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Corporate Refugees Can't Wait

Guest post by: Kerri Salls

Article Overview: The layoffs keep coming, new jobs are few and far between, and you can't build your future on a part-time job at the mall. And you certainly don't want to burn through your emergency fund to dip into your retirement accounts. For all these reasons and plenty more you could come up with from your own experience, corporate refugees can't delay starting their own business.

Corporate Refugees Can't Wait

The layoffs keep coming, new jobs are few and far between, and you can't build your future on a part-time job at the mall. And you certainly don't want to burn through your emergency fund to dip into your retirement accounts. For all these reasons and plenty more you could come up with from your own experience, corporate refugees can't delay starting their own business.

Here's just a quick list of opportunities you can benefit from most the sooner you decide to take control and put your future in your own hands.

Momentum: When you are in a corporate job, you have established habits, systems and rhythm to your days. That momentum carries you along to maximum productivity and clarity of purpose and deadlines. With layoffs, you lose the environment that provides that. But, you don't lose the capacity to be productive, focused and accomplish tasks to a deadline. Momentum is a very powerful tool for starting your own business. So starting with the momentum from your old job makes it even easier.

Connection: Your Roladex or online address book are rich with connections. In your old corporate life, you could count on people throughout the organization and all the ancillary service providers to get things done to your standards, on time and on budget. These connections are still hot. They are great assets to your new business endeavor. Use them. They want to help. If you delay, the warmth and camaraderie will fade, your loss.

Discipline: In your corporate job you had all kinds of discipline. You had the corporate rules, Human Resource Rules, Division rules and your boss's rules to keep you focused and accountable. Within their system you thrived and flourished, even if you vented about those rules at home. Now out on your own, use your self-discipline to establish the systems, standards and rules you want to live and work by, on your own terms. Keeping your work ethic high is much easier if you keep the self-discipline and drive high and tied to building momentum putting together your new business venture.

Best Time: The best time to launch your business is now, not after a vacation, not after unemployment benefits run out, not after you get caught up around the house, not after you do anything else. Right now, you have the most security you will have going forward. So now is the best time to take a risk on yourself.

Current Expertise: In the corporate world, your technical expertise is critical to your success. At the same time, you can become obsolete very quickly. Right now, those skills are the sharpest they will be for the launch of your new business, whether that is as a consultant, small business owner or as an entrepreneur, building your own product idea. Take full advantage of your expertise, to parlay that now into the business of your dreams.

Relevant Experience: Your technical experience is one thing. Your years of experience bringing projects in on-time, building teams cohesively, delegating to others, planning out tasks and timelines - is another kettle of fish. All of these critical business skills are priceless when you start out on your own. You bring a lot to the table even before you get down to the work itself. Know that as a solo-entrepreneur, sole proprietor or consultant, that experience is priceless. Your clients won't just be paying for you to do the set work or deliver the specified product; they assume you have all this experience and expertise to deliver it professionally. They will pay you for that.

Financial Options Are Greatest: You are the most liquid right now. You will be less liquid one month from now on unemployment and no jobs in sight. Don't lose track of time. Rather, lay out a financial plan to launch your business while you are most sound. You have more leverage with your mortgage broker, with your bank, even your credit cards right now. If you cannot self-fund your business, these options are still open to you in the short-term. They dry up the longer you wait.

If you are a corporate refugee sitting on the fence about starting your own business, now is THE BEST TIME to start. You have the most to gain at the least risk right now. If you have that entrepreneurial itch, scratch it now.

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Article Tags: benefit of starting your own business, corporate refugees, sole proprietor, solo entrepreneur



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