When To Channel Your Inner Entrepreneur

When To Channel Your Inner Entrepreneur You’re sitting in your chair at work, the same place you’ve worked for years and random thoughts suddenly race across your brain. Things like, “Could I do more? Could I make more? Do I need a boss or could I be that boss?” And those thoughts energize you rather than scare you. If it’s a one-time occurrence and you’re too young to be having a mid-life crisis, you may just be having a bad day. Or week. But what if similar thoughts repeatedly enter your consciousness? And they’re all pointing you in one direction? It may mean you’re thinking about breaking out on your own, starting a business and making money your way. If so, it’s time to release your inner entrepreneur and embrace the inevitable. While there often isn’t a specific date on the calendar for making the big leap, there are clues to look out for that can propel you into that next phase of your career. 10,000 hours and you’re an expert That’s five years, give or take, of honing your craft full time. From where you sit that may feel like an eternity, or it already has breezed by. It varies by industry, I’m guessing, but there will come a moment when instead of asking questions about your job, you are the one giving the answers. The job, while still enjoyable, isn’t feeding the side of you that longs for a challenge or to have your contributions be better utilized. What you considered awesome when you were just beginning your career, just doesn’t fulfill you now. When it feels like the trials of yesterday are now the navigable twists and turns of today (NBD), the idea of creating your own business from scratch begins to sound less daunting. You’ve become an expert in your field, now it’s time to share that knowledge with the world. Doing the Math Maybe it begins with a client asking for your work specifically, or another business asking for your work when you have the time. It could even be that now you are finishing your to-do list in half the time, but still expected to work 8 hours (who cooked this up as the length of an American workday, anyway?), and the inefficiency is killing you. Regardless, you’re starting to realize your value. After running the numbers between startup costs, new work hours required and the time you would have to invest, you realize that you can make more money in less time and all of a sudden dollar signs begin to dance between your eyes. Not to mention, your time could become yours again, and who doesn’t love a little flexibility? The Big Bang Science teaches us that life was created in one explosive moment, and in certain instances, so can our futures. Often all it takes is a single trigger for us to question everything and say, “What am I waiting for?” This could be that “aha” moment you’ve been waiting for. A little push can lead to great things and could be the start of the road to your new business. Listening to our gut is something we were taught growing up. Listening now is probably a good idea. Taking the Leap The pros and the cons have been weighed, math figured out and the urge is strong, but something is still holding you back. This could mean that maybe you aren’t ready to start your entrepreneur’s journey, but the hardest part of any change is embracing it. Starting a business is never easy, but even if there’s a tinge of possible regret, the answer is a simple one. As wildly successful serial entrepreneur Farrah Gray says, “Build your own dreams or someone else will hire you to build theirs.” Hint: If this quote resonates with you, it’s just another clue that the time is now. This guest post was authored by Michelle Olson, Fingerpaint Marketing. As a child, Michelle wasn’t afraid to get her hands dirty. She never asked for dolls, dresses or frilly things. She wanted cars, trucks and bikes and she still loves anything on wheels. She’s a mover and a shaker who fast became one of the Southwest’s most successful public relations professionals, building a public relations firms recognized throughout Arizona for client work and workplace morale. Although her career began in Minneapolis, Michelle has lived in Arizona for 23 years and has built strong relationships with business leaders, government staff and officials, and print and broadcast media throughout the state. She is a past president of the Phoenix Chapter of the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA), holds the Accredited in Public Relations (APR) designation and is a past chair of Counselors Academy, a 400-member special section within PRSA for public relations firm owners and leaders. Michelle is an active member of the National Association of Real Estate Editors (NAREE), the Urban Land Institute (ULI), and the Scottsdale Convention and Visitors Bureau. In 2003, Michelle was recognized by the Phoenix Chapter of PRSA with the prestigious Percy Award for her achievements in the public relations industry. Michelle says she’d ride her bike around the world if she could. There’s a part of us that thinks she just might find a way. . Image credit.