Starting Your Business Before You Quit Your Job

LT Todd Connor — Mon, 07 Nov 2022 08:13:09 -0500

Starting a business is something many people in the military community dream of. Entrepreneurship is not just about pursuing creative ideas, it's about creating personal freedom, wealth for your family, and driving impact in a marketplace through innovation. For too many, though, the concern about lacking the financial resources or the fear of failure holds us back.

The reality is this: we've made entrepreneurship bigger, scarier, and riskier than it needs to be. At it's most basic level, starting a business requires someone paying you for something. If you want to open a gym, get a couple people to pay you for personal training. If you want to open a restaurant, host a pop-up dinner. If you want to launch a marketing agency, rebrand your friend's business. You might do these things for free, or charge a modest amount. It's not dramatic, doesn't involve lawyers, overhead, employees, or big announcements, but it's the stuff of how businesses get launched.

More veterans should start businesses - you have what it takes. But what you may not understand is "how", and for the vast majority of the small businesses that our community will launch this year, being an entrepreneur looks nothing like the intimidating mythology that emanates out of Silicon Valley; it's building small for the people around you the things that they need.

You can find “Third Shift Entrepreneur: Keep Your Day Job, Build Your Dream Job” on Amazon here: https://rly.pt/ThirdShift

About Todd Connor

Todd Connor is a widely sought-after speaker, thought leader, and consultant who leads individuals and organizations to unlock their full entrepreneurial potential.

Todd is the founder of Bunker Labs, a national entrepreneurship organization with chapters in 30 states across the U.S., which works with military veterans and military spouses who want to start their own business.

He is also the founder of The Collective Academy, Emerson House, as well as other for-profit and philanthropic organizations. For speaking requests, access to additional thought leadership, or to attend Third Shift Entrepreneur workshops visit http://www.ThirdShiftEntrepeneur.org

Third Shift Entrepreneur: Keep Your Day Job, Build Your Dream Job: Connor, Todd: 9781119708360:...

Third Shift Entrepreneur: Keep Your Day Job, Build Your Dream Job [Connor, Todd] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. Third Shift Entrepreneur: Keep Your Day Job, Build Your Dream Job

Response by SFC David Reid, M.S, PHR, SHRM-CP, DTM made Nov 7 at 2022 12:34 PM

SFC David Reid, M.S, PHR, SHRM-CP, DTM — Mon, 07 Nov 2022 12:34:59 -0500

Thanks for sharing this!

Response by SGT Ruben Lozada made Nov 7 at 2022 4:47 PM

SGT Ruben Lozada — Mon, 07 Nov 2022 16:47:40 -0500

Excellent post.

Response by Lt Col Charlie Brown made Nov 11 at 2022 7:26 AM

Lt Col Charlie Brown — Fri, 11 Nov 2022 07:26:27 -0500

Great post. And yes, keep your day job

Response by David Sadler made Oct 19 at 2024 12:39 AM

David Sadler — Sat, 19 Oct 2024 00:39:30 -0400

Beginning a business should not be daunting or full of risks, so to speak. It is simply getting someone to pay you for a service or a product, even in its most basic form. There is no need to rush into entrepreneurship; take baby steps— for instance, if you wish to manage a gym, start by giving personal training sessions, or if your goal is a marketing agency, you can begin by rebranding a friend’s company. By taking these small measures, it will boost one’s confidence and provide real-world skills. Here are some of the incredible business opportunities (https://xtrasaas.com/business/world-best-business-opportunity/) that you can consider: an e-commerce store, freelance marketing, and a subscription box service.

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Response by A1C Medrick "Rick" DeVaney made Oct 19 at 2024 2:03 PM

A1C Medrick "Rick" DeVaney — Sat, 19 Oct 2024 14:03:20 -0400

One Point I'm Especially Glad You Pointed Out,
" the concern about lacking the financial resources or the fear of failure holds us back."
Although I Started My First Business With A $1,000 Loan From My "Uncle Chuck" And
EVENTUALLY Succeeded, But It Was One Hell Of a Struggle. But If You Fear Failure,
You're In For A Rude Awakening; It All Part Of Business; And Before You Become A Success,
Don't Be Surprised To Discover How Many Failures You'll Go Through Before You Hit That Goal.
And May I Suggest: Don't Use Your Name In The Naming Of Your Business; Because It Makes It Far More Difficult To "Fold Up Shop & Call It Quits" When You're In That Situation. I Had One Of Several Business Which Did NOT Succeed... In 6 Months Of Efforts, I'd Not Made One Sale ~ So YUP, It Was FINALLY Time To "Fold Up Shop & Call It Quits" ~ And Start All Over Again.

Response by SN Thomas Burns made Nov 25 at 2024 5:57 AM

SN Thomas Burns — Mon, 25 Nov 2024 05:57:17 -0500

Starting a business while keeping your day job is one of the smartest ways to reduce risk and build confidence. I started my small business a few years ago while working full-time, focusing on small, manageable steps like taking on individual projects for friends and gradually building a client base. It wasn’t easy, but the steady income from my job gave me the freedom to experiment without financial stress.

One thing that made a huge difference was optimizing time and resources. For example, I turned to insurance back office outsourcing to handle administrative tasks like policy checking and proposals. This freed me up to focus on building my business and meeting clients’ needs, knowing the back-end work was in expert hands. Streamlining those operations helped me scale faster and focus on the bigger picture. Starting small and staying flexible made the transition a lot less intimidating. For more details check https://bpo.click-vision.com/insurance-back-office-outsourcing.

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