| iv id="body"> | | | | 6. You'll be free to walk away. When you first start |
| It's been five years since I made the decision to leave | | | | out on your own, you will probably be grateful for |
| my corporate job and start my own company. No | | | | whatever business comes your way. The thought of |
| question about it, leaving nice coworkers, a stable | | | | "walking away" from a client may seem suicidal. It isn't. |
| paycheck and 12 years of tenure with one company | | | | As your reputation grows, people will approach you, |
| was the scariest thing I'd ever done. And yet looking | | | | ready to hand you their money and have you begin |
| back, it was the defining moment not only of my | | | | work. That's terrific. However, in some cases, the fit |
| career, but of my personal development as well. The | | | | won't be there - something in your gut will tell you it's a |
| fact is, I am now so enamored of blazing my own trail | | | | bad match. You will learn that you can say "no thank |
| that I could never go back - I am hopelessly, incurably, | | | | you" and walk away. Nobody assigns projects or |
| unemployable. | | | | clients or teammates to you anymore. You and only |
| As a result, I receive a steady stream of, "Can I buy | | | | you decide who you work with and on what terms, |
| you a cup of coffee?" invitations - from old colleagues, | | | | and if it doesn't feel right you need only say so. |
| new friends, complete strangers - anybody who is | | | | 7. You'll make new friends. If you've been with the |
| considering a change, and who wants to know, "Why | | | | same company for a long time, you've probably |
| should I start my own business?" This is what I say: | | | | developed several close relationships. You may be |
| 1. You'll dance to your own music. There's a lot of | | | | afraid that you'll be lonely and isolated out here in the |
| noise in the corporate world. Not physical noise, but | | | | "cold cruel world." Nothing could be further from the |
| opinions, rules, history and a whole lot of, "that's the | | | | truth. Starting your own business gains you immediate |
| way we do it around here," always just an inch or two | | | | entrance into a collegial world of fellow sole proprietors |
| below the surface. In such a setting it's hard to find | | | | and entrepreneurs, eager to have you along for the |
| your path, or as I like to say, "hear your own music." | | | | ride. We hold meetings, we have events, we meet for |
| Once you're on your own, you'll suddenly begin to hear | | | | lunch, we talk on the phone - we share ideas, support |
| what's there, and the more you can hear it and have | | | | each other and hang out together. Price of admission: |
| the courage to follow it, the more enjoyable and yes, | | | | a friendly demeanor and a willingness to help other |
| profitable your life will be. The fact is, there is no right | | | | people find their way. |
| way to live, to act or to grow a business. | | | | 8. You'll pick the players. Wherever you sit in a |
| 2. You'll never have to retire. Retiring is a strange | | | | company, you've got people you interact with every |
| concept to the satisfied, self-employed person. It | | | | day. Your boss, your direct reports, the head of the |
| implies that work is something you want to be done | | | | legal department, the desktop support guy, the |
| with, something you wish were over. When you truly | | | | receptionist. Hopefully you like and get along with most |
| find your passion however, the concept becomes | | | | of these people, but whether you do or not, you're |
| meaningless. Do painters stop painting? Do musicians | | | | stuck with each other. When you run your own |
| stop playing music? Do comedians stop being funny | | | | company on the other hand, you pick who's on the |
| just because they've reached a certain age? Not if | | | | team. You get to choose your attorney, your |
| they are doing what they truly want to be doing. Sure, | | | | accountant, your landlord, your printer, your partners, |
| you may slow down or change focus as you get | | | | your clients - everybody in your daily life is there |
| older, but the game is never over, since the game and | | | | because you decided to put them there. You get to |
| your life will be one. | | | | choose. |
| 3. You'll put your money where your mouth is. I never | | | | 9. You'll have real problems, instead of imaginary ones. |
| planned to start my own business, and I always | | | | In a corporate setting, your happiness and success is |
| secretly believed that I didn't have the guts to be | | | | dependent upon dozens of intertwined relationships |
| successful on my own. When I look back now, I'm not | | | | and handed-down decisions, any one of which can |
| even sure how I managed to convince myself to leave | | | | change your world in ways you may not anticipate or |
| the perceived safety of living within the protected walls | | | | even understand. With so much out of your control, it's |
| of a large corporation. When I finally jumped however, I | | | | hard not to spend time "What If-ing" and worrying |
| was surprised by the number of friends, former | | | | about the future: "What's my boss really think of me? |
| co-workers and family who remarked on my | | | | What if I don't get put in charge of that new project? |
| "courage." Frankly, I'm not any braver now than I was | | | | What if they cut my budget next year?" Fear of what |
| before, but I know with certainty that I don't need a | | | | might happen can become worse than the situation |
| corporation to take care of me (and neither do you). | | | | itself - imaginary problems. |
| 4. You'll no longer live in two worlds. I used to be two | | | | When you're building your own business you're |
| people: "corporate Michael" and "home life Michael." | | | | immersed in reality. Sure, you may have days where |
| Corporate Michael was less friendly, less intuitive and a | | | | you worry about paying the mortgage, but you'll be in |
| lot less interesting. I found it easy to switch back and | | | | the game, fighting the good fight, and no longer |
| forth between the two Michaels, and for a long time it | | | | obsessed with the possibility of being blindsided by an |
| didn't even strike me as odd that I would make | | | | unforeseen shift in the corporate winds. |
| decisions at work based on a completely different set | | | | 10. You'll find your purpose. You didn't come here to |
| of criteria regarding what was fair, what was smart or | | | | follow somebody else's vision or sit on the sidelines |
| what was worth doing. That's over - I'm now one | | | | watching the clock tick away until retirement. But |
| person no matter what I do, and I have a more | | | | somehow, somewhere along the way, you forgot. |
| balanced, more humanistic approach to business. | | | | Now, after so many years of following the pack, |
| 5. You'll know your own power. Swept up in the turmoil | | | | you've come to see work as a place you go to earn |
| of working as part of a corporation, there's a tendency | | | | enough money to do the things you really want to do. |
| to blame others, wait for others, think that others are | | | | It doesn't have to be that way. Working on your own |
| making things happen. Working alone you'll realize how | | | | will give you the freedom and focus to find the |
| much control you actually have (and have always | | | | exhilarating, balanced, self-directed career you've |
| had). That realization will give you the courage and | | | | always dreamed of. |
| drive to do more things than you ever dreamed of | | | | One of my favorite quotes is from the book, The |
| when you saw yourself as an insignificant part of a big | | | | Artist's Way, and I've had it taped to the top of my |
| machine. You'll have nobody else to blame, and even | | | | computer monitor for the last five years: "Leap, and |
| more importantly, you will see how much credit you | | | | the net will appear." Go ahead, I'll be waiting for you. |
| really do deserve for everything you've created. | | | | |