I remember my last day working in corporate America like it was yesterday. Texting my husband mid-day that Ii hadn't stopped smiling. The high vibes I was feeling from the moment I got ready for the day until the moment I laid down. I was on cloud 9. I was treated to farewell lunches and had visitors throughout the day sending me their well-wishes. I felt a sense of relief, achievement, and mostly just felt pretty damn proud of myself that the day had finally come. That I was living the dream.
To celebrate over two years of being full-time in business, I did a bit of reflecting on the greatest lessons I’ve learned along my journey of transitioning out of my job in corporate America and what things I had in place that I attribute to helping make the process easier for me (and hopefully you too).
If you’re wondering what you need to have in place before you start or go full-time in business, then save this post, print it out, or take notes that you can constantly come back to as a reminder.
I remember what it was like when I was looking to make the transition out. All of the questions that were running through my mind. All of the worries and concerns and what-if scenarios I painted… because well, I’m a planner. It can feel overwhelming when you’re wanting to calculate if it’s the right thing to do at that time. To discover if you’re really ready and how do you know if you’re ready now. And to finally feel confident enough to turn in your resignation letter.
Here’s what you need to have in place if you’re wanting to go full-time in business.
An unwavering belief in yourself. Confidence is key. I’m sure you’ve heard this before, but confidence is the key that opens the doors to success. Work on building up your confidence in yourself, craft, and business.
An unwavering belief in the possibilities. What is the point of setting goals if you don’t believe in the possibility of it coming to pass? Sometimes the biggest thing standing in your way is the limitations you place on what is truly possible for you. Don’t count yourself out before you see things through.
A morning/ night routine. Set your day up for success by having a way that feels good for you to kick things off and set the tone for your mood, esteem, and level of productivity.
A track record for hitting your goal. Obviously, if you knew how to hit your revenue goal you would already be in business for yourself, I’m sure. However, you should still make it your sole mission to not only set goals but also prove to yourself that you can stick to your plan and as a result execute the goals you set for yourself.
Accountability. Everyone setting out to grow and expand should afford themselves the opportunity of having someone in their corner who can remind them of what they said they were setting out to do and challenge them to dig deep and commit to it.
Support. Rome wasn’t built in a day and London Bridge wasn’t rebuilt alone. Even the biggest dogs allow themselves to be supported and have a team around them who help them do more in less time so they can win big.
A proven concept, i.e the product or service you’re selling. Obviously, if you’re wanting to earn a living doing something, you need to have something you’re selling whether that’s a sponsorship, affiliate sale, or product or service you created based on what you know and love.
A signature way of delivering results. I’m sure you’ve heard this, but what helps set you apart from the crowd is your unique way of delivering to your clients. This could be confetti you slip into your packages, a signature look or recipe to help bring a new twist to an old thing, or your unique framework for bringing your clients results.
An offer priced for profits. It’s one thing to have something you’re selling, but it’s another thing if what you’re promoting is putting you deeper into a whole. Whatever you offer, make sure it’s priced for profit so you can get closer to making your dream to go full-time in business come true.
An understanding of your number goals. How many clients are you setting out to work with a month? How much money per client? How many people would you estimate you need to speak to a month in order to hit your number goals? In business, you should always know your numbers so you can ensure the goals you’ve set are within reach.
An understanding of who your ideal client is. Everyone is creating a business, but not everyone is showing up client-attractive. Do you know who you feel called to serve? If you try to market to everyone, in actually it touches no one.
A proven system for growing your audience. To keep your pipeline full, it’s important to continually be growing your audience and reaching new people who want and need what you are bringing to the table.
A proven system for generating leads. Do you know where your ideal clients are hanging out, how to stand out in front of them, and how to get them to stick around with you? It’s not enough to grow your following, you have to also know how to generate leads too.
A process in place for closing sales. Once you figure out what works best for you to close your first sale, it’s time to ante up, rinse and repeat.
A process in place for servicing your clients. Many people spend a lot of time on the front end trying to figure out how to get more clients and underestimate the importance of having a seamless process on the backend for servicing your clients once they say yes. This helps to make your life a lot easier.
A system for creating content to keep your business going. Content is the bread and butter of your business. You need a way to consistently pump out content to attract, nurture and compel your people to take the next step towards doing business with you. This is how you sustain your business and keep your sales pipeline full.
A 1000% commitment to your own success. I could tell you a million and one ways to gain traction in your business, but if you are not committed to your own success, then nothing I share would matter. You have to treat your business as if you are married to it. There should be a certain level of consistency, a spirit of excellence, and a love and commitment to continue to grow and learn and get better than you were yesterday.
Every day we get to start fresh, but if you want to seriously get to the point where this replaces your job, then you have to be the kind of person who is committed to your own success. Because once you are working for yourself, the life or death of your business is on your shoulders. Are you the kind of person who has what it takes?
It starts with the implementation of knowledge and not just the accumulation.
As you can see, there are many things you’ll want to have in order before taking the leap to go full-time in business. Hopefully, you feel like you have some direction on where to start, what you could be focusing on, or where you could use more support if you've been struggling to piece together all the things. The help you need is within reach to ensure you get set up for success online to grow your business. If this information is resonating with you and you are open to exploring how you can get personalized support to get set up for success online, click here to explore options.