You finally take a leap of faith, which of course was planned and thought about well, and you decide to quit your stable-income job, to start a new chapter in your life, in your own country, surrounded by your people. I was excited and very nervous. Let me tell you, It’s No Piece of Cake!
This transition phase needed much more adjusting to, than I thought it would need. Managing it can be awkward and uncomfortable, to say the least.
Handled wrong, you can make mistakes that will not only harm your reputation, but also your new business. Treated with tact and grace, this transition can be your training ground for major success.
Yes, I was the captain of my own ship, however, so many feelings coexisted together, both positive and negative. I had my big plans and ideas for my own company, I was my own boss, I had my free time, nevertheless, I didn’t have a clear idea at the beginning how to utilize all I had.
I found myself in an environment, which put simply, made me feel like a stranger at first. I felt powerless. I had to find ways to blend into my new situation, adapt to my new surroundings, and maximize what I have in terms of my long life experience, and my resources. I was making educated decisions based on information and experience I had.
Since I am a planner by nature, I had my plans all set up on how I will run my business. Nevertheless, I needed to understand the market and its players.
I started networking. I met with many people of my field, made new work relations, started to mingle with the new work environment, and noted tips on how things are done around here. I learnt so much in so little time, tied up with great people, and started implementing this new knowledge into expanding my own company, in the way that best fits the practices here.
I needed to focus on my own brand too. Marketing my business and creating awareness for my company were done face to face and online. With that ticked off my list, I felt I was on track. I built my own team, which took a while to find the right and suitable candidates for, trained them, and marched head on into the market, knowing quite well that I was dealing with the unknown, yet had the power, wealth of new knowledge, my new connections, topped with my own experience, to sail my own ship to victory.
A year after my big move, I can finally say, I am fully in control of my new career life. I can say not even a single day have I remembered or missed my job. I’ve almost felt like a new person and I’m certainly much happier. Yes, I worked hard. Nothing happened out of the blue. I was really creating clients from scratch. There’s been some highs, a few lows and one or two times where I’ve questioned why I left my stable-income job. Overall though, it’s one of the best decisions I’ve made in my life!