Women Corporate Dropouts

Are you an Entrepreneur and also a Mom?

A lot of us spend our days balancing out our responsibilities as moms and our responsibilities as entrepreneurs.  It is not an easy task but I see it as having the best of two worlds. 

Sometimes however it is hard to keep the balance. If you find yourself needing ideas for work life balance, time management, project management, planning for business and life, one of the best resources you can find online is www.entrepreneur.com/mompreneur.  Check them out!

 

Thinking About Starting a Business? Create a " Dream Plan "

The decision to leave a secure job, with the financial "security" that brings having a salary paid every couple of weeks, is not an easy one. It is not one to be taken lightly. And it is not one to be made without the right amount of thinking and self reflection. 

When I spoke to friends about my decision to start my own business, I found so many of them telling me "I wish I could do that" or "I have always dreamt about owning my own business".  When I asked: "What is stopping you?", I heard several answers... "I don't have the money", or "I would not know where to start", or "I don't have the guts".  So, through this blog I probably can't provide you with money or guts, but I can certainly provide you with information on how and where to start, as well as  - I hope - with the inspiration to start dreaming, as before a life plan, a business plan and a marketing plan you should spend a good amount of time working on your "dream plan".

What is a dream plan?

The "Dream Plan" is that time you will spend dreaming and designing in your mind what you would love to do!. See?  if you are going to start your own business, this is the ONE opportunity in your life to do EXACTLY what you love.  You won't have to settle for less. And you should not let yourself be constrained or limited by "what you know how to do", "what you have been doing for the past 20 years", or "what is expected from you". This is the time to look for the one thing that will make you happy even if you have to work overtime and if you compensation is much less than what you have today. 

A lot of us made a decision about our careers when we were still teenagers and did not know enough about ourselves or what would make us happy. We probably had a counselor or a teacher, or a parent who said we would be great at <fill the blank>, and so we made a decision based on that advice.  Or after many years we find ourselves in a career that we love, but we still have that little voice inside us telling us "there has to be more in life than this". We yearn for more fulfillment, or independence, or for the ability to have more impact on society, or for "fill the blank"!!  what really drives us may be completely different, but the desire to start something new, and make it our own is what unifies us.

So, if you are hearing that little voice, start working on your dream plan.  How do you do that?  Let me tell you what worked for me:

1. Magazines for entrepreneurs.

Subscribe to magazines that work with entrepreneurs and you will find yourself reading about people with and without the money, with or without the time, and with or without the skills to start a business. Yet, they are all running succesful businesses.  You will be exposed to so many stories that will not only inspire you to follow your dreams, but that will also give you ideas and information on industries, or market segments you may want to explore. My two favorite ones are:

• Inc. (1-year)
• Entrepreneur

2. Business Magazines for women.

The best business magazine for women without a doubt is PINK. This magazine is a great source of inspiration and resources for women entrepreneurs, women in the corporate world, and women considering to transition from one to the other.  As a secondary source I also recommend Working Mother.

3- Products or Services you can't find.

Is there any product or service that you need and you keep thinking "why isn't this available?"  "How is it that in the 21st century I still have to settle for this when I should be able to find what I really need?". If you are looking for that product or service, you can bet that other people are, and you may be the one that needs to bring it to the market.

4- Products or Services that need improvement.

Is there a product or service that you use but you keep thinking to yourself "why don't they make this simple improvement? it would make such a difference".  You may be able to create this new product and fill that need.

5- Your skills.

Is what you do today in your work something you would love to continue doing? Do you see a business opportunity? Could you build a business offering your own product and services completely leveraging your existing skills? If that is the case, this is a great opportunity for you as you not only have the skills, but also probably the connections that will provide you with initial networking opportunities to get those first important clients.

6. Your networks.

Are you involved in professional organizations that will serve as your initial network or potential clients? If not, think about organizations you might join (your children school, rotary club, etc) as that will also give you an opportunity to learn more about potential market segments, while maiking important connections.

7. Your hobbies and passions.

What are the things you do when you are not working? that may give you a clue in terms of what you "really" love.  Don't forget! 

This is the ONE opportunity to select what you want to do rather than what you should do.

Women Corporate Dropouts

Much has been said about the “mommy wars” and new trends indicating women are dropping out of the Corporate World to dedicate their lives to their families.  Anyone reading the headlines without deeper analysis, would tend to think that women are just going back to their so-called roots and all of a sudden feeling the need to give up all their hard work to stay at home taking care of their families.  Now, is that the real reason they are leaving the Corporate World?  and is that what they are doing with life after Corp?

I tend to think there is much more going on.  Women are definitely leaving the Corporate World!!  but they are not leaving their jobs to only spend their time in play dates.  They are leaving their jobs because they have found a way to fulfill their intellectual and financial needs while continuing to be the heart and soul of their families.  Yes!  They can go to play dates AND have a business life, AND make money in the process.  They are becoming entrepreneurs.  They are starting businesses at twice the rate than any othe group in this country.

I am one of them.  I recently became a “Women Corporate Dropout” and I have never been happier.  Yes, it takes sacrifice (especially of the financial type).  But the benefits far outweigh the adjustment pains.  I have been out of the corporate world for 4 months.  My children are absolutely happy with my newfound flexibility. My husband and I no longer have to spend our evenings doing homework and running errands, and I am well positioned to have my own business up and running within the next 2 months.

Why did I leave the Corporate World?

I left the Corporate world because after 19 years of hard work, I still felt the playing field was different for men and women.  Even while working for organizations that try to set up all the right policies to ensure a level playing field for all, at the end the “good old boy club” is still prevalent. As a female professional, I found that my ideas were only welcome when they did not challenge the status quo.  I could only implement my plans, if it meant continuing to do the same thing that was being done before - and that was not working by the way.   

So did I all of a sudden wake up one day and decided I no longer wanted a career?  No.  It was a process and it took me a while to make a decision to change.  And by a while I mean it took me about 6 years of thinking about it.  Three of them in which I did some soul searching trying to figure out what business I wanted, and in which I just dreamt about the possibility of a new business.  Another three in which I decided what I would do, I set up a corporation, and I kept thinking I could start the business by working a few minutes every night after the kids went to sleep.  No! that did not work!!  I finally had to cut the umbilical cord and just focus on starting my business.

Why did it take me so long?

I was born 40 years ago and pretty much trained to be an employee.  Never in my wildest dreams did I think that I could do anything different than finding a great job with the best company I could find, and keeping that job while waiting for the next promotion.  When I was growing up, if you wanted progress and a better future, you would get as much schooling as you could (which I did getting a computer enginering degree as well as an MBA) and then you would go conquer the world by landing a great job.  That worked for me only for a few years.  I worked for several companies, and the circumstances never changed.  Bobbleheads, those always nodding with their heads whenever their managers spoke, were the ones being rewarded.  And since I had no intention of becoming a bobblehead myself, things were never the way I wanted them to be.  Meanwhile I had 3 kids and juggled the best I could, life with a very demanding career and life with 3 small kids at home.

I juggled until it was no longer worth doing it.  Until I felt like my soul had been taken away (if you are a Harry Potter fan, you will understand I felt like a “dementor had swallowed my soul”).

What are women corporate dropouts doing?

Women are starting businesses at twice the rate than any other group in  the United States.  After all, this is a country where so many resources are available, and where virtually anyone with a dream and with the commitment to the hard work necessary, can make a dream happen.

So, if you are dreaming about starting your own business, you will find here a wealth of resources that will help you advance your dreams.  If you have doubts, you will find a community where you can share your ideas, doubts, and fears.  After all, we are all striving to find that balance we want in life.  The ability to work and do what we love, but in this case being in control of our own destiny; plus the ability to create our own hours so we can be a more integral part of our families.