How to: Leave Your 9 to 5 Job and Start Working for Yourself?
Believe it or not – 85% of people hate their jobs. While the rise of remote work and flexible working culture has made people love their jobs again, the majority of employees are still unhappy at work.
It’s great if you enjoy your job, but if you don’t, you might be looking for a way to leave your 9-5 job and start working for yourself. Here is a quick guide to get started.
Don’t Just Quit
No matter how much you hate your job, it pays your bills. Quitting your job should never be an impulsive decision, especially if you have a family to feed. Do proper planning and only quit if you have enough savings to support your needs for at least a couple of years.
Find an Interest and Turn it into a Skill
If you’re planning to quit your job, you’ll need to find an alternative way to make money. There are various ways to do that, but the best way is to offer some services in exchange for money. These services could be digital, such as web development, graphic design, writing, marketing, etc., or offline, such as lawn mowing, home moving, repairs, etc.
Once you have found an interest, turn it into a skill by ruthlessly practicing it. You can develop a skill by taking up courses or training under an expert.
Take Up Freelancing or Start a Business
Once you have enough confidence in your skills, you can start looking for clients. There are various online freelance marketplaces that allow you to find remote and location-specific jobs. Contrarily, you can also set up a small shop or business. The latter requires a small investment as you’ll need to buy/rent a shop and acquire goods. You can also set up an online business, such as an eCommerce shop, dropshipping store, or blog.
Set and Achieve Goals
When you work a 9-5 job, you always have your boss pushing you harder. But when you work for yourself, you need to be self-motivated. The best way to stay motivated is by setting tough goals for yourself. Challenge yourself to earn a particular monthly revenue. It’s alright if you can’t achieve your goals every time. Just keep trying harder and pushing yourself.
The Transition from 9-5 to Self-Employment
As discussed in the first section, taking an impulsive decision to quit your job can have adverse consequences. The right approach is to transition from your job to self-employment slowly. Start your freelance career or business as a side hustle, along with your full-time. Once you start earning enough from your side hustle to cover your expenses, you can quit your job and make your side hustle your full-time job.
Final Thoughts
Quitting the 9-5 grind and starting something of their own is the dream of many employees. If you are one of them, following the above process will help you systematically transition from job to self-employment and live a life you always wanted to live.
