Rant time folks. Don’t read if you’re not up for hearing the TRUTH.
I’m pissed this morning. Yes, I cursed. I’m a mom and never curse in front of the kids but we’re all adults here.
I want you to LISTEN UP. In less than one week a few students of mine who shall remain nameless have told me that they have be “advised” to not seek work or to let go or scale back on jobs they have so they could build their business and have more time to focus.
Both students have familes, kids, mortgages and spouses that depend on them. Both were told that if they just focused on their business full time it would be better. Both are stressed out and are infact more UNFOCUSED because of it. Both have spent oodles of money and borrowed from family, friends or cleared their savings to invest in their business. They love this business and aren’t going to give up, they are just worried and it is taking longer than they thought. Both have made money in their home business so they’ve had a taste of what it can be life and know this IS REAL and VIABLE.
Here’s what I told them: FAMILY COMES FIRST then comes your business. You do what it takes to take care of your family. If you’ve been an entrepreneur LONG enough like I have, you know Businesses can come and go. You get ONE SHOT at your family. I have a golden rule: I will NOT lose my family over my business. Believe me, my spouse has thought I was nuts at times when I spent oodles of money on coaching, training and products. But I’m still here 3 years later and doing fine. I live a life I am comfortable with. This is not my FIRST ride on the merry go round.
I’ve had a real estate company, a restaurant, and years of consulting practices. I’ve lost my shirt in some and had great success in others. (We will never own another restaurant!) Business is an EBB and FLOW. I could lose everything tomorrow and it wouldn’t matter. I’d still have my family and we’d start over. We’ve done it before.
THE TRUTH BE TOLD: There is NOTHING WRONG with working a PT job or a FT job and building your business on the side. There is EVERYTHING RIGHT with having a sense of peace over marketing dollars spent when you know you are not taking food out of your kids mouths. NEVER BET THE MORTGAGE. Most of the time you’ll lose.
DON’T LISTEN TO THOSE PEOPLE WHO TELL YOU TO QUIT YOUR JOB, INVEST YOUR LIFE SAVINGS AND THE MONEY WILL COME.
THERE’S A REASON MOST NEW BUSINESSES FAIL WITHIN THE FIRST 5 YEARS AND HOME BUSINESSES WITHIN 1 YEAR. IT TAKES STAMINA AND THERE IS NO MAGIC BULLET.
IT’S WORK PEOPLE. AND IT CAN BE FUN!!!
Don’t get me wrong, you DO need to take RISKS in your business. CALCULATED RISK is good.
Let’s face it, everyone online is her to make a good living and life the lifestyle we want. Most of us are here to sell products and services that HELP people. Some are just in it for a BUCK. Those people will be gone in short order. I’m in it for a BUSINESS and for the long term of leaving a LEGACY. 5 years from now, I will still be here helping people, just like I was 5 years ago.
I’ve learned that from my mentors and I’ve witnessed it. THIS IS A LONG HAUL GAME.
IT IS OK TO MAKE MONEY HELPING PEOPLE. And YOU can make money with your business. It takes time and effort. And some days seriously SUCK, while others are FANTABULOUS.
BE SMART ABOUT YOUR BUSINESS and how you go about your days.
Do NOT quit your job to START your home business. QUIT YOUR JOB WHEN YOUR BUSINESS SURPASSES YOUR DAY JOB INCOME ON A REGULAR BASIS.
See folks….the strong and persistent PERSERVERE. Everyone I have ever talked to who has “MADE IT” — DIDN’T make it over night. It takes TIME. And they worked their A**es off to learn their craft. Most people have two problems: they run out of time and money based on their personal situation.
Let the security of a J-O-B or any other role FUEL YOUR BUSINESS. Use it to your advantage.
Please please, take care of those you love, evaluate your personal situation and most of all. LISTEN TO YOUR GUT. Selling is done to the emotions but your gut always knows.
This post may freak some people out. It needed to be said. ITS THE TRUTH.
And just so you know while I never bet the house, I do bet on BLACK 13.
I BELIEVE you can succeed. I BELIEVE in YOU like my mentors BELIEVE(D) in ME.
P.S. For those of you who are independently weathly, or recently won the lottery, the above doesn’t apply to you 🙂
Great rant VaNessa,
But not really a rant…just super-solid advice.
The first network marketing training I got was a CD by Jim Rohn and in it he told how powerful it is to have the story that your “part-time thing” is making you more money than your job.
Tom
Jim Rohn….a true favorite….keep doing what you do Tom!
Vanessa,
This is a great post and one that I can relate to. Building a business while working FT and supporting a family is difficult, especially in the beginning.
David
Thanks for stopping by David! Glad you can relate. Keep doing the good work you do out there in the world!
I agree with your advice here.Until someone has replaced their JOB income they should never quit it. I love working from home but I didn’t start making money overnight.It took time to build that residual income. Once it starts it is great but it takes time. They say it is a 2-5 year program .Sometimes people do it very quickly but that is not the norm.
Thanks for this post!
2-5 year plans….an important piece of the puzzle to remember for sure!
Hi Vanessa,
I respect your boldness to say it as it is. This is a sensitive issue for people. I will be blatantly blunt. At the present time, I have a full time J O B which is absolutely not what I want to be doing. I’ve wanted to leave several times and it seems that it would be easy to “take a risk” and quit. People around you may say, “good going” or “good for you” and act like they think you did a good thing, when deep down they probably think you’ve lost your marbles.
Your post screams reality. I’m building my business and I know I will make it, and I’ve thought about giving it up many times! I think I could devote more time to building my income faster. However, there is nothing wrong with working and building your business at the same time. Your quote, “Let the security of a J-O-B or any other role FUEL YOUR BUSINESS. Use it to your advantage” is very wise. Following your gut feeling is also great advice. I had made the decision to quit a while ago, but my gut feeling was to stay strong and hang in there until the time is right.
My game plan is to taper off hours as more income comes in from my business. When my business income replaces (plus more) with my J O B income, then I will leave. It takes time and money. There are time restraints when you are spending 40 hours a week “building someone else dreams” and I know it won’t be for long because my will to build my own dream is tenacious! Let us not forget the moms that are raising children! One thing I have learned about working full time and trying to build a business is when I have less available time, I find that I am more efficient because I understand how precious it is! It worked the same way when I was raising my kidlets.
Although our heart wants to devote more time to our business, it could be destructive without having any cash flow to take care of necessities. There are so many stories about successful marketers who were broke and then they became successful and they lived happily ever after. It is easy to disregard the blood, sweat, and tears they put in to get through the long haul.
My hat is off to you for your post and it gave me comfort knowing there are alternatives. Thanks Vanessa!
Raena Lynn
Raena Lynn my dear. Your words and your story are inspirational. Keep doing what you do and following your path and believing in yourself. And remember to enjoy life as we only have a finite amount of time. If you’re truly not having fun then rethink what you are doing.
Very solid advice Vanessa! Owning your own business is incredibly rewarding, but it is a ton of work. Success doesn’t happen overnight and so many small business owners quit when the going gets tough because they listen to those naysayers that scare them back into their J.O.B’s. It’s a shame, but thank goodness they have you and others on their side still cheering them on!
Thanks for the kind comments Rebekah!
Great article. I learned a lot from this article. Thanks for the information.
VaNessa,
This is timely advice and one that everyone needs to hear.
As a full time employee with an entrepreneurial mindset, I often wonder if I could build my part time Internet Network Marketing business faster, if I just quit. It doesn’t take long for me to realize that this would be a bad business move because my day J.O.B. literally funds my business. Since my kids are grown and I don’t have to worry about taking food from their mouths or force them to make sacrifices for my dreams, but I do tend to take those calculated risks that find me eating tuna out of the can because I am so passionate about building my business with the tools necessary to make this more than a hobby.
I love your boldness with this post. And I am grateful I listened to Jim Rohn’s ‘Working Full Time at Your Job and Part Time on Your Income’ speech, when I first got started. It’s such practical advice and aligns with what you are saying here. I have a feeling the late great Jim Rohn would be proud of you, if he were alive to read this post.
Thank you!
Juli
Vanessa right on time, The truth is what you write. There ain’t no magic and all things come in degrees. Yes you’re right in telling em’ “Let the security of a J-O-B or any other role FUEL YOUR BUSINESS. Use it to your advantage.”. People are suffering from lack of knowledge and it’s good to see that you’re coming out strong and truthful. Thank You