let’s start off by addressing the elephant in the room. you are going to hear and read EVERYONE’S opinion on this subject. some are good. some are bad. you wouldn’t take advice on how to change the oil in your car, from someone who has actually never changed oil before, right? so why take advice from people who have never actually worked in a full time/corporate environment? this post is more for people leaving for another job and/or following their dreams with their own business.
when i tell you this took me a year to actually pull the trigger on, i am not exaggerating. just ask my client. we discussed my partnership with his company for literally a year. i had to make sure that it was the correct move for my family and myself – and not to mention i was just shy of a 10 year work-iversary at this company. that was a big change for me. enough about that. let’s get down to business.
number 1 – steady income
this was number one for tyler and me. we knew that if i just quit and came home, we could make it work. the hard part is giving up the lifestyle we are accustomed to. and to some people, that doesn’t matter. but we love to travel. we (i) love to shop. we knew that ultimately – it was going to take a hot minute with blogging to have a steady income. so we explored other options. when i was approached about email marketing for the company that I partner with, i knew this could be my ticket. but I didn’t just turn in my notice immediately. i actually worked with this company part time for 3 months before I made the decision to take it full time. i wanted to make sure it was something that worked well for the both of us. and by the grace of god, it is. in most cases, people cannot just walk about of a full time job and live without that income. this being said, have a steady income for a 3-6 month period before walking away from your full time job. you can make your own definition of steady depending on yours and your family’s needs.
number 2 – insurance
insurance can be super expensive for self employed individuals. so make sure you explore all your options. this is not something to take lightly. do your research. ask your family and friends. connect with people in the line of work you plan to be moving towards. there are so many options out there that it can be overwhelming. but this is something you can research over your 3-6 months of consistent income. but making sure your insurance is in place before you leave is important so you do not have a lapse in coverage.
number 3 – savings/ retirement
i am going to talk about these two together since they both deal with money. i like to be prepared for the worst. so having a savings account with 3-6 (i seem to like this time frame) worth of income was very important to me. maybe the amount you want to save looks different for you, but i recommend having a little nest egg before leaving. as well as figuring out what to do with your retirement account. or if your company didn’t have/provide a retirement account – now is the perfect time to start. no time like the present. again. there are tons of options and you will need to do your own research on this.
number 4 – a routine or structure
this is something i still struggle with if i am being completely transparent. when you work a 9-5, you know what you will be doing {roughly} everyday. you have a routine in that corporate position. you have structure. when you start your own business, you are the structure. no one is telling you, that you have to complete the task. it’s strictly, you do not work, you do not make money. so, I recommend finding your routine before you are completely out of the corporate world. or at least have an idea of what your day will look like.
number 5 – a love of what you do
last but certainly not least, make sure you love what you do. or you will find yourself in the same exact position. running your own business is hard. burn out is real. and when you don’t see growth, it can be discouraging. i truly love what i am doing now. but i also had to think real long and hard about it. i had a very stable job that i wasn’t the happiest in, but it was good benefits and a good paycheck. if i quit, and then decided i hated this new venture, going back wasn’t really in the cards. so make sure you are not just leaving because of something that made you mad. or you are jumping at the very first opportunity that you get. make sure it’s something that is worth leaving the job for.
and let me just say that this is my opinion. these are the things that were important to me when i was making this decision. this isn’t going to be spot on for everyone – and that’s okay. no one is on the same exact journey, and that’s what makes your journey special. now. go follow your heart, and do what makes you happy.
