6 Things I Did Before Quitting My Full Time Job And Becoming My Own Boss

It’s easy to become green with envy every time you hear someone announce they quit their job to become their own boss. Most people only share the good when it comes to working for yourself. What they don’t tell you is how they prepared themselves for the entrepreneur life. Quitting your job is definitely a soul soothing feeling. Especially when you’ve planned for it. Today, I’m breaking down what I did to become my own boss before quitting my job.

Four years ago I quit my job as an office manager at a hedge fund to pursue my dreams of becoming a full time blogger and entrepreneur. Before quitting my job, I had been working there for ten years. Whilst it was a steady job for me, after ten years, I just felt that it was no longer pushing me to become the best version of myself. I knew I needed a change. Don’t get me wrong, it wasn’t an easy decision to come to. In fact, it was the opposite. I had to break the news to my superior. I was required to take part in an exit interview, which my company had prepared really well for because they had recently invested in experience management software from somewhere like Qualtrics (https://www.qualtrics.com/experience-management/employee/exit-interview-survey-questions/) to ensure they received in-depth knowledge as to why I was leaving, so they could change the way they do things. It was just hard. One of the hardest things I’ve ever had to do actually. But after ten years, I needed this change. For five of those ten years, blogging was a hobby for me. It wasn’t until my 2nd year of blogging that I realized I could actually quit my job and make blogging my full time career.

Shop This Look: Belted Jacket, Wide Leg Pants

Before I quit, I made sure there were a few things in order. I knew once I quit, there wasn’t going to be any turning back. So, I knew I had to prepare myself. Here’s what I Did.

I Treated My Blog Like A Business

Whatever your side hustle or passion project is, you have to treat it like a business from the beginning stages. When I started blogging and developed a following, I decided to create a simple business plan for my blog. It wasn’t anything too extensive. Just a simple layout and breakdown of my goals.

These goals included action steps on how I would continue to grow my following. What new features I would implement. My plan even included what other opportunities I would create for my self outside of blogging but within fashion. In addition to creating a business plan, I started creating set rates for my services. Each month I wanted to hit a specific financial goal, so I mapped out what I would need to do to get there.

Also, I got myself business cards, a PO Box, and a separate business email. To track my revenue, I created an Excel spreadsheet. For monthly projects, I created a project manager Excel sheet to make sure I was getting my work done on time. This was even helpful in aiding me to know if I was creating enough work opportunities for myself. I even created my own letterhead for sending out invoices and correspondences.

Invest In Your Business

Investing money back into your business is something all entrepreneurs will tell you. You can’t just spend up all the money you make. Yes girl, it’s tempting to do so but you have to have some discipline. You can start off by looking at cryptocurrencies and then use a crypto trading bot once you’ve found some stock/shares that you want to invest in. You may be able to build upon your money as you grow, but starting off small can help you make a plan and see what is out there.

Any money made from blogging was put back into my blog. I’m not going to lie and say all the money. LOL! However, most of my blog income was reused to pay for my web designer, camera equipment, studio time, staff writers, online courses, and whatever else I needed to make sure my blog was going to grow and be profitable. Setting up your own business is the expensive part. Once it’s established, you can take your foot off the accelerator a little and it should start paying for itself. Let’s say you want to become a travel writer, and you publish travel brochures each month for the tourism sector. Well, you’re going to need some pretty hefty printing and creasing equipment for all that publishing, but it’s only the same as when I had to splash out on my web designer and everything else. Duplo International can provide suitable creasing equipment including the amazing Duplo DC-446 Cutter Creaser, meaning you can be self-reliant for all of your publishing needs. That’s what being your own boss is all about, right?!

Save Your Money

Before I quit my job, I created a savings plan. My goal was to be able to make the same salary as a blogger that I did as an office manager within the first year. Saving money was a way for me to be able to sustain myself once I made the transition from office manager to entrepreneur.

I saved money from both my full-time job and blogging. I also looked at ways that I could make my money work for me through investments. A friend advised me about which stocks and shares were doing well and explained how easy it was to buy Wirecard shares, or ‘Wirecard jetzt kaufen‘ as they would say in Germany. Creating a nest egg was important to me because I have a son. I didn’t want his lifestyle to drastically change. Books on money-saving habits were extremely helpful. Of course, there were times when I fell off the money-saving wagon. When I thought about my purpose and goal, I got back on board.

Network With Other Entrepreneurs

One of the most valuable things you can do as a business owner is network. Connect yourself with people who are doing what you want to do. Talking to other influencers about life as a full time blogger was priceless. I reached out to a few different bloggers. I took them to lunch (my treat) and asked them to share with me the good, the bad, and the ugly of becoming your own boss.

In addition to talking with other bloggers about the becoming your own boss life, I connected with other entrepreneurs from various industries. I went to industry events to meet PR execs, social media managers, journalists, and people who could potential become clients. I wanted my network to be a diverse group.

Building a strong network of your peers is essential to having success with your business.

Give Your Job Enough Notice

Fortunately, my employers were some of the best bosses anyone could have. Since I had a great relationship with them, I didn’t want to just up and quit one day. Most jobs request you give two weeks notice. However, I gave one month’s notice. I was raised to always leave your job on good terms. You never know when you may need them for something.

Talk To Your Family & Friends

While I made the decision on my own to leave my job. I had to discuss this with my family. One reason was for support and the second reason was to prepare them. Having your friends and family by your side supporting you makes the transition so much easier.