Image by Amy Palko, the official Location Independent Photographer.

Anonymous says:

I want to become location independent. I’m currently employed in a cubicle-type job and I’ve never had my own business before. I know I’m good at what I do, I enjoy it and it’s the sort of thing that I’ve seen other people are doing as a location independent business (I’m a graphic designer).

I really want to leave my job and go out on my own as a graphic designer – and I know that it’s going to be a long, tough process, so I want to get started sooner rather than later. But I just can’t seem to figure out where to get started – and then I get paralyzed and do nothing. Help!

The Coach’s Answer

Cath says:

It warms my heart to hear people talk about doing what they love – and having the courage to break free from corporates and institutions when they’re sick of them! So let’s look at where you’re headed and what’s getting you stuck:

Resource Alert: “I know I’m good at what I do, I enjoy it, and it’s the sort of thing that I’ve seen other people are doing as a location independent business”.

A lot of people know what they don’t like doing but they have no idea what they’d like to do instead – and you’ve already moved past that obstacle. You know what your skills are, you know you’re good at it and you enjoy doing it – awesome! That gives you a clear place to start from.

Also, you enjoy doing what you’re good at – that’s great because it means that you’ll be motivated in your business (and that’s crucial for business success), but perhaps more importantly, it’s crucial for everyday happiness. It’s also great that you’re already researching and noticing what other people are doing and what’s possible. If it’s possible for other people, then it’s possible for you.

So what’s getting you stuck?

“I really want to leave my job and go out on my own”

A common thing that gets in the way when we’re considering a big change we’re really passionate about, is that we can develop “all-or-nothing” thinking – where we tell ourselves that we have to either have the job we don’t like or we have to quit that job and start a business we love full-time. The reality is that there are usually a lot more other options than those two.

The great thing about the fact that you already have a job is that you can start your location independent business while you’re still employed and make the decision to leave your job once your business is bringing in the income you need. That way you’ll take a lot of the financial pressure off and you’ll feel less overwhelmed.

Your overwhelm is what’s jamming your mind right now, so that you feel disconnected from your resourcefulness and don’t know where to start.

“I know that it’s going to be a long, tough process, so I want to get started, But I just can’t seem to figure out where to get started – and then I get paralyzed and do nothing.”

You have already started! Yes – you know what you can do, how to do it and what equipment you’ll need in order to provide your service, because you’re already doing that in your current job.

The stuff you’re probably not yet doing in your current job is the business development, marketing and selling part – so that’s the only part you may need to learn more about.

My guess is that you’re also overwhelming yourself by trying to figure everything out before you start anything. Actually in order to be in business for yourself, you only need to get your first client to purchase some design work from you.

One of the Agile Living concepts I’m big on, is the idea of spending more time doing than analyzing. Get out there, do something, test it and fail fast – in order to build real experience and accelerate the process of getting to what works.

You don’t need a complex business plan or a huge capital investment to start your location independent design studio. You just need a basic platform to start showing and telling people what you can do for them – and focus on just getting your very first independent client. As you start to do that, you’ll get real-world feedback and you’ll be able to adjust and improve your marketing strategies as you go

If marketing terrifies you and you think some foundational “how to run and market an internet business” lessons would benefit you, then get some of that. The “Build a Location Independent Business Course” will give you everything you need and you also have the option of picking only the modules that are relevant to the stuff you want to learn about.

Learning from other people who’ve already done it is probably the quickest way to learn anything – and you are your greatest resource, so it’s worth your while to invest in learning programs through people who’ve successfully accomplished what you want to so. But only invest in formal learning if you’re going to commit to spending double the time taking action and putting those lessons into practice.

And here’s the Twitter-style answer:

Start doing something small with something you know a little bit about and learn as you go. Small steps create powerful momentum!

About The Coach: Cath Duncan blogs about Agile Living at Mine Your Resources and through the Bottom-line Bookclub, she provides resources for busy professionals to accelerate their personal growth and develop the life skills for thriving and making the changes they want.

If you’d like help overcoming a specific challenge in your life, submit your “Ask The Coach” question here >>>

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