The transition from 9to5 to business owner is one of the biggest personal shifts you will ever make. It’s a transition many dream about and never actually achieve.

So how do you make the leap?

I shifted from being a corporate gal of 10 years working in the City of London to building my own coaching business and it’s growing every day. The transition was one of the best decisions I ever made but it wasn’t easy. 

Now I get to help my clients achieve the same. Here are 5 things you need to build your business when you are still working your 9to5. Let’s face it, your day job may not be 9to5 but you know what I mean.  

1. Clarity is King

If you don’t know what you’re working towards then you simply won’t get far. It’s like driving without having a destination in the GPS. You can certainly get busy being busy, but you may not actually reach a destination of choice if you don’t know where you’re going. 

So get crystal clear on the following:

• When you want to leave your 9to5

• Your financial situation

• What your 9to5 expects of you

• Your business goals

• Income-generating activities in your business

• Implement boundaries 

Your time and energy need to be prioritised now you have more to fill your day with. Which means boundaries are Queen! Without boundaries, you lose precious time and energy and this can result in getting burned-out, overwhelmed or worse, giving up. 

Your boundaries are the limits on your emotional, physical and spiritual well-being. It can pertain to your time, energy and resources. 

The first most important boundary I advise my clients to reconnect with are their personal boundaries because creating lasting change always starts from within.

You simply cannot expect anyone around you to respect your boundaries when you don’t respect yourself. Do you often feel short on time, wishing you could do more on your business, but you also find yourself scrolling too long, binge-watching Netflix, snoozing 5 times in the morning, or staying too late at the office? Then your boundaries need to be checked!

For more on boundaries, you can have access to an entire free workshop on Building Better Boundaries here. 

This is definitely an area where it’s one thing to know, but another thing to do. This stuff isn’t rocket science, but if you are lacking discipline then a coach can help you get under the skin of why you are sabotaging and help you get back on track. 

3. Work through your fears

Too many hopes and dreams were thwarted because people gave up on themselves.

When motivation fails, we default to our baseline habits, behaviours and thinking. This happens at the subconscious level, and it’s this level where our fears reside. The voice in your head that says you’re not good enough, that everyone will judge you if you fail, and that you’ll never be as successful as the other person. We all have this inner critic. It shows up as imposter syndrome, perfectionism, people-pleasing, or co-dependency to name a few. In our 9to5 we just about survive it because at least we get a salary each month. But in business, where there is no income guarantee these fears can hold you back and cause you to fail. 

Now, one of the first things you learn from working with me is that failure is only real if you quit, and even then quitting is literally not a problem if it’s a truly aligned decision. Failure is simply feedback and when we can learn to embrace failure as a business owner we actually grow for it. But admittedly it’s not easily done alone.

The challenges of holding down your 9to5 and managing everything else life throws at you can quickly get in the way of it all. That’s why a coach, who has been in your shoes and through it all can help keep you on track and show you your mind, so that you can decide who gets to be in charge, is invaluable at this crucial stage of your business growth. 

4. Make time to rest

Trust me, if resting was that easy, we would never burn out. Rest is literally the number one most consistent remedy across almost every single ailment or illness that a human can acquire. So why do we resist it so?

Science has provided consistent evidence that the brain cannot multi-task or focus for longer than 20 minutes to 1 hour on one thing. Yet school, society, and media continuously condition us to reward productivity over rest. Even to watch the tv or connect with a friend we are programmed to be switched on and plugged into technology. Humans created the light bulb to simulate the effect of daylight to far surpass and override when our circadian rhythm literally designed for us to go to sleep. The toxic corporate culture of presenteeism sees us working late and never switching off. We stay up late, we stay online, we stay plugged in. Especially since the pandemic, we are always ‘on’, available and just a teams ping away. 

Whilst rest may seem counterintuitive to your business success, so is not letting yourself take a break when you need it.

Rest fosters creativity, allows reconnection to self, and taking a break actually means you get to look forward to working on your business.

Also don’t forget, if you have made the decision to build a business, it’s probably because you want a better life for yourself. So don’t set yourself up to swap one toxic work culture for another. Start as you mean to go on. It doesn’t mean there won’t ever be times when you work extra late and make sacrifices for your business. But it definitely doesn’t have become your default. You still get to choose life over everything. 

5. Invest 

Money affords you something you cannot get back. Time.

In this information-age there is know-how everywhere. You simply have to use google to find out how to do anything. But if you find yourself going in circles, not making progress at the ease and rate you want, even when you have the answers in front of you, then you need support. 

Investing is so much more than your money; it’s actually your time, your energy and commitment to your goals. Skin in the game gives you accountability like no other and it means you’re not trying to reinvent the wheel.

Equally, if you are building a business, you are probably doing so in the hope someone invests in you and buys your products or services. Not only is this the very economy of business that you are trying to benefit from, but your investments can also literally accelerate your success tenfold. 

Remember, when it comes to investing it’s your money, your decision. Whenever you find yourself seeking validation or permission from people who are not actually building the business with you then you are giving your power away. It means you are hesitant to own your decision and take responsibility. As a business owner, this is a muscle you want to build, because when it comes to your business, you are the only and best person to decide what to invest in and when. Unless you have shareholders, you don’t have to justify it to anyone but you.

6. Be present 

When you are so focussed on building your business vision it can often result in a disconnect from your current 9to5. Many of my clients say to me that they are frustrated, bored, angry and feel like they are wasting their time working their 9to5. It no longer aligns to them and they grow bitter about the time it’s taking away from building their business. Can you relate?

However, when we feel this way it shows we are not being present with all we have right now. This time won’t last forever and one day you will look back on this as such foundational years in your business growth you don’t want to regret hating your 9to5. Not only are their relationships here you want to keep, your 9to5 is sustaining your finances, your shelter, your sense of safety and that means your not putting any pressure on your business being these things for you. Do you see how liberating that is?

How that creates so much room for you to focus on your creativity, joy and sustainable growth in your business, at the compromise of what? Time? When we are present and focussed on the task at hand, whether that’s your 9to5 or your business, you are exactly there, and not trying to be somewhere else. The art of presence is the art of purpose, contentment and in truth the art to how you actually slow down time. Think about it, when you are completely focussed on where you are right now, not worried about something that happened in the past or stressing about tomorrow, are you not so much more in the moment?

Imagine adding the pressure for your new business to start replacing your income, paying off your bills and your mortgage right now. Now, in saying this, it is an entirely personal decision and I am not a financial advisor. These are simply considerations for you to bare in mind and an opportunity to reframe your thinking. 

Everyone's level of risk will be different and so will their personal finances. The point is not to make a decision out of haste, frustration and not being calm, confident and considered to what you need to sustain right now. So bring yourself back to the present. Focus on sufficiency and then make decisions from this point. If the decision feels true, safe and financially viable to go all in then do that. But a decision in haste is normally a bad one. 

It won't be long before this period of your life is just a memory so be present with this life you get to live today, 9to5 and all. At once that job was all you ever wanted. 

Was this useful? Drop me an email at hello@coachingwithpamella.com and share your thoughts. I always love hearing from my readers and any other topics or challenges you have. 

Want help with this? This is exactly how I support my clients. I'm a mindset and performance coach who works with coaches & business owners in managing their mind so they can manage their business. Schedule a free coaching consultation here today. 

Photo by Bonnie Kittle on Unsplash