Small Business Coaching on Self Employment - Your Freedom In 5Ds

By Allison Babb

Small business ownership is a funny thing. Hundreds of people are showing up for work today, but not because they want to. It’s because they have to. Or they believe they have to. Many have a strong desire to become self-employed, but they are deathly afraid. Afraid of failing. Afraid of going bankrupt. Scared to give up the steady paycheck. At a loss for how to actually make it happen.

So how do you leave the job behind and step into your dream of self-employment…. And most importantly, be successful at it. Here is your freedom in 5 Ds:

Decide

When I was undecided about starting a business, nothing happened. One part of me was holding onto job security, and the other part of me was dreaming about self-employment. I was on the fence. I felt stuck. I didn’t realize the first step was to simply decide to become self-employed. This may sound simple but it isn’t. It’s not wishing or hoping or planning to become self employed. It is deciding that you are.

When you make that decision mentally and emotionally, you begin to move in that direction. The decision sounds like this: I am creating my own business right now. Not that you will some day, or that you’re thinking about it, or that you’re hoping to. The decision starts immediately. This doesn’t mean you quit your job immediately. I made a decision to be self-employed 2.5 years before I quit my job.

Discover

The minute you make the decision to start a small business, you step into discovery. You’re no longer thinking about it, but instead you are making it happen. You discover what business you want to get into, how to make that type of business work, where your resources are, what your support system will be, what tools you need, what products or services you will offer, who your competition is, who your customer will be, where you will find your customers, etc. Basically, you step into action. No more thinking, wondering or wishing. You are taking action that moves you closer to your goal of freedom and self-employment.

Each day or each week, you decide to take another action that moves you toward your goal. You discover precisely what you need to do. In this phase, you make the decision that a certain number of hours per week/day/month will be devoted to creating your business. It becomes your unwavering commitment. Caution: You need not spend months and months in this discovery phase. With the right system, coaching and guidance, you can be done within a month or less.

Declare

When you have gathered your ideas, tools and support, it is time to declare to as many people as you can that you are now in business. When I first started, I simply sent an email out to all of my friends describing my business and asking them to spread the word or refer people to me. Many years ago, my business was Life Coaching and I instantly got 4 clients when I sent the word out to everyone.

So go ahead and declare who you are. Don’t wait for “experience” either. You’ll be waiting forever. Just two weeks after completing my training as a professional coach, I declared that I’m a Life Coach and I’m ready to take on clients. I put my training into action and turned it into money immediately. So declare who you are and spread the word that you are in business. And again, this doesn’t mean that you quit your job to start a business. Quitting is not a requirement just yet. Simply step into your dream by declaring that you are in business.

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WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR E-ZINE OR WEB SITE? You can, as long as you include this complete blurb with it: Allison Babb is an author, speaker and Small Business Coach to solo entrepreneurs. Allison publishes the "Small Business Success" weekly Ezine on how to create a steady stream of clients for your small business at: www.GreatSmallBusinessAdvice.com

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