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Hey 9 to 5er. Hey W2er. Are you tired of clocking in, working for the man? Do you feel stuck? Maybe you know deep inside that you're meant for more. But the leap from employee to entrepreneur feels overwhelming. It's a huge gap, and you just don't know how to get there. Now, here's some good news. There's always a roadmap. Bad news, most people never take the first step. Fear, anxiety, I'm too comfortable a lifestyle. All of these things are going to get in your way. Well, today I'm going to give you the five key steps to break free from all of that and build something on your own. Now stick around to the end because my number one tip is the difference between success and failure. When you're making this transition, let's get into it. Number one, you've got to be able to evaluate your risk and understand what the reward is. Now, I have a different risk tolerance than many people. I believe that I want to be operating in a space where you can build a huge business, but you don't have to start there. Entrepreneurship just isn't about quitting your job and hope for the best. There's always a trade off. There's security versus freedom. There's a paycheck versus your ultimate potential. Before you jump off, ask yourself just a couple of questions. Number one, how much uncertainty are you comfortable with? What can you tolerate? I'm going to suggest to you that nothing you try is going to be fatal, so you shouldn't be afraid at all. But that's not the same answer for everybody. Maybe you've got a few things to overcome mentally. Number two, can you handle months or longer without a steady income? Not only that, if the business requires investment, you have the capability, the means and the resources to do that. And number three, do you have a financial Runway to sustain yourself, your family, whoever you're responsible for while you're building it? If the business does take that cash, it's really all about mindset. It's about being resourceful, and entrepreneurs that bet on themselves are ready to take that step. And if you're not ready to embrace some level of risk, maybe you're not ready to step out. Because the path to a great future for you, yourself and those you care about. There's going to be some stones that you're going to have to jump over. There's going to be some stepping stones that you're going to have to hit. But I guarantee you can do it. And what's the worst thing that can happen. If it doesn't work out, you just go back and get the same job that you already had. Tip number four. Working backwards. Focus on experience. Not just the product, not just what you're doing. The greatest indicator to future success as an entrepreneur is an early entrepreneurial experience, oftentimes a failure. I have come to say that many of my successes are just my failures that refuse to die. Everything's not going to work the first time, and many people think that they just need a great product or a service. But here's the truth. The experience is what sets you apart. Think about your favorite brands. Why do you keep going back? It's not just the product. It's the experience that you have in building the business that you're gaining. And it's the experience that your customers get when they engage with your product or your service. So it's experiential all the way around. It's the x factor in 360 degrees. And if you want people to buy from you and keep coming back, you need to deliver just a little bit of yourself in the product or the service that you deliver through clear communication in every transaction. Providing exceptional service. And a great business isn't built on transactions. It's built on relationships. And people get in deep relationships with products and services that do a great job for them. Tip number three. Your network is your net worth. Tell people what you're doing. It's so simple. But you're not going to build this business sitting in front of your computer. If it's a community business, get out there, tell people about it. If there's too many entrepreneurs that are operating in the dark and you can't be afraid not to tell people because it might not work or it might fail, here's the deal. Your network, your family, your friends, your co workers, people you've put along the way, they're going to be your first customers. They're going to be your first referral partners. They're going to be your first sources of honest feedback that will help you get on the right path faster. Because if nobody knows what you're building, no one can support you. Be vocal. Be visible. Be proud. Put it on your sleeve, wear it on your chest and get out there and let people know what you're all about and what you're trying to accomplish. And more importantly, what problem do you solve in the world? Number two, runner up. If you have obligations, maybe you shouldn't quit without a plan. Test your idea while you're still employed. There's ways to test things Very inexpensively run AB campaigns on Facebook for not thousands of dollars, but maybe $100. Build a financial cushion. Make sure you do your modeling. Make sure you take everything into account so that you don't step out into the world of entrepreneurship and you have underestimated your costs. Have at least six months of expenses covered before you're going all in. Figure out where you're going to go get the money if you need the money, because the last thing you want to do is run out of gas when you're halfway up the mountain. And make sure that you understand the requisite skills that you're going to need to be successful. It might be coding, it might be sales, it might be accounting, I'm not sure, but like there's, you're going to have to have a broad skill set to be an entrepreneur. It's a long game and you need to know every aspect of your business. And the more prepared you are, the smoother your transition is going to be. Okay, tip number one, the most important tip, start small. I believe that it's important to begin with the end in mind. You need to speak a bold future into existence. You need to do a Cameron Herald three year painted picture. You need to do a regression analysis back from some future state. But the bottom line is, is don't go investing in big overhead items. Big, I hope it works, advertising campaigns and all of these other things. Because once that money's gone, it's gone forever. You need to be very careful with your resources. You need to test, test, test early and make sure that you're proving every aspect of your model along the way. So instead of aiming for a million dollar business on day one and spending like you have it, focus on mastering the fundamentals. Focus on solving the initial problems. Focus on making sure that customers are resonating with your product. Focus on making sure that your systems work, improve, refine and then scale as you go. People think if I just spend this 50 or $100,000 on this consultant or this advertising campaign, it's going to launch out there. The reality of it is, is advertising and marketing takes time. And if you can't spend that consistently, then don't spend it once. Your business is going to grow with you. It shouldn't bury you overnight and leave you with no resources with which to build it. But you can do this if you take one step at a time and make sure that you're building a solid foundation, brick by brick, block by block, and that you're building on top of that. Look, breaking free from the 9 to 5, the W2. It's not about taking a blind leap. You got to plan it. You got to be calculated. And you need to take ownership of the things by starting small and scaling smart, not quitting your source of financial income without making sure you fully evaluated the plan and what it's going to take. Building your network by telling everybody what you're doing. Put your name on your chest, put your name on your sleeve, put your name on your social media and get out there and nobody can buy from you that doesn't know you exist. Focus on experience you're going to get. Not only that, you're going to get and you're going to gain for a future entrepreneurial experience. But what is the customer experience going to be when they engage with your product or your service? And then make sure that you're evaluating the risks versus the reward. But I think it's worth it. Look, I would rather have control over my own destiny than give it to other people. Even though it's not easy, entrepreneurship isn't fatal. It's not going to kill you. So here's my challenge to you. Take some action today. Take some action on what you're doing. Move forward. Start building. If this sparks something in you, share it with somebody and maybe have them hold you accountable to actually get up and take the first step in creating a better future for yourself. If you're serious about making the leap, connect with me. I want to hear what's going on. Like, subscribe. Thanks for listening. Jeff Duden on the home front.