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Got a great business idea and not sure when to make the leap from that nice safe job to your new business?

Written by: Lee Lister

Article Overview: That leap from being paid by others to relying on your own business for an income is a frightening one – make sure you are going about it the right way.

Got a great business idea and not sure when to make the leap from that nice safe job to your new business?

I am guessing that you have already discovered that a couple of clients are not going to pay your bills for very long. This is the best way to start your own business – but you are going to have some long working days ahead of you.

A word of caution first: Do not undertake your own business work, whilst you are on your paid work time. Do not use their facilities, copier, phone, software etc and absolutely do not chase their clients. This is the quickest way to be fired from your current job.

I would give yourself a reasonable time – say 6 months to a year to make the transition. This decided, then sit down and work out the following:

Plan how you are going to make this move and what you expect to achieve each year. For example you could set yourself the target of obtaining 3 new clients within 2 months and then 1 client for each month after that.

Decide what your marketing strategy – that is where you are going to find your customers and persuade them to buy from you.

Decide what services you are going to offer and at what price.

Decide what makes you so special that people will want to buy from you, as opposed to other businesses.

Once you have done all this, and most importantly, you need to work out what your break even point is. That is how many customers do you need to pay your bills and make all the work worthwhile.

When you have all this information, put your plan into action and do not forget to learn as much as possible about your trade, whilst you are still employed.

If you are in a very competive market, competing against many other people and companies, some that can offer very cheap rates. Please be sure that you can succeed before you give in your nice safe paying job. Good luck.

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Article Tags: break even point, business work, caution, good luck, job, marketing strategy, own business, phone software, software etc, target, transition, work time



Related Forum Posts
You have what it takes to succeed! - I just wanted to remind you that if you have a business idea or some kind of dream you would like to pursue, you already have what it takes to succeed at it. If a business idea has come to you, the way to accomplish it must also exist. How do you think other women have achieved such great levels of success? They had an idea AND THEN ACTED ON IT. The most important person who needs to believe in what you can do is YOU! When you accept that truth and make the decision to act on it, all sorts of practical ideas will begin coming to you on how to do it. The reason you are reading this is because deep down you know it is possible to be really successful. Yes, you are smart enough for YOUR IDEA. Yes, you have special abilities. Yes, you can actually do what you love to do and create a business around it. It's pretty hard to take the entrepreneurial leap of faith unless you choose to believe in yourself and your idea. Once you do, you just might discover an invisible bridge beneath you and wonder why you waited so long to jump. You know you are already a business woman at heart. I invite you to show her to yourself and then the world.
Leap of Faith - Your post is very timely Binary Guy - I just took my biggest leap of faith in my life to quit university and focus on starting up my business. I'm excited to see the business take off now that I can spend time on my idea!
What keeps you from just doing it? - I think many people have limiting beliefs that keep them from following through on their ideas. Fear is certainly a factor, but even more limiting is the belief that it's too good to be true. Many people don't believe it is as simple as they dream it could be. And yet, some people have done exactly that and made millions. Our world has taught us that you have to work really hard to get money and that it's only for a few. What belief do YOU have about money? Is it keeping you from taking that leap on following through with a great business idea? I used to check in with money possibilities before I made a decision. Now I decide what I want to do and then figure out how to use money as a partner to get what I want. It's so freeing to not make decisions based around money fears... even if the funds aren't even there to follow through with it yet. I feel like I've finally stumbled on a secret. I'm not a millionaire yet, but I can tell you things are certainly going in a positive direction! What's your experience? What keeps you from just following through on your entrepreneurial idea?
Re: What is your biggest challenge? Today? - [quote="mbrand2222":31caod33]When I first decided to become an "entrepreneur" I had a really hard time with the concept that I was no longer going to have a steady paycheck unless I got busy and earned one myself. That sense of security is what I think keeps people from going out on their own. I bet there are tons of great ideas out there but the people who have them are too insecure to take the leap and try to bring them to fruition. I feel for them but I say, "Go ahead and take the leap if you have someone that will help you when you fall. You never know until you try.".[/quote:31caod33] Hi Mary, So how did you eventually force/motivate yourself to take the "leap of faith"?
Re: What is your biggest challenge? Today? - When I first decided to become an "entrepreneur" I had a really hard time with the concept that I was no longer going to have a steady paycheck unless I got busy and earned one myself. That sense of security is what I think keeps people from going out on their own. I bet there are tons of great ideas out there but the people who have them are too insecure to take the leap and try to bring them to fruition. I feel for them but I say, "Go ahead and take the leap if you have someone that will help you when you fall. You never know until you try.".


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