Roadmap to Self Employment – How Do I Get There?

People often say to me – Wow! You made the leap to being your own boss… how did you even know where to start? The answer is – I didn’t! In fact I never had any dreams about being my own boss. I was not one of those kids who sold lemonade. I was not the teenager who did small jobs or tried to create a fledgling business. I did not spend my college years drinking from the entrepreneurial cup.

So, how did I end up here?

Well… it was in the midst of my own personal transformational journey that the idea hit me like a big V-8 moment. I can vividly remember standing in San Diego during my coach training with Debbie Ford and looking at the harbor with a fellow participant. It was a beautiful spring day, the sun was shining, it was just blissful even with all the deep inner work that we were doing. He owned his own business (very manufacturing distribution widget like business) and I asked him how the heck he chose that as a career path. He responded that being his own boss and owning a company was his way of being in control of his destiny. A way to build his professional life to support his personal life (not the other way around). I was stunned. I had never even entertained the idea that what you did professionally could serve your personal goals (I know go figure – total DUH moment given what I do for a living today, right?). It was then and there that I decided I would learn whatever I needed to learn in order to discover how to do that too.

Credit Image: red travel marker via Shutterstock
Becoming an entrepreneur, being self-employed is THE fastest path to personal growth known to mankind. Someone told me that at the outset and I thought they were full of crap, exaggerating. They were not! When you are your own boss and your livelihood (and that of your family) depends on YOU…there is nowhere to run and nowhere to hide.

There is no textbook out there on how to take this journey. Sure there are a lot of great books. For bigger entrepreneurial adventures there are launchpads and venture capitalists and even degree programs in entrepreneurism. For most of us, though, it is a big do-it-yourself project where you navigate your own journey and bring on support when and where you need it. For me, having a mentor and coach as a guide has been invaluable. I am humbled and honor to be that coach and guide for others now.

That is why I thought it would be great to create a multi-part series here on BlogHer on how to start your own business. The practical and internal things you need to consider as you walk the path. The cool thing about this roadmap is that even if you’re already in business, the inner inquiry is worth doing. Nothing stays static when you’re the big cheese and customer and business climates are in constant flux. So I invite you to follow along whether the idea of being your own boss is just a flicker in your mind or you already took the leap.

I’ll be covering topics from WHY you want to be self-employed in the first place to the importance of creating systems and metrics to mark your journey. You can expect an inner –> outer approach to the topic because that is what I know WORKS.

What are your questions about walking the entrepreneurial path? What are your questions? Fears? Concerns? I want to hear them here…in the comments right now and ongoing. I will do my best to address them as the series unfolds in the best way I can.

This post originally appeared on BlogHer.com.