Working
for yourself, from employee to entrepreneur is the end
goal of a parallel career. But the transition from
employee to entrepreneur is like climbing over a wall.
Got
the Guts To Be an Entrepreneur?
Remember
the Berlin Wall? During the Cold War when East and West
were separated by that infamous wall, many
freedom-seekers risked being shot by border guards while
attempting to climb over that wall. If you choose the
parallel career way to be an entrepreneur, you are as
brave as those freedom-seekers. You are willing
to take risks (calculated ones though), make changes and
set goals for your future.
The
‘fear of the
unknown’ and the ‘fear
of failure’ are two phobias that grip many
people when they think of a career change from employee
to entrepreneur. Change is often frightening and
uncomfortable. Most people prefer to remain where
they are, in their comfort zone if given a
choice….until…events and circumstances force them to
wake up!
Prepare
Yourself
The
advantage of the parallel career way is that the
transition from employee to entrepreneur occurs while
you still have a job and getting a salary. There’s
less rolling in bed at night thinking about where the
next dollar (or euro, peso, pound..) will come from. You
wake up and still have familiar work surroundings to go
to. At work, you meet colleagues, follow procedures that
you are used to and get all the support you need from
your company.
But
you’ll have to prepare yourself for that day
when you finally decide to quit your job and go
full-time with your parallel career.
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Start
thinking like an entrepreneur
No
more paychecks…no more company rules and no
more bosses.
When
you are self-employed…you have no one to
turn to for all those office tasks that
someone in some department used to handle - bill
payments, stock counts, maintenance, software
installation, advertising, etc. These tasks are
now your baby. You have to be a multi-tasker.
Suddenly you’re the receptionist,
book-keeper, store manager, marketing executive,
cleaner….
And
most importantly…you're the salesperson - you
have to get customers!
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Stop
waiting for instructions
As
an employee you take instructions on tasks and
assignments, but as an entrepreneur you have to
be a self-starter. You’ll have to motivate
yourself to get things done. No one will be
giving you any instructions.
You’ll
have to plan your work and work your plan. You
decide when to work and when to stop.
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Set
your goals and achieve them
You
plan your days and set your own targets. You set
and monitor your goals…long-term, medium-term
and short-term goals.
Blame
yourself if these goals are not achieved by
their deadlines.
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It’s
Worth It!
Though
your career change from employee to entrepreneur the
parallel career way is filled with many challenges,
it’s worth it.
Your
career destiny is now in your hands. You don’t have to
prove to anybody how hard-working you are. No office
politics and no ‘corporate BS’. All your actions,
activities and efforts are geared towards your set
goals. You don’t have to impress anyone with polished
written reports or beautiful words. You don’t have to
sell your ideas to get them accepted and implemented. No
more sitting through lengthy meetings listening to
business strategies from others that you totally
disagree with.
In
short…changing your career from employee to
entrepreneur is worth it. If
not for the money, surely for the freedom to mould your
own destiny!
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