Before You Quit that Job

Are you at a place in your job where you don’t know whether to quit or continue? Has your job become less satisfying as the day goes by and you feel that you just want to quit altogether? Or are you afraid to do anything at all because you are frozen in fear wondering if you quit your high paying job, what’s out there for you?

I know what you are feeling because that was me. I have been there and I can’t tell not to quit your job. I had to face the fact that I was no longer happy working for someone else and that I wanted to control my own destiny. And even when I realized this, I was still faced with fear and doubt. These emotions are normal. For me, a good place to start was in exploring my feelings and differentiating whether what I was feeling was a cry for a job change or a cry of the entrepreneur in me to be free.

If, after getting in touch with your true feelings, you still have questions, my advice to you would be to continue working until you know for sure what your really want. A very important piece of the puzzle is to create a reserve. In creating that financial reserve you might want to initially start your business on the side while you continue to work on your job. This will allow you to start saving money (building that reserve) so you’ll have a financial foundation when you will start the business full time.

Women everywhere are quitting their jobs (even high paying jobs) for a host of reasons. Some want to spend more time with the family, some because they are dissatisfied with their jobs and others because of the need to create additional wealth for the family. The reasons are endless.

Before you embark on this journey get a journal and answer some questions that will guide you and hopefully help you focus. Take a look at each facet of your life. Look at your work life, home and family life. Think about your visions for the future, and the lifestyle in that vision. This exercise will help you create a roadmap for your next move.

Join me tommorow for the concluding part of this article.

To Your Success
Pamela

Defining The Term Mumpreneur

Guest Post By Erica Douglas of www.becomeamumpreneur.com
Love it or hate it I think the term ‘mumpreneur’ is here to stay. But what is a ‘mumpreneur’?

I was in a lecture on entrepreneurship last week and whilst discussing my business with the lecturer I happened to use the term ‘mumpreneur’. He questioned me on the term and asked me what it meant, as an entrepreneur and a lecturer he’d never heard the term or his own cultural variation ‘mompreneur’.

As the term becomes more widely used do we even know what it means? There’s no solid definition out there, and it may come as a surprise to some that not even wikipedia has even a vague definition.
I want to try and pin down what a mumpreneur really is, what they do and why.
The simplistic definition and the one I’ve used myself in the past is that a mumpreneur is a mum in business or an entrepreneur that is a mum. After having been put on the spot to define the term I realized that this is inadequate at best and at worst completely inaccurate. A mumpreneur is more than a mum who does business; in fact I believe their motives differ substantially.

To define the term I think you first need to explore the definition of ‘entrepreneur’, and depending on your chosen theorist the definition will be different. For example, Schumpter would have you believe that an entrepreneur is an innovator, a creator of a unique product or service. Knight defines ‘entrepreneur’ as a person willing to bear risk for possible reward, whereas Kirzner believes it’s about being able to spot the opportunity that no-one else sees to procure a profit (Deakins and Freel, 2006).

I believe that all these definitions have degrees of validity.
For me a mumpreneur can fulfill any or all of these definitions. I believe the critical difference is in her motives, she does not simply do it for profit or prestige, she does it so that she is able to fulfill her role as a parent in a way that is more meaningful for her. She doesn’t just happen to be an entrepreneur that is or has become a mum. She becomes an entrepreneur because she is or has become a mum.

So my definition would be;
A mumpreneur is someone who seeks an opportunity, takes a risk or innovates to make the change in her life that will allow her to fulfill her role as a parent in a way that is more meaningful to her
A mumpreneur is willing to bear the risk of failure, loss of time, and a job to pursue a business venture, muse or other opportunity that will create the funds, freedom and time she needs to fulfil her role as a parent in the way she wishes. Ultimately her ‘profit’ is the social and emotional pay off she receives when she creates the time and freedom to spend with family and pursuing her life’s goals.
Perhaps the lack of definition has been the reason for the love/hate relationship that people have with the term.

Am I a mumpreneur?
Before I came to this definition I would have said absolutely, yes. However now I can see that my motives go beyond my need to fulfill my role as a parent. For example I have health issues that also make entrepreneurship a good option for me. However, a good chunk of my reason for pursuing the path of self employment and entrepreneurship is still because I want the time and freedom to be a parent on my own terms. Therefore, yes, I am proud to call myself a mumpreneur.

How does being a ‘mumpreneur’ change the way I do business?
On a day to day level it means I value profit and time equally. I want to make money, but I also value my time. Therefore I doggedly assess the opportunities available to me and always way up the potential £ per hour I make on any given project. If the figures don’t stack up and it’s not a project I’ll gain from in other ways, it doesn’t happen. Simple. Where possible I completely avoid selling my time by the hour unless it’s at a rate that I simply can’t refuse

What do you think of this definition? What would you change or add? Are you a mumpreneur? What does being a mumpreneur mean to you?
Source: Entrepreneurship and small firms, David Deakins and Mark Freel 4th Edition

This Lovely article was written by Erica over at www.becomeamumpreneur.com. She also blogs at www.littlemummy.com

Business Mindset

The responses I get when I speak with clients and prospects for the first time is ‘I know I want to set up my own business but, I don’t know what business I should set up’ or ‘I am scared I might fail again because I tried before and I failed’. Others say ‘I just want temporary side business that will generate some extra income for my family while I still work’. These are valid fears but don’t dwell on them there is a way out.

When starting a business you need to have the right mind set. A mind set devoid of fear. A mind set that says ‘I can make it’. Having the right mind set can pull your business through the early stage when profits are not rolling in or when you get sacred that failure is looming at the next turn.

Before you start a business you have got to be clear about your desire to become an entrepreneur. Don’t go into business because you think it is the next best thing to do or because of the money you might get alone. Start you business based on the clarity that you have some thing of value in products or services that is in demand and people are willing to pay for it. In others words, be value conscious. Know your strength and weakness this will help you to know to some extent what type of business you can go into.

When starting a business, it is important to know that there are some strains at the early stages. Resolve to stand firm and hold on to your business. Remember to have a good system, good capital backing and a mentor/coach to help you through the early stage of your business and beyond. Keep tweaking your business model if you are not making money.

A business can be developed from our purpose and passion. It is my belief that, our life purpose is often times wrapped in our dreams. As you decide to make a move today towards starting a business remember that owning a successful business is possible with the right mind set.

To Your Success
Pamela

To succeed as an Entrepreneur

To succeed as an entrepreneur, you must get support from other people like, fellow entrepreneurs, coaches or family. Be inspired daily and motivated to share something valuable with your clients in anyway possible.
Don’t forget to set achievable goals and milestones that will help you know when you are making progress concerning your goals.
Daily; let your brilliance show in the way you connect with people. Nothing in life is ever achieved unless the required actions are taken with serious commitment

As the new school term starts, plan to start something new.

1. Launch a new product in your business.

2. Start a new business. It might just be a good time to move your dream to reality or

3. Attract more clients into your existing business.

What ever your plans are, make sure you utilize your time efficiently.

Use the exercise below to work on moving your self from where you are now to where you need to be.
1. Write down three things that bring you joy. Be specific

2. What is keeping you from these things?

3. How can you overcome these obstacles?

4. Make little changes daily

5. Take note of those things that inspires you

Answer the questions honestly and let everyday see you build on your core values and bring you closer to living you life purpose.

To Your Success

Pamela Evbota

BUSINESS LESSONS FROM MY KIDS SPORTING EVENT

Few weeks ago, my kids had their inter house sports event. After weeks of practice we were all looking forward to the event. At least no more heavily soiled sports wear and socks coming home from school.

The pupils where in four different houses represented with Blue, Yellow, Green and red; they sat according to their various house colours. – Effective business branding.

During the event I noticed that the kids sat with their team members and did not mingle much with their friends or siblings in others houses. They were focused on their various events. How focused are you are you in your business?

It was clear to them that this was the event not the usual rehearsal. You could see anticipation on their faces. Do you have clarity of purpose in your business?
Everyone was determined to win their event.
At least 80% of the kids did not cling to their parents, they were happy to be with their friends and house mates.
This whole event can be related to your business. How do you treat your business? How focused are you? Are you able to separate friends and family from your business? Or are you like the kids whose main objective at the event was participating and winning.

Do you still see your business as a dress rehearsal, waiting for when it will finally take off? Well, the business has started and you have to be clear on where you want to take your business to and follow through with it.
Be determined to succeed in your business.
No one is an island in business associate with other entrepreneurs like you. Join a network group for entrepreneurs like www.ladiesnetworking.com
Do not forget why you are in business; put the ‘Mojo’ back into your business.

To your success.