What if you feel a growing misalignment between where you are working and what your heart truly desires? It’s also special when you have ideas and dreams to start your own business but you are only in the beginning phases. It can create inner conflicts of not knowing what to do. Shall I stay at my job? Or do I jump and trust in the unknown? I can’t just leave my job and start my own business, can I? And how do I actually do that, quitting my job and becoming an entrepreneur? Why am I so scared to quit my job? Can I really work for myself? Can I really??
Many people want to follow their dreams, to go for what they want, and for some, this means starting their own business!
It can feel scary or overwhelming, and it can also be difficult to know where to start.
This article will explore the topic of quitting your current job to start your own business. Let’s explore the world of choosing to work for yourself!
We will discuss what keeps us from quitting our jobs and explain how you can quit your job and become an entrepreneur.
If you don't want to read the whole article but skip to the parts that interest you, even though you may miss the juicy parts, I understand ;-) Just click on the links below and you will go right away to the section you want to read! Overview of this article:
How I quit my job and started my own business: a personal story
Maybe you find it interesting to read how I actually quit my job (as in, working for someone else) and started my own business.
Well, as you may or may not know, I grew up in Belgium. I studied Educational sciences in Brussels, and when I graduated, I worked in the educational field: coaching teachers and principals, facilitating curriculum development, managing a language school, and so on. I started working in Belgium but also worked internationally! My last year working in the educational field was difficult. I actually wanted to quit working, but I didn’t know how else I would earn money. I think that’s one of the worries many people deal with. I continued working, but I started to notice signs in my body that something wasn’t right. I didn’t feel happy in this job anymore. It wasn’t aligned, and I felt super stressed. So, I decided to continue my contract but not to prolong it.
And that’s basically how I decided to quit my job. I still didn’t know what my reality would be after quitting my job.
What I did know was that I always had been quite entrepreneurial and that I already had a lot of ‘side hustles’. I was doing aura readings, coaching people, and giving shiatsu in my free time. And what I felt deeply in my bones was that I didn’t want to work for someone else anymore! I chose to start my own business with the skills and gifts I had, with the things I already knew how to do. It was so scary! Because how do you run a business? And was I going to earn enough money?
It felt like jumping from an airplane and not knowing where I would land. But the most important thing was present: MOTIVATION to go for it! It took me many years to finetune my business and honestly, it’s still a work in progress. But yes, bottom line, if you want to know how I quit my job and started my own business: I jumped! It doesn’t need to be that way for you, though. I know that jumping is way too scary for many people.
So, let’s go over different points. What holds us back from quitting our jobs, actually?
What holds us back from quitting our jobs and becoming entrepreneurs?
Before we dive into HOW you can quit your job, I think it’s important to discuss what is holding us back from really stopping and starting anew! Once you understand what’s holding you back and start working on removing these blocks, it will become easier to quit your job and start your own business.
So, what is holding you back from resigning from your job right now? The answer is actually simple: fear!
Fear of the unknown, fear of failure, fear of what other people would think, fear that you won’t have enough money, fear of insecurity, and even fear of success.
This fear is there for a reason. Starting your own business is a new adventure, so it’s normal that fears and insecurities come up. What we want is to use those fears in such a way that they can make us think things through. We want to use them so they can help us prepare in the best way. What we don’t want is fears that block us from moving forward!
How do these fears and insecurities manifest themselves?
You will mainly notice them through self-sabotaging thoughts. But sometimes, you may also feel them physically. You may feel a knot in your gut, get a headache, feel your heart pound more quickly, or start to feel agitated. Fears can be really annoying to deal with, so what can we do about them when we actually want to make a change in our lives?
What to do when you feel scared to quit your job?
Give your fear space! It’s coming up for a reason. It feels scary for you to quit your job and start your own business and that’s okay. I don’t mean you need to give your fears space in your head and let them run freely in your thoughts. I mean, give them physical space: Where in your body do you feel this fear? Notice it, breathe through it. Allow it to be there, and tell yourself that you have every right to feel this way, that it’s part of growth. Repeat this as much as possible.
Use your fears to prepare yourself to start your business! Write all your fears down on a piece of paper. Thank the fears for showing themselves to you, and you can even tell the fears that you are listening to them and taking them into account. This exercise is super powerful because you separate yourself from the fears instead of letting them take you over. Then, go over every fear and look into what the underlying message is, especially what the underlying need is! What do you want? What are your needs in the situation? For example: “I’m scared when I start my own business, people will think I am not good at what I do” >> The fear is, on one hand, what other people will think, but if you dig deeper, it’s about wanting to provide good services, wanting to make your clients satisfied. Then, you can brainstorm ways to do that: Are you expert enough in what you offer? Is there something you need to do or learn to be the version you want to be? But also be realistic and honest with yourself: Am I really not yet good at it, or do I actually have enough proof that I am capable, and are these just my insecurities playing a game with me? Analyzing your fears and wants in this way is key to transforming your fears and feeling more prepared!
Bring clarity and make a plan! Often, fears come up because we aren’t making things specific enough. Things can still be super vague in our heads, and we don’t have a plan, so of course, it feels scary! When we take the time to make a plan and just start with the little steps, things feel way more doable and real. Let me dive a little bit deeper into this!
How to quit your job and start your own business: my personal opinion!
The most important thing to share first is that there are so many different ways how you can go about it! There is no ‘one way fits all’!
After reading my personal story about quitting my job and starting my business, you may have realized that that’s not the way for you. Everyone is different! Some people like to jump and take action right away, while others like to prepare two years before they make the jump.
The key here is to know who you are and what you need and to work around it accordingly.
Now, I will offer you different things you can think about, do, or prepare when you want to quit your job and start your own business.
CLEAR VISION of the business you want to start. Of course, it speaks for itself that before you quit your job, you have a good idea of what you want to do. Your business will take off the best if your vision is clear! It’s also important to have figured out what you will offer and who you want to offer it to. Who is your ideal client for example? This is something that really can take some time, to finetune it. It’s also something that may change during the years of having your business, but especially when you start, you want to have this clear! Creating a business plan is also something you can do while still working at your current job. It will help you immerse yourself more fully in the reality of your business. Your mind will start visualizing more of what you want, you will make it specific by writing it down, and you will take action in a way that gives signs to the Universe that you mean it!
TIMING - When will you quit your job? It is very wise to think about which moment feels the most realistic to quit your job to start your own business. The most advisable thing is to have a period where you are doing both: working at your current job and already working in your own business, too. This can be very intense, but the reason why I share this is because you want to have your business already a bit going before you leave your own job completely. Well, I didn’t do that. If you really can’t stand your job anymore, then it’s also important to choose what keeps you more sane ;-) But if you are someone who is worried about security and money, there will probably be a period of doing both unless you have another solution (which may be a possibility more often than you think!).
VISIBILITY: Do people know you? Do they know what you have to offer? One of the most important things is that people know you and what you have to offer in your business. Once you have your vision and plan, you can start working on your visibility while you are still at your current job! The more people know about what you have to offer (or will be offering in the future), the better! You could already offer something for free in exchange for people's mail addresses, you could start writing blogs already, or you could have a presence on social media. What’s important here: it doesn’t matter yet if you have already started offering something, you just want people to know you, you want people to have a connection with you so that when you start offering things in your business, they may be super excited to work with you or purchase something!
CREATE CLIENT BASE before you quit your job. As mentioned above, you can start creating a client base while still working on your current job and without ‘really offering’ things already. Once you feel ready to take it a step further, it is time to practice! Because you are starting out, it is great to offer things for free. If you have a physical product, it could be some samples of something, or if you have a service, you could offer it for free. Why is it good to do this? Well, there are three reasons! 1. You gain experience and become more confident! 2. People get to know you and what you are doing. If they are satisfied, word of mouth may start picking up sooner rather than later. 3. You get feedback! You can ask them for feedback so you can improve your products or services, or you could even ask them for a review. You could even ask them for a review. These are all great things to start with!
MAKE A SPECIFIC PLAN to quit your job and start your own business: Once you have worked on the things mentioned above, it is time to think more specifically about how and when you will quit your job. This is the difficult part because fears may creep in again! If you have too many fears to deal with on your own but you really want to do this, it is wise to find someone who can help you transform these fears and insecurities! (Rooted Within, my online program is actually great for that!)
To make your plan, you want to think about:
who you are and what you need! As mentioned before, some people like to jump, and other people like to take their time. Think about what you need to feel good, safe, and joyful about quitting your job and starting your own business!
when you predict to have a client base or some clients that are already working with you
if you want to have some money saved as a ‘cushion’ or ‘base’ in the beginning when you start with your business, and if yes, how much
if there are still things that you want to learn, do or acquire before you can start
when feels a doable period for you to quit your job (also check how much notice you need to give when you want to quit your job)
It can be wise to even create some goals. Maybe you want to make a two-year plan of quitting your job to start your own business, great, then what are your goals in the first months, the months after that, and the last months before you quit? And what are the actions you need to take to reach these goals?
FIND SUPPORT for when you will quit your job and become an entrepreneur! I didn’t realize how important this was! I didn’t have entrepreneurial friends or family members, so I was like a butterfly in an ocean, not knowing how to swim! Now, I have my own support network of other entrepreneurs, and it has been life-changing. And especially during this transition of quitting your job and starting your own business, it can be amazing if you have support! It may be you have people around you who think you are crazy for making this decision. But there are also people who support you! So choose the people you surround yourself with wisely. What people say can have a big influence on you or your business, consciously or unconsciously. And check if you maybe want a coach or mentor to guide you in this process. Or maybe you want to join a community of fellow ‘job quitters & entrepreneurs”. There are many possibilities!
TRIAL & ERROR: when you fall, you get up again. This is such an important one! Having your own business is the biggest way of engaging with personal development! You will have ups and downs, highs and lows, exciting moments, boring moments, happy moments, sad or angry moments. It’s all part of it. Try to have a mindset where you learn from difficult situations or mistakes, and don’t give up! So many people start with their own business, but it’s only the ones who keep on going that eventually succeed in what they envision. Try things out, allow yourself to fail, to learn, to try again, to change and to finetune! You can do this!
What if you keep on doubting?
If you keep on doubting, if you keep on having fears and insecurities, this can mean two things, in my opinion:
Maybe your time at your job is not yet finished. Maybe you still have lessons to learn there that make you doubt quitting. Maybe something important is currently holding you in that workspace.
Doubt is usually a way to sabotage yourself from going for what you want! It’s one of the ways fear manifests itself in disguise. If fear is getting too much in the way of taking the first steps to start your business, it’s good to deal with your fears first. There are many different facilitators who can help you! In my opinion, somatic work and bodywork are great ways to transform fears, so is hypnosis!
What are the first things you can do to start your own business?
Well, I actually created a lovely E-book: 9 ways to start working on your dream, idea, or project!
So if you have a business idea and you feel it’s time for you to start working around it, you will LOVE LOVE THIS FREE E-BOOK!
It’s full of so many juicy, good things: tips, mindset hacks, exercises and teachings! Click on the button below and get it for FREE!
And if you are an attentive reader, you may have seen that I mentioned Rooted Within earlier.
Rooted Within is the most complete, extensive program that I offer! It’s designed to transform your fears and insecurities so you can finally go for what you want! So you can be yourself, do what you want to do, and say what you want to say. It connects you deeply with yourself, your inner voice, and to what you truly want!
I also offer one-on-one coaching, The Dreamers Who Do! If you feel that fears are not holding you back from going for your dream, project, or idea, if you feel ready to start but want some guidance, I am here for you! I always start with a free call 🙂
Xxx Ama
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