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When did you take the leap?
Charlotte
Member Posts: 671 admin
In one of our latest posts on Bravely Go, From bored to boss, we profile four entrepreneurs like yourselves and share the stories of their transitions or pivots into the exciting and sometimes challenging world of small business ownership.
This got me wondering: when did you make the decision to own your own business? Was there a moment you can pin down, or were you just never quite comfortable in a 9-to-5 office environment? I'd love to hear more stories like these from the Community.
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@Dante Bulluck @mot @Jenna Huertas @UHRP3 @Kimpton @shoaib @julieoncloud9 really interested in this as someone who has thought about business ownership but never moved beyond the ideation stage - how do you get there?
@Alexia @Katie Silkina and you!
What did you think of the article?
It's all very relatable stuff to me!
Although I didn't end up starting my own business, a few years back, I felt trapped in a job, and a field, that wasn't for me. It took some time to gather up the courage to leave, but I eventually did! I sold almost everything I owned to move out of my hometown and to Toronto, with dreams of starting something completely different.
I packed up my cats, and my partner and I moved in with old friends of ours, and we tried our luck here!
Sometimes, and I'm sure our Wavers agree, you just have to take the plunge and see what happens. It worked out great for me. I found my place in the city, and at Wave!
@KanataPhotographer would you share your story with us?
My story is a work in progress, peppered with all kind of twists and turns and up and downs, but most stories are like that. I am optimistic but I know I have to work harder, and smarter, than I ever did in my life. It could be another year or two before I can take a breather. The transition has been long and I may have been pushed or a shoved into it rather than a self determined leap, now I got to find my way up.
A client was asking for me to submit info to be added to their payroll. That was the kick-off for me. I came home one day after that conversation and decided it would be best for me and my partner to apply for a Master Business License. 6 months later it is still the best push I have been given.
I work in finance and accounting 9-5 but I had a neighbor that had a moving labor business. He would ask me to help him from time to time and I would oblige. It was a good way to make some pocket change and get a decent workout on the weekends. One day he sent me on a job 2 hours away with two other guys. One of which proved to be unfit for the job and only lasted 30 minutes into the move before his body gave up on him. This in effect put more work on myself and the other guy. We pushed through it but ended up having to extend the work time for the job. Afterwards I requested pay for the time I worked and he refused stating that the client had only paid for a certain amount of time and he'd only pay us for that amount of time. On this day, it was hot, the client had cinder blocks, a full freezer, book shelves full of books and other items that had to be carried up three flights of winding stairs. I was cramping so badly that night that I slept the chair in my living room set so that I wouldn't have to extend my limbs. So since I am not the type to argue about small amounts of money and I enjoyed the work, I decided to start my own company. I also made a commitment to pay my guys a reasonable hourly wage along with provide my clients the most professional communication and service that I possibly can. From him I learned how not to conduct business or treat your team members. I have applied that knowledge and we are now the number 1 ranked moving labor company in our area. So I bear no ill feelings toward my old neighbor and I never even requested the money that he agreed to pay me for the work I did that day. I thank him in my head every single day as my business has flourished and grown. If not for his poor practices, I'd probably still be picking up jobs for him from time to time as a hobby. Now I barely do any jobs myself because I am putting college guys to work and would rather keep them active than to put the extra money in the business account.
I took the leap this year (2018). Some friends and family had an idea for a business focused on helping small businesses develop their online marketing presence and developing apps for business and pleasure. The people involved had great ideas but no real business experience so they approached me about starting a company and running it on their behalf so they could concentrate on what they did well without worrying about administrative issues. I was sold on their ideas so I decided to jump in and become the president of our company. The rest is a story still to be written. We have developed two apps already. One is for a small business owner and the other is a word game called Get Got Go. It is out on Android and we are awaiting approval from the Apple app store. We have performed a market research project for one client and are producing a commercial video for another. All of this in about two and a half months. It is a wild ride already.
Wow! These are all incredible stories! Such diversity in what leads people to taking that first step towards starting their own business.
I am sure it was a heavy ball to get rolling but we all know that momentum is a powerful thing. What did you find was the most challenging part about getting up-and-running once you decided to give it a go?
Finding and earning an income through invoicing was very hard in the early months of my operation. We were waiting up to 90 days to get paid on the smallest projects. Some of our clients were big corporations and didn't recognize our struggle.
By continually satisfying customer's needs we earned a better turn-over on our invoices with repeat business/preferred contracts. Work hard and smile often. Don't let them see you sweat mentally. It's not supposed to be easy; that is why success feels so good! Develop that business relationship and performance that keeps clients coming back.
Love that thinking!
I love these stories. @orangreene I can't wait to check out that game, please let us know when it's out!
These stories are so encouraging!
I have worked for jobs since I was 14 years old. I started volunteering for a church and a political campaign rep for my area. Then I got hired on at the church to tutor children in reading and spelling. From there I taught myself how to do taxes and purchased the Tax Accounting Desktop book. That book taught me a lot in the ways of Accounting and Taxation. This fueled my thoughts to attend school for Business Administration with a concentration in Accounting.
To fund school and be able to take care of my growing family I became a CNA and I did both career paths for many years until after I graduated high school (assisting the aids taking care of my aunt and when their negligence killed her I got certified as a CNA) then college. I became bored with making big firms richer while I stayed in poverty and decided I can do this on my own.
Truly this process of being an entrepreneur is a work in progress. I am faithful to complete my course and have a successful business.
I took the leap this year. I was fortunate. A busiess was gifted to me. I work with small business clients and want to work with cloud accounting
It was decades ago. I was working at a 9-5 office job for people who didn't seem all that smart, and it began dawning on me that I could be using my abilities to run a business where I made the decisions and the profits.
I had some money in the bank to get me through about 6 months, that first time, and 6 months was all I needed. I quit the job and jumped into my business with massive enthusiasm. Even before I had a single client I would get up in the morning and consider that I had a full work day to do whatever would be most effective in building up my business.
It worked, and now I'm trying to do it again. In 2018-2019, I think it will take a lot more effort and time to get a small business going.