Legacy signals
Legacy popularity: 744 legacy views
There comes a time in your career when you realize that something is missing. You reach a place where you feel stifled professionally and confined by day-to-day tasks. What used to give you a rush and sense of fulfillment is no longer there.
You could seek job opportunities elsewhere, but you have real family obligations to consider. In a slow economy plagued by budget cuts, furloughs, pink slips and hiring freezes, this is not the most viable solution.
When you arrive at this very place, the question that must enter your mind is, "Is that all there is?"rnThe short answer is No. There's so much more!
The good news is you have a choice: stay in a rut or be the author of your life and write a new script.
It's possible to restore greater self-fulfillment in your life on your own terms, beyond the confines of a job by using your expertise, skills, and knowledge to start a business while you work.
However preparation is key!
Here are 5 must do's to business start up success:
1. Explore the reason why. There are a variety of reasons why many aspire to start a new business. For some it's about creating a life of greater meaning and purpose. For others, it's an opportunity to gain more financial security, or answer a "calling" of sorts, among other things.
Whatever the motivation for starting your business, it must be something that resonates profoundly and becomes the fuel that keeps the flame from within ignited. Without a deep-rooted conviction for the reason why, you stand a real risk of throwing in the towel at the slightest hint of difficulty or challenge you will inevitably encounter with your business.
2. Bring "you" to the journey. Although you may be venturing into unfamiliar territory as a new business owner, it doesn't mean you are starting from scratch. The reality is that you already come equipped with resources, skills and abilities to thrive as an entrepreneur.
There are many success traits all entrepreneurs possess: problem solving, communicating, collaborating, decision-making, and risk taking, just to name a few. Some of these traits have been honed and groomed from your career experiences, but they are also innate qualities you possess as a woman.
Trust and rely heavily on your unique life experiences and strengths as the greatest assets to accompany you at the start of your journey.
3. Take others along. You are a woman who juggles many life roles as professional, mom, wife and homemaker. Adding another responsibility to the mix as entrepreneur could tip the scale too heavy to one side, to say the least.
But this new role and responsibility doesn't have to throw everything off balance. To avoid this, allow others to help you, get used to delegating more and give yourself permission not to be "super woman."
Your family members in many instances will be your biggest fans, but be sure to get their buy-in from the start. Help them to see "what's in it for them," so that you experience less resistance and push back in the long run. Allow your family to be more self- sufficient. In so doing, you create a bit more "space" in your life for business development, without feeling guilty.
Also, consider your professional network. Are there any colleagues or contacts in your circle that can facilitate any aspect of business planning or development, more quickly and easily? If so, use this support system to jumpstart the process of building your business.
4. Get your finances in order. The good thing about starting a solo business such as a coach, consultant, trainer, speaker or the like is the small start up cost involved and the low risk. So it's easy to get in the game; the challenge is staying the course.
One the most important aspects of sustaining over time is having adequate cash flow to fund your business operating expenses, while also maintaining your household financial obligations. This can be achieved by doing two things: effective budgeting and investing in your business. You will have to get in the habit of saving money, "trimming the fat," and spending smarter so that you can free up money to invest toward your business.
Additionally, the "cost" of doing business in the initial stages extends beyond covering expenditures. It also involves having enough funds for professional development. In order to develop and grow as an entrepreneur, you will have to invest some time and money to learn how to be a successful business owner. Otherwise your business will stagnate and cease to exist.
5. Commit to peak performance at all times. Working at your best capacity begins on the job. Your ability to get things done timely and efficiently, without fail, will make the difference in sustaining high energy levels throughout the day. It will also minimize the extent to which you are working long hours or bringing work home at night.
Without careful attention to this factor, it will be virtually impossible to carve out consistent time for business development, creativity and focus. In order to maintain excitement and momentum toward building a business, you will need to reserve and protect "space" in your life for it.
By taking these five preliminary steps at the very start of your journey, you will gain a greater clarity and assuredness about starting a business than you ever thought possible. And the sky's the limit on how far you can go!