Transitioning From Employee To Business Owner

It’s story time!

The tale of my transition from employee to business owner, spoiler alert...it’s actually something I would do very differently if I was doing it over again!

But I’m sharing this story with the hope that it will help you if you’re currently an employee working a job and want to start your own business.

Once upon a time, I had a full-time, outside-of-the-home job. And I was really good at it, too.  But ya know what? I wasn’t happy there!

The stress of my job was causing me health issues. The hours of my job were creating chaos with our family schedules. We were paying a mortgage on a home we were rarely at. And our kids were getting older while our time with them was narrowing.

I had been thinking it might be time for me to make a career change, but hadn't really done much to make it happen.

The decision of transitioning from employee to business owner.

In 2006 my husband and I decided that it was time for me to make the leap and work from home as a business owner and business coach.

Things were finally going to get better!  We wouldn’t have the stress and chaos from my previous job, and I’d be at home and spending more time with the kids.

Perfection, right?!

The reality of transitioning from employee to business owner.

Well, here’s what actually happened. It was the rockiest transition EVER. What we thought was going to reduce stress actually induced more stress.

I wasn't attracting clients fast enough and therefore, not making enough money.

At one point, my husband lost his job.

We lost our car.

Our daughter moved out.

And things were so difficult that I actually interviewed for another job, thinking that working for myself was just not going to be a reality.

Fast forward to today.

I survived and eventually thrived as a coach and business owner. And while my transition was NOT easy at the time, I’m SO glad I made the decision to leave my job and start my business.

My life today as a business owner and business coach...

Now I use my experience to help others make a much smoother transition from employee to self-employed business owner.

Being a business owner can be scary–and it has been at times–but it can also be extremely empowering. While I would go about things differently if I did it all over again, my journey has taught me a lot.

And it has helped me relate to and understand much of what my clients are going through and feeling as they also embark on the “business owner journey.” This allows me to help them in ways I otherwise would not be able to.

Because of that, I have no regrets but I do have a couple things I would do differently looking back. Hindsight is always 20/20. Ugh!

What I would do differently when transitioning from employee to business owner

-Save up more money. While I had what I thought was a good amount of money to start a business, ,my expectation of reaching my employment salary in 6 months was a fantasy.

-Narrow my niche and create services for an specific client rather than offering general coaching

-Charge more. Myself and many many of my clients have gotten stuck not charging enough because we struggle to see ourselves as a expert because we're new in the profession. Yet, we have the certifications and education to know more than our clients so to them we're experts. The faster you can get to knowing you're valuable the faster your business will grow.