Becoming a self-employed twenty-something

Welcome back to how to twenty-something where today I am going to be sharing how I left the corporate world, how I’ve helped my clients do so too, and how you can… if that’s what you’re aspiring to do

I get asked all the time how I did it, how I left the corporate world and am still standing with my head above water nearly three years later

And because I was successful with my transition out, I attract a lot of other twenty-somethings who want to create this life for themselves as well

So if you’re listening to this and are thinking, hey that’s me, I want to build up my life and future to also successfully make the transition to doing my own thing, then please head to the show notes and click the link that says lets chat because I know I’d be a great coach to helping you get started

Because, as you’ll hear soon enough, this is not a path you can do by yourself.. At least this is not a path you can successfully do yourself and keep your head properly screwed on at the same time

I think anyone can be self-employed, however I don’t believe the self-employed life is for everyone

It’s tough

It takes a lot of patience, dedication, planning, and trust to do

Patience in the process, dedication to the work you’re doing especially if you’re not seeing much of a return, planning for what your day looks like, and trust in your ability to be successful and that the Universe, or insert whomever your higher power is, has your back

I left my full-time job on my 25th birthday back in 2022

On March 7th, 2022 I handed in the keys and laptop to my full-time in office job, collected my belongings and left the premises and have never looked back

But what you don’t see is the year and a half of planning that went into this decision or even the struggle that came with that first year out

I’ve shared my story on here before and I mention parts of it in several different episodes but long story short, I was unemployed for 6 months during the pandemic where I found my first passion in personal training and was ready to leave the corporate life behind right then and there to pursue that career path

My mom was afraid this was an impulsive decision and told me to go get a real job again.. Don’t worry she came around to supporting my dreams eventually

But at that 6 month mark of being unemployed I accepted a new position at a local residential design firm with the mission to get out and be able to be a personal trainer full-time

I realized, my mom was right, don’t tell her I said that, but I needed to think this decision through a little more and accrue some savings as I just spent the better half of the year with no to very little income

So from September of 2020 to January of 2021, I was working a 9-5 in office, because it was in Florida so we were open by June of 2020, and either before or after work I would personal train

I spent my free time exploring different degrees or certifications that would support this transition so I wasn’t solely relying on personal training for an income, since at the time it was not considered to be a high paying job

Which it’s not, technically, but you can make a decent living off of it if you’re at the right gym, have the clientele, and are a good trainer with a high retention rate

But that’s besides the point

By January of 2021, I settled on getting a new certification, a coaching one

This decision came about because going back to school to be a registered dietitian, athletic trainer, or nutritionist would put me in an extreme amount of debt and would be very very difficult to do considering I had zero prerequisites for those majors

And I also didn’t know if that was the direction I really wanted to go with my career

What I wanted in that moment was to be a personal trainer and not put the fate of my income in the market, world, or someone else ever again

It makes sense that I wanted to do my own thing because all throughout growing up when I would get asked the what do you want to be when you grew up question I would respond with a ceo

I don’t even know if I fully knew what CEO meant, but what I did know is that I would follow up my answer with saying I don’t want anyone to be the boss of me, I want to be the boss of me

And to all of my other younger siblings out there, I’m sure you can relate to that feeling, at least to some extent

Anywho, in January of 2021 I found two coaching certifications that I was interested in, but not ready to invest the 4,500 dollars in them as I had other stressors and expenses going on at that time

But by March I was ready to go and by April I was beginning my journey towards becoming a certified health and life coach

So from April to November of that year I was studying, personal training, keeping up with my full-time in office 9-5, trying to make a long distance relationship work, and by August, taking on coaching clients of my own

The moment I began that certification in April, was also when I started telling people that when my lease is up at the end of March, I am packing my bags, quitting my job, and pursuing my business full-time in Charlotte

The certification was to last 6 months leaving me 5 months to build up my business or at least get things started

The planning that had to occur during this time was intense

I was saving as much as I could, which meant not buying anything extra and not taking any fun trips

It also meant creating a savings goal based on what I had in April to what I thought I could save by the following March

You see I was always on top of my finances and had an up to date budget sheet so I knew, based on the previous 6 months, how much I could add back to my bank account with every paycheck

So my goal was to have 2 years worth of living expenses saved up to carry my through the unknowns of being self-employed

I’ll let you create your own number based on that 2 year timeline

That was my emergency fund, just in case I didn’t make anything in my business for a very long time, however, I also knew that I wouldn’t let myself go more than one month without making anything

Whether it was from my business or from a side job I needed to pick up, which is what I did and how I started working at f45 once I got settled in my new city and spent that first month adjusting to the unknown

Other planning I had to do during these 11 months was plan out my weekly schedule so I still had time to take care of myself with working out, eating right, and sleeping

And I had to plan out my weekends, which for this time of my life, were mostly filled with catching up from the week and setting up for the week ahead

Basically, most of those weekends from April of 2022 to March of 2023 were spent grinding and recovering, but I did block out time to be a 24 year old

That looked like committing to my business and health Friday nights through Saturday mid morning and then be more relaxed until Sunday around 5pm which is when I would meal prep and plan for my week ahead

That in between time was for friends, or my relationship, or football, or doing something for myself

But I’ll tell you, this time in my life took all of the patience I had because I was so excited for what was to come

I was so eager for this chapter to come to a close and whenever I got antsy I would repeat my mantra: it’s not forever, it’s for now

That I needed to hustle hard right now, get through this period of chaos and know that in the very near, planned out, future, my schedule would open up and I could breathe again

Heck I was ready to quit my job in November of 2021, but my roommate at the time had also just quit her job and I felt that would be reckless of me to do too and I knew I would get annoyed by her also being home all the time so I stuck it out to my original timeline of March

So March finally came, I found an apartment to move to, which is where I still live, and knew that sooner rather than later I needed a mentor of my own

I had no idea what I was doing business wise, I had some clients but didn’t know how to create more, I didn’t know what building a sustainable business looked like, or even how to renew with my existing clients

I also had spent some time listening to very successful entrepreneurs and all of them, literally every single one of them, said you need a mentor or coach, but definitely someone to show you the ropes

You’re a fool if you think you can be fully self-employed on your own – the experts didn’t say that, but I’m saying it, but they for sure implied it

Honestly, I think you’re a fool if you’re trying to aspire to your next level or change your current way of life to something better all on your own

You need to spend money, cough cough invest in the right way, in order to make money or to reach your next level

Our human brains fight our dreams every step of the way so you need someone on your team who is going to fight with you so you know for sure you’re going to win

So, I began the search for my own coach and stumbled upon my current coach who I’ve been with for almost 3 years now and she was guest on here when talking about being a service based entrepreneur, Stacey Brass-Russell

I found Stacey in an alumni facebook group from my coaching certification when she commented on someone else’s post with her podcast to help them out with something business related

So I commented and asked for her to send it to me too and so began the coaching partnership

I picked my coach, not because of her success, or her history, or her having a podcast, but solely because she graduated from the same certification as me so she knew exactly where I was starting my business from

I didn’t have to explain what I knew or how I helped my clients, because at that point in time I was still using the done for you 90 day program my certification provided and Stacey knew that’s where I was at with my business

She helped me create my own program which is my Own Your Life system that I still use today and it’s a proven framework to help any twenty-something get their life together and develop the confidence they need to succeed

Or in other words, create a solid foundation in the way you show up every day so you can take risks and try new things, knowing you have something to fall back on just in case it doesn’t pan out in the way you had hoped and feel confident about the decision you make along the way

She taught me how to talk about what I do and why you absolutely need me as your coach, she taught me how to add value so people can experience coaching in a low commitment way, she taught me to see my goals differently, to set goals for 3 months at a time or one quarter instead of each month which is what I teach my clients too

She taught me my own confidence in myself and in my coaching practice and that it’s okay to be calculated as a 33 year old in a bar once told me, or that being different than my peers is what makes me the most valuable resource for them to confide in and seek direction and support from

I mean I could go on and on about how working with my coach has helped me keep my feet planted on the ground 3 years later

But the point I’m getting at with this episode is you absolutely 100% without a doubt need a mentor or a coach who did what you’re trying to do, and specializes in helping you do so

It’s why I can confidently help other twenty-somethings know what it takes to be self-employed and the lifestyle that is required to get there

My own entire story is in relation to my career which is why I became a career life coach to help my other young adults navigating the most confusing decade of their life

Also, as I’ve already mentioned you need to be able to plan so under that topic, outside of planning your finances, is your time management and how you’re showing up for yourself and for the business you’re creating day in and day out

Especially if you’re in the transitionary period where you haven’t reached the point of leaving your full-time job yet

What is your relationship to time? Is there not enough of it? How can you make more of it?

That’s where meal prepping or planning your meals out ahead of time, working out before work, even knowing the day you need to do laundry comes in handy

And when you get to take a break and have some fun

And it’s also planning out your goals, knowing what you’re working towards and for how long

Is it three months, a year, five years until you want to accomplish x,y,z, regardless of what it is, you need a rough timeline right now that will inspire you to take action in this direction

There’s a famous saying by Bill Gates that most people overestimate what they can achieve in one year and underestimate what they can achieve in ten years

It’s why I like to set general yearly goals and more specific quarterly goals

Then it’s planning for what that transition from employed to self employed looks like, how will you be structuring your day once you do leave your job so you don’t fall into lazy habits and are forced back into the corporate world after an unsuccessful attempt to try things on your own

You don’t have to be type a to be a planner because planning comes in many different forms, but you need to know what’s going to work for you and support you without burning you out in the process

But overall, the path to self-employment revolves around the most important paradigm that I teach my twenty-somethings and I’ve said it on this podcast several times so I’ll say it again and that is you need to be able to think with your future self in mind

Entrepreneurship is not something you just one day wake up and decide for yourself, it’s a process that you work up to

It is a grind, it does require a lot of work, it is extremely stressful, and it is not for everyone

If it were easy then everyone would be doing it

But that’s not to deter you away from pursuing your own endeavors, it’s to help you think realistically about the business and life you can create or want to create

Or, essentially asking, do you have what it takes?

How on top of your life are you? Do you think about how the actions you’re taking today are going to impact some future version of you?

Or is your dream of being self-employed just that, a dream

It sounds harsh, I know

But i think since the pandemic, and the evolution of tiktok and influencing and brand deals, etc the self employed life has been glamorized

And it’s not all that glamorous

All you’re seeing is your favorite Tiktoker’s day in the life where they wake up at 9 go for a walk, make this amazing breakfast, take a midday pilates class, see a friend for lunch, do 3 hours of work, and then have a nightlife to wrap up their wednesday

It’s a bunch of bullshit

Sure some people get lucky and go viral and can build off of that, but that’s not happening for everyone

Nor have they made a plan to sustain their life long term after tiktok eventually gets deleted or outdated or how taxes come into play with their brand deals and influencer fund money

So don’t believe what you see on social media, it’s all a front

Don’t get me wrong there are a lot of upsides to the self employed life that you can look forward to like I can never get fired, any lull in my day doesn’t feel like a waste of time any more, and my soul is feeling fulfilled

But I can’t plan ahead for my finances, I work really long days of 12+ hours Monday through Thursday since usually Fridays are a normal 9 hour day, and any success or failure that comes my way is all on me

Not to mention the self-talk that happens in my brain if I’m hitting a slow period in my business, the fear of rejection in all parts of my life since that also comes with having a business, and constant level of stress I’m under to be successful, again leading it back to it’s all on me

There’s a lot of power in that but also a lot of pressure at the same time

It’s why I tell people that unless the business that you’re wanting to create is your undying passion, your reason for existing, the wind beneath your wings, the sunshine on a cloudy day, then you should stay in the corporate world and seek out your passion as a hobby

I strongly urge you to not become self-employed if the only reason you’re wanting to quit your 9-5 is to do your own thing is so you don’t have to work under someone else

There needs to be more heart and soul behind that reason because there are going to be some really tough days, if not seasons that’s going to make you question what you’re even doing

But if you made this decision from your heart and your passion, then that’s what keeps you in line with your north star

And that’s what makes a resilient, successful entrepreneur

So if after listening to this episode, you’re thinking you can totally become self-employed, then I applaud you and go find your mentor.. Pst it can be me to help get you started

Either way now you know what it takes to become a self-employed twenty-something. This is how I did it, and this is what I help my clients focus on so they can do it too

So, if you liked what you heard, if you want to leave your job within the next few years, or if you know someone who does then please share this episode

Send it to a friend, post it on social media, do something to help my self-employed journey as well as the other twenty-somethings in this world wanting to go down this path

Otherwise, thank you for listening to another episode of how to twenty-something and as always, I can’t wait to be in your headphones again next week with another brand new episode