How to manage the Transition from Corporate to Self-employment

Many of us in the corporate environment have endured the turbulence of being laid-off yet we all manage to find the strength to start afresh. Here's my story about how a powerful business opportunity eased my transition to the exciting challenges of self-employment.

After investing 20 years of my career working for others in the Banking, IT and Software industries, by mid-2008 it was time for some serious introspection. At the prime age of 49, I finally realized that the multiple 6-figure income I was generating as a top performing Account Executive was no longer worth the aggravation of corporate life. I was the quintessential beef in the burger – under quota pressure to sell products and services to resistant corporations already saturated with the same. When not travelling, my work day was largely consumed trying to figure out systems, locate information and placate layers of bureaucrats. The fickleness of management in large corporations never ceased to amaze me. Corporate life for me, and no doubt for many others, became a succession of 'hero/zero' charades. I would however be remiss not to acknowledge those companies I did business with who have highly competent management teams and were indeed a pleasure to work with. I always appreciated those interactions.

There had to be another way – I found it!

With unwavering support from my wife (who owns 2 successful, growing businesses), I embarked on the familiar process of investigating all the 'conventional' business options out there: retail, franchises, real estate, business-broking, not to forget surfing through the plethora of 'Instant Wealth' promises on the Internet. A simple newspaper Ad was the start of my transformation. After following up, I quickly realized that there were real people out there building honest, ethical and lucrative businesses. In my case, in the $19bn global Personal Development industry. Driven by a genuine burning desire for time and financial freedom (clearly is not an option in the corporate world), I did my due-diligence in the form of getting out there and meeting people in the industry. What a refreshing experience that was! I met doctors, professors, investment bankers, teachers, sports coaches, ex-company Presidents, Vice-Presidents, ex-corporate lawyers, ex-Marines, air-force pilots and commercial pilots, firemen and nurses. They were all on a mission, they all had a common bond – successful, risk-mitigated self-employment. They were all determined to find the right Work/Lifestyle balance for themselves and their families. They now live their lives On Purpose, free of a corporate agenda. And they are emphatic about no longer being employable!

With like-minded Big Thinkers identified, I dived in and joined Liberty League International (LLI) in December 2008. LLI is a private company, debt-free and top-rated by Dun & Bradstreet. It is active in 140+ countries. Revenues grew 150% over the 24 month period January 2007 – January 2009 (while the corporate world was laying off literally millions of employees and continues to do so). l am now a qualified LLI Advisor. During 2008 I attended conferences in Hawaii and The Bahamas that were totally inspirational to say the least. These events served to put me on self-notice that my contribution to the corporate world was near to expiration! I owed it to myself and my family to embrace the change and seize the challenges of self-employment.

I was fired by my employer in early December 2008. My time of reckoning had arrived! I seized the moment and immediately went into top gear setting up my home-based Personal Development business.

Being a member of a team of successful, unashamedly confident entrepreneurs and plugging in daily to their collective brain power has been a huge motivator for me. This fact, in conjunction with the  Personal Development training, coaching and mentoring program I am on, has been the primary reason why I have handled the transition effectively. For the folks I now network with, nothing is insurmountable, no challenge cannot be resolved and no conversation ends without the participants feeling rewarded, empowered or enriched in some way. This is professional Personal Development and the domain of the Internet Entrepreneur! Everyone on the team knows they are capable of achieving exponential results in their lives. There is no emphasis on titles, there is no cronyism, no platitudes and that lingering corporate Sword of Damocles is non-existent.

We are all self-employed entrepreneurs and students of Personal Development. We work FOR ourselves but never BY ourselves. We position 3 leading Personal Development products, one of which, a Personal Development self-training program, is endorsed by a Harvard University Professor. Of course, hard work, demonstrating proven value, focus and self-discipline is required – this is the real world of honest capitalism! Ask yourself, as I did - would you rather be paying yourself and your family first, or be pandering to layers of officialdom who have a far greater concern about the arrival of their next salary cheque than your economic well-being?

I also realized, there is a whole new world of immense opportunity outside of corporate – and it is waiting with open arms for those with the courage to embrace it. The next level of wealth is exploding off the Internet right now. The playing field is level. And you do not have to be a rocket-scientist to be a successful participant. Find a PROVEN business model, replicate it and you too can start a business with the potential to make 6 figures in year one. Take a look in the mirror - the only qualifying criterion is your own personal desire to succeed!

So, what lessons have I absorbed thus far into my new life and what can you learn from my experiences?

Express GRATITUDE daily for everyone and everything in your life. Every day I make a conscious point of being grateful & expressing gratitude to others.

Make a serious and dedicated commitment to investing in your own Self-Development. It's not just about "positive thinking." It’s more about strategies of communication, styles of thinking, and practising the discipline of daily positive affirmations. The Personal Development training and coaching I am experiencing places a core emphasis on the importance of learning, master-minding and knowledge-sharing.

Become a true Leader. Be a person of interest with Value to offer others. Believe in your own ability to achieve so much more than your current circumstances. Yes, YOU TOO can be successfully self-employed if you so desire. ‘Step Up’ and contribute more with everything you do in daily life – your business and your family. The Universe will reward you ten-fold.

Take Massive Action! Jump out of that cosy pseudo-secure corporate nest, if that is where you are currently. Nothing, absolutely nothing, beats the exhilaration of self-employment! Trust your gut. Do your due-diligence, make your decisions quickly and be loathe to renege on those decisions.

Write down your Goals. Make them ambitious and inspiring. Make some of them uncomfortable. Visit them daily and read them out aloud.

Birds of a feather flock together. Whether you agree or disagree, this is true. You become like the people you hang out with most of the time. Subtle influences are always at work to make you more like them. It follows that if you surround yourself with people who are sick, broke, and stupid, or who constantly lament about not having enough money, you have some serious thinking to do about your choices. Rich and successful people like to spend time with people who are also innovative, bold, and adventurous. As per Lisa Nichols, quoted in The Secret. “If you want abundance, if you want prosperity, then focus on abundance. Focus on prosperity”

Take charge of your media influences. You personally are in charge of the TV you watch, the books you read, and the other media you expose yourself to. Whether you realize it or not, this "thought food" is what is nourishing your mind. I used to be a news-junkie. I am now much more focused on family time, my business development and my personal development. On weekdays, TV viewing in our home is down 90%.

Regret is the most useless of all emotions. Forget the past, look forward and move on!

Think Big. Work Smart. Live Free. I’m just a normal ‘dude’ but with big ambitions for my family and our lifestyle. I’ve taken the necessary steps and am making the changes to ensure I get there. My mindset is right. My goals are written down. I have that genuine burning desire. And so do the like-minded people I work with. It is an amazing and very rewarding journey. Fortune does indeed favour the Brave. I have taken Massive Action. And YOU can too!

Contact me directly or visit my website. I am always happy to help others in any way I can.

To Our Mutual Success!

Mike Whitfield
Business Owner and Lifestyle Coach
JZAM Prosperity Inc
mjwprosperity@shaw.ca ">www.JZAMPROSPERITY.com
Calgary, Canada
o: 403 452 6950
c: 403 389 5257
mjwprosperity@shaw.ca