8 steps to make the smooth transition to becoming the CEO of your own company

The journey from employee to entrepreneur

Want to quit your corporate job but feel scared and unsure about taking a risk?

Don’t get me wrong, being an employee has many benefits. There is the steady paycheck, four weeks paid annual leave, training and other perks if you are lucky, which leaves you feeling safe and secure.

The people power is immense as you can bounce ideas off your colleagues, the senior managers take the flack when things go wrong and most of the decision-making process is out of your hands.

The chats at the water cooler make the day go by and problems seem smaller. You can also vent about a colleague who puts zero effort into events but likes to take all the glory. There is always one.

And now, ‘tis the season to celebrate – the Christmas parties and gifts from colleagues or clients are a reminder of the great year you had. It leaves you feeling connected and committed to your job. 

Most of us feel comfortable enough to be visible at team meetings and speak up without worrying about what other people may say. But you want to leave that all behind to become an entrepreneur. You want to share your message, your vision and your creative ideas.

Making the transition from employee to entrepreneur is tricky. Suddenly, no one is asking for your report to be submitted by a certain deadline. No one is checking to see if you came to work at 8am. No one is asking if you can cover their shift. No one from HR put your payslip on your desk on payday.

The truth is, ‘No one is coming to save you!’ – Mel Robbins

So, how can you make the smooth transition to becoming the CEO of your own company?

1. Set SMART goals: Be very specific about the goals you want to achieve in the next 12 months and break them down into milestones. Have you achieved a similar goal in the past? What did you do? Do you have the skillset to meet this goal? Do you need extra training? How realistic are you about achieving your goal? Do you have a timeline set up?
   
   
2. Set up your day for success: Your morning routine is very important. Here is a tip I use: Spend the first 60 minutes on you – pray or meditate, have a healthy breakfast, recite your affirmations and exercise or practice yoga for 15 minutes. That’s your power hour. Take note that I haven’t mentioned that you should check your social media accounts! That can set you back if a post triggers you or you compare yourself to another’s success!
   
   
3. Focus on income-generating tasks. Spend your next hour responding to clients via messages, emails or making phone calls. Connect with your audience and provide them with valuable content. You are building relationships and want to show your audience that you understand their needs and desires
   
   
4. Feeling lonely? You can’t just pop into a colleague’s office for a chat anymore. The online space can be lonely as a Solopreneur. To help inspire you, go to a coffee shop to work in a different environment. Join a virtual meeting session where you focus on one task and then share your task to get support. Get an accountability partner who will check in on you and vice versa.
   
   
5. Being visible online is not the same as a team meeting. Identify what works best for you. Learn how to create videos using Youtube or get inspiration for ideas from a business owner you admire. If you are afraid to go live, open a Facebook group and invite two supportive friends and practice, practice, practice.
   
   
6. As a professional, lifelong learning comes naturally to us. Get savvy and identify the skills you need to help you grow in your business. There are lots of tutorials on YouTube. Choose one, master it and then move onto the next one.
   
   
7. Where does the time go? Suddenly, you find yourself working 12 hours and don’t clock watch anymore, as you love what you do. Don’t be afraid to delegate work to a friend or family member who can help you. Outsource your work. Platforms like Fiverr or Upwork have many people who are willing to take on the tasks that you don’t like or don’t have time to do.
   
   
8. Most importantly, you are the key decision maker in your business. Think about what could possibly go wrong if you post on social media? You can edit it or delete it. The bucs stop with you. Make small decisions every day so that you get used to being the CEO in your business! Take time out once a week and have a ‘meeting’ with yourself. Reflect on the week and identify what is working and what is not working. 

My vision is to teach more women how they too can build a profitable online business using their gift, and that is what I also plan to do here, in this series of articles on MaltaCEOs.mt. My vision is to empower more women to transform their self-limiting beliefs and money receiving blocks so that they can become financially independent and leave a legacy behind.