Leaving a good job without a ‘real job’ is the riskiest career move. However, often, many people have the yearning to work for self and build up his/her business. Apart from being mentally prepared, here are few steps one needs to take up to be ready to be an entrepreneur.
- Network:
Network, network, network.One should stop sitting in the office with dissatisfaction and start looking for opportunities to network. Joining a professional group, meeting people and sharing plans /ideas with trusted friends can help in making connections and referrals. Networks become very important when one is flying solo.
- Polish your LinkedIn profile:
Often people neglect their LinkedIn profile unless they are looking out for a job. Starting a business is like creating your new job. Hence it is important to invest time making sure that the professional profile is polished. One should take time to make sure that his/her story section is compelling and that the experience section is filled with details of jobs, responsibilities handled ,highlights and accomplishments.Good profile itself becomes a confidence booster.
- Try out some boundaries:
Starting a business is exciting and stressful and is important that we can maximise the burnout rate. Before leaving the job, try to stretch beyond boundaries. For example, one can try a simple practice of replying to every email within minutes. This practice will become a habit which will eventually help in responding to clients.
- Do some thing hard:
Try and do something difficult .For example, a non-technical person can start learning about building a ‘website’. Once done, it will give a lot of confidence to do anything new.
Quitting a job might look to be risky ,but if one follows these simple steps, it helps in giving confidence and empowerment. An enterprise has to be both—‘a rule follower’ and a ‘risk taker’.
It is also important to keep in mind, the following five things when one decides to become an entrepreneur.
- One will have to work longer hours and not fewer. No one is there to advise to start or stop working. Rarely is there a 8 hours,5 days a week for any entrepreneur in the beginning
- It’ll take a lot longer to make money than one expects. Many times it is because there are so many little unanticipated expenses that will keep adding up.
- There might be a tendency to say yes to everything. When one sees success, opportunities will start coming—some are very exciting and some are ridiculous. One must know what to say yes to and what to say no to.
- There will be situations in which one will fight with one’s own idea. As one moves ahead, great ideas and amazing ideas keep flooding the brain. Some will be worth pursuing and some will not. One should have the ability to take a decision.
- Your Ego will be rocked. There will be a lot of rejection that can come in starting a business. One needs to check his/her ego in order to make things work.