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Before you leave that day job

Recently I’ve had a few folks write me about when is it the right time to leave the day job.

When I started my business over a decade ago, I was terrified that I had no idea what I was doing. I’d been working at a small firm in DC that had its own office and multi-million dollar projects. I was worried that I couldn’t afford all the tools and office equipment to run a successful business.

After I got engaged, I knew I would be leaving DC and the development job I’d had for six years. This gave me several months to plan my exit strategy. I had an old computer, dial-up internet, Adobe Photoshop 2.0(!) and less than $2000 in the bank.

What I thought I needed:

  • the latest version of the Adobe Creative Suite (more $$$ than I had in the bank at the time)
  • fancy business cards
  • an expensive new desktop (and laptop computer)
  • to pretend that my company was larger than it was to impress clients (I used the term “we” and talked about my “team” before I actually had one)
  • a legit office space where I could meet clients

What I actually needed:

  • a working copy of Photoshop and Dreamweaver (this was the days before WordPress)
  • a solid internet connection
  • a willingness to talk to people
  • confidence in my abilities
  • a website that showcased my portfolio
  • and most importantly… connections

The smartest thing I did BEFORE I left my 9-5 job was connect with a business coach who sent me my first clients. I told him “I’d love to assist you in anyway possible, just let me know how I can help you and your clients.” At the time, I just couldn’t understand why people who ran a business would hire a coach. (Now, a dozen year later, I completely get it!). That connection yielded my first two paying clients.

Simply putting up your website won’t immediately generate a ton of clients. The connections you make (both online and in-person) will be how you cultivate relationships and get more clients.

Then through another friend whose site I did for trade, I made another connection with a small design agency who started sending me freelance work. With those clients ready to go, I knew I had enough income to support myself for my first few months.

I started freelancing at night and on weekends, left my regular job at the start of the year (and cashed out those oh-so-nice vacation days) and officially started Minima Designs LLC from my studio apartment in DC. (And I started legit from the get-go – I formed an LLC and got business bank accounts BEFORE taking any checks…)

Looking back, there are few things I wish I’d invested in earlier:

  • a better office chair (you’ll be spending hours in this thing – just like your bed, this is one place not to scrimp!)
  • a course on how to effectively market my services and offerings
  • a mentor (5 years in, I finally hired a coach – and I spent over 20k to get one of the best in the business)

I honestly thought I would freelance for a year, move, get married and find another job after the wedding.
Now I can’t imagine working for anyone else.

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Patrick McGilvray says

    March 13, 2014 at 8:34 am

    Great article Michelle, very appropriate for where I am right now – just starting my own business. You mentioned that, looking back, you wished you had invested in a course to better market your services and offerings. Do you have any suggestions?

    Reply
    • Michelle Martello says

      March 14, 2014 at 8:53 am

      Hi Patrick!
      I took Marie Forleo’s B-school a few years ago and that opened up a whole new world for me – it just closed for 2014, but she’ll be offering it again in 2015. I’ll be writing a lot more this year about these topics so stay tuned!

      Reply
  2. Rashada Nunez says

    March 20, 2014 at 1:06 pm

    This is a great article. I am bschool right now and am working my butt off trying to build my biz. I may have to take your advice about that chair…

    Reply
    • Michelle Martello says

      March 23, 2014 at 5:13 pm

      Hi Rashada,
      Thanks so much for writing in! There’s a falsehood that you can do this in a few hours a week..you really have to spend A LOT of time growing and building your business. Those “overnight successes” take a lot of years!

      Reply

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