Become Your Own Boss in 6 Months

Become Your Own Boss in 6 Months

2 | Become Your Own Boss in 6 Months

Ahhhh, to be your own boss. It’s a dream so many people have. It’s up there with winning the lottery, or meeting the man or woman of your dreams. While you know it won’t be easy, it’s a path that has the potential to alleviate the issues many of us have with working for a company or corporation where there is always someone else who is in charge.

Thankfully, the rise of the internet has made it easier than ever

for people to create their own business and work for themselves. It’s easier than ever to connect with global audiences and sell your goods and services without any sort of middleman. It’s led to the rise of the gig economy and a surge in the number of people who consider themselves freelancers.If you’re stuck in a situation where you’re working for someone else and want to become your own boss, her are a few steps you can take to make that happen.

Become Your Own Bossin 6 Months


Quite often the desire to be your own boss comes because you want something to change. Maybe you’re working for a boss with whom you don’t see eye to eye. Or maybe you want the ability to work from home, or anywhere that’s not an office. Perhaps you want to follow your passion - writing, graphic design, teaching yoga - and being your own boss is a happy byproduct of this.

Whatever the case may be, make a list of all the reasons you want to be your boss. Take your time making the list.

Identify What YouWant to Change


Those initial urges - wanting to work from home, disliking your current boss, a great idea for a small business - usually can lead to other ideas. For instance, being your own boss might allow you to travel around the world, spend more time with your family, or simply help you overcome a fear of taking your career and life into your own hands and just seeing what happens.

Once you’ve made this list, stick to it. In fact, put it in a place where you’ll see it every day. Months later, when you become your own boss and are overwhelmed with work and commitments, you can look at that list and remember why you went on this massive adventure in the first place.

Identify What You Want to Change


We tend to think of our jobs as, well, just jobs, and tend to forget that they’re tied to a larger industry.

For the sake of argument, let’s say you’re a graphic designer who is currently working as a barista and designing invitations and posters for friends and family members, but your goal is to become a digital designer who works on website and is their own boss. Your first order of business should be looking into the digital design industry and learning how you’ll fit in.

If you’re not sure how you’ll fit in at first, don’t worry! When you’re new to an industry, there’s always going to be a learning curve. Begin by attending events and talking to people who are in the industry you want to get into. Chances are many of them entered the industry for similar reasons that you did. Hang out with them and absorb as much information as you can to learn about your new industry.

Find an Industry


If you’re not sure where to meet these people, sites like LinkedIn are often a great place to start. Join a LinkedIn group and make it known that you’re trying to learn as much as you can about your industry and see if you can find someone who is willing to chat with you.

Don’t be afraid of asking questions that might sound “dumb.” You’re a beginner getting to know your new industry, and like your college professor said, there is no such thing as a stupid question.

Be sure to do research into where your industry is heading. Is there a strong need for people like you? Is your current city a good place for someone in your industry? What are the tools and technology that you need in order to be competitive? All of this will help you plan and gauge the likelihood for your success.

Find an Industry


So you’ve gotten to know your industry and have figured out what you need to offer to be competitive and unique. Now it’s time to build your brand.

One of the most important things you can do to build your brand is come up with a name for your new business. Even if your name is Tim Jones and you decide to name your business something straightforward like Tim Jones Photography, this is a smart thing to do. It helps potential customers identify who you are and what you offer. It also just sounds more professional. After all, would you rather been known as Tim Jones Photography (TJP, for shore, obviously) or that guy Tim who knows a thing or two about photography?

A logo is another way you can identify yourself as a business entity. Work with a designer to come up with a logo that you feel represents you and what you do. Then be sure you use

Build Your Brand


that logo everywhere - on business cards, you social media accounts, even your email signature.

Which brings us to the subject of online promotion. If you’re looking to be your own boss, you need to have plenty of places where people can find you online. If you’re a company of one, you may think that it’s more than enough to point people to your personal social media page or account, but this isn’t the case. Now that you are your own boss, you want to make sure your personal life and business life are separate. Be sure to create social media accounts where you primarily talk about your business goals and attract customers. Sure, there’s nothing wrong with posting some personal pics now and then to show the person behind the brand, but for the most part, these social platforms will be where you show off the latest news about your business and connect with new customers.

Build Your Brand


Find CustomersSpeaking of customers, now that you’re your own boss, you’re in charge of rustling up business! Before you quit your job or even design your logo, you’ll want to make sure you have enough work lined up for at least a month or two.

Let friends and family members know that you’re trying to become your own boss via a professional email newsletter. Ask them to contact you at a specific, business-dedicated email address that you keep separate from you personal account.

You’ll also want to do some outreach to find customers that you didn’t already previously know. This will involve reaching out to people in your communities - both local and online - to see where you might be able to earn new business.


Find Customers

One way to attract customers is by offering introductory pricing. For instance, if you usually charge $100 an hour for graphic design work, you may offer a first-time rate of $75 for new customers. Or you can create a referral program where customers get discounts for referring you to a friend or family member. Again, this is all about growing a loyal customer base so don’t be scared about underpricing at first. As you earn you reputation, you’ll be able to charge more and will get even more business, both of which will earn you more money.


After you’ve earned customers, it’s time to network. Attend trade shows, happy hours, and meetups that relate to people in your industry. Also think about where you can get referrals. For instance, if you’re a graphic designer who has a knack for creating gorgeous invitations, you want every wedding planner in town to know your name. That way they’ll recommend you to their customers.

And building a network isn’t just about earning new customers. It’s about creating a community that fosters growth. So don’t think of everyone as competition, and start thinking of them as coworkers!

Create a Network


It May Take a WhileIf you follow the steps above, you can be your own boss in six month. But it’s also okay if it takes longer than six months. Becoming your own boss is a dream come true, and dreams take time.

If you hit roadblocks, go over the steps we’ve listed above. Are you in the right industry? Is your location one that’s conducive to your goal? Do you have the creative and organizational skills to become your own boss? Have you done the legwork required to build a strong initial customer base?

Even if it ends up taking you a year, two years, or even more to become your own boss, don’t allow yourself to become complacent and do work that doesn’t make you happy. You only live once, so make sure that life involves living your dreams.

All images are subject to copyright.Source: http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/207488

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Leadership & Management

Become Your Own Boss in 6 Months