by Solange Lopes | May 16, 2017 | Find Your Purpose, Start Your Business
Have you been dreaming of building your own business? Are you hustling in your side business before and after work, creating your empire on the low? Are you ready to transition from employee to entrepreneur?
If you’ve answered yes to any of these questions, you’re already going through what I call the shift. It’s that mind shift, that transition, during which you move from having an employee mindset to an entrepreneur mindset. And truth be told, it’s a scary, intimidating and quite challenging kind of shift…
Ask any entrepreneur out there, and they’ll probably tell you that one of the biggest obstacles to shifting from being an employee to an entrepreneur is not necessarily the money, or the commitment, or even the support. It’s the mindset.
After all, it’s more than about just creating a business. It’s an actual spiritual and emotional transformation that takes you from an established way of thinking, to a new, ground-breaking mentality. It’s leaving behind the belief that you should be dependent on a paycheck, the approval of bosses and co-workers, and a somewhat stable, albeit political environment> It’s plunging into a world of calculated uncertainty, a world where you must trust yourself to thrust yourself forward.
When I started my side hustle, I had no idea what this entailed. I thought it was cute to write blog posts and dip my hustler toes into the entrepreneurial pond. But even as a side hustler, you start realizing that in order to put yourself out there, in order to market and promote whatever it is that you have to offer to the world, you must first change your mind. You must first get comfortable with being uncomfortable, and kicking the fear out the door. For one of the first times in my life, I came face to face with the fear to even put my name on my work, the fear of others’ perceptions, and ultimately the fear of failure and being laughed at…
Entrepreneurship, in whatever capacity or form it shows itself in, is risky and fear-inducing. It doesn’t matter if you’re selling lemonade in your backyard as a kid, writing your first book, or hustling to market your brand after-hours.
It took a lot of looking at other successful entrepreneurs, a lot of reading books written by other entrepreneurs, and a lot of uncomfortable soul-searching, nervous twitching and chocolate eating to start even scratching the surface of understanding this shift. And the reality is, there are even few entrepreneurs out there who acknowledge and talk about this switch between the employee and entrepreneur mindset.
One of the few entrepreneurs whom I’ve heard discuss it and acknowledge is Robert Kiyosaki, author of the Rich Dad, Poor Dad book series and franchise. In his books, he often refers to the emotional and spiritual work needed to make the transition from employee to entrepreneur. It’s easy to think that it’s all about getting the money, the right investors, the perfect business opportunity. But there’s more to it…
The more you’re able to change your mindset from employee to entrepreneur, the more you’re able to ensure your success. The more you can enjoy the transition and thrive in it. Here are 7 switches you can start making today to go from employee to entrepreneur in your mind first:
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Employee: “I’m afraid so I must conform” vs. Entrepreneur: “My fear fuels me”
Being an employee also means being a part of a system. And let’s be real, very often, if not most often, being part of a system also means being part of a certain way of doing things. It may be how it’s done in your company, or in your department, or even in your group. Which also implies a certain underlying sense of fear if we do not conform…But we don’t admit the fear often enough to start realizing what it makes us do…
However, being an entrepreneur means first and foremost admitting that fear is definitely involved. But it’s also learning to use that fear as fuel instead of as an obstacle. To use the fear as energy to create more, work harder and innovate more.
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Employee: “Mistakes are bad” vs. Entrepreneur: “My mistakes make me succeed”
The more mistakes you make as an employee, the closer you may get to getting fired. Right? Mistakes are not very popular in the conventional world of business. They’re perceived as costing money, time and energy. So we see them as bad and try as much as possible to stay away from them. Even if that involves pointing fingers and shifting the blame…
But an entrepreneur knows to value mistakes as the pathway to success. It’s only when you make mistakes and learn from them that you can improve and get better. Didn’t Michael Jordan famously say: “I’ve failed over and over in my life, and that’s why I succeed”? Oprah was fired at 23, depressed in her early 30’s, and faced seemingly insurmountable life challenges. Edison invented the lightbulb only after about 1,000 attempts. What does that tell you about the power of mistakes and failing?
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Employee: “Security is taking no risks” vs. Entrepreneur: “Security is taking calculated risks”
Security is a steady paycheck and a reliable 401k. However, employment at will says you can get let go without cause. And it has been proven that 401ks are questionable ways to save for retirement.
Where security in the conventional business world may mean getting a paycheck and saving, for an entrepreneur it’s a matter of taking calculated risks.
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Employee: “I must know it all” vs. “Entrepreneur: “I’m constantly learning”
Entrepreneurs are constant learners. Whereas there’s often an implicit requirement as employees to “know it all”, or at least pretend that we do, it’s important to start shifting your mindset to one where you’re not afraid to admit you don’t know everything. One where you’re open to learning constantly…
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Employee: “ I must be the smartest person in the room” vs. Entrepreneur: “I surround myself with people who are smarter than me”
Do you notice that successful entrepreneurs are not afraid to surround themselves with people much smarter than them? It’s about reaching a common goal rather than looking a certain way.
However, in many a corporate environment, in order to thrive, you may have to be perceived as the smartest person in the room.
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Employee: “It’s important that I look good on the outside” vs. Entrepreneur: “Who I am inside is more important”
Going out on your own entrepreneurial venture doesn’t just require an enormous amount of guts. It also requires a deep internal shift based on strong faith and a commitment to better yourself.
Unlike in situations when employees may have to look, dress or speak the part to be deemed worthy…
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Employee: “The goal is my next promotion” vs. Entrepreneur: “ The goal is the journey”
Look at most performance reviews and you’ll notice that the goals are clearly structured in terms of the next thing to do, have or achieve… The next promotion, the next advancement opportunity, the next raise, etc….
Yet the entrepreneurial journey is a process in and of itself. One that is built upon each achievement, each failure, each lesson learnt.
Have you made some of these switches in your own journey?
To Your success,
The Corporate Sis
by Solange Lopes | May 7, 2017 | Career, Find Your Purpose
A Year of Yes by Shonda Rhimes
As I turned the last page of “Year of Yes”, the best-selling book written by the creator of Scandal and Grey’s Anatomy, as well as the executive producer of How to Get Away with Murder, I heard myself uttering the word “Yes”! Actually, reading this book by one of the most extraordinary women ever, whose creative empire “Shondaland” is named after her, had me saying “yes” over, over and over again!
Who would have thought that the powerful Shonda Rhimes was an introvert? That despite her major successes and popular acclaim, she was actually avoiding public appearances? That interviews triggered panic attacks for her? That’s how the “Year of Yes” starts, with a powerful woman who, like so many of us, is afraid. Afraid of our own brilliance, afraid of our potential, afraid of our power.
When her sister Delores tells her during a Thanksgiving holiday that she always says “no” to amazing opportunities, Rhimes realizes that despite her many successes, she also was miserable inside. That’s when she committed to saying “yes” for an entire year to new opportunities showing up in her life. Which meant facing her debilitating social anxiety and say yes to being on “Jimmy Kimmel Live”, or giving her much acclaimed speech at her alma mater Dartmouth, and so many more things she would have politely declined before…
I remember thinking “Well, must be nice to saying yes to sharing a box at the Kennedy Center Honors with President and Michelle Obama”! Yet I recognized in her what I, and so many of us, do to ourselves. How, despite our biggest accomplishments, we fail to give ourselves the compassion, love and acceptance we so crave. While everyone else may be applauding us, congratulating us, or even hate on us, we keep ourselves busy ducking, hiding our greatness, and diminishing our successes. That’s when we don’t give credit to others, our teams, families, and friends for the hard work we continuously put in. I mean, how many of us would simply admit, out loud, that we’re badasses!
As an introvert myself, and definitely one who’s struggled with acknowledging my own worth, here are three lessons I got from “A Year of Yes” and why I think all women should read it at least once a year:
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Say “Yes” To Your Own Greatness
You’ve heard it before, “you have greatness within you”. You may just not have believed it. So you duck and hide when receiving a compliment. You do amazing stuff day in and day out, and give yourself zero credits for it. Actually, when you’re not giving others the credit for you accomplishments, you’re watching said credit be distributed to everyone else but you.
In her book, Rhimes pushes us instead to acknowledge our inner badasses. I love how she describes her struggle to simply say “thank you” when receiving a compliment. With no explanations or justifications. Simply saying “thank you” and smiling! I’ve actually been putting it into practice, and yes, it feels great…
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Say Yes to Winning as A Mom
When Rhimes starts talking about motherhood in her book, all I can say is “Yes, yes, and yes”! She clearly makes a strong point about motherhood not being this sacrificial experience in which we’re supposed to leave our identities, passions and talents at the door. We can still be strong , badass moms thriving and succeeding in our lives and careers. I love the part when she talks about replacing the sappy greeting cards celebrating moms for all their sacrifices, with celebratory testimonials of how badass women inspire their children to be their best.
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Say Yes to Real Relationships
Maya Angelou said it right: “ When people show you who they are, believe them”. We don’t realize how much the people around you can impact our growth, until we start growing. In her book, Rhimes discusses some of her toxic friends whom she had to distance herself with. As she started growing, embracing and saying yes to herself, they grew more resentful.
How many times have you faced breakthroughs and transitions in your life and realized that some of the people you thought were there for you, were actually not for you? I loved that Rhimes’ growth showed this doesn’t just happen to the rest of us. The healthier you become, the more you need to surround yourself with healthy people in your corner.
Have you read or re-read “A Year of Yes”? What did you think about it?
To Your Success,
The Corporate Sis.
by Solange Lopes | Mar 26, 2017 | Find Your Purpose
I’m Judging You by Luvvie Ajayi
So after laughing for a few weeks straight after side-eyeing the last words in Luvvie Ajayi’s “I’m Judging You”, I’ve finally gotten to write my review. And it could basically be summarized in three words/phrases: side eyes, laughs, and a masterpiece.
Literally, this was one of the very few times that I sat/laid/rolled in front of a book, laughing my eyeballs out…And yes, your significant others will cut strange glances at you as you treat this book like your funny BFF from high school who cracks the best jokes about everybody and their mama…
In her book, released last September, Nigerian-born author Luvvie Ajayi, well…judges you, I and everybody else… I mean, she lays it on us, hilariously sharing her funny but oh so real take on serious issues ranging from racism, sexism to social media and the abuse of hashtags…Her do-better manual is a real, down-to-earth guide to all those modern sins we’re surrounded by (or commit ourselves) and how to, well…do better…
In the four sections of the book, namely Life, Culture, Social Media and Fame, Ajayi diagnoses the ills of our contemporary society in laugh-out loud chapters with hilarious titles such as “Your Facebook is my favorite soap opera” and exposes the naked truth many of us don’t see or admit most of the time.
Ajayi, whose previous professional experience includes marketing and digital strategist, started blogging in 2003. Within a short timeframe, she launched Awesomelyluvvie.com. Through her blog, she’s gathered a growing following of fans by writing about popular topics and topics she’s passionate about, such as her compelling reviews of the widely acclaimed Shonda Rhimes’ brainchild “Scandal”.
I personally felt a deep connection to the book, being a fellow West African like Ajayi. Some of the anecdotes she referred to, from the very African art of the side eye to her experience as an African immigrant (hello Africa’s not a jungle, or a single country), felt like home sweet home. Ajayi’s voice feels like the sister from back home who eats rice and knows what it means to have your African first name butchered in American school…
All in all, Ajayi’s collection of humorous lectures and sharp essays is a must-read. The book is even currently being developed as a cable series by Scandal’s Shonda Rhimes, and promises to be a sweeping societal movement. Plus a reminder that we should all do better, and yes, I’m giving you the side-eye…
To Your Success,
The Corporate Sis.
by Solange Lopes | Mar 7, 2017 | Find Your Purpose
March is here, and it’s officially #WomensHistoryMonth! Which also means I’m personally stocking up on all my inspirational, power-to-women quotes for the remainder of the year…
Women’s rights still have quite some way to go, but we’ve also made some major headway over time, and that’s worth celebrating. From pay equality to shattering the glass ceiling, not to mention legal rights, there’s still much work to do…Yet, in honor of how far we’ve come and how far we’re still going, here are 16 of my absolute favorite quote for Women’s History Month:
“It is a fact that when you change a girl’s life, you effect her vision of herself and her immediate world and the world that she will have an impact on.” Oprah Winfrey
“Women and girls can do anything. And all of us, everywhere, should have the chance to prove that.” – Melinda Gates
“The thing women have yet to learn is nobody gives you power. You just take it.” — Roseanne Barr
“It’s not my responsibility to be beautiful. I’m not alive for that purpose. My existence is not about how desirable you find me.” — Warsan Shire
“So the work continues. And for all the young women in this room, all the young men, we can never be complacent. Because we have seen in recent times how quickly things can be taken away if we aren’t vigilant, if we don’t know our history, if we don’t continue the work.” Michelle Obama
“If you are a man who believes your daughter should have the same opportunities and rights as your son, then you’re a feminist.” Beyonce
“It’s important for young women to have a constant reminder that there are amazing female role models, and that they can do anything. Anything at all.” – Ellen DeGeneres
“I’m done compromising; even more so, I’m done with being compromised.” – Mila Kunis
“Stay in for yourself and stay in for the women who are going to follow you. Stay in it for my 8-year old daughter.”– Sheryl Sandberg
“Our bodies are instruments, not ornaments. We should celebrate our different shapes and sizes, our caesarean scars and all the other beautiful imperfections that make us who we are.“—Gloria Steinem
“Human rights are women’s rights, and women’s rights are human rights.” — Hillary Clinton
“People always say that I didn’t give up my seat because I was tired, but that isn’t true. I was not tired physically. … No, the only tired I was was tired of giving in.” —Rosa Parks
“Drama is very important in life: You have to come on with a bang. You never want to go out with a whimper. Everything can have drama if it’s done right. Even a pancake.” —Julia Child
“If nobody can learn from the past, then there’s no point in raking it up.” —Billie Holiday
“People always say that I didn’t give up my seat because I was tired, but that isn’t true. I was not tired physically. … No, the only tired I was was tired of giving in.” —Rosa Parks
“Don’t spend time beating on a wall, hoping to transform it into a door.” —Coco Chanel
What other inspirational quotes would you like to share for Women’s History Month?
To Your Success,
The Corporate Sis.
by Solange Lopes | Jan 16, 2017 | Find Your Purpose
Embed from Getty Images
I remember walking around Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard next to the Terrou Bi hotel in my native city of Dakar, Senegal, a continent away from where one of the most influential Black leaders in history lived and died. As a young African girl living across the ocean from the U.S. back then, and despite the distance, Dr. King’s name was already imprinted in mine and millions of other’ stories. That’s how much of an impact this extraordinary man had on the entire world…
Every year as we celebrate the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr, we’re reminded that if it were not for his work and mission, we wouldn’t be where we are today. All of us. Not just Black men and women, but for all of us people. Because every time progress, equality and justice is accomplished for even one person, it’s done for all of us. We may not always see or recognize how it affects our lives, but it’s on days like these that we have the opportunity to sit back and ponder how far we’ve come. And how far we still have to go…
From his powerful story to being celebrated in the movie “Selma” decades later, Dr. King continues to teach us some of the most important life and legacy lessons. Which is why I’ve taken a reflective pause today to gather 12 of my personal favorite quotes from Dr. King to inspire us to keep reaching higher, wherever we amy be in the world or in our lives:
“Everybody can be great, because anybody can serve. You don’t have to have a college degree to serve. You don’t have to make your subject and verb agree to serve…You only need a hart full of grace. A soul generated by love.” From “The Drum Major Instinct“, 1968.
“The time is always right to do what is right”.
“The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.”
“Faith is taking the first step even when you don’t see the whole staircase.”‘
“Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.”
” I look to a day when people will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character.”
“We must accept finite disappointment, but never lose infinite hope.”
“Life’s most persistent and urgent question is, ‘What are you doing for others?”
“Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly.”
“The ultimate tragedy is not the oppression and cruelty by the bad people but the silence over that by the good people.”
“Intelligence plus character – that is the true goal of education.”
“No person has the right to rain on your dreams.”
In closing, check out this great video to learn even more about the great Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.:
Happy MLK Day!
To Your Success,
The Corporate Sis.
by Solange Lopes | Dec 26, 2016 | Find Your Purpose |
As I write this post, we’re a few days away from 2017, and for so many of us, that means reflecting back on the past year. I have to say, 2016 has been quite the year, from everything that’s happened around, to the many lessons I’ve personally learnt this year. As they say, it’s been the best of times, it’s been the worst of times…But overall, it’s been a great teacher, and a time many of us may look back on with a tingle in our throat, a pep in our step, and a bit of wisdom in our back pockets…
Among the many lessons of 2016, here are the 7 that marked me the most, and that I’m packing up with me as I move into the New Year:
Hello Again History, You’re Back Already!
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You know that teacher from middle school you never quite forgot, who made you practice your homework mistakes over and over again until every single one of your dreams was filled with scribbled pages? Yeah, that one…
Well, that’s history for you, and every year, it kinda makes you scribble the same lessons you failed to learn over time . Or brings you new ones to grapple with, as you continuously figure out how to handle this thing called Life.
One of the most polarizing elections in my lifetime took place in the US this year, in the midst of social upheaval, police violence and world instability. Tensions and issues reminiscent of times most of us would want to forget about have been sprouting everywhere. I mean, it’s becoming seriously painful to watch or read the news…
From Brexit back in June to the 2016 US elections, the backlash between police and civilians, the loss of iconic figures like Mohamed Ali, Gwen Ifill, Prince, David Bowie and most recently George Michael (who can forget “Faith”), there’s been quite the onslaught of bad news.
But there’s also been quite the onslaught of lessons from History, among which:
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When good people stay silent, good things easily get bad, and bad things even worse;
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History tends to repeat itself when we fail to learn the lesson;
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That just talking about things only starts the process of Change, doing something about them really effects real change.
Speaking of which…
Change Starts With Me…
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Ok, I must admit, I can easily get on the “Poor Me” bandwagon…With the whole tissue, romantic movies and glass of wine setup on a rainy Friday night…Except while it can be particularly effective at cleaning your lenses and giving you your fill of self-pity for the month, it doesn’t exactly get you a pay raise or help you lose those last five pounds…
In the midst of picking up my face off the floor in life and business this year (and others too), I’m finally getting to stick to my forehead the fact that change, real change, starts with me. As in getting up an hour or two earlier to follow my dreams, instead of crying over the same 24 hours Beyonce uses to run the world…
Or keeping consistent with my daily meditation and gratitude practice to actually see results in my reality…
Or controlling my reactions to what happens to me, instead of letting myself drown in my own schedule…
I mean, just doing something, anything in the right direction…
If YouDon’t Know What You Want, You’re Probably Not Going to Get it!
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People tend to respond well to people who know what they want. Well, I kinda like to have my options…
I like being able to buy the shoe, eat the dessert, and have my cake wine with it too! Thirty-something years later, I’m learning to let go of all the “all-in-one ” package and instead focus on what I really desire. Like, really know it, with the same certainty I’m fighting my premature laugh lines and occasional facial hair…
I mean, who likes tough choices? Don’t we want it all after all? But it’s not so much that we can’t have it all, as we fail to understand that having some also means losing some.
And that once you make up your mind to be your own best self, to live your own best life in the most authentic way (and actually work towards it), you’re most likely going to get it! The only thing is knowing it, going for it, and kinda letting everything else be what it will be…
Check Your Circle, Or Your Circle Will Check You!
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Success is a whole, and that includes your relationships too…As in your girl squad, your family, basically everyone you surround yourself with. You might think that your life and dreams are totally separate from your girl drama, but the reality is, they’re directly linked…
This year, many of my personal relationships have gone through upheavals and changes. The more I tried, the more upheavals and changes happened. And the more I listened to great influencers and entrepreneurs, the likes of Oprah and Lisa Nichols, the more I realized how profoundly affected we are by people around us.
That we can’t take everyone with us on our path…That we must make room for those who support us, “get” us, help us get better…And that sometimes that means letting go of those who are not good for us, wishing them well and keep moving forward…
And speaking of change…
Growth Hurts!
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Listen, my body kinda stopped growing a while back…And throughout it, I didn’t really notice how much the whole growth process can really hurt. How much every time you decide to get a little better, it’s going to require something a little less comfortable, a little less easy, and many times, a whole lot more painful…
Like resisting the temptation to throw your alarm clock against the wall when it rings at 4am to remind you to go chase your dreams…
Or when you have to pick the friends who help you grow and let go of those who don’t…
Or when you have to keep doing your own thing when the rest of the world’s screaming at you to give up and be normal…
Or when you’ve messed up so bad and have to eat your pride for breakfast and fix it…
That’s growth, and most of the time, at least before you see any results, it seriously sucks…
Growth comes with change, and one of the ways change manifests itself is through opposition and unpleasant stuff…But when it hurts and you don’t really understand what’s happening, it probably means you’re growing…
Your Mind is Your Greatest Asset!
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I believe a lot of things to be amazing assets in our lives….Like hard work, and credentials, and weather-proof 12-hour foundation…But this year, I’ve also learnt the amazing power of our minds and thoughts.
You know what they say, that what you think creates your reality. That you can set your mind to do anything. I mean, it’s printed on cute Starbucks cups, and you hear the likes of Oprah, the Dalai Lama and your local pastor say it all the time…Except all of this mind goodness stuff seems to happen to them, the Oprahs and Dalai Lamas of this world, and not exactly to the rest of us all the time…
So this year finally I decided to give it a serious try…As in actually getting up fifteen minutes earlier, and getting quiet before the rest of the world awakens and starts asking you for juice and bread with Nutella…
As in making my own vision board, after reading from just about everyone else who did the same thing…
Or writing down five to 10 things every day I’m actually grateful for (even when I wake up cursing against whoever invented alarm clocks/work/time).
For once, I just shut off my mind and did it, one simple thing at a time…One morning after the other, one picture on my vision board after the other, one gratitude page after another…
And I noticed the weirdest thing, a shift, mental at first, then events, people and circumstances starting to align. And then I’d stop, and the shift would stop or even reverse itself…and then I’d start again and watch things align themselves all over again.
Whoever said your mind isn’t incredibly powerful?
Not Quitting Is Winning!
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Ok, patience is not my strong suit…And frankly, sometimes, it’s just easier to quit, throw up your hands, and just move on to the next thing…Except this whole “adulting” thing doesn’t exactly reward you for giving up…
Don’t get me wrong, there are times when you owe it to yourself to quit. Like when your sanity’s at stake, or your motives are clearly wrong. But there are times, and those are the most important, when the real victory is in not quitting. In keepin’ on keepin’ on, even when it seems absolutely nothing, nada, ziltsch, is happening…
2016 taught me just that…To just keep on keepin’ on, to push through, to show up, even when the sh…hits the fan and nothing looks right. To keep creating, building and writing when you hear crickets. To keep learning when you thought you were done with that chapter of your life. To keep showing up when all you want is crawl back under the covers…
So yes, 2016, it’s been real. Sometimes, a bit too real…But all in all, it’s been the best of times, and it’s been the worst of times…
What have you learnt in 2016?
To Your Success,
The Corporate Sis.
by Solange Lopes | Dec 7, 2016 | Career, Find Your Purpose, Start Your Business
So it just hits you one day…After years in Big Corporate, doing the 9-to-5 thing, you’re finally ready to make the big JUMP into full-time entrepreneurship. Maybe up until now, you’ve been doing the side hustle thing here and there to lay the groundwork. But now, the anticipation is killing you, literally, and all you can think about is that fateful day when you can walk out the doors of Big Corporate, take a breath of fresh freedom air, and go on about your business, literally…
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If you’re smiling as you’re reading this, you may be one of the thousands of other corporate sisters planning to exit Cubicle World and strike out on your own….Except (screeching halt noise here), even if you decide to ditch plan B, you still need some form of a plan for your corporate exit. You know, something that lets you sleep at night and doesn’t have you hitting up your folks for yet another loan to make the mortgage this month…
I mean, if there’s anything that’s as scary and exciting as striking out on your own after years or decades of comfortable cubicle dwelling, it’s got to be related to fried ice cream rolled in sea salt caramel ice cream…You may need double layers of super-strong Dove anti-perspiring deodorant to make the move, but when it’s time, you know it’s time…
So if you’re just starting out on your Big Corporate Exit adventure, here are a few simple, straightforward steps you can start taking today to land on your entrepreneurial behind (and legs and elbows and side rolls) with as few bruises as possible:
You’ve got to know your “WHY” inside out!
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You won’t know whether going full-time to build your business will work (or be the flop of the decade). And no one can really blame you for that, that’s why it’s called a risk…But the very first thing you want to know as you’re lining your personal ducks in a row is WHY you’re even doing all this…
Is it desire for freedom? Is it because of this strong sense of Purpose that’s been egging you on for years now? Is it because you want to offer your kids a better shot at life and opportunities? Or a big giant combo of all the above, plus the all-consuming urge to share your vision and message with the world?
Whatever it is, you’ve got to be crystal clear about it! Sit with yourself every day, and write down your WHY, as long and cumbersome as the process may first appear to be. The point is to build this conviction so strongly within you that it becomes virtually unbreakable….And gives you the strength and motivation to go for it, all in!
Is Your Idea/Business/Desire Viable/Sustainable/Going to Help You Make Rent?
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As in, is the whole thing sustainable, i.e. does it have earning potential? In other words, can your business not only help you make rent, but actually turn a profit?
This is where you get out of Entrepreneurship Lalaland and actually look at reality right in the face. And start putting some numbers down on paper…
There are some important questions to ask yourself here:
- How will this make you money, i.e. what are you going to sell?
- Do you have a product/service and how much can you sell it for?
- Do you plan on creating products/services and how much revenue can they bring you?
- How much will you need to invest in your business periodically?
- What streams of income will you have?
- What will your strategy be?
- How will your organize your business?
- What does your market look like, i.e. who are your competitors, is there even demand for your products/services, etc?
- Etc….
All of these questions, and more, will help you put together a business plan, which is just another fancy term for your business GPS/roadmap for the next 3-5 years. The U.S. Small Business Administration has a great tool to guide you through creating your business plan.
What that will do for you is give you a clearer picture of where you’re dipping your pretty Louboutins in… Plus give you a serious reality check, so hold on to your open-toed Zanottis…
Got a Financial Plan?
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No one likes to be broke, ok? Which also means as you’re planning your heroic escape from Office Land, you need to secure yourself some coins in the meantime. You know, just in case your business doesn’t break the million-dollar finish line the first year…
But more seriously, a BIG part of your Big Corporate Exit plan is to avoid starvation and plain financial distress. So if you haven’t started just yet, it may be time to push on the Savings pedal, and make sure you have 9 months to a year worth of business expenses saved up. Ambitious? Yes, and so are you…
Remember that going from the security of a periodic paycheck to your own revenues and profits is not an exact science. You may have some great months, and some not so great months…You may have to re-invest in your business, or face unexpected expenses…So you want a cushion that lets you skip out on stress acne and all kinds of other premature aging signs….
Round Up Your Support System
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I don’t care how independent you are, you’re going to need some support. Let me repeat this again, more for myself than you: You’re going to need some support! Whether it’s emotional, spiritual, financial, or just someone to give you a hug and tell you you’re not actually making the biggest mistake of your life (which you’re not)…
Many entrepreneurs, especially women, forget this major part of building a business. It’s hard work, on top of everything you may already have on your plate. So rally your girlfriends, call your mama, hug your kids, whisper tender sweet words to your goldfish, rely on the support system you already have or start building it.
It doesn’t mean your bestie has to buy all your facial products, or subscribe to your daily podcast. But what it means is that when you’re hustling and doing your thing and going through Entrepreneur Jungle, you’re not all alone. And that counts…a lot….
Get Mentally Ready
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Mental toughness is par for the course. As much as you may have detested your informal meeting sessions on the daily at work, facing the pressure of being in business for yourself is a challenge.
So get your mental nerves/weapons/armor in place early on. Whether it’s developing a daily meditation practice, or getting a mentor, or even making exercise an integral part of your routine, start planning for ways to stay on top of the head game.
You’re in this to win, and winning starts in your mind. So get started…
Make Education a Priority
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Jumping in to your business means holding yourself accountable for what you know, and how you apply it in your organization. Which also means learning continuously, especially as you prepare to jump ship from Corporate.
Actually, there is no better time to learn about being an entrepreneur than while you’re still in Corporate. Use this time to learn more about management, leadership, as well as the tools you’ll need to strive on your own. If your business is related to your current job, now is the time to absorb as much training as possible. In any case, take every opportunity currently offered by your day job to educate yourself (within allowable and ethical limits, of course).
Put a Ring Date on It
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There’s no better motivator for action than a deadline! When you know you’ve got to get it done by a certain date, something just shifts in and around you to make it happen! The same applies to your Big Corporate exit plan!
After careful planning and preparation, or actually while you’re still planning and preparing, set a date for your glorious exit! Don’t just set it, but commit to it whole-heartedly. Once you do this, organize your deliverables, to-do’s and action steps around it.
Are you Ready to Start Your Big Corporate Exit Plan?
To Your Success,
The Corporate Sis.
