Thinking about quitting your job to start your own business? Read on for my 5 reasons to quit your job tomorrow!
2 weeks ago I quit my job.
I decided it was time to reshuffle who was in control of my life, so I fired my boss and put myself back in the driving seat.
Eating tarmac
Over the last 3 years as a 9 to 5 office slave the jump from the 27th floor to the tarmac below became ever more inviting.
Getting up in the mornings was a constant struggle. I was always late for work and sometimes didn’t rock up until late afternoon. My excuse was usually the same – bad stomach from dodgy street kebabs or insomnia.
People started guessing there was something more going on, but only my closest friends knew that I was angry and frustrated with the way my life had panned out.
This job was meant to have made me heaps of money and I was supposed to be travelling the world sipping cocktails before I was 30!
Nowhere
Instead, working as an office slave has got me nowhere. I’m 27, still burdened with debt and stuck in a foreign country. I’m now resolute that I will never again put myself in a situation where someone else holds the reins to my future in their hands. The idea of making it in a 9 to 5 is dead to me and I’m hell bent on building my own business before it’s too late.
It’s been two weeks since I quit my job and I’m still feeling euphoric, despite the uncertainty of my future and whether my business plan will succeed or not. Needless to say I don’t care. I am free.
Here are my 5 reasons to quit your job tomorrow:
1) A rotten job is a rotten sandwich.
If you suddenly realise your sandwich is rotten you don’t chew, savour and swallow. YUCK! You spit it out. Reject it.
Your job shouldn’t be treated any differently. Why force yourself to swallow a career that you no longer feel passionate or excited about? For what, money? Incremental raises in pay or job title? Or do you think it’s OK because all your friends are in the same boat and you’ve just got to accept office slavery like everyone else does?
The passion and excitement your job once gave you isn’t going to magically come back. Don’t get me wrong, you can find it again and quitting your job is the first step. Go find the cakes and watermelon. Leave the rotten sandwiches behind.
2) You will survive!
Sure, the idea of not receiving a paycheck next month is a frightening one, but if you’re serious about quitting your job you must realise this is inevitable however far down the line you choose to quit. Not getting that steady paycheck is going to scare you just as much this month as it will 6 months later.
What are you waiting for?
Answer “YES” to the following question and there’s nothing stopping you quitting tomorrow – if you quit your job tomorrow can you survive without a paycheck for 3 months?
By “survive” I mean pay your rent, bills and have food in the fridge. It’s that simple.
Excuses: “I don’t have enough saved up yet”. “I can’t quit yet I have bills to pay”. “What will I do if my own business doesn’t work out?” “I’ll never get a job in xxxx career again”.
Throw out all the excuses and just strip back to the bare basics. Will I die if I don’t get paid next month? Of course you won’t.
3) Put a gun to your head. See what happens.
Sometimes it takes a gun to the head to get things done.
Remember the scene from Swordfish when Gabriel holds a gun to Stanley’s head and gives him 60 seconds to hack a government system? Despite the fact the gun wasn’t loaded and Stanley received fellatio at the same time the idea of having your brains blown out if you fail is quite a powerful one.
Quitting your job will give you a similar sensation. As soon as you realize you’re not getting a salary in your bank the next month it will force you into a corner that you must fight to get out of. This is a good thing.
It’s too easy to get comfortable when you have the security of a paycheck in your bank each month. You might say “why should I quit?”, or “I’m happy with my salary, it’s enough to support me and I can put some away each month”. Sure, that sense of security is nice but it is also what is holding you back from moving to the next level.
4) Quitting your job will give you 8 more hours a day to work on your own business.
Imagine having an extra 40 more hours a week to pursue your own business?!
If you already have an income outside of the 9 to 5 that is making you money but not quite enough to support your current bills think about how much more 40 more hours a week could add to your business’ revenue?!
In the last few months before I quit the 9 to 5 I found it impossible to build traction with my own business plan in the tiny 3 hour window between finishing work and going to sleep. It simply wasn’t enough time for me to create something. Plus I was usually knackered and motivationally drained from work and all I wanted to do when I got home was collapse in front of the TV until bed.
The day job does, quite frankly, suck the life out of you and finding the energy to build something after a gruelling day at the office is far easier said than done.
Since I quit my job and freed up every hour of the day my productivity has skyrocketed and my goals are starting to appear obtainable.
5) Your friends don’t know shit.
On the day I quit my job I went for dinner with some friends. As soon as I announced I’d just quit the first question they asked me was: “have you started applying for jobs yet?”
Are you sick of people saying quitting your job is stupid because career is everything? – “but what about your career?!”
Why do you think everyone is always so quick to tell you that you shouldn’t quit your job and pursue your dreams? Why do you think people tell you it is stupid to quit and not apply for other jobs? It’s most likely because:
A) they don’t see beyond the career culture because they are trapped by the security they think it offers
B) they are jealous of your urge to escape the zoo and want to stop you for their own selfish reasons
If you are considering quitting your job to start your own business avoid asking for advice from your friends stuck in the career zoo. Branch out a little.
Sure, your closest friends are awesome for advice on other things (like what to wear or how to sext) but that doesn’t mean they know shit about opportunities outside of the corporate zoo.
Ask those who have already got out. Their advice is worth listening to 🙂
Conclusion
I’m going to end this post with a story.
You go to a bar for a drink with friends. There’s a mixed crowd and some friend of a friend there you’ve never met before. You notice he’s happy, confident and everyone wants to talk to him. You wait until he’s free and introduce yourself. After talking for a bit you find out he quit his job 6 months ago and is now doing his own thing. He’s successful, making money and loves the freedom. He asks you what you’re doing and you tell him you’re a corporate slave working for xxxx company but you want to quit because you have a plan for your own business. You end up talking to him all night and after a few more drinks tell him “f*ck it. I’ll do it. I’ll QUIT!” At the end of the night you exchange numbers. He wishes you the best of luck and tells you to contact him. The next day you wake up, shit, shower, shovel breakfast down your throat and get to work on time. You don’t quit. You keep going to work for 6 more months and tell yourself everyday you’ll quit soon. 1 Year later you bump into that guy again in the same bar. He’s happy to see you and asks “so…did you quit your job?!” You’re embarrassed, say no, I’m still working for xxxx company and you reel off some speel about how you got a raise and you’d like to stay a little longer because the company’s really going somewhere. He loses interest, gets distracted and makes an excuse to go talk to someone else.
Did you quit your job to start your own business? Please share your story in the comments below.
Hi Richard,
I came across you while reading an article by Neil Patel. I like the blog and especially the can do attitude. I have had a varied life – air traffic controller, member of project management teams (writing users requirements) in the same field, owned hospitality businesses (bars, hotels, restaurants) and more recently was employed as a hotel manager. My role has just been made redundant, but over the last few months I have been researching the idea of establishing my own business. Time was always tight just as your own experience. I have been at home (Kilkenny, Ireland) for the past two weeks fully engaged in my business research. I have contemplated business consultancy or own online business (possibly arts and crafts from India), etc. In other words, I am unsure but very determined to succeed and be in charge of my own destiny once again. I am very interested in your successes with online businesses. I must confess that I have no detailed knowledge or experience of this kind, hence, my very keen interest in learning from your blog.
The best,
David
Hey David,
Thanks for your comments and really happy to see you’ve signed up for updates! It’s great to hear about your background and reasons for wanting to start your own business! Arts and crafts from India sounds interesting 🙂
With the multitude of experience you’ve had in hospitality management I’m sure you’ll be able to find a really great niche to get your teeth into there. Definitely focus on something you already know well if you can.
I’m going to be launching a small affiliate site soon (about laminate flooring) that does exactly this. I’m not expecting it to make much cash but because I worked in the laminate flooring industry for 3 years it’s easy for me to talk about it and offer advice. I’d be far more comfortable doing that than trying to sell a product I’m not so familiar with.
Hope this blog will be helpful to you in providing a little motivation and ideas about how to approach online business.
Let me know when you make a decision on what business you plan to do and if you need any help I’d be more than happy to assist!
Hi Richard,
Thanks for the ‘sticking with what you know’ advice. I would generally agree with you, however, my hesitation in respect of hospitality is that it tends to be a crowded space plus that whole industry is very short of cash. That leads to very competitive pricing, late payments and defaults! I have financial commitments, etc. I am researching in order to identify a niche before I would commit to a hospitality focussed business consultancy.
The Indian idea was born of various visits to that country. I am very impressed the people and the country and love their home produced goods whether household, arts and craft, etc.
It is my opinion that this idea would very much lend itself to an online business. What do you think? In addition, there must be a range of products that could be sourced in China either for the gift market and/or for hospitality businesses (e.g. wedding decorations).
I do not have a website or blog. I have obviously being researching it but I am starting from a very low knowledge base! I would be delighted to avail of your offer of support.
David
Hey David,
Sorry for my delay in replying to you.
The Indian idea sounds great but there must be a lot of competition and it’ll be hard to find products that have constant demand. If you did Indian arts and crafts then it’d probably be best to test out a few products first on eBay with a few drop-shipping partners then once you know what has a good demand buy stock and sell on your own website.
I almost ended up selling wedding decorations sourced from China a while back on eBay but the market was just too crowded. I couldn’t compete with the crazy low prices the Chinese sellers were offering and it was logistically a nightmare because I’d have to use various different suppliers for each different item. Anyway, although the Indian crafts and Chinese wedding decorations markets are incredibly saturated luckily there are still ways to compete.
The way I used to be able to compete with Chinese suppliers who had prices 20 to 30% cheaper than me (when I sold mascot costumes sourced from China on eBay) was by simply making better adverts with good copy, hammering home the way I put quality first and offer UK returns. People hate waiting 1 or 2 weeks for their products to arrive and will be willing to pay a little extra to buy from someone who already has the goods in their country, plus it makes returns a lot easier. It’s a nightmare returning an item to India / China.
Of course it is very risky buying stock of these kinds of niche gift/decoration products because it’s hard to judge the demand. Whenever I got a mascot costume return it was always incredibly hard for me to find a new buyer because not many people are looking for Basset hound Dog Costumes for example hehe.
Let’s continue the conversation over email. My email is richard @ clambr dotcom.
Hi Richard,
I stumbled upon this article while internet surfing and I must say it was an eye opener. I too have friends who think quitting your job to start your own business is stupid. I love decorating ear buds and I want to make it my full-time job. I am scared that it won’t be successful and I’ll probably end up homeless if I up and quit my job but every bone in my body is telling me to quit and devote my time fully to marketing my business. After reading your article I decided that I’ve had enough and if I am going to succeed in life I have to learn to take chances so I’m going to submit my letter of resignation.
Thank you for opening up my eyes.
Jeannette.
Hi Jeannette,
Wow, I wish you the best of luck!
I checked out your ear buds and they’re awesome! I’m sure you’ll be able to make a huge success of your business especially with more time to focus on marketing 🙂
Also, thanks for signing up to updates. I hope my next post will help you with your marketing plans! (I’m going to be doing an expert interview about how to increase exposure and traffic to e-commerce stores).
Thank you so much for this article. I have gotten tired of seeing all of the “Don’t Quit Your Day Job” articles. I am a hard-working woman. I have talents and skills out the wazoo, yet, I still feel I have nothing to show for them. I work a day job, and it urks me, daily. I run my company at night and am admittedly slaved to others’ opinions as to why I should keep this upsetting job. I can’t stand my co-workers and this is getting on my last nerves. I still find myself using some excuses as crutches. I have children to take care of; a household to run. When I think about it, my children are almost at working age (less than one year to go). They will be driving soon. So, what am I crying for? Who knows? I have a saying, “crying over spilled milk still doesn’t clean it up.” Everyday, I fight myself on leaving this hellacious job. My passion and my heart is with my company. My company is in the beauty industry and it has extreme potential for growth and profit. However, I still fight with paycheck “stability” versus pursuing my passion full time. I am glad to have stumbled on your article as it has given me a new point of hope. Thank you.
Hey KELiCHiA,
I’m glad you liked the article and hope you find yourself in a position to be able to pursue your passion full time soon!
Best of luck to you and stay strong.
Hi Richard,
Do you have any tips for, well, someone that answered “no” to your question? Basically, I’m at the 40-hr-a-week, getting-me-nowhere job and it’s not EVEN paying the bills- I slip further and further behind. I’m not ABSURDLY in debt, but it’s just enough that I am consistently late with my rent. My biggest reason for my fear though, is that I’m not the only one depending on the steady paycheck. My boyfriend has 4 kids and we have to have a place for them. I desperately want to make the leap away from the soul-sucking job but I know it’s not just me that would suffer any consequences- do you have any advice for my situation?
I appreciate anything you can tell me. Thanks a ton. 🙂
Hi David,
I love this article and I desperately want to make the leap from my soul-sucking job to my own business. The thing is two big problems; 1) The business I am wanting to get into, making games, isn’t the kind that can immediately generate revenue and 2) I’m not the only one that would face consequences of leaving the steady-but-not-enough-to-bring-rent-on-time check- my boyfriend and his 4 kids would be facing much tougher times as well. Do you have any advice for me, please?
Hey Richard,
Almost read all your all the articles and had fun filled experience , you kept me glued to content . I am really newbie trying to build the online business but was without any plan or concrete knowledge and out of the blue you came to rescue. I was trying to build http://www.hairextention24.blogspot.com as my money making blog and realized traffic to site is daunting task. After reading your blog I got some motivation to build my own blog with rigid brand building strategy .
Once I decide the brand name I will share with you.
Thanks a ton for precious info.
Regards,
Rajeshwar Thakare
Hey Richard,
I promised you to acknowledge once I decide the Brand Name, niche area for content drilling , here I am – Brand name Evolved Souls ( http://www.evolvedsouls.com ) , One Liner – Journey towards self realization and content related to Love, spiritual , peace, life, motivation, inspiration , growth , positive attitude and so on …. I realized one fine day why not to go for value addition in people lives and I am practicing Spiritual life since long so that was my niche and it clicked.
I am loving the work I am doing and people all over the globe are joining me for some real good content Right now there are 5 of us writing and its growing each day.
Got 200+ fb likes to page good amount of page shares and traffic is surging in no time this is just 9th day.
You Inspired me to the core Richard thanks a lot.
Regards,
Rajeshwar Thakare
Evolved Souls- Anticipates than can change your life !!!
http://www.evolvedsouls.com
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