Going from corporate cog to solopreneur is never easy. It’s even harder if you are a mother. I remember the first time it happened. It’s seered into my memory. The first time I was addressed as R’s mother.
I winced at the introduction because it meant that I no longer had a name, or at least one that mattered. There was an irony in the situation. I had never wanted to be defined by a man. I wanted to be judged by my own accomplishments, by my own character. However my 3 year old son, a pre-man, was indeed the yardstick for how I would be identified and yes, judged.
I loved my son and loved being his mother. I thoroughly enjoyed watching him grow and discover new things about himself and his world. What I didn’t love was the fact that I now wasn’t quite sure who I had become. In my pre-Mommy days I had ran a nationally recognized think tank focused on civic engagement. I was regularly invited to speak at colleges and in the media.
That all changed in January 2005 when I resigned from the organization that I had co-founded and run for nearly 5 years. I now wanted to be a full-time mother to my 7 month old son. It was the right decision for me, I wanted to be a hands-on mother, but knowing that didn’t stop me from having an identity crisis. Like many women who leave the corporate world to start home-based businesses, I was adrift when the title, pay, external validation, friendships and perks of our old life was stripped away .
It took me some time to regain my footing. First I had to realize that both my personal life and my professional life had indeed changed. Then I had to figure out what I wanted to do. The personal end was easier, I loved caring for my son. I also knew that I needed to lose some weight and start taking better care of myself. Frumpy by choice may be one thing, but frumpy by neglect was an entirely different matter. I came to the conclusion that if I didn’t nurture Yvonne the woman, I wouldn’t have the energy and desire tackle my family and career goals.
Professionally I had to get clear about what type of work fit into my idea about motherhood. This meant working from home, very little travel and topics that centered on women. I was lucky that financially I didn’t have to worry about making money immediately; but I did have to figure out my next career move.
There is no magic formula, however once I was certain about my professional and personal priorities, opportunities started to appear. My first book was published the year my son was born. I wrote another book and worked on smaller projects. In 2008 I launched the first iteration of Sophisticated Woman and Mama (WorkingMomsMentor.com) and my motherhood anthology, Who’s Your Mama? The Unsung Voices of Women and Mothers was published last year.
Here are 5 Steps to Making the Transition from Corporate Mom to Solopreneur:
1. Take care of yourself. A healthy and happy you has to be a priority for the sake of you and your family. If you are sick, tired or irritable how does that affect your interactions with your kids, spouse and possible clients? Schedule regular “me-time” so that you can nurture and care for yourself. Also make sure to go the doctor if you don’t feel well–DON’T ignore physical pain or discomfort.
2. Realize that you’ll probably miss your old job. Unless you are leaving your gig because you absolutely hate it, you’ll miss many aspects of it. Don’t beat yourself up, instead focus on creating your next act, which speaks to your current life and interests.
3. Before You Quit Have a Financial Plan. Have a safety net (cash and health benefits) that can take care of your financial obligations until your business is profitable (It will take most businesses several years to make a dime).
4. Don’t Immediately Jump into a New Field. Rather entering a new field, develop a transition strategy. Start with the skills and talents that you already have ( volunteer or moonlight), so that you have contact and clients when you do escape cubicle nation.
5. Don’t fire your daycare provider. It’s VERY difficult to start a business and take care of children, so you’ll probably need a few hours a week of child care. (At three years I started sending my son to daycare for 2-1/2 hours 3x a week). You want to spend more time with your children, but you’ve also got to dedicate time to work that generates income.
Most important!!–Learn to do motherhood your own way. Like your child, it changes everyday. Ask for help and advice, but trust your gut about what you do.
P.S. If you enjoyed this post today, do me a favor and share it on Twitter, Facebook, Digg, or any of the other sites you see below as well. And I’d love to get your feedback… What do you think? Also don’t forget to download my FREE report: 5 WAYS TO LOVE YOUR LIFE NOW and STOP BEING A GUILTY, STRESSED OUT WORKING MOTHER that can be found at SophisticatedWomanandMama.com
