How to Be Your Own Boss in 8 Simple Steps to Your Success

How to Be Your Own Boss in 8 Simple Steps. Say Goodbye to the Grind and be in control from now on

Are you tired of the grind?  Here’s how to be your own boss in 8 simple steps.

Walking away from a job you’ve become accustomed to is never easy and there are many reasons why people keep working at the same job, even when they hate it. But on the other hand, it’s not only because they hate what they do that people say goodbye to a job. Some simply leave their job because they’ve outgrown the work and are no longer find it challenging enough.

Others leave because they’re tired of office politics or the lousy pay in spite of all their hard work. Still others leave their job because they’ve decided it’s time to follow their dream to be their own boss. Maybe that describes you and you’re planning a new and exciting future away from the same old, tired grind but you’re not quite sure how to walk away gracefully.

These 8 Steps may be just the gentle nudge you need.  It’s not as hard as it seems!

Image by shaila19

1. Never burn bridges

Though it’s tempting to finally get everything you’ve been holding in off your chest, you never know when you might need that former boss as a reference or as a networking opportunity, so make sure that you leave gracefully.

Part of knowing how to become your own boss is knowing how to stop being an employee while maintaining a good relationship with your former employer.

Never just blow up and walk out!

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2. Give proper notice

Give the standard two-week notice and clear everything out of your to-do box, so that the transition for the next person who will fill your position will be easier. Collect all of the contact information from colleagues and customers so you can stay in touch with the ones you like and also to form new loyalties with your own enterprise in the future.

Photo by Andrey Grushnikov

3. Remember timing matters

Don’t forget that timing really matters. While it’s great to dream, you still can’t pay your mortgage with a dream. Make sure your finances are in order before you say good-bye to your boss. When you’re focusing on getting a new business up and running, you definitely don’t need the stress of overdue bills nipping at your heels.

4. Create “wiggle room”

Work hard before you quit your job in order to save few months ahead on all of your utilities, credit cards and other financial obligations. Tuck away enough money in savings to be able to support yourself while your business is in the start-up phase. You’ll be really glad you don’t have the added pressure of juggling unpaid bills.

5. Do your homework

Being your own boss is exciting, but it can also be very stressful if you’ve never been responsible for a business before. Do your homework ahead of time. Develop a focused marketing plan for your business and put it to work.

6. Be Dedicated!

Remember that most businesses rarely see profit overnight. But with a good plan in place and real dedication to that plan, you will succeed. Remember the colleagues you said goodbye to? This is a good time to network with them. Tap into their circle of contacts to spread the word about your business.

7. Be Money Wise

Don’t buy into the myth that you have to spend a lot of money to make money. You shouldn’t be spending your business budget on unnecessary office equipment, software or advertising. Instead, look for all of the free paths you can take to build your business.  You might find yourself amazed at what’s available!

8. Stick to the Plan

You really don’t need to spend money to make it. Have your business plan in place and stick to the plan.  A good idea you might consider is to set in place some trusted and experienced business advisors with veto power to help keep you from making some of the mistakes that start-up businesses often make.

Following the 8 Step Plan

There are many things to think about in considering how to be your own boss, but these 8 simple steps will give you a sound framework to work with.

Here’s a great way to easily follow the 8 step plan:  Write the steps down on a large piece of paper, a white board, or in a text document.  Use them as headings for your planning.  You could title it “How to be your Own Boss!”  Then under each heading, fill in the ideas and details as they come into your head.  Don’t worry about grammar, sentence structure or anything at this point!  What you want to do is to get your ideas down under their respective headings.

Image by DanaTentis

A good way to brainstorm like this is to think of answers to the questions, “What? Why?  When? How? Where?”

Take your time.  This is your new life we’re talking about!

Once you have all your ideas down in point form, you can start to forge them into a working plan.  If you’ve been wondering how to become your own boss, this will almost certainly show you.

You might be amazed at how this will make you think and what you come up with!  A really good place to start with these questions is the very first step.  If you answer all these questions carefully, you will find it much easier to leave your job on the best possible terms.

Wrapping up

If you’ve ever wondered how to be your own boss, please tell us about it in the comment section.  Did you ever take the plunge?  Tell us about that, too!  If you’re still undecided, I hope these 8 steps will help you.

We’d love to hear from you in the comments below. Remember to leave us a link!