Why I Decided to Leave Corporate Life to Become a Solopreneur
My happiness and wellness is worth more to me
We learn young that to be successful in life, you must follow a specific path: go to school, get good grades, get a degree, get a good-paying 9–5, and retire at 65.
That works well for some people, but for others, it just doesn’t fit.
I followed that plan right through to the 9–5, thinking it was my only option for happiness and fulfillment.
Except, it wasn’t. My roles were always in customer service of some sort, and while the companies I worked for were terrific, that job can burn you out fast. Early into my most recent position, I started reading personal growth books and listening to entrepreneurship podcasts. It blew my mind that I could have a life outside of the corporate world.
I developed a podcast management side-hustle and had dreams of taking it full-time, but I still felt the pressure to stick with the full-time gig.
Everything changed once the office closed and we started to work from home. I quickly realized two things: one, that I only truly enjoyed the office socialization, and two, my secure job was not so safe after all. Forced into a decision to relocate to a state I had no intention of living in or leaving the role, I chose to leave and pursue my dream business.
As my end date with the company neared, I realized just how much the decision would impact my overall wellness, mindset, and happiness.
Work hours that serve your mind and body
What if you could work the hours when you’re most creative or most productive?
We need to stop the mindset that the early bird gets the worm. Not everyone can get up early and be at peak performance and productivity by eight am.
There are many books, articles, and podcasts about dominating your day in the wee morning hours while the rest of the world sleeps. If that’s what gets you going, then you do you. But many of us can’t operate like that.
I’m one of those who doesn’t want to socialize until I’ve had at least two cups of coffee and it reaches mid-morning. So being at work and on the phone with impatient or irate customers by eight am was not my cup of tea. I struggled every morning in the office, and it only worsened when I worked remotely out of my bedroom.
It wasn’t until recent weeks that I started learning more about women’s cycles through Alissa Vitti’s book, In the Flo. I learned why I struggled to socialize some weeks, focus on others, or be creative at specific points in the month. Women’s hormones play a massive role in their brain function, but the business world focuses on the 24-hour male cycle. As a result, women fight against their flow to be as successful as their male counterparts.
But what if we could work with our cycle instead? Work the hours that we’re most productive instead of when corporate says we should be most productive? Whether you’re male or female, your peak productive or creative times vary from person to person. There’s no one size fits all, but the corporate world has a structure that dictates when we have to work and what projects we have to do to thrive. That’s not to say that all companies operate that way, but a vast majority in America do.
As a solopreneur, I’ll be able to choose the hours I work for maximum productivity and creativity. I’ll set out particular times in my cycle for sales and communication, focus and task completion, and big picture thinking. And I’ll be able to maximize my physical and mental wellness, all by going with the flow.
Work in an environment that suits you
With remote work now commonplace, and many companies developing new work from home policies, we can choose where to work from and live. Given that your physical environment can impact your mental health, it seems like a no-brainer to allow employees to work where they feel happiest and best supported.
Just as we all have different times of the day or month when we’re more productive or creative, our environment also affects how we work. You may thrive in a noisy, energetic environment to complete one project but need a calm, peaceful atmosphere for another. When we can choose the setting that best suits that particular project or our business as a whole, we will produce better quality work and results.
My last company relocated our entire office to the headquarters in another city and state, one that I never had on my list of places to live. It’s a beautiful place with a lot of outdoor activities (which I do love). Still, with seasonal affective disorder and a disdain for cold and snow, I knew the weather in that location would negatively affect me. What’s more, with a year of working from home under my belt, I’m more productive being alone in a quiet environment without constant interruptions.
Choosing my work location is crucial to me as I dive deeper into personal growth and mental wellness. I know what works best for me, and as a business owner, I’ll be able to make those decisions for myself.
Enjoy the projects you’re working on
There’s nothing worse than being assigned a project and dragging your feet on it because you don’t enjoy it. Even worse is doing work that doesn’t satisfy or fulfill you. Life is too short to waste away our days doing work that we don’t like, nevermind love, and to let our passions and dreams go unanswered.
My recent role was everything I didn’t want from a job or career. I enjoy creating, being proactive, and helping people accomplish goals. Yet, I spent most of my days fighting with shipping companies, arguing over discounts, or soothing customers who didn’t like our policies.
When we work on projects we’re passionate about, we feel a sense of accomplishment or fulfillment. It feels like we spend our time well when we love what we do and see our work’s direct impact.
I don’t believe in the idea of doing something you don’t particularly like just because it pays the bills and offers health insurance. There is an incredible opportunity out there for you to make money from your passions, be it online or in person. Anything is possible if you have enough appetite, drive, and determination to design the life you want.
Choose your customers
When we work for someone else, we don’t get to choose our customers. This is especially true for retail or end consumer-facing roles. Depending on the products or services your company offers, you might encounter customers across a broad spectrum of personalities and needs.
As a customer service representative, I encountered people I loved to work with and people who rubbed me the wrong way. Some were highly understanding that we in customer service were employees who didn’t have a say in what happened to the company as a whole, while others railed on us for change, making snide comments every time we picked up the phone. It started to make for some not so comfortable conversations and gave me even more of a push to build my own thing.
What if you could choose your customer? Would that change how you feel about your projects, job, and life? Owning your own service-based business means that you can pick and choose who you want as a client. Sure, being too picky will quickly derail your business, but if you spend time on a discovery or consultation call with someone and you don’t vibe with them, you have the option to say no.
As I delved into my podcast management business and started taking on clients, I wanted the freedom to work with people who fit my ideal customer avatar and had good vibes. It’s why I always do a discovery call with potential clients, so I can discover more about them, their needs, and who they are as a business owner and person, and so they can get to know me better. I never sign clients sight unseen, no matter how bad I might need the work, and so far, it’s working well.
Why should we waste our lives dragging ourselves out of bed each morning doing work we don’t enjoy and working against our mind and body? Why not spend our days and energy working on passion projects with customers that energize us?
It is possible to design a career and lifestyle that you love that works with your energy, productivity, and creativity. Believe in yourself, your talent, and the possibilities are endless.
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