How to Go Back to Work after Starting Your Own Business
Originally posted 9/16/22
Financial Security. Isn’t that something we are all working for and towards? What do we all wish we had yesterday? The security of a regular W4 job is often the one thing that is the most difficult to let go of when launching a new business and choosing to be self-employed. It always looks like a risk to our financial security. And you know what, it is. Taking that leap of faith is a risk. It could fail miserably, and it could equally succeed. That's the risk; there is never a leap of faith with a solid knowable answer. Still, over the last two years, we as a country have seen a remarkable number of employed people taking that leap. It's brave, it's scary, it's exciting, and overall it's a fantastic chance to take. But what if you take that chance and are not quite ready to go it alone? Well, that's exactly what I want to discuss in this week's post. Going back to a W4 while still managing your adventurous leap.
I was going to write this post from the perspective of the experts, but instead, I’d like to share my journey and my own story with you. As you know, I am a mobile notary and loan signing agent. I took the plunge in early 2021 and am nearing my 2nd anniversary as an entrepreneur. I also just accepted a part-time job.
I was reluctant to share this with you for a couple of reasons. First, it’s still very new, and I am not quite acclimated to successfully managing both my W4 job and my notary business. Second, I wasn’t sure how to write this and not sound like a failure. I have felt that way, and I know it's not the truth, but I am struggling with it daily. How I decided that writing this right now was necessary was knowing how many of you are doing the same thing. Maybe you never left your job to launch your own business, or maybe your leap needed more support, and you found yourself back in the job market as an employee. Wherever you are, this blog post is written to encourage and give you permission ( not that you need it) to feel good about yourself and your decision.
I started my notary business at the tail end of the crazy real estate market. I was busy and quickly hit every finance goal for my first year. But I knew, going into this business, that putting all my eggs into the loan signing basket was a big mistake. I knew what was coming down the pipeline for the real estate market, and with that knowledge, I diversified immediately. I had a great first year. Then the market changed, the current recession kicked in, and my business came to a screeching halt. My business slowed down partly because I had fallen off the marketing wagon and, most importantly, my follow-up game. I know why it's not working, and I need to get my act in gear. In the meantime, our finances as a family has stalled, and one of my WHYs for starting my business was to help our family move forward with our financial goals. I had to do something quickly, and since I know that marketing and follow-ups are part of a long game, I needed something now. So, I refreshed my resume, and I applied for 30 jobs. I had about ten interviews and was hired part-time at a great company. I started my new job on August 1st.
As I write this post, I am starting my third week at my job, and during the first two weeks, I did very little towards the growth of my notary business. I have found that starting my administrative or marketing work on my business after lunch is hard for me. I've run out of steam and creativity. I know why that is, and I know I need to change a few things to help that lack of energy mid-day. The first is staying on top of my daily workouts. I strive to work out five mornings a week, and I had completely given it up as I started my new job and even a few weeks before. But I know myself, and working out in the morning helps the rest of my day and energy levels. The second thing I am not doing (and have already started) is eating healthily. That means no over-processed foods and nothing heavy… like cheesy pasta! I am going with lean proteins and fiber. I prepped that for myself this week and am confident it will help with my mid-day slump.
The other thing that I find to be incredibly important is sticking to my morning routine. I have discussed morning routines and their importance and value to our lives. I still know that to be true, but I am sure I fell into some funk and lost the desire and motivation. I was allowing this feeling of being a failure to take over. Revamping and recommitting to my morning routine and adjusting to my new schedule and my son's back-to-school schedule will significantly help me get back into my rhythm. My son's schedule for school and work impacts my day as well. That morning time that is just for me has never been more important.
Ok, so once I get back on my “good stuff wagon”, ie, food, exercise, morning routines, and the like, it's time to refocus my energy to give my business the biggest bang for the amount of time I can spend on it. So how do I do that? Before I went back to work, 90% of my admin work happened early in the morning. I usually take appointments from around 9am to about 9pm and do my blogging, social media, digital marketing, and bookkeeping early in the morning. Now that I give that early morning energy to my new job finding the right rhythm to handle my desk work and getting and going to appointments is my new challenge. And a big one it is, at that.
To get it all in, I have to prioritize and eliminate the activities and tasks that are not benefiting my business and are more of a waste of time than they are productive. What activities are you doing for your business that are not producing income? For me, some social media channels have gotten me nowhere. Very little to no business, and I am putting in way more time than I am getting out of it—so the first things to go are those social media accounts. I won’t close the accounts, but they will fall off my social media posting rotation, cutting a massive workload. In addition to tweaking my social media marketing, I also need to cut some of the redundant tasks and activities I do every day that isn’t supporting my business and are taking away from more important tasks. Vegging on the couch by 3pm is one of them. There are so many more workable hours left in the day. That's out. Couch TV time is allowed after dinner, and that's it. We all have wasteful habits or tasks that could use the boot from our day-to-day lives.
The last thing I want to cover is you. You, me, and everyone else who took the leap had to put one foot back into the nest. You are not a failure and are still on the entrepreneurial journey with us if you don’t give up on your business. The steps I need to take to get back into the kind of business I was experiencing initially might look overwhelming. But my goal every day is to take it day by day. Today I went to work and was so incredibly effective that I left early. I came home, finished this blog and about a dozen other tasks, and tomorrow I will pop by a title office after work before taking my son to work. Every day is new, and it offers us a unique chance to start over, another opportunity to try something new and reevaluate things that aren’t working. I also want to remind you that you have started a new business. Even if you are still working while you started it, YOU started it. If you can’t find anything else to be proud of- hang on to that. What an accomplishment all by itself!
I genuinely hope that you found this week's blog post helpful. I would love to hear about your journeys, struggles, and successes.
Till Next Time,
Jennifer Cooper- JKC Mobile Notary
