I want to tell you a true story about a woman who didn’t like her job. What she really wanted was the freedom and flexibility to be home with her kids — and to be able to do work she loves, on her terms. 

This is such a common story, and years ago, it was my story too. I’ve shared content about making the decision to quit my job and start my own business, and a piece of that had resonated with this mom. 

She felt a huge disconnect between what she was doing every day and what she wanted to do, and it hurt to think about. 

She sent me a DM saying she was sitting in her car, in the parking lot at work, crying. (Anyone else ever cry in your car, or in the bathroom stall at work? I’m raising my hand over here.)

Whether or not you have kids, if you have a day job and you’re miserable at it, this post is for you. 

First know this: Everyone who has left behind a “steady paycheck and benefits” to leap into entrepreneurship has a time of QUESTIONING. 

You’re going to question yourself: “Am I capable of being an entrepreneur? Can I really do this full-time and leave the job behind? Will anyone hire me? What if it fails?”

And your family, friends, and co-workers are going to question you too: “Are you sure about this? What about your benefits? What if it doesn’t work out?”

Both internally and externally, there’s fear of the unknown, anxiety about leaving the relatively comfortable misery of your day job, and doubt about whether or not you’re cut out to be a business owner. There’s also a lot of worry about being judged, about living a life that is not the same as everyone else’s — and not understood by most of the people closest to you.

That’s the uncomfortable reality of making a life-changing decision. It’s not something you can avoid. You have to face it. And it’s important to understand that your questions and doubts will creep back in along the way, even after you’ve successfully launched your business — heck, even after you’ve replaced your income from your job and then some. 

Here’s what I told that conflicted working mom: Embrace the moment of decision. Have confidence that you can decide how it’s going to be, and once you do, you won’t take anything else for an answer. 

This doesn’t come from a place of “hard-headedness” (although, that’s not necessarily a bad trait to have as an entrepreneur). Your confidence in your decision comes from knowing that you’re resourceful and resilient. You will always find a way to make things happen — whether it’s sticking with your current job and making it better, finding a new, more flexible job, or taking the leap into entrepreneurship. You can make any of these goals a reality, but you have to decide.

Hanging out with indecision is a complete energy drain. You think: “I don’t really like what I’m doing. I’m not happy with my job [or business].” 

Instead of deciding, you stay in limbo, and it zaps your energy. What you may not realize is that you could be using that energy to move toward your goal. 

If it helps, you can pretend I’m there with you to say, “Just freaking decide already!” 

When you decide, you free your energy up to create what you want. 

Let’s say you decide to quit your job and start a business…

Awesome. You have your decision. Now make it a goal with a timeline: “I’m going to quit my job to work on my business full-time by X.” 

The next question is how? What do you need to do in order to make this happen? 

You might make a list of all of your current expenses, and how those might change if you leave your job. 

Next, think about what you can sell, and how you’ll charge. Then figure out how many clients it will take to earn the income you need to pay the bills. 

When you actually map it out and see that it’s possible, you may be surprised at how quickly you can replace a $50,000 a year income, or even six figures a year. 

When you know what you want to do, what you want to charge, then it’s just a matter of finding people who will buy, getting your message out, and being consistent and visible.

The bottom line: You can’t possibly predict every single thing that will happen on this journey. But you can make a decision and follow-through on it. 

Accept that there will be doubts, and you will make mistakes. You’re human! If you stumble, straighten yourself up, learn from the misstep, and keep going.

Want more? Listen to the companion podcast episode right here.

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