How To Escape From 9-5

How to escape from 9-5

If you are firm in your dream to pursue a career that is your passion but you don’t know how to take the big step from making the decision to making it into reality the first step you should take is to consult with someone who has done something similar before. People can pursue many types of careers from a place of passion. You could dream of being a teacher, a film-maker or a surgeon for example. However, the surgeon or the teacher, both are pursuing their dreams by being employed by a large organisation in most cases. For the purpose of this article, we will be concentrating on providing tips for people who want to pursue their own dream and be their own boss.

Is there a market for what you are offering?

Like we had mentioned in a previous article about identifying your passion, if your business is providing a particular service (e.g scuba diving lessons), you need to know that there are people in that geographic area that want lessons. If you are providing an online service, obviously your market research will not need to be restricted to a geographic area, but researching your potential customers is still vital.

You should be able to define your demographic, age profiles, gender distribution and so on. The more precise you can be will assist you in marketing efforts. For example, certain age groups generally use different social media sites. To maximise your exposure, you need to really nail your demographic.

However, a great advertising trick is to create the demand for what you are offering. This may be something you can work towards as your business grows.

What is your budget?

We know that sometimes people stumble into success. Yes, this can happen. We also know that the majority of small businesses fail within the first twelve months. One of the biggest reasons for failure to thrive for a new start-up is lack of capital. You may have a business where the overheads (things you need to spend – e.g rent, materials, utilities, wages) may be very small. Consider having an online business, which not only will it help you save time and costs, but it will give you the opportunity to reach out to your customer in a much faster, easier and effective way.

Accordingly, you need to create a budget to ensure that you are planning to take in a sufficient amount of cash by providing your goods or services to at least cover the overheads. At this stage, a profit is simply a dream. Try to break even, to spend as much as you are earning.

If you need equipment, try to get second hand while saving money on essentials. You may be able to get a bank loan but a bank will need to see your business plan. Important financial products to include in your budget at this stage may include insurance and increased level of credit. Remember the old saying, ‘you have to spend money to make money’. This is generally true, but depending on your industry the outlay can be minimal.

Try freelancing to build skills and clientele

One of my colleagues had a burning desire to become a writer. She had a normal 9-5 job which paid the bills and was not too bad. It was not that she hated her job, but she craved the freedom of being the master of her destiny and doing what she loved. She was inspired by a wealth creation book by a successful entrepreneur to start freelancing. It opened up her whole world in ways she did not realise was possible.

After some months learning about freelancing, she built up a regular base of clients. The excitement that was generated from learning something new really energised her and she would come home from her ‘job’ and start working on her freelancing business. Instead of being exhausted, she was really soaring and with her increasing confidence, she also could start to see that this was the way she would like to derive a living wage from.

From freelancing to full-time passion

It is not a wise idea to quit your job without a safety net. Perhaps your workplace may offer flexible working arrangements, or the opportunity to work from home either permanently or occasionally. Your employer may also offer a change in the structure of your day. This type of flexibility can be really helpful when starting to explore the idea of becoming permanent.

When you are driving enough income to replace your current income, you are at the stage to consider leaving the 9-5 behind.

You are not alone

A career transition from 9-5 to self-employment requires a good plan, time and energy. It’s a challenging process, which will propel you to go for the extra mile. Nevertheless, remember: You don’t have to do this alone. There are lots of resources to serve you have a successful transition, whether it’s a business and career coach, a consultant, a mentor or a financial advisor.