Many people dream of taking the leap from employee to entrepreneur. Whether it’s the idea of following a passion to make a difference, the appeal of being in control of your own destiny, or the flexibility of working for yourself, the desire to “go out on your own” is one that I hear repeatedly.
When I started my leadership development consultancy in 2002, I took a giant leap of faith. I left the security of a thriving career as a financial manager in a multinational company to venture into the enormous abyss of building a company from the ground up. “I didn’t know what I did not know” is an apt synopsis for my early years. Today, almost eighteen years later, I have the benefit of hindsight. So in my regular column in today’s issue of The Globe and Mail, I share seven distinct lessons that I learned as an entrepreneur. True, everyone’s entrepreneurial journey will be different. But if you’re considering the leap from employee to entrepreneur, then I hope that my lessons learned will help you avoid a few speedbumps along the way.
Seven lessons learned as a first-time entrepreneur
If you get the print version of The Globe, you’ll find this column on page B10.
Note: if you are a subscriber to The Globe and Mail, you can also read the column directly at their website at this link: https://tgam.ca/31Umh7
If you’ve taken the entrepreneurial plunge, I’d love to hear about your experience. What challenges did you face? And how did you overcome them? Let’s share so we can all learn. Please add your comments below.
As frequent readers of the blog know, I write a monthly column for The Globe and Mail, under the broad banner of “Leadership Matters”. Recent columns are linked below: