be perfect– it just had to help me pay my rent and afford healthcare (plus I really had no other choice) and I think that’s why I was able to make it work.
The Slow Startup– an alternative way to begin.
With the rise of instagram, we’ve seen a huge boom in people (many of them women) putting themselves out there in the hopes of emotional, creative and financial autonomy– in other words, self-employment. And I’m excited about that. I think that women having power over their time and power in the economy will change the world for the better.
But just because you hate your job or have (truly understandable) issues with your current workplace does not mean that being in your own business will solve that.
I hate to be someone to burst your bubble. But I’m a realist. And this is a good thing, because I am also someone who desperately believes that you CAN achieve the success you want doing your own thing.
But it will most likely require a few shifts.
It’s not that different than thinking of this like a new relationship. You probably have growing to do. Probably some reflection. And certainly you want to choose a partner that has aligned values (and has done the work, too).
So, if you’re thinking self employment might be the route you want to take, here are my recommendations for making that shift with the best outcomes in mind.
Do not take your negative thinking into a new work relationship.
Your business will be challenging, but your clients and collaborators and your business operations will all have the best connection to you if you aren’t bringing old things into a new space.
Understand what your money-related anxieties are right now, before you start your business.
When you work for your self, one of the most magical parts of that is that you can increase your salary– but only if you are making a profit. And that takes some finagling. You know what makes it hard to make a profit? A brain and body that live in constant anxiety and panic and overwhelm and scarcity. Making a profit requires skills that are very difficult to deploy when you feel scared that you won’t be able to support your self.
Find a coach / therapist that can help you understand how to calm and re-set your nervous system.
Life Coaches (at least the kind that I am and where I was trained) are here to help you suffer less by learning how to calm your nervous system. In addition, we help you gain more control of your internal world by creating a solid and healthy relationship with your self so that when challenging thoughts, feelings and circumstances arise, you can face them with a set of tools specifically crafted with your own body, experience and goals in mind. THIS IS CLUTCH.
Realize that you are now a boss, which is a very different experience than being an employee.
If you hated your boss and blamed everything on them, well just wait, you are now going to have a fun ride ahead of you. Honestly you probably did have a terrible boss. I was a terrible boss in moments (I was also a really great boss in other moments). I didn’t want to be a terrible boss, I just had no idea how not to be. (I could have used the points above and below.) Being a boss and a leader (even if your only employee is YOU) is a really important skill set to learn. I can promise you that operating your business from a calm, creative and confident mindset will help you immensely.
If you have bad boundaries with work already, it makes sense to explore that and see where you’re contributing to it.
I hate using my calendar. And so when I let that thought dictate my life, I miss meetings. I don’t get things done on time. I don’t prioritize what should be prioritized. It affects my business. When I don’t enforce the bedtime I know I should, I suffer for it in the morning. All of this is fine, if you are able to recoup and recover there is no problem with living in the moment and breaking free of a confined work schedule. BUT you will want to create boundaries so that you’re not over or under working which will lead to burnout and under-earning and generally deciding that you hate your business.
If you overwork now, you will probably overwork in your own business.
So, I touched on this above. But it warrants another talking point. I am someone who used to be very anxious about losing my job or disappointing clients / customers / employees. And so I channeled that anxiety into over-working until my life consisted of blurred boundaries like working in bed until all hours, eating dinner WHILE working, answering emails at any time of day or night, answering social media comments at any time of day or night. It was brutal. I don’t recommend this.
These are just a few of the biggest areas that contribute to a successful shift from a job to your own business. It’s not all about products and business plans– it’s about how you grow into the next version of you. And PS working for yourself can sometimes be overrated. There is absolutely nothing ‘wrong’ with having a job, like it is some lesser option. Honestly, many people will not have the ability to work for themselves and still others will ONLY have the option to work for themselves. We all have to make a living some how. We all have to do our best to care for the bodies we inherited in the society that we ended up in. There are both pros and cons for self employment and for working for someone else. It’s a deeply personal decision.
But if you really want to take the plunge, we’re here for you.