From Corporate Chains to Entrepreneurial Gains

A Proven Comprehensive 3-Step Blueprint for Success

Hey Coach, JJ here. I’m the founder of Ability Business Group.  The journey from being a seasoned corporate professional to embracing the entrepreneurial spirit of coaching or consulting is both exhilarating and daunting. It requires more than just the desire to change your job. It requires a profound shift in identity.

Having navigated this path myself, from a successful career in legal finance to becoming a certified and accredited coach, consultant and founder, I’ve distilled my experience into a 3-step method I teach to my 1:1 clients to guide them through this transformative stage in their lives.

Today I want to share with you an overview of my 3-Step method so you know in advance what it takes to get you started if you’re at that stage of your journey.

Step 1: Identification – Laying the Groundwork for Change

The first step is all about introspection and clarity. It’s where you take stock of where you are, understand your desires, and articulate your vision for the future. This phase demands deep self-awareness, courage and honesty in answering some pivotal questions:

– What am I truly passionate about?

– Why do I want to make this shift?

– Who do I want to serve, and what unique value can I provide?

– What does success look like for me, and how does it align with my values and purpose?

Identifying your niche and ideal clients is crucial here. It sets the foundation for a business that’s not only profitable but also personally fulfilling. Reflect on your experiences, skills, and the impact you wish to create. This clarity will guide your transition and ensure your new path resonates with your core values and vision. This is how you create alignment between your business and your life.

Self-Coaching Reflection Question: What’s the one thing I can do today to gain clearer insight into my ideal client and how I can serve them?

Incorporating My Journey:

My realization came from a place of deep dissatisfaction working inside the corporate world, despite my success. After a 16 year career, I recognised I was out of alignment. I didn’t want to make ‘rich people richer’. It wasn’t what I was born to do, despite how good I was at it. I knew there was more for me, just like you know there is more for you.

Identifying my desire for more freedom, flexibility, and the ability to make a direct impact on individuals’ lives was the catalyst for my transformation. That, and recognising that I had life experiences that I could share.

I felt purposed to make some of the experiences I had been through make sense, and helping others navigate those challenges without having to learn the hard way like I did, was an opportunity to add value to the world in a way only I could.

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Step 2: Repositioning – Becoming a Consultant Within Your Employment

The second step is about repositioning yourself in your current role, and in the minds of your colleagues and employers. Now, this is not to be confused with taking on more work or trying to re-climb the corporate ladder. In fact, it’s almost the opposite. The repositioning stage helps you shift your mindset and create space in your day-to-day so you can make an energetic shift. This stage is where you focus on ‘becoming’ the entrepreneur by first becoming an intrapreneur.

This stage is to help you change the way you show up and take up space, thus building your confidence, because when you do step into entrepreneurship, there is nowhere to hide. You, are back, front and centre. It feels scary, but it also feels positively powerful.

So, here’s what it involves:

– Changing how you’re perceived within your workplace, delegating tasks and managing upwards creates headspace and space in your day-to-day so you can make an energetic shift. You’ll be surprised how efficient this shift will make you operate in your role.

– Shifting your mindset to see yourself as an entrepreneur. It’s not as easy as it sounds.

– Putting your market research from step one into action by putting offers out into the world

– Starting to take on paid clients or consultancy projects, even before leaving your 9-5 job.

This step is about leveraging your current position to gain experience, build your brand, and start generating income from your new venture. It’s a strategic move that allows you to test the waters, refine your offerings, and build confidence in your ability to succeed as an entrepreneur. By the time you resign from your role, your employers are already seeing you differently.

Self-Coaching Reflection Question: How can I start positioning myself as an expert in my desired niche while still in my current role?

My Repositioning:

Repositioning began for me by creating an employee network focused on diversity and inclusion, leveraging my expertise to make a tangible impact. This led to me redefining my professional identity. I became more vocal, I took up space. I delegated tasks, and managed up, leveraging my authority based on my expertise and experience. I decided to step in my power and began to operate as a consultant while in my employee role.

But my journey didn’t stop there. Understanding the power of digital presence and the essence of manifestation, the next pivotal move was optimizing and leveraging my LinkedIn account. I infused my profile with the value I offer and thought leadership. This was to showcase my skills to attract meaningful, impactful work that aligned with my passions and expertise.

Before I knew it, I was receiving bookings directly from LinkedIn. It was a testament to the power of clear, intentional manifestation and strategic online positioning. A significant breakthrough came when I was booked by a legal giant, Evershed Sutherlands, to deliver a ‘Lunch and Learn’ webinar for their EMEA region. This opportunity was monumental for several reasons. It was my first corporate engagement, a chance to work with a global firm, while I was still an employee, and most importantly, it was an engagement that I had attracted—they came to me.

This experience underscored a crucial lesson: to attract clients, you need to make yourself so visible, so aligned with your values and expertise, that the right opportunities find their way to you. After this engagement, this became a focal point of my strategy. It was about consistently putting out into the world who I am, what I stand for, and the unique value I bring to the table. This is something you need to focus on while in this stage.

Step 3: Transition – Executing Your Move to Full-Time Entrepreneurship

The final step is the transition itself. It’s about:

– Goal setting and visualizing your success as an entrepreneur.

– Creating a succession plan and exit strategy from your current role.

– Taking concrete steps to operate your business at a more involved level, shifting energetically so your job feels more like a side hustle.

This phase is marked by a significant shift in where you devote your time and energy. It’s about making your business the primary focus and gradually reducing your reliance on your 9-5 job.

Self-Coaching Reflection Question: What’s one action I can take this week to move closer to making my business my primary focus?

Reflecting on My Transition:

For me, the transition was marked by delivering workshops and webinars, and finally, deciding it was time to “fire my boss.” It was a deliberate, strategic move made possible by the groundwork laid in the previous steps and an excellent exit strategy.

A Powerful Quote to Inspire Your Journey:

This quote encapsulates the essence of our journey from corporate experts to entrepreneurs. It’s about breaking free from the expectations and limitations imposed by others and those we even place on ourselves, and instead, daring to follow our own path.

Fast-Tracking Financial Independence:

A testament to the efficacy of this 3-step method is my financial transition.

By following the roadmap I had laid out through Identification, Repositioning, and Transition, I achieved a pivotal milestone that many aspiring entrepreneurs dream of replacing my substantial corporate salary through self-employment.

Remarkably, this was attained just four months after fully committing full-time to my entrepreneurial journey. This wasn’t a stroke of luck but the result of a strategic, well-executed plan that I had developed. One that my clients now get to experience. It underscores the power of having a clear, actionable strategy in place and serves as proof that with the right approach, transitioning from a corporate job to running a successful business is both possible and with support, it can be accelerated.

Balancing the 9-5 with Entrepreneurial Aspirations

It’s not easy. Despite all the gurus who tell you it is. Who makes you feel like you can just quit your job today and replace your salary tomorrow. I’m not going to do you like that.

It can feel overwhelming to manage both worlds of employee and entrepreneur.

So, first things first, it’s crucial to extend grace to yourself. Some actions I took which helped me with the balance:

– Morning Routine: Waking up early to work on my business before my day job began allowed me to dedicate my best energy to my dream. This shift from believing I was a night owl to embracing the morning was pivotal. Focusing on top priorities and connecting with key individuals each morning ensured continuous progress. I was able to work on my business for almost 3 hours before I even started my job. It ensured I began my day on a productive high.

– Energetic Shift: Recognizing that my 9-5 was someone else’s dream led me to allocate my prime energy to my own business. By giving about 60% of my energy to my day job (which still aligned with my colleagues’ 100%), I could safeguard my vitality for my entrepreneurial pursuits. I still did excellent work at my job, I still met targets, but my business was now my priority. I took lunch breaks, I left work on time, and I didn’t take my work home with me. It changed everything and released me mentally and emotionally to build my business.

– Enforcing Boundaries:Delegating tasks and training others to take on roles were critical steps in reclaiming my time and energy. Setting clear priorities and reminding myself of my ‘why’ helped me maintain focus on the ultimate goal: transitioning to full-time entrepreneurship.

Self-Coaching Reflection Question: How can I restructure my day-to-day to ensure I’m giving the best of myself to my entrepreneurial journey?

Let’s Wrap it Up!

Deciding to embark on this journey requires you to transform your identity, lifestyle, and purpose.

Remember, each step of this journey is designed to build on the previous one, providing a structured path from corporate expertise to entrepreneurial empowerment. The journey may be complex, but with determination, a strategic approach, and a bit of self-grace, the path from corporate professional to thriving entrepreneur is within your reach.

And, well, if you need more strategic and operational support, book a clarity call. It might just be the catalyst for your transformation.

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About the Founder

JJ, Your Coach, Strategy & Revenue Mastermind

Mantra: “I Never Lose, I Either WIN or Learn – Nelson Mandela”

In Another Life: Solo globetrotter soaking up the sun and manifesting next-level strategies…which is exactly the same as I do in this life!

Why I’m Here: To guide you to work smarter, not harder, and to empower your purpose-driven journey. Let’s change the world together, one client at a time.

The Impact: Through my strategies, clients have diversified revenue streams, navigated cash-flow challenges, and scaled their purpose-driven businesses to new heights. Your business could be next!