How to Make the Leap from Corporate to Business Owner

Have you been thinking about making the transition to entrepreneurship based on the experience that you have acquired from your corporate job?

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Today, I am going to share a “Quickie Convo”, our Q & A series pulled from our community. If you have questions you would like answered, drop them in our Facebook group!

How Do I Make the Leap from Corporate to Business Owner?

I’ve helped coach hundreds of women to make this leap by utilizing their operational gifts and skill sets, and I’m going to share those tips today.

People leave corporate for lots of different reasons, and what we hear most of the time is that they are looking for freedom.

“The great thing behind someone who has a corporate background is that they already have an expertise.”

If you have already been promoted once or twice because you have the experience and expertise in a topic, and you have shown signs of leadership, then this combination allows you an aptitude for navigating business on your own.

Also, you have to realize that even though you have the skills and expertise, you will have to market yourself when you step out on your own. You don’t have to have the hard marketing skills right away, but you will need the soft skills (heart, drive, confidence) to market yourself.

You are confident because being in corporate is tough… you’ve likely hardened, become wise, and come to know yourself really deeply. Those who have left corporate are often competent, know their worth and have been able to speak up for yourself and to make your boundaries known. These qualities will take you far.

Start with Services

Look at the skill sets that you have that have gotten you far, and see how you can repackage those to serve another audience. The fastest way to make this leap is to sell services. This comes up in three different ways:

Consulting: You have the expertise and an established process
Project Based: You are working on one particular thing and can provide strategy, management, and maybe even implementation
Retainer: Working one-to-one with someone in a long term capacity

I recommend that you secure two clients or projects under your belt prior to leaving corporate, so this means you will need to juggle both of these roles for a bit.

“This is the time to test, and business is a string of tests… you never get done so don’t feel like where you start is where you need to finish.”

What You need to get started

You need your offer! What is your expertise? What kind of promise can you give people?

You will also need a phone or computer so that you can have conversations with prospects. You will need to convert prospects into clients, and you can only do that through conversations.

“One of the coolest things about this process is that you really don’t need much to get started.”

You should also:

polish up your LinkedIn Bio
have a basic contract

And later add:

Create a PDF document that states who you are, what you do, how you help, testimonials, why you are an expert… talk directly to that type of client that you want
Get a tech system for your contracts and invoicing. We use Dubsado.

What You Don’t Need

I would recommend getting six months of experience with clients before creating a website or creating social media. If you do this too early you won’t be satisfied because you don’t know who you are talking to or what your offers are. Don’t slow yourself down by obsessing with these things, they can be done along the way.

Start replacing your income by working with clients.

“You’re not going to [replace your income] by having a website and writing copy, you’re going to do that by providing a service, executing on that service, and getting paid for it.”

Check out our quiz to determine what kind of business model will suit you best as you make the switch from corporate to entrepreneurship.

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