Start Ups - Diving into the unknown

Have you started to feel restless in your career lately? Despite being ambitious and great at your job are you nursing an itch that just can't be scratched by the day-to-day grind of your current career?

I started working when I was 13 years old; a paper round, waitressing, supermarket cashier. I even left school before time so that I could work. To me, work brought freedom and the independence I craved. Working meant I was in charge of myself, responsible for my own future or so I thought. You see, I was employed full-time. I worked hard… most of the time. Just like you, I didn’t worry about the odd sick day, looked forward to my annual leave and most of all, to pay day. Every. Single. Month.

Then I met my husband; a serial entrepreneur, an ideas man and completely and utterly fearless. He suggested I start my own business, he said it in passing conversation but he thought it was a great idea.

So, I did it. Simple, some say, but not for me! Me, the woman who actually thought the epitome of true freedom was going ‘out out’ on a school night!

You may be far more confident in your own abilities than I was at the time but if you have just jumped into the world of self-employment and you are experiencing the gut-wrenching, hand-wringing, chest-squeezing anxiety that I remember so well, then reality must have set in for you, it certainly did for me; now I was responsible for my own fate.

Its not all bad news; once the initial crushing suffocation of anxiety had dulled to a firm grip which I gradually adjusted to, it started to feel good, exhilarating. My faith in my own ability did eventually grow and I began to enjoy the learning journey I was on instead of battling with the fear of inadequacy I’d felt in the early days.

I really was free; nobody told me when to work or how long to work for yet I had my nose firmly to the grindstone, more than I had ever imagined possible. I worked into the early hours; at the dining table whilst eating dinner; at the weekend; on holiday and I couldn’t stop. I was on an unrelenting pursuit to soak up as much information as I could physically and mentally handle.

Every working minute (and there were lots) was a continuous cycle of evaluation and improvement and eventually it paid off. I had a fully-functioning, profitable business with a great team and I loved it.

So, if you’re thinking of diving into the deep blue sea of self-employment but you’re hanging back at the shore, I can honestly recommend it wholeheartedly. If you’re a driven and committed freedom-seeker, it is absolutely worth it. Trust me; I’m just about to do it again myself. Right from the very start.