9 Questions to Ask Yourself Before You Leave Your Job for a Business

1. Do I have the right motivation?

Everyone will have their own right motivation - the one that gives determination, readiness to face difficulties and fight for their cause.

But this does not mean that any motivation will work well and will last a long time. For example, in Russian society there is a certain cult of the position “do not work for your uncle”. Kind of like the one who is employed is the loser, and only the entrepreneur reaches the top of the social pyramid. However, often IP can earn less than the average IT specialist. Only the last one still has lunches delivered to the office at the expense of the company and the working day is relatively normalized.

Entrepreneurship is hard work, no matter what bloggers selling success courses say. And starting your own business is a pretty serious life choice. So it's important to make sure you're doing it because you're walking towards something, not running away from something.

Maybe you are tired of your job, or rather, the activity in a particular company. You are burned out, tired and do not know what to do next. Your own business is not the only alternative, and often not even what you need. Perhaps you are simply not happy with the way things have turned out now, but there are conditions under which you would abandon the idea of ​​​​a business. In this case, it is worth considering how to stay in the profession, but with other inputs.

Sometimes motivation can come from outside. People around you are advised to get out of your comfort zone, try to make a hobby work, and so on. But if this is not accompanied by an inner need, it will be difficult, and perhaps unbearable.

If you are looking for and do not find reasons to stay in employment or arguments in favor of your business are more weighty, and your thoughts are already in the future, where you will realize your dreams, then it's time for a change.

2. Do I have a plan?

Dreaming about a business and doing it are two different things. To be successful, you need plan action that relies on numbers and research.

For example, you decide to monetize your hobby and sell your paintings. Sounds good, because someone is doing this on a commercial basis, why can't you go the same way. But if you study the market and understand how much the service is in demand, evaluate the costs and potential profit, read the laws that relate to entrepreneurship, it may turn out that at the stage of a dream it looked much rosier.

3. Do I need knowledge?

Learning in the process, of course, is good, but it is not easy and is associated with negative consequences. Of course, if you file with the tax office at the wrong time important document and face a fine, henceforth you will be more punctual. But a large amount can put the business at risk.

A businessman needs to know many things, and not only those related to legislation. So, managing people is also a skill. He helps to build such teams that enthusiastically help to develop the business. Otherwise, you may encounter turnover, sabotage, theft…

Therefore, it is good to study the issue in advance, understand where your gaps are, and fill them. And, perhaps, in the process, change your mind about becoming a businessman, or, conversely, gain a foothold in this idea.

4. Do I have a financial cushion?

You need to be prepared for the fact that you will have to invest immediately, but the profit may not come in the first months. Therefore, it is important to have not only the initial capital for the business, but also a reserve of money for life. Until you reach a decent income, you still have to eat, pay for a communal apartment, and so on. A financial cushion will allow you not to be nervous because of these expenses. Because business will give you plenty of reasons to worry and there is no need to multiply stress.

5. Am I ready to take the risk?

Business is stressful. There is no certainty, guarantees, ready-made solutions, support. This is an activity for those who are willing to take risks and face the consequences. For some, this is a feasible task; for others, it is an unbearable task.

No matter what they say on social media, not everyone is made for business. This does not make a person worse or better, it’s just that everyone has positions where you can prove yourself most effectively.

There will be many failures even with a favorable development of events. Therefore, it is important at the start to understand your attitude towards them. If any slip unsettles you for a long time, if any decision is difficult, perhaps entrepreneurship will become an unbearable test for you.

6. Am I ready to take responsibility on my own?

This is also important when working for hire. But own business requires responsibility on a completely different level. The only person who makes decisions and faces the consequences is you. You won’t be able to share responsibility with colleagues, ask for help from your superiors, write off everything as “I didn’t touch anything, it’s on its own” and so on.

This seems obvious, but in fact, not everyone is ready to accept that the cause of many events in life and work is the person himself. And without it, doing business will be difficult.

7. Am I paying attention to detail?

There are people who are more meticulous, there are less. Again, no one is better or worse. But if a person is not very attentive to the details, in business he will encounter problems. A document with the wrong date, an incorrectly executed invoice - all this can jeopardize processes. If there are problems with attentiveness, this does not put an end to entrepreneurship. Just then you need to take into account the costs of spending on specialists who will monitor the little things for you.

8. Am I ready to change my usual life for the sake of business?

Employment, even a very creative one, is pretty routine. Fixed working day, clear tasks, days off, vacation. Business, at least in the early stages, until the processes are built, does not imply such luxury. Therefore, we must be prepared that life will change. Most likely, entrepreneurship will take much more time than work for hire, so a lot will have to be abandoned. This is important to understand. If this prospect does not suit you now, this may not be the best time to start your own business.

9. What will I do if nothing works out?

Not every undertaking ends in success. Of course, there is no need to tune in to a mandatory failure. But it's good to know what you'll do if the business doesn't work out.