Becoming My Own Boss

In my last post, I discussed the ever present side hustle.  I also presented my plans to incorporate a new beside hustle into my already established business.  But I’d like to take a minute and rewind a bit.  I want to tell you how I got to where I am in the first place.  Here’s how I became my own boss and why it was an awesome decision!

For the past 3 years, I have been my own boss.  And let me tell you, choosing to do that was the best decision I could have made.

Definitely not the easiest, but hands down the best!

It has given me flexibility to create my own schedule, as well as to pave the professional path I want.  It has allowed me to pursue endeavors that I never thought I would, i.e. volunteering abroad.  It has pushed me out of my comfort zone and challenged me in ways that have shaped me into the person I am today.   And it has provided me a newfound sense of purpose and passion in my life.

That being said, it has also been probably the hardest thing I have done in my life thus far.  Everyday there is a new hurdle to overcome.  I’ve worked harder and longer than I have ever had to before.

“Entrepreneurs are willing to work 80 hours a week to avoid working 40 hours a week”- Lori Graneir.

Story. Of. My. Life.

However, I wouldn’t have it any other way.

 

But first I had to question the way things were being done

Fresh out of grad school, I jumped right on the familiar full-time employee path.  I spent half a decade there, punching the clock and receiving my check.

Life was simple. Life was straightforward.  But it was somewhat boring.

An opportunity arose for me to start contracting with another company.  It was here that I got my first taste of setting out on my own-ish.

Before long, I was leaving my full-time position to contract full-time, picking up work with a few other companies.

I learned a lot during my contracting time, but quickly realized I was tired of working for other people. I began to question if there was a different way. Maybe even a better way.

 

Me, an entrepreneur?

Growing up, I never thought I’d ever use the word entrepreneur to describe me. If I had to guess, I probably would have laughed if someone told me one day I would own my own business.

And to be honest, I owe a lot of this to Mr.Wow.  He was a huge driving force in both helping me believe in myself, as well as assisting with all the legal/ tax/ financial mumbo jumbo.  I definitely wouldn’t be where I am today without his gentle nudges forceful shoves to get this all set up and off the ground.

What was the final straw that pushed me over the edge?

I realized that if I failed, I could always go back to what I was previously doing.  Imagine that, I fail and I go back to exactly the way my life was, not too bad.

 

So I dove right in

I am not going to lie, this whole company thing has been a lot of work, a lot of HARD work!

Many countless hours have been spent working on my business: early mornings, late nights and even weekends.  So much so that the lines between my personal life and my professional life are extremely blurry.

A few months ago, one of my interns asked me how many hours I work a week.

Too many! I don’t even want to think about it.

Just getting my company set up took many months with hundreds of hurdles to jump through.  My days were full with researching, configuring, coordinating, scheduling, marketing, expanding, accounting, documenting, managing, calling, emailing, driving, waiting, etc.  You name it, I was doing it.

Once I figured out one thing, something else would pop up.  One thing after the other, after the other and after the other.

I was no longer solely doing what I learned about in grad school. I was doing so much more. I was a full-on one man team driving forward my new dream.

It was a lot of work.  Hell, it still is.

But it’s been more than worth every second I have invested.

 

Believe in yourself!

Like I said before, I had never considered myself capable of doing something like this.

Many times I found myself questioning:

Can I do this? Is it worth it? What if I fail?

Ultimately, I learned to believe in myself, although it took some time.  I learned to embrace these questions and rather than let them bring me down, I instead rephrased them to push me forward.

I can do this! It is worth it! Failure is not an option!

This is not to say that I didn’t make mistakes; I made plenty.   But I didn’t let them define me.  I learned from them and used them drive me forward.

 

Inspiring others

I write this post not just to tell my story, but also to inspire others to start their own entrepreneur journey.

Over the years, I have had the opportunity to consult with many other therapists who were interested in striking out on their own.  It’s been a lot of fun to get them started and then connect with them later and see where they are.

But this message isn’t just for therapists.  It is for anyone that wants freedom and flexibility to pursue their own passions (which is many most people in this community).

Coming from someone who never imagined she’d be here, if I can do it, you can do it.  If you’ve been thinking about starting your own business, stop thinking and start doing.

Just remember that it won’t be easy, if anything it will be the hardest thing you have ever done.  But it will be worth it!

And if it doesn’t work out, you can always go back to what you are doing right now.