What Self-Starters Wish They Knew Before Leaving Their Full-Time Jobs
Taking that leap of faith isn’t a straight-forward, one path kind of journey. Everyone has their own origin story, trajectory, and, yes, things they wish they knew before they got started. Since I firmly believe we can all learn something from each other, I asked a few Office Hours subscribers to share what they wish they knew before they took that big step. Whether you’ve recently made the switch or want to take a moment to celebrate just how far you’ve come, check out their stories below. (Don’t worry: We’ll be back to our typical tips, tricks, and the Hustler of the Week next time!)
“How much my perfectionist tendencies can get in my own way!” — Rebecca Rosencline, certified health coach
“Plan on bringing in twice [as much as] what you really want to make because taxes.” — Leah Alexander, interior designer
“I wish I had started sooner! I wish I had created a task list for my own business as well as my clients sooner. I’ve been juggling two to three clients at a time, so I create a task list in sheets, with one tab for each client. (I’m old-school!) I have never even considered creating a task list for my own business until recently. Now, I treat my own business as a client.” — Lisa Tran, founder of The Elevated Esthetician
“You’ll work ten times harder and you’ll be one hundred times more satisfied when you love the work you do.” — Joy Williams, interior designer
“Patience and persistence is key! It’ll take you longer to get where you’re going than you think!” — Janel Abrahami, career couch and founder of The Audacity newsletter
“I wish I knew all the moving parts. For example, being a CEO and assistant when operating solo!” — Kelly Collier, interior designer
“Find an accountability buddy to check-in with. It’s so important for your productivity and mindset.” — Jamie Ratermann, social media strategist and health coach
“Being a freelancer is lonely at times, but you have to make your own community.” — Kate Talbot, content marketing consultant and senior contributor at Forbes
“In a very literal sense, I wish I knew that you needed to make quarterly tax payments. I didn’t realize that until after I started and had to catch up. That was a whole mess!” — Annie Loynd Burton, freelance writer and founder of New England Romance
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