Are You Ready to Take a Leap?

Business Professionals are taking a leap into self-employment. It is happening at this very moment. Hence, I too, have chosen to do the same, by starting my own virtual consulting firm!

According to The Kaufman Index 2017 Start-up Activity National Trends Report:

“As with last year’s index, a principal driver of this year’s
uptick is the growth of opportunity entrepreneurship, which
is covered in the Kauffman Index of Startup Activity: National
Trends. High-performing states in this startup surge include
perennial favorites such as California, Texas, and Colorado, as
well as some less-highlighted places, such as Florida, Montana,
and Nevada, which are covered in the Kauffman Index of Startup
Activity: State Trends.”

But how do we make the decision, plan and execute? Well, here is my story: On a late summer morning, at our annual company retreat, our CEO stepped up to the podium to give her address. We were anticipating this moment. For the past couple of years, succession was a huge topic. Would she be selling her shares to an outside source? What would that do to our fun, casual, and whimsical culture? As usual, she did not mince words. “We have found a buyer. You have all been given an envelope, with the buyer’s information. Please open them now.” I anxiously opened my envelope with my co-workers. Inside was a mirror. “Congratulations!”, she said. “You are now 100% employee-owned!” We were stunned, amazed, and not sure of the full impact of this predicament. Furthermore, I don’t think anyone of us truly understood the gift, the responsibility we were just given. Every one of us was given shares after one year of employment. But this was far greater.

Shifting

Flash forward, three years later. I had just celebrated 10 years of employment and cashed in on another perk. A 4-week paid sabbatical. I was able to extend it to 6 weeks. As a result of this, I was able to spend 3 of them at an Ashram in Hawaii. There, I received my 200-hour Yoga Teacher Certification.

The Yoga lifestyle is my joy, my love. However, I did not do this to change careers. Just accentuate the one I was in.  Yet, when I returned, something had shifted in me.

There were rituals I wanted to continue, early morning meditation, chanting, reading and of course, my Yoga practice. These rituals were far more difficult to keep up with my daily work routine. Though work-life balance was a part of our company culture, I had to be real. There are early morning meetings with our new brewery on the East Coast. I loved this work just as much as I loved my Yoga.

This has been the best damn job of my career and I am good at it. Why else would they keep me for going on 11 years? Autonomy was key. I was given requests, but I chose how they got done. I’m fast – sometimes too fast. Efficient as well. I worked with the most amazing group of people I know. My boss was a good leader, who also gave great hugs.

Research

On social media, the keywords “Virtual Assistant” kept popping up. Almost as much as the shoe advertisements. Of course, I took the click-bait. “Sounds intriguing.”, I thought to myself, “I could probably do this. But I am happy with my job”. Was I? Yes.

However, I was still feeling the shift. So, I read more on the topic. I bought a book and joined networking groups. It was time to consider my shares and how much capital I would need. How much I can budget to hold me over for a few months. It all looked doable. Was I ready to take a leap?

Business Plan

An absolute must for every start-up is the Business Plan. SBA.gov has some free educationals to help new entrepreneurs, such as This One from The University of Michigan. In addition to this, a good startup checklist is recommended.

Final Months at My Job

I am not going to lie, I was already starting to miss my work family. I hadn’t even given notice yet! But I was already feeling the disconnect. I wanted to feel more satisfied with my work and wanted a new obsession! Every time things slowed down, I felt guilty going on social media or shopping online. Furthermore, I didn’t see myself in the new direction the company was navigating. Not a bad direction, just not mine. I listed all the things I had learned in these past 11 years:

• Project Management
• Emotional Intelligence
• Business Analysis
• Travel and Calendars
• SharePoint
• Flexibility and ambiguity
• Forward Thinking
• Time Management

The first week of December 2016, I gave notice to my boss. He hadn’t seen that coming and looked sad but then hugged me and said he was happy for me. Afterward, I sent out an all-staff email, telling everyone what I was doing. Afterward, I received an overwhelming outpouring of congratulations and best wishes. Most of the comments were along the line as “We are going to miss your contagious positivity. But you are going to rock this new venture!” Selfless. They were celebrating with me!  Consequently, with all this positive good energy behind me, I could not help but succeed!!

Final Days at my Job

It didn’t help that I had been sick with bronchitis for a month. In addition, we were in an office remodel and there was no place for me to sit onsite, so I worked at home for two weeks. Fortunately, I was able to work onsite during the final 2 weeks. I almost changed my mind when I saw my new desk.

Not surprisingly, the last 3 days were difficult. I hate goodbyes and I fell into a short depression. It didn’t help that we had a blizzard and it was cold and gloomy in Northern Colorado. My leap seemed to be less than a skip. “This too shall pass”, I told myself.

My boss and I had lunch on my last day, then I headed back to the site to drop off items and pick up my box of personal stuff. I walked around and hugged everyone who was there, which wasn’t many due to the holidays. It all felt so cliché, walking out with my box. I chose not to look back as I walked, then drove away.

My Launch

January 2, 2017, I was in a meeting with my weight doctor. She knew all about this new life I was incorporating. “I am having trouble developing a Facebook carousel campaign. Can you help me today?” Umm, what? Really? Get my first gig on the first business day of the new year? Of course!

First mistake of my new career: Misquoting time. She didn’t just want me to create the campaign, she wanted me to show her how to do one. I told her it would take about an hour. Because, if I had done it, it would have. Teaching someone else takes a little more time. About 1.5 hours more, actually. Thankfully, she was understanding and was also very happy with the outcome! In addition to this, my doctor referred me to one of her friends who owns a Beauty Spa. This person contacted me two days later!

Doing my full launch in Puerto Rico was what I decided upon, for a few reasons:

• I had the money.
• Sunshine and warmth
• As much as I love my husband and our pets, I needed some solitude to completely focus on my daily goals.

So here I am, taking the leap. In addition to this, I just happen to be reading “The Big Leap”, by Gay Hendricks. One of the quotes I identify with at this time: “Fear is excitement without the breath”. This is exactly where I am. Breathing excitement upon my fear. Letting this fear complete itself as exhilaration. Are you ready to take a leap? What would that look like to you? What would be your first step? Talk to me – e

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