Going into my eighth year of entrepreneurship I am sharing the challenges that I personally faced and how I conquered those. Hopefully it can inspire somebody who wants to take that giant leap of faith. You want to, but it scares you …
For 10 years post-articles my life consisted of numbers, deadlines, project plans, technical opinions, meetings, auditors, de-brief … and then repeat. Everything planned to the tee, all in a structured way … like soldiers marching in perfect harmony (dealing with the curve balls in between) towards the end goal − when the results were published. Transitioning from that environment to starting my own business, and suddenly there was no structure, no project plan, no guidance, no deadlines. It felt like complete chaos at the best of times. I had to learn to become comfortable outside of my comfort zone. I had to learn to go with the flow, to think on my feet, to think outside of the box. It certainly ignited the innovative spirit inside of me. I learned to adapt to change.
My exposure to marketing was limited to my studies at university and liaising with the marketing department preparing budgets or analytical reviews. Now I was confronted with marketing at a different level – websites, SEO, google analytics, social media, etc. I wasn’t even on Facebook when I left the corporate world. I attended courses, reading about it, figuring it out … today I can talk the talk.
Then there is networking. Walking into a venue full of strangers and telling them about you and your products/services will freak out most people. Even more so if you are used to staring at a laptop screen full of numbers all day long. There is however no better way of learning than actually doing it. I joined Toastmasters and completed my CC10 accreditation, which helped me to be comfortable speaking in front of large audiences.
Dealing with the uncertainty of not receiving a fixed salary at the end of the month can be a deal breaker that prevents most people from leaving their employer, irrespective of how unhappy and frustrated they might be. I had quite a big amount of capital saved up and knowing that I have that safety net certainly helped me to experience less pressure. It will take some time for your business to grow to where you can replace your salary. The better you are prepared, the easier to survive during that transition phase.
Despite all the challenges, I never looked back. To wake up every morning living my dream is a blessing. South Africa needs entrepreneurs, job creators, innovators, problem solvers. What are you waiting for?!
IN BRIEF
Accountants wanting to leave the corporate world would often ask me about my entrepreneurial journey. There certainly are plenty of things making the entrepreneurial lifestyle appealing – the flexibility where you are in control of your time, the freedom to set your own boundaries, work/life balance, no more chasing deadlines to the early morning hours, you can be innovative and don’t have limitations. There are however also plenty of challenges that you need to adapt to, and some can be quite daunting for a typical accountant-type personality.
Author
RONEL JOOSTE CA(SA)
Director at FinanciallyFiTLife and author, speaker and radio talk show host
