Making The Leap - Five Tips On How To Successfully Leave Your Day Job To Run Your Own Ethical Business
By Richard
You have an idea for a social business. It’s a passion burning inside you. You’ve made some plans, you’ve taken the first small steps of your journey, but you’re still in your day job. Your job offers security and pays the bills, but it’s also holding you back from truly following your dream. What should you do?
1. Understand yourself.
Getting clear on what you want out of life and your career is the first step to any successful change. Although you know you want to start an ethical business, look carefully at your values and your beliefs – the foundations for how you behave – and ensure that they’re completely aligned with what you want to do.
2. Understand that fear will be the biggest barrier.
It’s natural. We’re human beings. Change of any sort is scary. Changing career is particularly so. And remember the change you’re thinking about is not only fearful for you, but also the people around you. Acknowledging that fear, becoming friends with that fear, and moving forward despite that fear will be key to your success.
3. Talk to others who’ve done it.
Connecting with people who’ve already travelled the path you want to take is one of the best ways to build the confidence you’ll need for what you’re about to do. Learn from them, draw inspiration from how they overcame the challenges they faced and take ideas from their journey that are relevant to yours.
4. Consider a staged approach.
Jumping straight out of employment into your own business is possible but often not the best route. Consider reducing your hours, going freelance, or taking a sabbatical from your day job. This will give you the time you need to do the initial development of your business. It will also make the final leap easier.
Get inspiration from hundreds of real-life career change success stories, build your confidence through following practical exercises devised by experts in the field, and connect directly with people who can help you – fellow shifters, people in the career areas you’re interested in moving to and career change professionals.
Richard Alderson is Founder of Careershifters.
You have an idea for a social business. It’s a passion burning inside you. You’ve made some plans, you’ve taken the first small steps of your journey, but you’re still in your day job. Your job offers security and pays the bills, but it’s also holding you back from truly following your dream. What should you do?
1. Understand yourself.
Getting clear on what you want out of life and your career is the first step to any successful change. Although you know you want to start an ethical business, look carefully at your values and your beliefs – the foundations for how you behave – and ensure that they’re completely aligned with what you want to do.
2. Understand that fear will be the biggest barrier.
It’s natural. We’re human beings. Change of any sort is scary. Changing career is particularly so. And remember the change you’re thinking about is not only fearful for you, but also the people around you. Acknowledging that fear, becoming friends with that fear, and moving forward despite that fear will be key to your success.
3. Talk to others who’ve done it.
Connecting with people who’ve already travelled the path you want to take is one of the best ways to build the confidence you’ll need for what you’re about to do. Learn from them, draw inspiration from how they overcame the challenges they faced and take ideas from their journey that are relevant to yours.
4. Consider a staged approach.
Jumping straight out of employment into your own business is possible but often not the best route. Consider reducing your hours, going freelance, or taking a sabbatical from your day job. This will give you the time you need to do the initial development of your business. It will also make the final leap easier.
Get inspiration from hundreds of real-life career change success stories, build your confidence through following practical exercises devised by experts in the field, and connect directly with people who can help you – fellow shifters, people in the career areas you’re interested in moving to and career change professionals.
A similar version of this article can be found in Your Ethical Business by Paul Allen, published in March 2007.
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