If you want to make money, quit your job and go into business. How to quit your job and start your own business

We spend years doing things we don't like. We can hardly withstand the shift, we come home completely exhausted, and in the morning we trudge back to work without any enthusiasm. We constantly complain, but we do not try to change anything. Everyone has different reasons for not acting. Some are afraid of losing stability. Others are setting themselves up for failure. Some people hope for a miracle. Someone has a "pipe" dream, which is difficult to approach. And a lot of people just don't know what they want.

But life passes. The worst thing you can do for yourself is to continue to sit back. It's time to decide to change! We tell you how to overcome fears, get off the ground and start looking for your favorite job.

1. Search closer

Office employees often dream of a free schedule and creative everyday life, imagine themselves as freelance artists, photographers or writers creating masterpieces in a coffee shop on the seashore. These fantasies seem so unrealistic that only a few dare to make them a reality.

Most of them have been dreaming about global changes for years, but they still remain in an unloved job. Daredevils, who nevertheless take risks, are often completely disappointed in such a choice. Instead of sorting out their true wants and needs, they simply try to escape from their old life, guided by the principle "the further, the better", and usually this does not lead to anything good.

If you have been wanting to quit your job for a long time, but are afraid that you will have to look for yourself in some other area, radically change your life and start everything from scratch, do not worry: this is not at all necessary. Your field is not limited to the organization in which you are currently working, nor the format to which you are accustomed. No matter how much you are tired of everything, you should not immediately abandon your specialty and accumulated experience. It is important to understand what exactly "got" you, and what else makes sense.

Imagine that you have just entered your profession. What would interest you? What topics would be attractive? Who could be a role model? Read about new trends, the best companies and bright names. Look at everything with fresh eyes. Think about other ways you can apply your knowledge and skills: go into a related field, become a lecturer, or, for example, try yourself as a personal consultant.

Most people can find their calling much closer than they think. If you dream of quitting a job you hate, take a look at the options available to you right now.

If you are still sure that you want to quit your current profession, but still do not know where to go, your task is to determine the range of your interests. It's too early to quit, but you can already take the first steps towards a better life.

We often find ourselves in the "professional tunnel": we get too hung up on work and begin to associate ourselves with only one role. We diligently carry out our duties, but at the same time we do not try to develop in other areas and miss new opportunities. When suddenly there is a desire to change something, it turns out that we do not have any special hobbies.

If you find yourself in such a situation, first of all you need to understand what interests you in general. Start trying everything in your free time: read about other professions, go to lectures, conferences and master classes, watch educational videos, attend various short-term courses.

Constantly discover new areas of knowledge. It may take from several months to a year, but it is worth it. As a result, you will get out of the impasse and understand where to move on.

As you can see, there is nothing to be afraid of. At this stage, no decisive steps are required from you. You are just collecting information, gradually approaching the goal.

3. Take action!

You can spend years thinking about your true calling, sorting through different options in your head, but nothing can be done. If you already have at least some idea of ​​what you would like to do, do not waste time thinking too much. You still won’t understand “it or not it” until you try it.

Relax: you don't have to make a decision for life. There is no single destination that you need to decide once and for all. The smartest thing you can do is just follow your passions. Of course, interest is not everything. It is important that you consider your work meaningful. If your hobby does not seem like such a worthwhile thing to you, it is unlikely that it will turn out to be a dream job.

So, have you already begun to take shape some kind of picture? Don't be surprised, but quitting is still optional. You can go to work and simultaneously develop in the area that interests you. Choose professional literature, educational courses, trainings and seminars that will prepare you well and give you a better understanding of the new field.

Do not try to make a clear plan for several years ahead. So far, you don't have much information for that. Move step by step, periodically look around, evaluate the knowledge gained and think about what to do next. Improvise. If at some point you want to change direction again, don't ignore your desire.

Parting words from the author of the book “100 Ways to Change Your Life” Larisa Parfentyeva: “Try one thing, then another, then a third. Be honest: if you don't like it, leave it. Mix. Do it. Leave only what really ignites you, and start working hard.

4. Test Drive Your Dreams

If you have a long-held dream that your thoughts often turn to, but that you have never tried to fulfill, it's time to get the ball rolling. Otherwise, twenty, thirty, forty years will pass - and you will greatly regret that you did not even try.

First, take a short test drive. This is the best thing to do while on vacation. Dreaming of a career as a director? Find intensive courses and shoot some short films. Would you like to publish a collection of your stories someday? Force yourself to write a certain number of words or pages each day. Are you planning to open a mini-hotel? Check into a hotel for two weeks, get to know the owners and staff, learn the business from the inside.

If everything turns out to be about the way you imagined, you can get down to business seriously (see the previous paragraph). Or arrange another test drive to finally dispel doubts.

Perhaps the dream will not pass the test and you will be disappointed in it. This is also a step forward. The main thing is not to give up. Move on, keep trying new things - and you will definitely find yourself.

5. Get rid of fears

No matter how long you delay this moment, sooner or later you will have to leave your unloved job. Even if you have already figured out what you would like to do next, had a dream test drive and learned a lot about a new field, fear of change can stop you.

We are very afraid of losing stability. Here and now we have an employment contract, social insurance, a fixed salary, the usual duties. And in the future - only vague prospects and uncertainty.

Elena Rezanova, a specialist in the field of career strategies, answers this with a very apt comparison. “At least some stability” in a job you hate is like an unhappy marriage to an alcoholic. "At least some" family.

Yes, risk is scary. But familiar, familiar and understandable is not always the best. Try to see the uncertainty not as a danger, but as an exciting opportunity. Deciding to change is like embarking on an exciting journey along an unfamiliar route, where many interesting discoveries, incredible adventures and vivid emotions await you.

Another common fear is related to finances. Many are worried about the possible decline in income. But can't you do without another beautiful dress or a new phone (at least for a while)? To feel happy, you need to do what you love, spend evenings and weekends with your family, go for walks, chat with friends, gain knowledge. This does not require money.

Still worried? Think about this: if you start to enjoy your work and invest in what you really like, then you will increase your chances of success several times over, including material ones.

There is another strong fear that paralyzes us. We are afraid that nothing will work. We feel like we've taken on something too big. Drop these thoughts. If every person thought so, our world would never see great writers, athletes, scientists, businessmen, actors, musicians... You should try to realize yourself in the business that you love and consider important. Everyone will benefit from this: your colleagues, clients, acquaintances.

Take note of the excellent advice from Get Out of Your Comfort Zone: “Think about what you want, not about what you fear. Keep your spirits high by taking full responsibility for your life and everything that happens to you. Stop whining and complaining. Focus your thoughts and energy on what you can do now to improve your life. The rest will follow."

If you do not try to do what you are interested in, then you risk missing your own life, wasting it on trifles. And that's the only thing that should really scare you.

Of course, not everything will go smoothly. Easy and perfect happens only in dreams. But failure is part of a successful and happy life. And if you want to achieve something, you will have to accept the fact that there will be days when you are ready to give up. First of all, take them for granted.

Don't be discouraged if something doesn't work out. Do not give up. Failure is good for success. You've probably heard the phrase, "Experience is the best teacher." Do you really think that it is only about positive experiences? Can you imagine how many achievements you have for every failure?

There are no victories without mistakes. Take almost any success story. Now, when you read it, it looks quite logical to itself. But her hero definitely did not see a coherent plot in the process. He doubted, experienced fears, stumbled, experienced bad days and saw the road just one step away. All this did not stop him. He managed to achieve something only because he studied, drew conclusions and tried again.

7. Think about what will happen to you in 10 years.

If your work responsibilities do not charge you with energy, but, on the contrary, only drain it, you definitely need a change. Still lacking the motivation to quit your annoying job and move on to something else? Then imagine what you will become in 10, 20, 30 years if nothing changes. What tasks will you be doing? Can you feel happy? For clarity, look at your colleagues who have gone forward up the career ladder. Inspire? Do you want to be just like them?

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We all make mistakes sometimes.

And while some of our mistakes can be easily and quickly corrected, others can be forgotten, in matters such as choosing a job, the payback can be long and exhausting. What to do if every morning you trudge to the office, like in a torture chamber, and the sight of employees and the boss causes gnashing of teeth? How to understand, is it time to get out of this place or can you still suffer a little?

In this article, you will find out a list of sure signs that you should urgently change your job or even the field of activity, before you decide to hell with everyone in the office, cut your veins with a clerical knife, or find solace in a glass. Be careful.

1. You are afraid of every new working day.

If your work causes such rejection in you that you don’t even want to open your eyes in the morning, you break down at breakfast over trifles and feel depressed, then you should take a good look at what is really bothering you. Is it a new challenge, a specific employee, or a critical situation? Or maybe you just got bored of the monotony?

If no reasonable explanation comes to your mind, then the point is not in certain temporary problems, but in work in general. Try talking to your boss about a new direction within the company, or leave.

2. You have absolutely no interest in the work you do.

There is nothing worse than a job that has nothing to do with your life goals or personal interests. No matter how much you get, you will never be able to fully enjoy your life or reach your full potential if you are tied up in a boring, uninteresting activity. General dissatisfaction will soon spread to other areas of your life and eventually break it.

3. Your job is just boring

Of course, not every specialty implies creativity and a daily riot of colors. However, in any occupation you can find scope for self-improvement, which is successfully proved by many Eastern people who know how to find the inside or care for the garden. If during your working day you experience nothing but all-consuming boredom, then this is a sure sign that you will not last that long.

4. You feel stuck

If you feel that you have already learned almost everything about your business and do not see room for development; if you understand that at this place you are definitely not in danger of promotion or other progress, then it's time to look at the ads with offers from another place.

5. You do not inspire confidence in the future of your company.

Has your firm ramped up corporate propaganda about team unity during these challenging times, but cookies have disappeared from the lounge and workers haven't received another bonus? It is quite possible that the ship got a leak and the captains simply do not want to raise a panic ahead of time. Make your way to the boat and evacuate.

6. You have noticed a change in health due to work.

We spend a significant part of our time at work and this cannot but affect our well-being. If you're losing or gaining weight, experiencing excruciating pain all over your body, having anxiety attacks, or prolonged feelings of sadness, then it's possible that you're allergic to your current job. It's time to think and consider other options.

7. Your boss is a fiend

If your boss gives you a constant state of panic - so much so that you lose sleep and experience an acute sense of your own inferiority - run! Run away from this monster before it destroys your psyche, self-respect and faith in humanity. It's better to change your boss than change yourself.

8. You don't have time for yourself.

If you work day and night without raising your head, like a galley slave, and you do not have enough time for yourself, or for loved ones, or for hobbies, then you should think about finding a quieter place. What's the point of making a living if you don't have time to enjoy this very life?

9. You feel like an outcast

There are cases when an employee does not agree with the processes and course of the enterprise development, but cannot do anything in his place to correct it. Moreover, he becomes an inconvenient employee, constantly interfering, proving something and deviating from the general course of management. So it's time to disperse and try to translate your ideas elsewhere.

10. You have read up to this point

You may not have found a single paragraph in the above text that matches your situation, but the very fact that you have reached the end of this article indicates your interest in the topic and dissatisfaction with your current place of work.

Yes, let's not be naive optimists and admit that the decision to quit a job is for many people one of the most difficult in life. But you know what's even harder than quitting a bad job?

2 268

Sometimes, when we learn a lot and get some opportunities in terms of salary and a secure future, we introduce ourselves into corporate life, but over time we begin to feel that this is not our cup of tea.

You start to think that you should be in business rather than a boring corporate job, and that's probably the reason you're reading this article. Quitting your boring corporate job is never easy; whether you are a 21 year old young man, or a 45 year old with two children.

A 21 year old must look for his pocket money, must meet his family needs or ask many questions for his future, while a 45 year old must take care of his family, children and keep plans for the future of his family.

Both are hard to quit, but if you follow the tips below, you'll be in a better position to successfully launch your own business.

"I knew if I failed I wouldn't regret it, but I knew the one thing I could regret was that I didn't try."

— Jeff Bezos

If you are in your 20s, you don't have to worry about money. Your main focus is relationships. Yes! Building relationships. Each person has a few friends in their life, but they keep meeting new people, perhaps someone who is older or wiser.

Connect with different people, meet someone who is most successful, watch him, learn from him.

Exactly one year ago, I held my work book in my hands. Mixed feelings flickered inside: the fear of the unknown, and the joy of your own determination and courage, and an inspiring feeling of freedom when all roads are open before you. I worked for 7 years as a marketer in the Moscow office of an international trading corporation and now I was out of a job. How I decided to quit my job, I tell in this post.

MY HISTORY

1. Do you need to leave?

Perhaps the desire to quit everything is tired, stress, burnout, or a sign that it's time to change companies? I went on vacation, slowed down the rhythm, but still every Monday my strength was at zero, and my motivation was at a minus. In the last year before the dismissal, I went to interviews, because. I thought it was all about the company and the salary. As soon as at the next interview I realized that about the same duties awaited me in a new place, the desire to change the awl for soap disappeared. It was out of place.

2. First you need to find your calling.

“Why would they quit? You need to clearly understand what you will do after the dismissal, ”experts, websites and voices in my head repeated. Every day I went to work and tried to mentally decide what my calling was. I solved tests and tasks that the Internet is teeming with. And what do you think I came up with? To nothing. Because, as I understand now, finding a thing that you like by thinking is “how to solve an algebraic equation by chewing chewing gum” (A. Dubas). The only way to find "your" business is to try.

3. Do parallel work and your favorite thing.

This is very sound advice, but it didn't work for me at all. The main work took a lot of strength, both physical and emotional, and a ton of time. I also wanted to live and spend time with the people I love. I tried to write texts, develop Instagram, even started my own blog in 2014. But all this was more like a hobby and pathetic attempts to add something new to my everyday life. Unfortunately, I did not have the energy to create and work on a new project.

4. Create a financial cushion for yourself.

At first, your favorite business is unlikely to bring a lot of income, so it is better to think over this issue in advance. I took this advice and while I was working in the office, I began to create my own relief fund.

5. Your hobby should not become your calling.

Experts often write that a hobby, a job that you like is one thing, but a favorite job, a vocation is a completely different thing, and they should not be identified. My experience and the experience of the people around me shows the opposite. I firmly believe that everyone can do what he likes, make money on it and be happy. I believe that a person in his life should show all his talents, knowledge, skills, skills to the fullest, realize himself, be happy and thereby make the world around him better.

6. Create an action plan.

Experts advise you to think over everything and know what exactly you will do after dismissal. This advice always frightened me and slowed me down in making a decision, because I just had no idea what exactly I would do. Yes, there were ideas that I would write, travel, but they were all too wide stitches. My whole plan was adjusted on the go, when, for example, I accidentally found out about the “It's good to be a Blogger” workshop, when I decided to create my own project and when it all came together in a more coherent picture. But today I still do not have a clear plan for the future. I just believe that you need to take the first step, the most difficult and most courageous, and then new horizons and opportunities will certainly open up.

7. Write a business plan.

This advice for me was even worse than the previous one. What else is a business plan, when there is no ordinary one? And yes, that's fine. You just need to give yourself a little time, because trees do not grow in 3 months.

8. Find a support group.

Friends, relatives. Those people who believe in you and are ready to support you in a moment of despair or sadness. This is important, and I am incredibly lucky that I have such a group (albeit in the person of one person - my beloved man). But the most important thing, in my opinion, is to become such a group for yourself, to lead this cheerleading parade. Because no matter how others believed in me, until I believed in myself, no solution was given to me.

9. Wait until your favorite business starts to generate income.

This advice was not about me (see points 2 and 3). And I, frankly, do not believe in the possibility of two parallel classes at the same time. For me, it's like dating two guys at the same time, no matter how you hide it, one of them will notice. Yes, you only love one. I am one of those people who give 100% of themselves to one thing, and there is no more space or resources left for the second. By focusing on one thing, the result can be obtained faster than when trying to sit on two chairs.

I remember the day when I was writing a statement with shaking hands, when I informed my boss that I was everything. I remember how scary it was to give up everything that had been accumulated and acquired over the years. A year has passed, and I'm still scared - to be left without money, without a job, scared that I won't succeed and will have to start all over again from the beginning. But it would be worse for me to wake up in 10 years and realize that nothing has changed, and blame myself and the whole world that I did not even dare to try.

I am at the very beginning of the journey. Stay tuned and to be continued…

This article will tell you in detail about how to quit your job and start living by your own rules.

One day, there comes a moment when you realize that it's time to change your life.

What is happening now is not at all what you originally signed up for. And the first thought that comes to mind is to quit hired work and finally start living relying only on your own head.

But immediately a lot of questions arise: “What to live on?”, “What to do?”, “Will I succeed?”. And the lack of answers makes it necessary to postpone specific actions.

So, here's a list of things I'll do once again to set the stage for quitting my job and starting life on my own terms.)

Step 1. Prepare a financial pillow

It is foolish to leave yourself without a livelihood and plunge into the unknown without understanding where you will get money for existence. The lack of money for the most necessary needs will very quickly force you to return to your former hired life.

At a minimum, there should be enough money to provide yourself with everything you need for the next 3 months, but for complete confidence it is better to increase this supply to six months.

Now the question is where to get this amount?

I acted as follows, while I had a plan to “conquer the world”, I monthly set aside a part of all the money I earned in a piggy bank. At the bank, I asked to set up my main account in such a way that % of all receipts on the card would automatically go to the piggy bank and turn off all notifications about this.

As a result, I forgot about this service, and when I remembered after many months, there was already a decent amount. The interesting thing is that I didn’t even have to limit myself in some way in order to accumulate this amount. I didn't even feel it.

IMPORTANT! If you want to accumulate an amount, it should be unattainable at first desire and it’s better that you don’t even know how much money you have in your account, so that your brain doesn’t make plans where you can “attach” this money.

The only difficulty is getting started. I first read this advice in The Richest Man in Babylon when I was 23 and immediately decided that I would do the same. But hands reached much later. And now I can only imagine how much money would have accumulated if I had done it right away.

Call your bank right now and connect a similar service.

Step #2. Create your life quest

If you are going to change something, then there is something for which you want to do it and money does not play a primary role here. Most likely, you are attracted by the opportunities that you can get for this money. At least that's how things are for me.

At the initial stage, it makes no sense to write a business plan if a complete picture of what you want to create has not yet formed in your head. But to describe what you want to get, achieve, experience or try in your life, I consider it a paramount necessity.

Describe exactly what you want to do. If you want to run a marathon, then write which marathon; if you win a competition, then in which competitions; if you jump from a parachute, then how and where, etc.

IMPORTANT! I have long noticed that the usual list of goals does not work (at least for me). I wrote similar lists and after a couple of weeks they were lost among my other records. After some time, I made another such list and the situation repeated itself with it.

Once, on a Western blog, I spied on a chic "chip" and I liked it so much that I adopted it and adapted it for myself with some amendments.

The point is not to set goals, but. In other words, each item on your list is a quest, an adventure, a puzzle, a puzzle to be solved. And as soon as you cope with the task, it adds a certain percentage to your current level.

For example, if you visited the pyramids in Egypt (one of the items on your list), you can safely add +20% to your current level. He conquered Everest, for such work, you can and should immediately attribute a new level to yourself.

Thus, this is no longer a dry list of goals that you do not want to open once again, but your life quest, a game that is addictive. And you always know what level you are at. For example, the current LEVEL 8 60% of it already passed, another 40% and the transition to a new level. In this list, you can enter anything that is of value to your life. And this is a great system for measuring your progress and personal growth.

Step #3 Expand your horizons

It's amazing how many people want to change their lives, but don't even try to make up for their lack of knowledge. After all, it is clear that if your life does not suit you, then you do not know something or lose sight of it.

For example, when I plan something that I have not done before, the first thing I start with is collecting information. I have several notebooks in EverNote divided into different topics: business, travel, self-development, etc. And when I meet information that intersects with any of my life quests, I add a link to the corresponding notebook.

So, for example, while researching the Internet, I once came across an interesting detail, it turns out that you can accumulate bonus miles for air flights simply by paying in stores with a bank card. For every dollar spent (in local currency terms) you can earn 1 bonus mile. I use the card all the time, so why not take advantage of this offer?

If one of your life quests for which you want to leave your job is closely related to travel, I recommend joining this program as soon as possible. Here is a link to the list of banks for Ukrainian airlines, and here is for Aeroflot. In addition, you can go to the website of any airline of interest and see which banks they cooperate with.

I also learned about the existence of the site AirBnb.com, where you can find accommodation around the world at fairly low prices. For example in Barcelona for $14 per day.

When I was preparing to launch my first business, I placed myself among those people who are already in business, so once a week I began to attend meetings of the local club of entrepreneurs (something like the local Business Youth).

The biggest benefit from this is like-minded people. If you have ideas, then here you can find many people who will support you, help and not only with advice.

I hardly read books. I think that the pursuit of the number of books read is nonsense. Modern publications are 98% filled with "water", I just feel sorry for my time.

But I spend a lot of time reading other people's blogs (mostly in English), but there are also very interesting authors in the Russian-speaking space, for example, Sergey Dolya or Fedor Ovchinnikov (there are more, but I will limit myself to these for now).

I love blogs because it is very easy to filter information. And besides, the percentage of "interesting" people who published books will always be noticeably lower than the percentage of equally interesting people who blog.

Step #4 Try yourself in business before plunging into the pool

If you plan to live relying only on yourself and your head, do not be too lazy to check yourself in business before saying goodbye to your boss. Come up with a final test for yourself in order to feel what it is like to organize it and be responsible for everything with your head.

If you pass this test, then you are ready to swim independently, if you fail ..., then it is probably too early.

It is not necessary to invent something phenomenal or grandiose, it is better to come up with some kind of small event for the weekend or for the holidays. It can be a small business that does not require large investments.

I had two such tests. The first is the sale of flowers on March 8 and the second is the wholesale delivery of potatoes to apartments (on weekends). I did not set the task of making money on this, the main goal was to organize everything; find the necessary people who will do all the work for me (suppliers, sellers, driver); and not go negative.

I passed both of these tests with excellent marks, and that's when I finally realized that I was ready to play at a level where everything depends on you and your head.

Nothing gives such confidence as the victories won by you. If you plan to play big, first check if you can handle the smaller tasks.

Let's sum up how to quit your job and start living by your own rules

So, before you quit your job (and never come back), I recommend doing a few things:

1. Have the N-th amount of money behind you, which is enough to “keep afloat” for the next 3-6 months. This will give you the opportunity to think strategically, instead of worrying about what to eat for lunch.

2. Create your own life quest and include everything that makes your heart beat faster.

3. Collect enough information on the primary life quests to start building a new life immediately after being fired. All that is needed for this is to find 30-60 minutes of time every day to search and collect information.

4. When you feel that you are READY, do not be too lazy to test yourself (think up a screening test for yourself) and make sure that you are really fully “ripe”.

Now it's your turn...

2. What other advice would you give to those who want to leave their jobs?