How to Do Work You Love and Become Your Own Boss

Find Your Passion

You may already have an idea about the type of business you want to start, or you may need to uncover your passion before you begin. Whatever type of business you choose, it should always be something that you enjoy and are passionate about. For me, the purpose was always about bettering myself. I was driven by the goal of actualizing my potential and finding a career where I could use my unique talents in the best way possible. It’s easy to get caught up with new get-rich-quick ideas and romanticize about what it would be like to quit your mundane job, but without a compelling vision – something you want to see grow and contribute passionately to- you’ll risk burning out. Burning out can result from feeling disillusioned, helpless and exhausted from not seeing results. If you choose something that you don’t care for without a solid vision that goes beyond financial gain, you risk feeling resentment over the many hours of work it took to start and maintain a business. That’s why it’s so fundamental to not only identify what your passions are, but to discover your own unique set of skills. Doing work that you love and will continue to love is key to becoming successful and leaving your mark on the world.

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Starting a Business is the Hardest Part

When you’ve found your passion and you’re ready to put all of your energy into your new venture, you need to have persistence. A business that finds runaway success immediately is a rare thing. Businesses take time, sweat and persistence to gain traction and become successful, so don’t stress if you start feeling like it’s taking too long. There will be lessons to learn along the way, and you will make mistakes – I know I’ve learned my fair share. Your vision, approach, and methods will change over time and that is part of the fun. When you persevere, you can create a business that thrives, and it isn’t just a one-time thing. There is evidence of performance persistence in entrepreneurship. Entrepreneurs with a track record of success exhibit persistence in not only selecting the right industry, but also identifying a personal connection. Success breeds success and strengthens performance persistence. It’s a cycle that you have to carry through without quitting too soon, because once you pass that threshold you really are on the path to success. When an entrepreneur succeeds in their venture, they have a 30% chance of succeeding in the next. The perception of performance persistence will induce real performance persistence. So ironically, there is truth to the popular saying “Fake it until you make it.”

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You Don’t Have to Do It Alone

When you’re starting out, getting advice from mentors and coaches can help you to avoid many of the mistakes that entrepreneurs make, and will take your business in new directions. The reality is, you won’t receive help unless you take the time to actually ask for it and invest in your own learning and development. You have knowledge at your fingertips from the networks you’ve created, the relationships you’ve maintained and the people in your life. It’s not just one person’s wisdom, it’s your wisdom, and those of the people around you. Unfortunately, some people view asking for help as a sign of weakness, and that’s the gap between the younger generation of entrepreneurs and those that came before.

Now with the existence of the internet and bountiful experts in your field, you can access a wealth of knowledge greater than ever before. What helped me get started was taking that next leap and hiring a coach for the business. Having curated resources tailored to my needs by mentors and experts in my field created a world of difference for me by providing the direction I needed to get things off the ground.  Learning from others’ experiences is a great way to get ahead in your business and allows you the insight to building your brand a strategic way. Finding those who have accomplished what you desire to create and learning from them is crucial- there is a reason why people come before you. You don’t have to reinvent the wheel!

Take control of your life by acknowledging your worth.

If you believe that your ideas and passion will make it to the next level, don’t be afraid of bowing out of your corporate job. Financial stability is a huge determining factor of why many are still working in unfulfilling jobs. Trust me we’ve all been there. If this is the case, don’t quit recklessly. What you can do is take the time to budget your needs and save up, all the while retaining the conviction of finally pursuing your passion by taking it up on the side. You can still do what you love by starting small and making time in the evenings, weekends or whenever you can. What’s most important is making sure what you do is sustainable long term.

Another tip to leaving is to give plenty of notice.  Don’t be afraid to maintain your relationships with your colleagues or networks you’ve developed in your job. Your contacts may serve as a great resource for your new venture and a good word from a colleague can take you a long way. Be honest about why you’re leaving and make sure your company has enough time to replace you before you leave. By maintaining the positive relationships that you have built you may even be able to take on part-time contract work or obtain previous colleagues as clients.

There are many components to starting your venture such as marketing, graphic design, and advertising to name a few. Although it is natural to gravitate towards wanting to do all aspects of your business yourself, this doesn’t mean that you have to embody all of these roles. Choose your focus, master your own talents and find a way to utilize them maximally in your business growth. It will take time and effort, and there’s no doubt that you will have to do a lot of research, but forcing yourself to take on more than you can handle will cause you to lose steam, motivation and most importantly focus. There are inexpensive ways to outsource tasks and to build a team of employees to help you bring your vision to life. A great place to begin is by hiring a virtual assistant on an hourly or task by task basis. It isn’t easy to leave the safety net of the corporate world and step into the unknown, but with a successful mindset, mentorship from those who have gone before you and an aptitude for pursuing what you love, you can build your dream from the ground up. Building a name and a presence for your business will happen in time as sustained success comes from pursuing what you love and doing what you do best with consistent, focused effort.