FINDING FREEDOM from your 9-5 ought to be an exciting prospect, but for many it remains just a dream. Waiting for the “right time”, the “right amount of money”, the possibility of a “redundancy payout”.

Waiting for….something, anything, You know how the story goes…

Dreams keep us entertained when we’re bored, hopeful when we’re feeling frustrated or stuck.

But the problem is, we get caught up in that thing called “life”, responsibilities, working our butts off for someone else, and in our fears.  Through lack of attention or self-belief, our dreams fade, feel impossible, or intangible.

RECONNECTING WITH YOUR DREAM is fundamental for your psyche, and your happiness. Your dreams are there to inspire you and push you to become a better person, more fulfilled and enriched.

But staying stuck in an unfulfilling job, with a lifestyle that underplays your potential, isn’t any fun, when you know you’ve got so much more to offer. Like running your own business, which is in alignment with who you or who you want to become.

To achieve your dream, you must re-connect it fully, embrace it like you’re actually dating. *smooch*

For that to happen, you need to devote time to it, get clear on what it looks and feels like to you, who you’ll serve, and then gain the confidence to move forwards.

It’s like marriage of sorts – you’ll even get to cuddle on the sofa and wake up with it!

GETTING STARTED How many times have you thought about your idea (or ideas, perhaps?) and then got totally sidetracked by life, responsibilities, fear and apprehension?

Do you wonder or doubt if your idea is any good? If it will make you enough money? Do you question: who am I  to do this?  and whether you’ve got what it takes to become an entrepreneur.

I’m not going to lie.

It takes guts and determination to start your own business.

And even more to actually make it work.

To push through when all seems against you. When you’re having a bad day, month, week, or even year, and you think, “Am I going to have to go back to my 9-5? Has all my hard work been in vane?  

This is normal. You’ll hit tremendous highs, and there will be lows. It comes with the territory.

That’s why I recommend you do mindset work from the outset. And, that you get a mentor or coach, or a join a network of entrepreneurs, who’ll encourage you along the way.

And above all else, just begin…

TAKING THE FIRST STEPS Before you begin, there are a number of considerations: whether you should go all in, or if you should run your business as a side hustle, until you’re making enough money.

Both ways have their benefits and limitations, and really it’s what works best for you. Do the sums. Work out what are your financial outlays. Do a general evaluation of how you’ll support yourself whilst you build up your business.

Before you begin your business (or proceed further into your fledgling business) there are fundamental questions you need to answer: What is my business mission? Who will I serve? What are my offerings? How do I want my lifestyle to change? How often do I want to work? What’s important to me and what are my passions, and is there a way I could weave them into my business idea?

To explore this theme and get more clarity, go to my handy guided visualisation which will help you arrive at your high level vision for your future lifestyle and business.

PLANNING FOR THE FUTURE Once you’re decided on your general business vision, it’s tempting to jump straight in, and whilst I do advocate this (because there’s no time like the present), I also advocate balancing your raw energy and enthusiasm with a certain degree of planning.

Whether you’re still in your 9-5 and wanting to escape or have left and are “all in”, then it’s essential that you create a roadmap. It doesn’t have to be all encompassing, but if you are to stay focused and organised, then you do need to identify your goals and map out your milestones and dependencies.

This will help you to prioritise your time, stay focused, and level headed, because, trust me, when you’re in the “dream up” stage of business (which can last years!), then there can be a tendency to meander and deliberate on ideas, and be reactive.

If you have a clear plan for how you’re going to reach your goals, it makes it more likely you’ll achieve them. You’ll know what you want to achieve and have established action items and milestones to help you get there.

GAINING MOMENTUM Once you’ve got your roadmap  and you’re working solidly towards your goals, it’s important to keep momentum going, otherwise even best made plans can slip.

The best way to keep momentum going is to regularly remind yourself of your BIG WHY – the reason you want/ed to start your business in the first place. This is your prime motivating factor.

If you don’t have a clue what that is for you, I highly recommend that you do some inner work around this, as it can be one of the determining factors of the success or failure of a business.

A positive and confident mindset is also a key momentum driver. There’s a lot you can do to improve your mindset, and I highly recommend for you to do daily work around this.

Firstly, you’ll need to identify any beliefs which are holding you back or limiting you, and then challenge and counter them.

A positive mindset is EVERYTHING – many people don’t get their business ideas off the ground, and others are held back for years due to fear and self-doubt, finding themselves forced back into having to work another 9-5 – the very thing they wanted to escape from in the first place.

My 6-week program Kickstart Your Online Biz helps you to identify and validate your business idea, establish your business vision and clarify your BIG WHY, strengthen your mindset, and map out your roadmap, alongside many other business-building activities.

Find out more about the program HERE.