Take the Plunge and Become Your Own Boss

One of the most inspiring female bloggers today is Pamela Slim.

In her consistently insightful blog Escape from Cubicle Nation, she talks about the difference between doing and analysing and the implications for wannabe entrepreneurs who never make the transition to action.

In her post “Dipping your toes in the side of the pool will get you nowhere: dive in!” (25/07/07) she recognises that many entrepreneurs get caught up in preparing for their new venture.

With the right mentors and trust in the process, she believes that you can make a splash into self-employment almost right away, as long as you manage your fears and start on a realistic scale.

I think the analogy of the swimming pool is a wonderful one and would like to take it one step further. In my experience, for instance, the journey was less about dropping my towel and leaping into the shallow end and more about taking to the diving tower!

Knowing when it’s Time to Tackle the Tower

Most of us swim laps in the pool every day, keeping neatly to our lane. We barely cause a ruffle on the surface – we wait for the lifeguard to come on shift, we rinse ourselves before we swim, we do exactly twenty laps and we always exit the pool by the stairs.

But for some of us, one day we put our heads out of the water and spy the diving tower.

For a while we might swim in its shadow, thinking it insurmountable, but then something changes. Perhaps we see someone pluck up the courage to clamber to the top. Maybe our regular lane becomes crowded and we look for an alternative way to enjoy the pool. Or perhaps we start to see that tower as a challenge and wonder at the dizzying heights or belly-flopping lows that it might inspire.

Then we find ourselves standing on the edge of the board…

and the only thing left to do is to inhale and spring out into the void!

Getting Inspired to Make the Leap

In my experience, the concern that most women face who want to change their status from ‘employee’ to ‘self-employed’ is:

how can I take that leap of faith and land the perfect dive?

For most of us, there are two key elements at play:

1. Taking the first step – As Pamela points out, this is actually transferring our energy from thinking about it to doing it. All the investigation, networking and preparation to becoming our own boss is still akin to staring at the diving tower from afar.

   To make the dream a reality, a decisive action is required. Whether it takes the form of the resignation letter or the deposit on a shop, this is the signal to our boss, our family, our friends and ultimately to ourselves, that we are actually making the leap.

2. Scoring a perfect ten – This is one of the barriers that keeps us out of the pool altogether. Our unrealistic high expectations – requiring us to be the best boss, to run the most profitable business and to provide perfect service to our customers – makes it almost impossible for us to succeed.

   Fear of failure can keep us forever on the ground. As Pam advises, when it comes to fear of failure, “learn to feel it and do it anyway.”

How to Avoid the Belly-flop

Most entrepreneurs have witnessed a belly-flop or two. They have watched friends or colleagues go out on their own, some hitting the pool with an eye-watering slap, while others simply reappear back swimming between the lanes, slower and quieter than before.

Like most women, I have a range of responsibilities that require me to take very cautious steps in life. This means that simply hurling myself off the board with no training, strategy or support was never an option. Instead, I had to balance my desire to become my own boss, with the needs of others around me.

The good thing is, I’ve yet to belly-flop. I’ve suffered the occasional cramp, but I’ve also seen some amazing views from the top of the tower!

So my tips to going to the end of the board on your own are:

• Stay Limber – Do not underestimate how high it is going to be at the top of the diving tower! Anyone moving from employee to self-employed needs to anticipate the normal after-effects of massive change. This includes feeling overwhelmed, feeling isolated, and longing to return to the more familiar, secure environment.

  The important thing is to be be prepared for these emotions and to put some proactive strategies in place. In my case, I identified a safe, kind client as my first foray into self-employment. I also joined two great networking groups that helped me feel encouraged and provided me with great advice.

• Know Your Winning Dive – This is probably the characteristic that prompted you to take to the tower in the first place. Your talent for managing people’s needs or your independent spirit may have inspired you to start your own business so that these skills could be given full reign.

  The focus now should be on becoming very good at performing this manoeuvre. While it is great to have a whole repertoire of dives, it is important that you don’t lose track of what makes you stand out from the competition.

• Get a Fan Base - Going out on your own does not mean doing it on your own. No one leaps off the high board for the first time without having someone support them from below. Friendly faces in the bleaches makes all the difference. If you are a one-woman-band it is essential that you have supportive contacts that you can touch-base with every day.
• Study the Pros – We all know who has made a splash before us. Studying their techniques and learning from their successes is vital. This includes getting assistance and encouragement from those who have gone before you. Look for mentors in your industry or community and subscribe to the many great newsletters, e-zines and blogs that are full of tips on how to perfect your style.
• Still Do Your Laps – Some experts advise you to burn your bridges behind you, so you can never fall back on your former life in a moment of weakness. I personally think the self-employed benefit from a back-up plan.

  As a teacher, trainer, writer and management consultant I’ve always kept my toe in all of these pools. Rather than testing the water for a return to any one of these roles, it has kept me focused on where I have come from, as well as keeping these different skill-sets limber for future opportunities.

If you are still feeling hesitant, remember that to ‘inspire’ means to:

• heighten or intensify;
• prompt or encourage;
• revolutionize or change; and
• inhale!

So take a deep breath and as the entrepreneurial guru says, “Go ahead, dive in.”

Posted in Work. Permalink for this post: permalink. If you are a Digg user, please  Digg this post. |  Stumble It If you use use Del.icio.us, then add us in:  Del.icio.us