Why I left my corporate job and started my own business

Mar 24

If you’d have told me I was going to be an entrepreneur, I would’ve laughed in your face.

I hated the idea of selling (ew, David). But a lifetime of collecting paychecks until I finally retired into the sunset? SIGN ME UP!

Should you quit your job?

If you hate your job, you basically have 3 options:

Stay and make it work
Change jobs and go work for someone else
Leave corporate life behind entirely and go do your own thing

Here’s the thing: Most people think they have to figure everything out at once, they get totally overwhelmed, and then they just stay confused.

So I made this handy dandy flowchart to help you NOT get overwhelmed and make a decision already:

How to decide if you should quit your job or stay

People typically struggle with this decision for YEARS before they reach out to me. And they usually have clarity on what to do next within the first couple weeks of working with me. This is how we do it:

I walk my clients through this exercise to help them decide if they should quit their jobs or stay (and I’m giving it to you for free!):

Step 1: Make a list of qualities your DREAM JOB would have. Be as superficial and silly as you want. Unlimited vacation! Free massages on Friday! No icebreaking team builder activities ever! You get the idea.
Step 2: From your DREAM JOB list, make a second list of your NON-NEGOTIABLES. What do you absolutely have to have in a job?
Step 3: Circle all the things in your NON-NEGOTIABLES list that your CURRENT JOB offers.
Step 4: Notice any gaps between your NON-NEGOTIABLES and CURRENT JOB. And ask yourself, “Why am I negotiating on things that are non-negotiable?” “How is it possible for me to create these things in my current position or with my current employer?”

Can you make your current job work for you?

The exercise above will help you find is clarity on whether or not you can make your current job work for you. And it really comes down to just 2 factors.

Are there opportunities for you to get what you’re looking for where you are?
Or is this now a mismatch situation?

It took me a long time to figure out what I wanted to do. But I finally realized that my corporate job was a mismatch that couldn’t be rehabbed. I didn’t want more money = more work. There was no more opportunity for growth. And I wasn’t able to do what I really wanted to do.

But maybe you do this exercise and realize you want to stay. Great! I have a blog post here about how to stop hating your job.

How to know if you should start your own business

So now that you’ve decided if you should stay or go, the next step is to decide if you should go work for someone else or start your own business.

And the main question here is - What do you WANT to do? Being an entrepreneur isn’t for everyone.

I decided to quit my corporate job and work for myself because:

I wanted freedom and I didn’t want to answer to anyone anymore
I was tired of having co-workers
I didn’t want anyone else to decide how much money I could make
I wanted to see what I could do

Once you decide what you want to do, make a plan

Let’s say you do all of this and you’re STILL CONFUSED. This is now very clearly a mindset issue. Stay where you are. Think about hiring a coach to help you find clarity. And don’t make any decisions until you know what you really want.

But let’s say you have clarity. Yay! Now you just need to make a plan.

Did you decide to stay in your job? Cool. Work on your mindset and figure out how to make this job as satisfying as possible
Did you decide to get a new job? Cool. Dust off that resume, polish your interview skills, and start looking for something that lights your fire
Did you decide to quit your job and start a business? Cool. Make a plan to build the business so that you can quit. Crunch your budget. And decide what metrics you need before you can quit (maybe it’s the number of clients, money in the bank, or time restrictions).

I decided to stay in my corporate job while I built my business so I wouldn’t feel desperate to make money in the business. I looked at my budget and my calendar and decided I would quit when I had 10 coaching clients or 6 months of income saved (whichever came first).

Being stuck is a choice. You CAN find clarity. And it’s okay to acknowledge what you really want.

Life’s too short to be in a soul-sucking job.

You’re got this.

Are you ready to do the impossible?

Hi! I’m Erica

Wife to Brendan. Mom to twins + one. Dog mom. Slow runner. Coffee drinker. GIF enthusiast.

I’m a licensed mental health therapist and life coach and career coach. I help you accomplish in 6 months that thing you’ve been thinking about doing for years.