I quit my job to go it alone. Now what?
It came as quite a surprise to a lot of people I had spoken to at the time. They were like “What! You’re leaving your job in the middle of a pandemic?” but, oddly, it felt like the right time for me. I had a full-time job as the Head of Design at a group of educational brands.
As a business we were hit quite hard with border restrictions and all the going on’s during those early months of Covid, the business decided to reduce the number of workdays for the creative and marketing teams.
I remember thinking to myself “this is my chance”.
I’d never been shy of doing extra design work on the side. In fact, I’d been doing freelance work on the side for almost 5 years. I’d always looked at it as a way to expand my specialities, work with an array of other businesses and as a way to test run my own show that was free from the restraints of working in a corporate environment.
By any sense if you’re thinking “she knew what she was doing” I would definitely counter you and say “I absolutely didn’t – not in any sense”. I was naive, maybe a little foolish but all I knew was that I wasn’t going to sit at home watching Netflix on the other days I wasn’t working.
I worked for a few months like this. Half in the corporate and half out. It suited me just fine. With the extra time I had, I reached out to everyone I'd ever worked with to connect and see where they were in terms of their own business.
I offered some free brand valuations to businesses and met a bunch of amazing new clients along the way. I landed an amazing retainer for my business with a group of ecommerce brands that were soaring. You may know them... one big one is called The Oodie. Then I quit corporate completely and solely focused on my business and my new amazing clients.
Now I was out on my own and holy moley I was scared. Fast forward 16 months and it’s been an absolutely wild ride. So, what have I learned?
Back yourself but be humble:
I’m all for tooting your own horn but don’t be a di**k and pretend to know everything. I’ve met so many people across my career that just think their sh*it doesn't stink. Well, it actually does! Learn, fail, and fail again and always remember you can adjust your processes along the way… and most importantly you can adjust your thoughts too.
You’ll get more confident as time goes on. Read lots, listen to Podcasts and lean on people who have been where you are now but just don’t ever expect to know everything or put so much pressure on yourself to do so. No one knows everything. Technology changes by the minute. Just be open-minded to change and always continue to learn.
2. Ease into what you want to do:
Work those nights alongside your full-time job. I did this for ages and arguably I could have fast-tracked it but it was how I felt comfortable. I made a tonne of mistakes. I undercharged myself, I outsourced to people who let me down, I made mistakes with my bookkeeping, I paid for advertising that was pointless and I tried a whole assortment of services to work out what I actually liked about design. All of this allowed me to hone my skills and offers.
3. Get yourself an Accountant from Day 1:
There’s no point trying to do this yourself. It’s a waste of time and there are so many good platforms out there that make it easy. I personally use Xero and it’s been an absolute game-changer for me.
4. Hire help if you need it:
Lean on people that you have worked with before. I’ve just started outsourcing to other designers that I trust and brought on someone to help me with my social media. There have definitely been times that I think of what I could be saving by doing it myself but you have to change your focus and work out what you want to put your energy into and what you’re good at. The other huge thing for me is accountability and having someone reminding you to do things is a great way to stay focused.
5. Leave your previous role on a high note:
Don’t ever go out guns blazing! Anyone you have ever worked with will remember you and follow your journey. I’m currently working with three people that I’ve worked with across my career. It’s advantageous to always leave on great terms and let people know you’ve started a business. When you make yourself available people remember.
When you make the choice to say “I’m moving on to work on my own business,” you will experience a mix of emotions; fear, excitement, uncertainty, peace. It’s all entirely normal and shouldn’t stop you from taking that leap. Make sure you’re prepared before you leave so you’re not put out financially and enjoy every step along this awesome journey.
And remember, you can do this!
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