What I Learned Working For Someone Else For A Year
“I went from full-time graduate student to full-time business owner”
I have uttered that phrase over a hundred times throughout interviews and conversations surrounding what it’s like to start a service based business and serve others.
My story never included giving a notice to my full-time employer. It never included how I had to manage my time between part-time jobs and client projects.
It always included the realness of figuring out how to pay bills with nothing to support you but sheer will, luck, and a lot of prayers.
Oct 2020
Since 2010, I’ve had a few job opportunities come knocking on my door. I almost said yes to several but Raymond’s assurance and confidence in my ability to continue on the path of entrepreneur steered me past them.
That is until 2020. In being mindful of the words I use to describe that year, I will admit that it wasn’t a breeze. I’m sure you can relate.
We had experienced a wonderful 2019 and quickly found ourselves in very uncomfortable territory of a new year and new era.
We made some changes in how both of our services were offered to the world, but perhaps it wasn’t quick enough or innovative enough.
The year was coming to a close as I drove to pick up my tax return on that October 15th. I walked in and saw the familiar face of my accountant, the man that hired me right out of high school and taught me everything I know about bookkeeping.
We exchanged pleasantries and he mentioned about being short staffed. I inquired as the job duties and before even realizing what I was saying, I had just offered to help out part time.
The next day he called to take me up on my offer.
The Value of a Routine
I didn’t confer with Raymond before accepting. And in a few short days I found myself driving into someone else’s office at 8:30a.
The first thing I learned was the value of a routine. When you work from home (or yourself) it is very easy to get out of a routine.
You can work all day in your pajamas if you want. You don’t have to work at all if you decide. You are your own boss and while that has many pros, it also has several cons.
We are thrive on structure and routine. It is how things get done in an orderly fashion.
The Environment Matters
You can have the grandest of offices or the dumpiest of offices but the energy within matters a great deal.
And so does the people. I love the book “Good to Great” where the notion of getting the right people on the bus and then figuring out their seat later rings true.
As a leader in any position (home, office, church), what you promote and encourage is likely what you will get.
Excuses are Vampires
Three words come to mind and they are: No One Cares.
No one cares about your excuses. That is a hard pill to swallow.
Excuses are vampires. They suck the life, the energy, the joy, and the productivity out of work.
Kill them. And just do the work.
Solid Foundation of Success
Do you build your house on sand or on rock?
Rock.
The foundation of success for any business or family is structure.
Organizing is the answer to most of life’s dilemmas! I truly feel this in my core. ;)
Buy-In is Required
If you have ever tried to get a loved on to change their eating habits, or organizing habits, then you will know that all your effort is in vain if you don’t get their buy-in from the start.
I learned that not everyone wants to be organized. Trust me when I tell you…that one stings.
You can push and push and cheerlead for something that you know will have a positive outcome but without the support and interest from the other party, you are wasting your time.
The 9 to 5 is Dead
I believe how we work as people has changed and is continuing to change. Requiring work to happen between the hours of X and Y is a dated concept.
We live in a flexible online world; some workplaces are catching up and others are not.
Oct 2021
Week after week I sat in someone else’s office feeling more and more anchored down to something that wasn’t true for me. I said yes to something out of fear of the what the future would hold and within that yes I found some valuable lessons.
Ones I will always cherish. I knew my time was up and I had zero regrets about my yes. It took courage to hand in a notice and walk back into the world of entrepreneurship with a renewed vision and a different set of priorities.
I will forever be grateful for the experience to work for someone else. Any doubts I may have had about my ability to run/work/operate a business in this world has been diminished. Here we come 2022 and beyond!
You won’t be able to move forward until you discover what is holding you back.
These are products I LOVE. Some of these products are affiliate links, meaning, at no additional cost to you, I get a commission if you click through and make a purchase. For more information, check out my disclaimer. Thank you for your support!