The First Monday of Self Employment

The first Monday morning of self employment.

I will never forget the moment I woke up on that first Monday morning of self-employment. Opening my eyes, and being equal parts disoriented from the change in my grind routine and elated from that rosy feeling of utter freedom. In a fraction of a second I took it all in – there was going to be a change of pace for my usual rushed morning routine. Right away, I was thinking about the slow sip of that cup of coffee I would actually get to enjoy in a ceramic mug, rather than splash into a Yeti mug and hope I remembered to grab it on my dash out the door. No, I wasn’t going to be clocking in and answering to anyone but me today, I work for myself now. I have nowhere else to be, but right here.

It’s one of the best feelings in the world, but of course I recommend to all my clients who are looking to ditch those 9-5 gigs, I had a plan and a runway I used to get here. I had created a business to work on from home in the years prior to this moment, and with kids in tow, I gave myself a runway of one full year to make the transition to be self-employed. Quitting your job with no plan on what happens next is a very bad idea. but quitting your job after a year of preparing to do so and building out your business at home so it starts on your first Monday – that’s what I’m talking about. I mean, by the first Monday morning I got to wake up as a full-time entrepreneur, my candle business was a humming side hustle for me, so part of the pure joy I felt so openly that morning came from the confidence I had in myself to be there. I knew I wanted to make this big change in my life, and I knew I could earn revenue from home. I had finally arrived at the end of the runway, it was time to fly, and I would be financially ok – and it was the knowing that was the sweetest part of this memorable moment.

I realize everyone’s perfect morning looks different, but for this mama, mine is about slowing down and savouring them. I love spending the whirlwind morning hours with my kids while they get ready for school, and enjoy making the perfect coffee with just the right foam while I watch them eat their cereal with Cheerio-filled grins as they tell me about the awesome day their going to have, Piper doing all the talking while dribbling milk out of the corners of her toothless grin and Remy just smirking at me but saying it all with those twinkling blue eyes.

As part of my coaching program for makers and entrepreneurs, I invite my clients to envision their life in 5 and in 10 years from now. What does a life you design look like? How do you want to spend your mornings? Your day? Your week? Your winter? Working for yourself gives you the freedom to break the barriers of the traditional commute, the Monday to Friday grind, the incremental pay raises. Although I actually left a job that paid well, I love being free as a bird at 4pm to be at the bus stop. I love having a window of time in the day to fit in a run or a workout and I love the idea that I can take this ambition and make as much money as I want through my own business efforts – there’s no income ceiling when you’re self-employed and for me that’s attractive!

So do you have a skill, or do you make a product you could sell? Could you offer a service you could offer from home in person or virtually? I’ve helped entrepreneurs start businesses at home in more ways that I can count – accountants, daycares, fashion brands, custom cupcakes, artists, e-commerce stores, contractors, dog walkers – you name it, I’ve worked with them. In this post-covid world we are seeing more and more people switch to wanting to work from home or for themselves, and I think that’s pretty cool.