By Paul Slezak
A few years ago, as the Sydney director of a large US-based recruitment business, I was having lunch with a client when he put down his glass of mineral water and out of the blue said, "You know what Paul, I have to admit you really are very good at what you do. Surely at some point you've considered going out on your own."
I had thought about it, but somehow I had always had an excuse. The timing never felt quite right and I didn't consider myself much of a risk-taker. - Paul Slezak
Today , as the founder of my own enterprise, (and having realised along the way that I am in fact a risk-taker), I can honestly say leaving the security and stability of the corporate world and starting my own business has been the best (albeit by far the toughest) decision I've ever made. Not only has it given me an incredible sense of personal achievement, but I now have a level of autonomy and freedom that I never would have dreamed of having had I remained with my former employer.
The idea of starting out on my own had been niggling at the back of my mind for many years. But I was comfortable (there's that dreaded word!) so I never let the idea gather momentum.
The notion of comfort zone plays a huge part for anyone weighing up the pros and cons as to whether or not to go it alone. It was, when I found myself in a somewhat un-comfortable situation (reduced salary, reduced hours, reduced responsibility, economic downtown ...), that the decision to rip off the bandaid was pretty much unavoidable.
Ask anyone who's taken the plunge and opened the doors to their own business venture and they'll tell you there was a particular moment in time when it became a no brainer.
And it's the same with others as well. After six years managing a sales team, Jeannine was told a new regional director was being brought in from outside the company to manage her. It was then she had her aha moment; as the penny dropped she realised she could build a sales team of her own. Now she has a thriving business with seven highly motivated staff working for her.
Antony woke up two weeks before his 40th birthday (a time in his life he still refers to as his age of discontent) and realised he actually hated the IT industry where he had been slaving for most of his working life. He walked into his manager's office and resigned from his $150,000 salary to follow his dream. One month later, he opened a photography studio. He had always had a passion for the craft and knew he was good at it. Today (four years later), Antony shoots for some of Australia's leading corporate and architectural firms, choosing to only work three days a week.
Many people get caught in the romantic notion of starting their own business: the flexibility, the freedom, the autonomy. But let's face it, not everyone is going to be an overnight success so it's important to balance the positives (which don't get me wrong, are liberating) with the downsides: potential isolation, the need to keep yourself motivated 24/7, potentiallity of reduced income as you build the business.
So before you get caught up in the excitement of it all, pause for a moment and think realistically whether it is in fact the right move for you.
Ironically (or perhaps not), one of the arms to my business focuses on helping people make the transition from employee to entrepreneur. I am currently working with one client who is going through all the preparatory stages of setting up her own venture but has decided to stay working full time with her current employer until she is 100% ready to jump. Straddling the dual employer/entrepreneur mindset can be demanding, but it certainly makes the transition less painful as the master plan comes to life. So if you are not completely ready to bite the bullet, and feel more comfortable testing the waters first, it might be worth considering a strategy like Madison's.
Quite often it's making the actual decision that can be harder than facing the many obstacles that may well present themselves in the first years of your journey. However (and this is coming purely from personal experience), as long as your motivation to start the business is consistent with your passion and enthusiasm for the service you are delivering, you'll never look back.
Paul Slezak has a background in recruitment and advertising in Australia and Hong Kong and is the founder of 2 dots (http://www.2dots.com.au/), a business that facilitates career or business change for individuals, teams and organisations.
