Why I Quit My 9-5
When I started my first entrepreneurial business, I was still in college. I faced the challenges of juggling school with working a part-time job, then decided to add a my own business on top of that. It wasn't easy, but it was a lot of fun. I enjoyed the endless task list, responsibility, and busy schedule. Once I graduated, I began working even more. I maintained my part-time job, acquired new ones, and continued working on my business. My schedule filled up even more and the task list grew and grew. My business partners and I even decided to launch a secondary startup because we had so many ideas!
Here I am one-and-a-half years later, more focused than ever. While working multiple jobs brought in consistent revenue, it was a distraction. I was not able to focus solely on my business and it was becoming a problem. Working a 9-5, I could not attend meetings during business hours or be present while my business partners negotiated deals. It was starting to take a toll on me both personally and professionally.
I mustered up the courage to quit my day job(s) and commit full time (and then some) to my startup. With a clear schedule, I imaged I would have more time during the day to balance my work-life activities. Funny enough, I find myself with even less personal hours than before. Once you fully commit to something, it's difficult to shy away from that vision. There are so many things that need to be accomplished on a daily basis in order to remain on schedule with the overall mission, quarterly goals, and daily timeline.
Although I was very good at time management and balancing my responsibilities, it came down to the mindset... not the hours. Working a part-time job is more than just the time commitment. My business partners and I share a philosophy that makes us work harder than our peers. We call it hunger. The hungrier you are, the harder you work. This ties back into the mindset of working part time. Cashing a check from working as an employee provides a consistent revenue stream which gives a sense of stability and consistency. This fulfills one's feeling of hunger. In turn, without a consistent form of income, you are pushed to work harder to fulfill your goals because you have no other option. As a company, we all decided to quit any outside commitments so that we could all focus full-heartedly on RepWatch.
It's only the beginning of an amazing journey and I couldn't be happier to wake up every morning with a clear vision in my mind. In The ONE Thing, Gary Keller explains why you should only focus on one thing at a time. At any given point, you can have many important tasks but there can only be one MOST important. Identify what your goals, vision, and mission are, and make sure to work towards those things each day. Wake up with determination and go to sleep with satisfaction.
“Extraordinary results happen only when you give the best you have to become the best you can be at your most important work.” Gary Keller
