If youre in a similar situation, hopefully my experience can help you.
The same blog led to incredible writing, speaking and consulting opportunities.
No Interest Til Almost 2027?
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Balance Transfer = Credit Card Cheat Code
Thats when I realized, Oh!
I can use my talents outside my job to make a little extra money.
I became enamored with the idea ofmaking extra moneyon top of my full-time jobs salary.
I chose to take the leap… and you’re free to, too.
This timeline and to-do list will help you start your journey.
I spent a couple of those years without conscious knowledge of exactlywhenId be quitting my job.
To-Do List
1.
Create a website/blog if you dont have one already.
What are you waiting for?
!Start that website or blog.
Publish a services or work with me page on your website.
By developing a work with me page on your site, you let visitors know youre open for business.
Be sure to promote your services with your email list and on social media.
Begin to take on clients.
If you havent yet, start to take onfreelance clients.
- preserve your side hustle money in a separate bank account.
On an ordinary October day, I was driving to a work meeting in another part of the state.
In that moment, I felt scattered, stressed and unhappy.
I vented to her about my work trip and endless to-do list.
Jess, what are you doing?
Take your own business full time.
you’ve got the option to do it.
I believe in you.
The conversation set things in motion for me.
Tell your family and close friends.
Before quitting my job, I looped in my immediate family and a couple of very close friends.
They were integral in giving me the encouragement I needed to stick to my quit date deadline.
Your personal web link will be there to provide support, but also accountability.
Even my twice-monthly manicure indulgence went into the budget.
Hello, rude awakening!
I highly recommend working with an accountant to ensure youre following the rules.
Research health care options.
The good news is, thanks to the Affordable Healthcare Act, entrepreneurs have more options than ever before.
Still, ensuring I could find affordable health care coverage was a major priority before quitting my job.
I researched lots of options, but ended up going throughHealthcare.govfor my insurance.
My original estimate was way off-base, so three months in, my insurance rate increased.
Leave wiggle room in your monthly budget for these types of changes.
One Month Out
This is where it starts to feel very real!
Youll likely experience a range of emotions from excitement to anxiety and everything in between.
To be completely honest, the one-month-out experience was draining for me.
At times, it felt like I had two demanding full-time jobs.
If possible, give your job as much notice as possible.
I gave a months notice, but in most jobs, two to three weeks should suffice.
Then, you get to move forward to the more fun stuff!
Create a networking spreadsheet.
The list turned out to be a lot longer than I initially thought.
It also serves as a reminder to connect with my community as often as possible.
Write an announcement and spread the news.
This is the fun part!
You get to tell all your friends, family and professional contacts your big news.
I wrote my announcement as a blog post and shared it to my various social media accounts.
Youre going to be inundated with meeting and call requests.
Prospecting remains important moving forward into future months.
But as you get your company off the ground, new business development is key.
Every month since, Ive actually exceeded it.
My business continues to grow, and each month Ive increased my income more than the previous month.
(Can you sense my millennial sarcasm there?)
You know which ones were talking about: rent, utilities, cell phone bill, insurance, groceries…
