Myself being one of them, it took me nearly a year after deciding I wanted to go it alone to actually quit my job and do it, I was terrified of the Unknown.
I was terrified of not knowing where my next wage packet was coming from or whether I would be able to pay my bills at the end of the month. Still today I get a bit worried of not knowing but you get used to that lingering sense of fear...if anything it drives you to do something about it.
Fortunately there are a few things you can do before you take that leap of going self-employed. As I said I had a years worth of planning so I was well prepared when it came down to it. Here is my top tips.
1. Money
I know cash is hard to come by and most of your wages are earmarked already, but you'll be surprised at how much money you can save when you have something you really really want. One example, I used to buy a coffee every morning for £2, 5 days a week, for 50 weeks a year (after holidays and such) that's a whopping 500 quid, a whole lot of dough to someone who is building a dream.
2. Do as much building as you can before you go solo.
This one could be tricky for some but if you're determined you'll be able to at least get some foundation laid before you quit a job. For example, before I left work I had formed a company, had a website and social media pages linked to it, had business cards and leaflets printed up and towards the end had even started calling potential clients. Work the 5-9!
3. Research
Research like crazy. Research everything about your sector. Research everything about surrounding sectors. Know your market like the back of your hand, it'll give you an edge from the off to know what's going on and what's working, it'll save a lot of wasted time. Let other people's mistakes be your lessons, here's one right away, do not spend money on advertising you haven't researched...160 quid later and my advertisement is on the back of a dog magazine!
That should give you enough to think about until next time. Post a comment to me if you have any questions or thoughts! Follow me on Twitter @fancyservices
Thanks for reading!
-M
