BEFORE YOU QUIT YOUR DAY JOB – Are you ready to quit your day job and run off to the sunset with your dream business? That sounded so easy to say and think, right? But before you pack your stuff and start focusing on your future business, let’s make some preparations.
The challenge here is to know what’s the right thing for you, and know how to put things into action. Let’s talk about 4 things you need to do before you quit your day job.
1. Ask yourself “What drives me?” – Can you answer this question sincerely? If you’re considering moving on to from your day job, consider the motivations behind it. Know what the reasons are. Are you genuinely seeing an opportunity to grow your personal wealth? Are you trying to escape from something? Do you find something that you really want to start doing every single day for a very long time? Know your intentions.
2. PREPARATION IS KEY – During my last blog (read here), I mentioned about taking a leap of faith and just saying “Fuck it! Let’s do this!” as quit your day job queue. While I know that sounds a lot of fun to do, I don’t really want you to just ditch your day job without a plan. Prepare to leave while you’re still working hard at your day job. If you possibly can, prepare to the point where your side hustler (AKA your business) is already earning you money close to or even more than your day job salary. Only then will it be ready to become your main hustle, or your primary source of income. You may want to use your safe time as an employee to do these 4 things before you quit your day job:
– Gain the important skills that you need for your business
– Study after work hours or before going to sleep, or get the accreditation you need for your business
– Do try to network and make contacts so you can learn from the right people
– Try to consider starting other ventures in your spare time. Just make sure, it’s not your main priority, just an option or secondary opportunity.
3. THERE IS NO PERFECT TIMING – Are you an over thinker? Do you like to procrastinate and delay your quit date from work? Look for mentors/coaches (book your 1-on-1 coaching with me HERE), and other people to give you advice, some words of encouragement and support that you need to take that leap that you always wanted to do. Knowing when to quit your day job would mean talking to someone (ahem) that actually took that route and know the pros and cons of doing so, to help you make better judgments.
4. ARE YOU REALLY MADE TO BE SELF-EMPLOYED? – Contrary to what the media is telling you, being a company CEO is not all that. Some are best being the Vice-President or Director of a company, but not the top tier of it. Let me tell you this, it’s fine to stay employed in the mainstream and be part of the 90% of the world, there is nothing wrong with it. Some people just really want something different, like me.
Not everyone is suited for the uncertainties, stress, risks, fluctuating income, growing pains, failures of managing a business and responsibilities of being self-employed (wow, that was a lot to handle). Or some are just great at managing their money on their own. Think long and really hard before you quit your dream day job, and if deep down inside you realize that you prefer being an employee, then this is the time to finally accept your fate.
You just have to make a very tough choice that you have to stand by strong in the end. Continue working your day job or know that you’re ready to quit your day job and start working on your dreams, on your own.
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January 26, 2021 Author Hans Angelo
I wont do it unless I already have a very strong bank balance and I can sustain without having to work for the rest of my life. Its not an easy decision because if a startup business fails it affects marriage and next generation as well. Wealth erodes when we try to build something for many years. So business is not for people with a weak financial background.
January 26, 2021 Author edward
Quit the job if and only if following factors influenced you:
If you have abundant savings through your earnings from day job.
Where as investment is not borrowed for high interest rates.
Have made special arrangements to payoff loans on time even when the business does not generate estimated profits.
January 26, 2021 Author edward
Additional:
Have capacity to handle pressure & tense situations of Business.
Capable of maintaining peace at home in the bad phase of business.
Not going to ruin the family name if the business fails miserably.
Instigated pre-cautionary measures to protect business against loss making.
January 26, 2021 Author Joseph Santos
I would suggest you to first do some research and practice the business at a small scale along with your job .
So if you find that there is :Strength in your ideas and you are motivated more than before starting something like this
Then you can quite your job and give your 100℅ to your business
March 2, 2021 Author Nico
You have to close one door to open another with bigger and greater opportunities
March 2, 2021 Author Nico
I can understand this can be one of the most difficult decisions of your life because leaving a job is not an easy affair. You start thinking about many things like whether you will get a better company or what will the others think of you, how will you survive without earning, what if you get a less paying job etc.
All these thoughts are natural but honestly this is not what you need to be concerned about. There are many in such a dilemma but if you are unhappy with the job you are doing, if you are not enjoying and its not making you feel any good about yourself then you should surely think about taking another turn in your life. Its only you who has to think about your happiness. And only when you are happy and satisfied, you will be able to radiate it. Or else you’ll always be sulky and wherever you go you are going to take along your sadness and that will never let you truly enjoy anything. And in the process you might lose yourself.
March 2, 2021 Author Nico
So let me remind you that you have only one life and you need to use it to make yourself better not bitter. I can assure you , you will figure things out once you leave. Things will fall into place. Don’t worry…just take that decision for yourself .
Stay Happy 🙂
March 2, 2021 Author Anton
I think if you can afford to quit you job and go for your dream then do it. It’s all a matter of finances. You do have to eat while you are pursuing your dream. I always encourage people to go for their passion because you spend so much of your adult life working. If you can do your passion it’s not really work it’s enjoyable. If you need income while you are studying find another job before you quit the existing one. For some reason you just appear more marketable when you are currently employed. When you leave give notice and leave them smiling you never know when you may need a job reference.
Good luck. Hope all works out well for you!!
March 2, 2021 Author Aldwin
First of everything, pressure will be always there in whatever field you go. That is going to follow you everywhere. So try and figure out if the current job profile incites you, and if it does then stick with the job profile and change the company to get a better atmosphere so that you get a better environment that will make the best come out of you.
Invest some time alone that will definitely help you get better understanding of your stand or take on the job.
March 2, 2021 Author Genesis
You should not quit your job now, if you haven’t found another job. You should look for another job, and when you have a new job, then you quit this one.
That is the order of operations. First find new job, then quit.
Never the other way around.
Employers want to hire someone who is presently working. They do not want to hire someone who just quit, without having a new job lined up.
March 2, 2021 Author James Santos
It happens to many that the job in hand loses interest faster than the urge to give genuine try to a given job, Now considering the need for a steady job & its income advantage for meeting your financial Needs. Your urge to go for another career needs to be weighed by you more objectively since may be you have impressed with the assumed glamour to the other job but need to study the risk of succeeding in that job, vis-à-vis your talents. Better if you go for short course to learn the basic and assess whether you shall really like to go for the career in it.
March 2, 2021 Author Rome
Follow your instincts. A good working environment will sort out all the issues that you have. If you work with a good bunch of people both professionally and ethically you will enjoy whatever you are doing. All you have to do is follow your heart if it asks you to move on then do it. Things may not work always the way you want them to work. Think of what role you liked better in this process and then stick to it. Things will improve.
March 2, 2021 Author Rhona
Don’t quit your present job as you need the money! Part time jobs are a bigger hassle, you get less money but end up working almost same hours as full time job. Learn in your free time, preferably online.
You should know how to balance your interests and present job. I definitely don’t advise resigning your job under any circumstances.
March 2, 2021 Author Joseph Santos
It is important to realise that leaving your job without a backup plan is a huge risk! Here, I have given three points to keep in mind before quitting:
It is a privilege to be employed.
Always remember that there are people out there struggling to be employed, facing financial instability is no laughing matter. Having to provide for yourself and loved ones is a bare necessity in order to survive. Although there are times where you question the purpose of your job, take a step back and realise that working and getting a stable wage every month enables you to lead a quality life.
March 2, 2021 Author Joseph Santos
Although times may get tough at work, it is important to persevere.
Perseverance is key. However, it is inevitable that work can absolutely drain a person, to the point where they just want to leave it all behind. It is important to remember that nothing is ever easy, there will always be hard times. Especially when the workload piles up making you feel like you’re drowning. Stressful times are often catalysts that make you question why you’re doing what you’re doing. When you get to this point, remember my first point that it is a privilege to be employed.
My advice is to take a breather. Think about your future goals and how this job leads to bigger and better opportunities.
March 2, 2021 Author Joseph Santos
Experience is key to a promising future.
Working in a specific field will strengthen your knowledge and experience, which will potentially open bigger doors for you in the future. Feeling like your current job isn’t what you’ve imagined yourself doing, and you’re feeling stuck and demotivated. I would like you to know that you are not alone! It is a common feeling that one has especially during the first few years of their career. Although your current job is not ideal, it will still give you bigger and better opportunities in the near future. is also a key factor to further your career.
I hope that some of these points will give you a new perspective on your current job, as I do believe that when given an opportunity you must make the most out of it. The longer and the rougher road leads to more opportunities for you.
March 2, 2021 Author Jimbogs
It is preferable to have another job offer before you resign your current job.
Even if you are well education, have excellent skills, and are looking for a job in an industry with a low supply of workers, it could still take a while for you to find a job that meets your criteria in terms of location, pay, benefits, opportunities for advancement, etc. So if you are able to look for a new job while maintaining your income, that is the optimal situation.
March 2, 2021 Author Dwayne
From the context you’ve given for this question, I would actually encourage you to wait a bit before quitting.
It is not always a bad idea to quit a job without having a new one, and I’ve actually done this myself. For example, if a job is endangering your physical or mental health, quitting immediately is completely valid, whether you have another position lined up or not.
However, you note that your girlfriend recently broke up with you, and that it was this event that prompted thought on your part about quitting. The breakup of a relationship, particularly a serious one, is a traumatic event. Traumatic events can cause people to make sudden decisions that are not in their long-term best interests.
The reasons you want to quit, such as lack of advancement potential, lack of enjoyment in the work itself, and the work being too time-intensive, are all very valid.
March 2, 2021 Author Dwayne
But these reasons in and of themselves are not wise reasons to leave a job with a steady income without knowing what your next steps would be.
You ask if it makes sense to quit to concentrate on things you care more about; do you know what those things are?
If you quit without having a clear plan of action on what you want to achieve after you leave your job, you could be setting yourself up for many months of unemployment, drifting without goals.
This is also your first job after graduation, and your first job after school is a very difficult adjustment. Professional life is very different from student life. You may want to give it another few months and see if your feelings about your job improve once you are more used to the working environment.