Have you read the 4-hour workweek? If yes, and you currently work 40+ hours a week, I can imagine you’re hungry for change.
A couple of years back, I thought ‘taking the leap’ was the way to go. Boy o boy, what was I wrong. I actually found out that there are countless options to move into entrepreneurship. Some riskier than others.
Here’s my top 3 list of options to transition from employee to entrepreneur:
Option 1: Fuck it, I’m out
When it comes to the first option, you are probably SOOO DONE with your day job. It might seem that the ‘fuck it, I’m out’ approach is the only way to stay sane.
Going onto this path might be the way that creates fast change within your career, which is what you are craving.
The downside of stopping your 9-5 without a replacement income is that you need clients fast or might have to look for government help or other ways to keep you financially secured in the time you are setting up your business.
If you have saved up some money and if you feel that this is your only choice, then this approach can definitely be an option that can be the momentum that you have to take. The pressure of this approach might actually even make you more creative.
However, this approach is by far the riskiest one of the three. Personally, I’ve never been a big fan of this ‘taking the leap’ option. As a risk-averse and calculated human being, I prefer to have a proof of concept first before making any changes. Sounds familiar? Check out option three in just a bit.
Option 2: Hustle, hustle, hustle
The second approach is to use all your spare time to work hard on your new business. This means that you will work on your side hustle or business project next to working your 9-5 job.
You will have to create a tight schedule for yourself in which you can work towards your goals. For example: working 40 hours a week plus working on your business in the evenings and every weekend.
The tricky part is that this mindset creates exhaustion. You don’t want to burn out before your business has even taken off. You don’t want to work so hard, that everything you do eventually feels and becomes a ‘must’ instead of a ‘want’.
This is a popular option as we often get tempted by quick results and overnight success stories. In reality, it always takes much more time. Therefore, I’d like to share another option to shift from employee to entrepreneur. An option you can consider if you do want to have a stable income, get a proof of concept first and move forward in a more relaxed way.
Option 3: Slowly build your business on the side
The last method is based on doing things slowly yet very consistently. Instead of driving yourself nuts with the idea of having an up & running business at a specific date, the goal here is to IDENTIFY YOURSELF AS AN ENTREPRENEUR by building new habits and getting things done on autopilot.
You will still work in your 9-5 job and you will still make a stable income. You might choose to work one day less, if that’s possible and if you can financially afford this. If not, then no worries, you can still slowly move forward next to working a full workweek.
The magic of this option lies in creating habits. Small habits that you can do every single day. By doing these every day, consistently, you will at some point notice that the habits that didn’t come naturally in the beginning are now performed on autopilot.
Then at some point, you can add more habits to your schedule. This way you’ll work towards your goals with bite-sized pieces of work you can do easily. It makes everything more accessible and by doing it this way you are way less likely to burn yourself out.
In short: less stress, more fun.
From nine to thrive
Now it’s your turn. Make a decision which option feels best for you. And stick to it.
To your success!
