Yesterday I posted about your inner voice that keeps telling you that you need to be your own boss, own your own business, and get on the path to business ownership.
If you missed that post you can see it right HERE.
Before I begin I want to be clear on what gives me the right to talk about this subject.
About 12 years ago, I was in the spot you may find yourself in right now.
I had a great job and was making a ton of money. I had a mortgage, two car payments, massive credit card debt, and a mountain of bills.
I also had a wife, a baby, and my wife was pregnant with our second son.
A scary time to think about drastic changes.
After all, at that moment I was successful in every way.
Successful but miserable.
My misery stemmed from my inner voice that was telling me that working for someone else, making them rich, spending far too many hours away from my family, and enduring the mind numbing boredom of a 9to5 job was not how my life was supposed to turn out.
That voice was overwhelming. That voice did not go away. That voice was right.
I reached a point where I simply was no longer able to ignore that voice.
I had no plan. I had no guidance, I had no idea how I was going to pull it off but I did have the things I needed to rebuild my life…..desire, commitment, and an undying belief in my ability to do great things.
Long story short, I did it.
I started forging my path to business ownership at night, on weekends, on holidays, during lunch breaks, after everyone went to bed…..I stole every moment I could while working my 9to5.
I worked this dual life, stealing moments whenever and wherever I could for two long years. That is how you transition from a safe 9to5 into business ownership, you steal moments and stretch out the process. Two years from now you will be thankful you started when you did. Once you have built your business you can start working in it part-time and then transition into it full-time when the time is right. You will know when the time is right. Focus on the process and not the transition. Things will clarify towards the end. Don’t question and analyze, just do.
During my process I was exhausted, scared, and constantly assuring my wife that things were going to work out for the better. I truly believed that. In fact, I never once questioned it.
That last thing…..”I never questioned it”, in hindsight was the one thing that made me successful in my effort to dump my 9to5 and become my own boss. I truly believe that the people that fail at starting their own business go into it with some amount of silent doubt. They might believe the scary numbers they hear about how many people fail or maybe they doubt their own abilities or maybe they had some other worry. When a man erases doubt and knows with 100% certainty that he is going to be successful he does something important that others don’t…..he NEVER quits.
He might pivot. He might pivot a lot. He might change course and adjust his timelines and goals but he NEVER quits.
When the thought of failure is completely removed from the equation, a person succeeds. I truly believe that is the one thing that makes all the difference in the world. Remove the prospect of failure completely and you are left with a mindset that regardless of what happens, regardless of the setbacks, regardless of any obstacles I am going to succeed in a big way.
That level of persistence is key and it is by far the most important part of the process.
Persistence is the thing that is going to make your dream of being your own boss a reality. Not money, or quitting your job, or anything else. Persistence needs to become your superpower and your secret weapon.
There are plenty of details regarding specific actions that need to be taken in order to build a business that you can transition into full-time when the time is right but let’s focus on the initial steps that can be taken in those stolen hours I spoke of earlier.
There are countless online courses and seminars you can attend to arm you with the skills you need to own your own business but before those larger steps are taken you are going to want to focus on a few hundred baby steps that take very little time but will build the momentum you need to get to those larger steps.
I am going to focus on what I consider to be the top ten most important of the hundreds of steps. The rest of the baby steps will bubble up from this list of ten.
Every business and individual is unique but this core list will get you pointed in the right direction.
1) Read the book Re-Work by Jason Fried.
2) Set up a quiet space to work.
3) Identify the business you want to build.
4) Name it.
5) Register it.
6) Purchase a domain name.
7) Research.
8) Create a basic plan.
9) Find a mentor.
10) Consider a business partner.
A bit about each item:
–Read the book Re-Work by Jason Fried There is no better place to start. It will save you so much time and it will also put you in the best mindset possible.
–Set up a quiet space to work. This will be the first step that makes things feel official. An important aspect that will help you start viewing your actions as substantial and productive.
–Identify the business you want to build. Maybe you know already but if you don’t, it’s time to commit. I can’t help too much with this one but give it some time. My best advice is to identify a hobby you are passionate about and figure out a way to make money from it.
–Name it. This was an amazing step for me. Once I chose a name for my business I started to visualize things a whole lot better.
–Register it. Register you new business name. Google “register my new business name” and put the name of the state you are in. Example: “register my new business name Oregon”. Depending on where you are you can probably do it online for a few bucks. This is an empowering step!
–Purchase a domain name. I use NameCheap. I think it costs around $10./year.
–Research. Do your research. Find out everything you can about the business you are starting. Visit you local Chamber of Commerce for help. Tell them what you are doing and gather every resource they offer you. They will be a valuable asset.
–Create a basic plan. One page! Do not spend much time on this. Follow what you learned from reading Re-Work.
–Find a mentor. I can’t stress the importance of this enough. A mentor that has been through this before will get you on solid ground. Starting a business can be intimidating but when you are armed with experience…..even if it’s someone else’s…..you are far more likely to avoid hidden delays. Join a few relevant Facebook Groups, find someone that might be a good fit and then ask them to be your mentor. Don’t be shy. I have been on both sides of the fence and it is a rewarding experience for everyone. People love to help others. It is a fulfilling adventure that gives life meaning.
–Consider a business partner. This can be someone you know or maybe someone you are related to. There are no rules. I had a business partner for my first business and I would do it again.
All of these tasks can be done even if your time is fragmented. Each will spin off even more tasks. That is the point. You want to get the process moving forward. From there it is your job to keep things moving forward.
Before I wrap this up, I want to reiterate the extreme importance of knowing, rather than thinking, you can do great things.
If you go into this with grit, determination, and a mindset that there isn’t an obstacle in existence that can derail your plan you will succeed.
When things go wrong, no matter how bad they go wrong, if you pivot but continue there will be nothing that can stop you. You will have your business, you will be your own boss, your family will be proud of you, and you will live the life you know you are capable of living.
I am more than happy to answer any questions if you have them…..use the comments section below.
Onward!
