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Planning a career change can be nerve-racking. You might be questioning if it’s the right choice, how your family life will be affected, and maybe even if you’re cut out to do this new type of work.
You like your job. You are good at what you do. For years, people have been telling you that you should own the place. You know that you can cover every position in the building, and you have the drive to do so. So, what’s stopping you from starting your own business? You are an expert in what you do, and you love doing it. Now, you’ve got the itch, and it is time for you to create your business plan. However, you don’t know where to begin.
Well, if it is time for you to open yourself up to the world of small business, check out these five steps to begin your journey!
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Table of Contents
Books about choosing a career
The Everything Career Tests Book: 10 Tests to Determine the Right Occupation for You
The Careers Handbook: The ultimate guide to planning your futureDo What You Are: Discover the Perfect Career for You Through the Secrets of Personality Type
5 Steps to Planning A Career Change
1. Understand Your Skills
You know that you are good at what you do, but you aren’t exactly sure how to translate that into a profitable business. If you are in this situation, it is time for you to gain a better understanding of what you do and how it affects your business.
You are an essential part of the company you work for, but has anyone ever told you exactly what you do to keep that place afloat? If not, it is time that you think about what a company like the one you work for would do without you.
For example, if you run all of the accounting work for your current company (i.e. balance drawers, run payroll, sign checks in the owner’s name, make bank deposits, and analyze the profit margins), you can translate that into a position of great power when starting your new business.
You have honed your skills in analytical accounting, and you can bring yourself to a new level of understanding of business if you look beyond what you are doing every day at work and think about how your work is affecting your company.
2. Know Where You Can Use Your Skills
You have a great understanding of what you can do for your company, now think about what you can do for a small business that you create.
For example, if you work mostly with your hands, it is time for you to discover all of the other things your hands can do. You are a great welder for the auto shop that you work for, but your creativity is underutilized there.
Perhaps take that welding job and turn it into an ultimate art business creating sets for local theatres.
Get creative with what you can do with your skills. If you are a photographer at a mall kiosk, consider what you would do with your own camera equipment.
- Create a coffee table book?
- Do freelance photography for travel journals?
- How about beginning writing your own travel journal, where all of the profits are put into your pocket, and all of your travels are tax write-offs?
The possibilities are endless once you begin to understand that the work you do can be translated to other areas you may have never thought you were interested in.
3. Start Networking
You already work for a company that utilizes your skills. Start talking to those who have told you that you should be running the place. Make your face and your work with your current company known. Show up to all of those little retreats and business dinners that you have been avoiding.
Get yourself networking, because you can always find great people to help you get into your own business, or even give you strong feedback in beginning your own work.
As you network, start inviting people to lunch. Have them invite their friends. Get your network growing, so you have a lot of different contacts before you set forth on your adventure.
4. Create a Business Plan Based On Your Skills
You know what you want to do, now it is time to show yourself what you can do. If you are a trailblazer in the creative department, but you have difficulty with numbers, contact members of your network to work with you to create a strong business plan (and even find an accountant for your new business).
This is a great way to show the members of your network that you are serious about the small business that you want to create. Just make sure you follow through with your plans and ideas.
With your team to get your business going in place, create a business plan that incorporates all of these people. Start bouncing ideas off of each other. Create goals for yourself and your business.
In the end, it is essential that you are honest with yourself and with others about what you are able to accomplish and what you will need help with.
5. Take the Chance
Now that you’ve created your business plan, and you are confident with your own skills, it is time to take the chance. Every small business startup is rolling the dice. However, it is essential that you remain confident. Remember, you have created the business plan. You know what to expect, and you are the expert in this field!
Prepare for the worst, and hope for the best when you start your small business. If the worst should ever come, you have prepared for it, and it can be as simple to overcome as any other hurdle you have taken on in your small business.
While you are good at what you do, you know there is more for you out there. If you are thinking about utilizing your skills in a new small business, remember that it is important to be aware of what you can do and what you need help with. Are you ready to start your own small business? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below!
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