When my husband and I first started talking about starting a family we had two completely different views on the topic. I am an emotional decision maker (not always great) and he is more analytical and likes to research everything before making a decision (which can get a little annoying).
So while I was emotionally ready to jump in and have kids, he wanted to wait until we had everything perfectly in place – jobs, finances, the perfect house, etc.
In the end we compromised, and while things weren’t “perfect” like he would have wanted, and I didn’t get to rush into it like I wanted…in the end it worked out perfectly in the end and we have two amazing children.
So what does this have to do with quitting your day job?? Stay with me, I promise it all goes together.
Last May I made the big decision to quit my teaching job to go full time into my photography and education businesses. It was something I had been dreaming of for years, but never thought it would happen. I was scared to death when I put in my resignation letter. I knew there was no going back and now it was all on me to make this work.
My husband fought me on this decision for a long time. He wanted us to have all our ducks in a row first…..but in reality I knew that wasn’t going to happen. So I trusted my gut and just JUMPED!
I have always said that running a business is like having a baby. There is no good time to start, it requires a lot of extra time in the beginning and as it grows you learn how to deal with new adventures and obstacles. And while there are days that you question why you did it….the good moments completely outweigh the bad.
So now to get to my point, and the reason you started reading this post 🙂
How do you know if you are ready to quit your 9-5 job and go full time into your own business?
- You are never going to feel 100% ready! If you are waiting for that perfect moment, perfect bank account or perfect timeline….stop waiting!
- How is your business doing? Are you able to keep up with the demands while working your 9-5 job or do you find that you need more time? I knew it was time to make a change when my day job was keeping me from growing my business. I wasn’t able to attend the meetings I needed to, schedule sessions on days and time I wanted to or market my business they way I knew I should.
- Are you capable of working on you own? When I first made the transition to working from home I found myself feeling a little lost. I didn’t know what to do with all the time I had and was unorganized when it came to what I needed to focus on the most. Over the last few months I have put a system in place that works for me, but I know several business owners that struggle to work for themselves.
- Are you financially ready for the responsibility? If you are one of those people whose spouse makes enough money that your business is extra “fun” money then by all means, jump right in. However, if you are like me and need to bring in $X each month to replace your lost salary, then you want to make sure that you (and your business) are ready for that. I suggest having a couple months worth of income saved up so you are starting off ahead. Then keep in mind that most businesses have busier and slower times of year. I can be easy to get caught up in the money coming in during the busier seasons and forget that you need to plan for the slower seasons.
Making the decision to go from a part-time side business, to a full-time career is a BIG one! Make sure you think it through, talk to anyone else that this will affect, then make the decision that is best for YOU!
Good Luck!
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