Guest Post by Lawrence Mager
Like most things in life, our careers seldom go as planned. Maybe you’ve missed a major deadline, been passed over for your dream project, lost out on a promotion, or made a mistake that threatened your job. It’s normal to experience a career setback at some point in your professional life. While it can be incredibly disheartening, a career setback can actually set you up for success!
A hiccup in your professional career might be just the catalyst you need to make some positive changes in your life. With the right mindset, you will be able to rebound from this setback and use it as a springboard to reach bigger, better things—like starting your very own business! If that sounds exciting, check out the beneficial resources on Banish the Sunday Night Blues for help leveraging your current career to chase your passions and achieve your goals. But first, here’s a quick guide to get you started!
Starting a Side Business
Whether you’re looking to make a career change or boost your income during the recession, starting a business could be a great move. Anyone can start a business regardless of their skills or education level, but your existing work experience will prove incredibly valuable. Think about how your professional skills can help you along the path to entrepreneurship. For example, good communication and negotiation skills can help you drum up funding or land your first few clients!
Your current career will play an important role in your new venture, so don’t throw in the towel just yet! Your job will serve as a source of income while you get your side business off the ground. Not only that, but you can use your job to learn key entrepreneurial skills, like knowing when and how to delegate work. You may even find a business partner or investor among your existing professional network, so use your time at work to forge valuable connections. Try to think of your job as a stepping stone on your path to success.
Choosing a Business Venture
Not sure what kind of business you’d like to start? Look at your skills and interests. For example, if you have experience working in the real estate industry and you have a good understanding of the U.S. Housing Market, you could start your own real estate business. You can turn almost any skill into a business!
If you enjoy yoga and have been certified as an instructor, you could even start your own business teaching yoga in a studio or online. Get creative, find your niche, and offer a yoga experience that your customers won’t be able to find anywhere else. If you’re interested in becoming a professional yoga instructor, check out We Know Yoga for more helpful tips for launching your own yoga business.
Assembling Your Team
Although you may be able to get your business started on your own, a great team of experienced professionals can help ensure your success. Don’t worry, you don’t need the office space or budget to hire full-time employees. Freelancers are an excellent source of valuable talent for businesses of all sizes! It’s easy to find and hire freelancers online who can help you with nearly every aspect of running a remote business. To get started, consider hiring a web developer, marketing professional, and a bookkeeper. Online job boards can make the hiring process quick and easy!
Managing a remote team may sound like a daunting task, but you’ll get the hang of it quickly. Take advantage of helpful tools like collaboration programs, communication apps, and project management software to keep everyone on task and monitor the progress of your freelancers effortlessly. Digital tools like these will become indispensable to your productivity—which is important when you only have a few hours of the day to work on your side business!
Don’t let a career setback discourage you from pursuing success and fulfillment in your professional life. In fact, this might be the perfect chance to chase your career goals. Use your job to advance your skills, carve out time to work on a personal side project that you’re passionate about, and finally launch that business!