DD: Who are you and what kind of corporate job were you at?

JF: My name is Jasmin French, and I am the quintessential “connector.” I connect people with ideas, one another, and most importantly, with their personal “story.”

I am a Duke University and Vanderbilt University Law School graduate.  Prior to entering law school, I was a logistics/supply chain analyst for one of the world’s largest consumer packaged goods companies (home to some of the most recognized household products).  I left to pursue a law degree with a focus on business law to better understand how businesses work and what legal issues those who are in business care about.

At a holiday party in December of 2006 – three months into my first year in law school – I met a senior partner who worked at the largest law firm in the world.  We chatted briefly and that same night I was invited back to the firm for some informal meetings. After those meetings, I was granted a summer internship, which eventually led to an offer for a permanent position in the firm’s Corporate & Securities practice. 

DD: What made you leave the job? When did you realize that you wanted to be an entrepreneur & why?

JF: Historically, I have always been someone who would rather “jump” than be “pushed.”. That changed in February 2009. My law firm began the first of a series of lay-offs and I found myself on the wrong side of that lay-off (along with almost 40% of my starting class).

In the seven days following the layoff – yes, only seven – I read over performance reviews I’d received over the course of my professional career. I looked for the traits that reappeared over and over regardless of the person writing the evaluation and realized those traits were intrinsically part of my “package.” The problem: those same traits were only seeing the light of day 15%-20% of the time in my role in a large law firm. The solution: find professional opportunities where my intrinsic qualities are utilized, valued and rewarded at a much higher level.

When I realized the solution, I considered entrepreneurism as a potential conduit to get where I needed to be. Being a small business owner, there would be an opportunity to fulfill my purpose as a connector, while giving me the freedom to define what “success” means for me (as opposed to having it defined for me).

DD: What did you do to break the corporate jail? How did you prepare for the employee to entrepreneur transition?

JF: I honestly was unprepared for the mental preparation that is required when going from an employee to an entrepreneur. I had devoted all of my time to the practical preparation: preparing my home office, drafting a business plan, deciding between forming an LLC or a sole proprietorship, creating a website, etc. I underestimated the mental preparation that has to happen from getting used to working alone most days to creating my personal pitch to explain my business in a clear and confident manner. Just because someone is physically removed from “jail” does not mean that the mental shackles are automatically broken! I took a 10-week entrepreneurship class at the country’s oldest center for women in business – the Women’s Business Development Center (WBDC). After that class, an inventory of my skill set and the recognizing of a need in the marketplace created by unprecedented economic turmoil, I created my company in September 2009 and have been reaping the benefits of my decision ever since.

DD: What is one resource that helped the most/best?

JF: My 10-week course with the WBDC was a valuable experience. The structure of completing tasks weekly (with homework) and the camaraderie associated with being in a room of other budding entrepreneurs was instrumental in taking my business concept from idea to reality.

I have committed to reading a book a month (whether to improve my business or to improve myself). There are two books that have been instrumental in helping me blaze a path as a business owner: “The E-Myth Revisited” by Michael Gerber and “REWORK” by Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson. These books always re-focus me.  They remind me of the importance of “working on my business” and not just “working in my business.”

DD: What do you know now that you wish if only you knew when you made the transition?

JF: I wish I had known then that membership in the “entrepreneurship club” was not as elusive as I initially thought.  I had cautiously approached starting my own business because I naively believed the myths surrounding entrepreneurship: that I needed thousands and thousands of dollars before I started, I needed to jump in with both feet all at once and that I needed a fully functional business plan before I sought my first client.

I know better now. I realized that I was giving power to the same parameters that confined me while I was working in the corporate world.  I removed the self-imposed boundaries and just started. My mantra is “Look before you leap … but don’t forget to jump.” Planning is extremely important but it cannot occupy so much of your time that it paralyzes you into inaction.

On a personal note, I now know that I cannot confuse someone’s indifference or lack of support for a judgment on my potential to succeed.  Not everyone is excited that you’ve escaped the 9 to 5 jail – because they are still there! Their deficiency of enthusiasm is not an indictment on my ability.  Instead, I look to family, close friends and other entrepreneurs for support and encouragement.

DD: What are your suggestions for aspiring entrepreneurs? (My fav!!)

JF: I consult clients, professionals, entrepreneurs, students, etc. on how to get noticed and how to be remembered.  A powerful personal brand (in person and on-line) is the vehicle that takes you from being one among the masses to distinguishing yourself from the masses.

I encourage aspiring entrepreneurs to spend an adequate amount of time crafting their personal brand.  Ask yourself the following questions: “What features do I deliver on a consistent basis which promise a benefit to my clients?” “What about my value proposition makes me unique?” and “How do my achievements have transferable value to my target market?”

Finally, I implore entrepreneurs to develop their personal pitch in a way that clearly and succinctly describes what they do and who they are. Think about it: People only remember what you tell them.  Make sure what you are telling them is memorable enough that they rush out and tell someone else!

DD: How are you doing and how do you feel now?

JF: I am fulfilling my purpose and doing it on my own terms – (read: I’m fanastic!). To keep my stress level (slightly) lower, I still use my legal skills on a project basis to ensure additional income, but it’s done on my own terms. I once read that an employee would have to make twice as much in take-home pay to equal the happiness that entrepreneurs experience. I couldn’t agree more!

After being pushed out of the law firm she worked for Jasmin French took matters into her own hands and started making connections. She now helps people connect in different ways. One point I hope you made a note of is – there are no pre-requisites like having a certain amount of money or a full business plan etc before getting started. What really matters is taking the first step & getting started. Another part that sticks out to me is when she said, “Not everyone is excited that you’ve escaped the 9 to 5 jail – because they are still there!” So very true! Keep those doubters at a distance and build up a wall of people in a similar situation as yours. It’s easier to get through a new situation when you can communicate with the people that are in the same boat.

Have you escaped the 9 to 5 jail? Please share with us via comments below.

Wanna be out of the rat race? Contact us today!

DD: Who are you and what kind of corporate job were you at?

OO: My name is Obi Orgnot, and I was a mid-level executive for a direct sales company based in London. I managed a team of around 45 people, and we often ran campaigns for large companies such as BSkyB. We had previously worked with large telecoms and energy providers performing residential campaigns, and we were known to be among the best in this type of customer acquisition.

DD: What made you leave the job? When did you realize that you wanted to be an entrepreneur & why?

OO: I left the job because what I had originally assessed as a “safe” way to be my own boss (I had full control over my team) turned out not to be so safe. When we started working with our new client, there were a series of training issues, and one of my colleagues who managed a team larger than my own and had been at the company longer than me took the brunt of the blame and was unceremoniously dismissed.

The event had a profound effect on me because I knew how dedicated he was to this company – he had really sacrificed a lot to ensure its success with long hours and putting parts of his personal life on hold. The most poignant part of the meeting where he was fired was seeing him in tears as he said his goodbyes.

I have always wanted to be an entrepreneur ever since I came across the concept. My parents both worked, and in school you are given the idea that the “normal” and “safe” route is to get a job and save for retirement. But for me, it was when I started reading about people like Richard Branson; I was taken with the idea that he did whatever he wanted and out-earned most people without having to wear a suit. More than anything, I wanted a true sense of freedom not to have my life dictated by any external force whether that’s a boss or a paycheck.

DD: What did you do to break the corporate jail? How did you prepare for the employee to entrepreneur transition?

OO: The first thing I started doing was consuming business literature voraciously and began to take steps to manage my time better. Although I had what some would say is a good lifestyle, I barely had time to enjoy it. Because I knew I wasn’t in it for the long-haul, I started diverting my extra effort from my current employer to my own education.

I’m not risk averse per se, but I like to be careful about the moves I make, so I made sure that I had a well crafted exit strategy that would take me seamlessly from my current job to OrgNot. At one point, I was doing the two simultaneously, and I managed to find a balance so that, as I stepped down from my day job, I was able to focus more intently on my business.

DD: What is one resource (person, coach, book, organization anything) that helped the most/best?

OO: Without a doubt it would have to be “E-myth Revisited.” When you first start out, you have so many concepts fluttering around your mind and you’re convinced that each one is golden. This book gave me a clear map for balancing my various business goals; taught me the value of having efficient systems and company-wide procedures; and how to still live while building something as complex as a company. The biggest hurdle I had starting out was, I wanted to do everything, and if I wasn’t spending 20 hours a day on the business, I didn’t think I deserved success. This gave me true balance and allowed me the freedom that motivated me in the first place.

DD: What do you know now that you wish if only you knew when you made the transition?

OO: I wish that, as I was making the transition, I had developed a more thoroughly tested recruitment system. I thought a good employee was a good employee, so I used a lot of the guidelines from my previous employer for recruiting people for my team. However, I found that I wasn’t able to attract the right kind of people without having the prestige of being a huge firm. I needed a procedure that would bring in people who wanted to create something new and special, rather than people who wanted to work in the apparent safety of a large corporation.

DD: What are your suggestions for aspiring entrepreneurs? (My fav!!)

OO: What I see the most among the clients I work with is that they often don’t have set procedures and guidelines in place – there are many suggestions I could give for new starters but for now I’ll talk about this.

Most aspiring entrepreneurs want more freedom, and they see business as an attractive option as it gives you a sense of control. However, all too often this translates into a business model where the owner is the bottleneck of production. This means that the business couldn’t run if they decided to go skiing for a couple weeks – that is a real problem as it causes stress and makes your business fragile.

Before starting a business, you should think about how you are going to replace yourself within that company. When you start, you do almost everything, but as time goes on you take on employees and specialists to cover these tasks. Before you begin employing these people, you need to systemize what you do to the lowest common denominator so that, if the employee is average, they’ll do a good job and if they’re exceptional they’ll be excellent – but more importantly, if they are terrible, at least the basics get done until you can replace them.

Your people will always be important to your business, but if you want stability, then systems will be king. Always remember employees (even very loyal ones) can come, go or get sick, but your systems will always be there ensuring a constant minimum level of competency throughout your company. If you do this properly, you will create a culture in your business rather than a set of rules – it means that when new employees are hired, everyone is in harmony and they know, more naturally, what’s expected of them. Having a culture also makes it easier to give managers autonomy as they will naturally make decisions that fit into the culture you have fostered.

For example if Mars Ltd. contacted anybody at Whole Foods and asked for a distribution deal, everyone in the company would have the same response: no. It’s not part of their culture – “natural & organic” – so the decision is easy to make. There is no need to waste time on discussions, meetings or anything else. This is something every aspiring entrepreneur should be seriously thinking about.

Here are some ways to achieve this:

• Develop a “company narrative” – This is the story of your company, what makes you special and what you and your clients expect from your employees.
• Create detailed employee manuals that every employee must know inside out. This should document all your procedures and tie in with your company narrative.
• Regularly test employees on company procedure. There should be a culture that it is unacceptable to do certain things which are not in keeping with the company narrative (e.g. Google’s “don’t be evil” narrative or Whole Foods “nothing artificial” narrative).

Of course, there is more to business than creating a culture, but with all the decisions that need to be made on a daily basis, I think it makes sense to have an ethos that would have your executives and your secretaries arrive at the same conclusion instantly.

DD: How are you doing and how do you feel now?

OO: Right now things have never been better. Our agile business model meant that we didn’t really take a lot of punishment during the recession. In fact, when things are going wrong, we find that companies are seeking us out to try and stimulate growth. We are looking very optimistically to the future and hoping to expand business into more non-English speaking markets as well as developing new technologies to help our clients better diagnose issues they may be having with their businesses. So, it’s an exciting time in terms of innovation. It never ceases to amaze me what they can make software do these days, and I’m looking forward to the next ten years.

Wow! Obi Orgnot has some greatly detailed advice for all you entrepreneurs out there! The point Obi made about thinking how you will replace yourself in your business is very important – you don’t want to buy yourself a job with the business you start; you want to build a business in a way that you can scale it and systemize it so it can run even without you, if needed. Along with tips to create a narrative for your business, Obi also suggests working to manage your time wisely. That way, you can go on a vacation every once in a while (say FREEDOM!) instead of being so directly tied with your business that it completely consumes your life.

Have you started working on your way out of the cubicle jail? If you need help, email us!

DD: Who are you and what kind of corporate job were you at?

ES: For 8 years, I sold business equipment such as copiers, fax machines, shredders and then networked printers.  In 2001, I entered high tech beginning with selling advertising spots on financial sites.  Three months later, the stock market crashed (dot com bust), so sales were no more.  I then moved to another high tech company that was offering a pilot program of advertising spots on cell phones.  This was when cell phones were just beginning to connect to the internet and there was a lag time – long enough to see an ad!

DD: What made you leave the job? When did you realize that you wanted to be an entrepreneur & why?

ES: The high tech firm was highly unethical.  I realized they were waiting for me to collect the money from sales but the service most likely would not be put in place.  The instant I recognized what was happening, I wrote my resignation letter.  But before I left the premises, I called each prospect posed to purchase to let them know I had just quit and offered advice that they take five minutes after we hung up the phone to contemplate why that might be.  They all thanked me profusely and I walked away with a clear conscience, saying, “Never Again!”

DD: What did you do to break the corporate jail? How did you prepare for the employee to entrepreneur transition?

ES: I was on a stretcher with a broken neck waiting to be admitted to the hospital.  My life flashed in front of me in the form of a report card.  I had high marks except for “Community Service,” which headlined an empty page.  From that point forward, I vowed to begin giving back to communities at large.  That night in the hospital room, I mentally drew out my business plan for entrepreneurism – sales training helping entrepreneurs who had no formal training.

DD: What is one resource that helped the most/best?

ES: The best resource was a collection of marketing materials.  I since learned that marketing precedes sales.  Each book read said, “write a book.”  I have now written two; the first became an international best seller:  “Nice Girls DO Get the Sale: Relationship Building That Gets Results.”  My second book is meant for the job-seeking community: “HIRED! How to Use Sales Techniques to Sell Yourself On Interviews.”

DD: What do you know now that you wish if only you knew when you made the transition?

ES: I wish I knew that a huge investment was required of education, new skills and money.  It was a rude awakening to say the least!

DD: What are your suggestions for aspiring entrepreneurs?

ES: Make a commitment to education staying up to date and taking calculated risks.  For instance, in 2008, I changed my business model from in-person networking to primarily an international collaboration helping one another maximize our experiences with social media.

DD: How are you doing and how do you feel now?

ES: The recession was tough.  However, I always use it to try new strategies and reposition my offerings.   The slow economy allowed me to write “HIRED!”  This in turn opened up the college communities to me and some of the college bookstores are selling both of my books.  Given that I changed to social media in January 2009, I became way ahead of the curve and made fabulous connections.  Now that a second publisher picked up a book of mine, I also began teaching “How to Write A Book and Sell More Copies Online;” plus I translated my sales training program to interviewing training.  Additionally, I have become an international motivational speaker.  I am enjoying work more than ever!

Elinor Stutz found out the corporate jail she was stuck in was making some fishy deals and not staying true to their word. That paired with a life-changing experience urged her to train entrepreneurs in how to be entrepreneurs. She started a clean slate with a clear conscience and has been growing as an entrepreneur. You can find her at SmoothSale! Realizing that she wasn’t recession-proof, Elinor switched gears and looked in other places for business to continue. Is the corporation you’re working for stealing from its customers? What do you not like about your job? Please share your unsavory corporate jail stories and how you broke free with us in comments below.

Need help breaking out of the 9-5 jail? Ask us for help!

DD: Who are you and what kind of corporate job were you at?

ES: My name is Eric Sangerma, and I was the Asia-Pacific Manager for one of the leading French Veterinary Pharmaceutical companies. I was based in Shanghai, China, where I have been living since 2000.

DD: What made you leave the job? When did you realize that you wanted to be an entrepreneur & why?

ES: First of all, I have to say I loved my job in the sense that it allowed me to travel around Asia and develop a very large panel of skills. My only problem with this job, and most of the other jobs I had before, is that I felt I was kind of a “prisoner of the system.” I could not make all the decisions I wanted to and sometimes the lack of reactivity of the persons around me would drive me crazy. On top of that, I have never been a fan of the “9 to 5 jail” as you put it on your site.

DD: What did you do to break the corporate jail? How did you prepare for the employee to entrepreneur transition?

ES: I actually went “cold turkey.” I quit my job and just decided to dive into it directly. At the time, in 2006, I had read a lot about affiliate marketing and seen that a lot of people were making tons of money on the internet from the comfort of their own home. I instantly felt in love with that idea and tried to pursue it to the best of my abilities. I bought and studied a lot of e-books and worked very hard, very long days, to put myself in a position where I would feel confident enough that I could actually start making money online.

DD: What is one resource (person, coach, book, organization anything) that helped the most/best?

ES: The e-book that changed my life was “Google Cash” by Chris Carpenter. That’s how I started, by promoting other people’s products through affiliate marketing and the use of Google adwords.

DD: What do you know now that you wish if only you knew when you made the transition?

ES: I wish I had known exactly who to take inspiration from, and I think actually that I was quite lucky and did not get distracted from my path too much.

DD: What are your suggestions for aspiring entrepreneurs?

ES: First and foremost, if you have some ideas, if you do not like your present job, just go for it. It is especially true if you are in your twenties or early thirties without a family, what are you waiting for? You have nothing to lose.

For those of you who do have a family to support and feel there would be too much of a risk involved in doing your own business, I’d recommend starting online during your free time. Try affiliate marketing, the investment is minimum, and if it does work, you will be able to switch and do this full time.

DD: How are you doing and how do you feel now?

ES: I’m feeling great. I have launched my e-Marketing company: Arkadia Consulting. We are doing Search Engine Optimization (SEO) and Pay-Per-Click Marketing for many clients around the world. This is all thanks to my online experience in the last several years. I’m also trying to help people who want to start affiliate marketing online with my blog.

I have plenty of spare time to spend with my wife (who started her own online business as well) and my 16-month-old son Alex.

The decision I made almost 7 years ago to quit my job and do my own thing really changed our lives for the better.

DD: Much like kicking a bad habit, Eric Sangerma kicked the corporate jail to the curb without a backward glance. And much in the same fashion as getting rid of a bad habit, this change was for the better. Getting ready to drop your corporate job “cold turkey?” Share with us your experiences that lead you to this point, in comments below.

Need help getting out of your cubicle and creating a new start? Contact us for help!

DD: Who are you and what kind of corporate job were you at?

DW: My name is David Wolckenhauer, President and CEO of Cloudcutter Consignments.  I have worked in marketing and sales capacities for Fortune 100 companies over the last 13 years, have a BS in Chemical Engineering from NJIT and an MBA in Marketing from Rutgers University.

DD: What made you leave the job? When did you realize that you wanted to be an entrepreneur & why?

DW: As long as I can remember, I have always wanted to be an entrepreneur.  A very charismatic uncle of mine was an avid restaurateur, and his influence on me as a child has always stuck with me as a working professional.

At this time, I haven’t decided to leave my corporate job.  At Cloudcutter Consignments, I broker the sale of rare coins and other collectables via the internet.  I’ve created a scalable, low overhead business based on my personal expertise that I work in around my 9 to 5.  It’s given me a great opportunity to sample entrepreneurship in a relatively low-risk venture.

DD: What did you do to break the corporate jail? How did you prepare for the employee to entrepreneur transition?

DW: The Tennessee Small Business Development Center (TSBDC) in Memphis, TN was very helpful and motivating in preparing me to launch.  TSBDC is my local delegation of the SBA, which holds regular courses on weekends for entrepreneurs interested in areas such as writing a business plan, financing your business, and HR concerns amongst many other topics.  Not only were these SBA seminars informational, but they also presented an opportunity to meet other people with similar aspirations of self-employment.

DD: What is one resource that helped you the most/best?

DW: “The Art of the Start” by Guy Kawasaki was the grain of sand that tipped the scale, propelling me into my first venture.  “The Art of the Start” is packed with practical advice to get you from planning, planning, planning … to moving forward.

DD: What do you know now that you wish if only you knew when you made the transition?

DW: I wish I knew just how relatively easy it would be to start!  I would have started years ago had I known what I know now.

DD: What are your suggestions for aspiring entrepreneurs?

DW: My recommendation is to have a mentor and a great circle of advisors you can go to for support, and if you don’t have that, create it for yourself!  Talk to the owners of local businesses that you frequent; attend SBA seminars to meet other aspiring or successful entrepreneurs; and read books designed to inspire you like “The Art of the Start” by Guy Kawasaki or “The Knack” by Norm Brodsky.  How are you doing and how do you feel now?

I’m about a couple years into my new venture, and it is very exciting to be creating unique value for clients.  The uncertainty that originally kept me from starting into entrepreneurship is now what powers my company forward.  It’s very empowering creating something new and meaningful – go for it!

DD: David Wolckenhauer is still in the 9to5 jail, but he is making the best of it by dabbling in entrepreneurship. This has given him a chance to experience being an entrepreneur with less risk than if he had no other job to fall back on. While the corporate jail can be stifling, it can be what a starting entrepreneur needs to get off the ground with a new business. On top of that, he also recommends attending SBDC seminars whenever they are available so you learn about starting and running a business and gain more confident to start your new business.

Would you like to start a side business with your day job? We can help!

DD: Who are you and what kind of corporate job were you at?

CB: My name is Chris Brusznicki, and I was an associate at international investment banking powerhouse Goldman Sachs & Co.

DD: What made you leave the job? When did you realize that you wanted to be an entrepreneur & why?

CB: I had always been an entrepreneur and ran my own landscaping business, web design business, and eventually a small real estate portfolio.  Even though I did those things and knew that “one day” I wanted to have a real business of my own, I didn’t realize it was time to make that change until I had something that could grow.

At Goldman, I came into work every day and wrangled with the debt crisis, housing bust, and every other kind of financial nightmare for 15 hours a day and then headed home to my wife and children exhausted.  I loved the people I worked with and believed in my firm, but I didn’t love what I did on a daily basis.

That, coupled with some kind of overactive brain disorder. led me to work on a website in my spare time that would eventually provide me with a way to entrepreneurial freedom – GamedayHousing.com.

DD: What did you do to break the corporate jail? How did you prepare for the employee to entrepreneur transition?

CB: Great question.  First off, I am a family man, and the comfort of my loved ones is very important to me.  Next, I wanted to make sure the business could grow without outside capital.  In either case, I looked at our finances and figured out how we would be able to bootstrap our first year of operations.  We’ve been cash flow positive since day one, so that wasn’t a problem for the business, but there wasn’t enough income to both grow business and pay myself.

Thankfully, we had the savings and other income opportunities aside from GamedayHousing.com to make ends meet.  It was exceptionally helpful to create a monthly budget and allow for random expenses.  After checking our budget vs. our monthly income, I saw that we could make it happen.

Just because you can do something doesn’t mean you should do so.  My wife and I talked about the opportunity we’d be walking away from at Goldman and about the 2 years of month-to-month income we’d have to live on.  We felt very fortunate to have this opportunity at a time when millions were out of work, so we decided to move forward.  To this day, we’ve stayed on budget every month for 17 months despite huge expenses, like the birth of our son, and one family vacation each year.

DD: What is one resource (person, coach, book, organization anything) that helped the most/best?

CB: First and foremost, I am grateful for my experience as an officer in the US Army’s 82nd Airborne Division.  My experience as a paratrooper taught me the value of outworking competition and gave me great perspective on what’s important.  I also learned that failure is not an option and how to organize myself and others to accomplish the toughest of tasks.

I’m also grateful for my experience at the Kellogg School of Management.  My Kellogg Professor Steve Rogers was excellent.  He teaches a class called Entrepreneurial Finance that is great for both the anecdotal advice it provides as well as the education on small business finance.  My experience in the design program in Kellogg’s MMM program has also been extremely helpful.  We focus on rapid design disciplines and collaboration with all of our team members when pushing out new versions of the site.  These practices have allowed us to create a great site at about 1/10th the normal cost.

DD: What do you know now that you wish if only you knew when you made the transition?

CB: Be more patient.  My business partner Geoff is a great counter balance to my “make it happen” unbridled enthusiastic personality.  There are times when I want our growth to be completely linear and for our business to grow x10, year after year.  That can’t always happen, and I have to learn to be more realistic in my expectations and planning.

DD: What are your suggestions for aspiring entrepreneurs?

CB: Don’t write a business plan until you’ve conducted a recon!  In the Army. you learn not to sit down and plan a major mission until you have some very basic information on the situation.  A good recon applies to business as well and can mean a few different things based upon whether you’re selling a product or service.  Got an amazing new self-warming baby bottle that every new parent will want to have?  Make a working prototype or at least sketch it up.  Once you’ve done research on pricing, positioning, and placement, try and sell that sucker!  Want to start a website to aggregate social media connections for small businesses?  Pitch the idea to a small business owner and provide the service for a month or two without building the site.  You clearly wouldn’t need a website to perform these services for one or two clients so have a go and learn.  In either case, you’ll learn valuable information about pricing, service levels, and features that you need vs. features that are nice to have.

DD: How are you doing and how do you feel now?

CB: Awesome.  We are doing great and can’t imagine doing anything else.

DD: Chris Brusznicki utilized his training as a paratrooper to help his business get off the ground. He offered some new insight on how to start a business: Recon. Chris suggests doing some basic background research into your business before just diving in. Without that research, he says it’s harder to get things off the ground. Perhaps a little recon eliminates some obstacles that may otherwise hold your new business up. His previous experience also helped him keep an upbeat attitude instead of giving up on himself and his business in times of trouble. Never give up on your business if you believe in your product! Need tips on how to start your new business? Send us an email via contact form here!

DD: What kind of corporate job were you at?

AD: I worked for Allstate Insurance Company in accounting for the mergers & acquisitions department.

DD: What made you leave the job? When did you realize that you wanted to be an entrepreneur & why?

AD: My husband’s job relocated our family from Illinois to Massachusetts. I had always wanted to start my own business, and over the years my husband and I had researched many different franchise opportunities. I could have easily transferred to a new branch office within Allstate Insurance, but I used the move as an opportunity to follow my dream to own my own business.

DD: What did you do to break the corporate jail? How did you prepare for the employee to entrepreneur transition?

AD: It was really fate and guts. I was a mother of three at the time, and I used my husband’s relocation as a good reason to break the cycle of the 9-5 grind and begin a new opportunity. I knew if I was brave enough to move my entire family and start all over in a new city, I could take steps to think about what I really wanted to do, instead of heading back into the office.  I prepared by holding myself accountable. As an entrepreneur, you must stay organized, prepared and acknowledge at all times that this is your own business, and go above and beyond. The Kumon University training also helped me prepare for the transition. I learned a lot in the business plan process. Creating a business plan is a tremendous amount of work, but it’s critical and a vital investment. Opening your own business is not a walk in the park, you must take serious consideration into who is buying your product, if the business viable in your market and if I can be successful.

DD: What is one resource that helped the most/best?

AD: The one person who most helped me was my husband. He was extremely supportive, encouraging and helped me stay grounded.  He has a strong business background, and when I was drafting my business plan, he was extremely supportive. I took the process very seriously. He helped me keep on track, be confident, move ahead, and not get too stressed with the details. Even today, I run things by him to gain a perspective. For example, I recently had to slightly increase my tuition for the first time in three years, and it was very difficult. My tuition is still below my competitors, and I wish I could give Kumon away for free since it’s such a good program, but my husband reminds me, I am working to put our kids through college, so I need to also have a viable business. I couldn’t do this without him and he’s an excellent sounding board.

DD: What do you know now that you wish if only you knew when you made the transition?

AD: Opening a business is not as hard as you think! I would have opened a Kumon Center ten years ago if I knew it was this manageable. It feels overwhelming at first, but in a franchise, becoming a small business owner in a supportive franchise system was a benefit. From developing your business plan, to training, to finding commercial space, negotiating a lease to doing your build-out, you’re never on your own because you have the support of the franchise.

DD: What are your suggestions for aspiring entrepreneurs?

AD: Know your product and be passionate for it. Know your market and where you’re positioning yourself. Keep moving forward, and don’t give up during the first hurdle. It’s easy to lose confidence after your first negative experience, but don’t. Also, join a support system. I joined the Chamber of Commerce and they have a women’s small business owners networking group that has been very helpful to me.

DD: How are you doing and how do you feel now?

AD: I am doing well, but I am never fully satisfied.  I am always thinking how I can accomplish more and improve my business. My business has been growing steadily in the past three years, and with 154 students, I recently moved my new space to accommodate the demand for my service. In my new location, I am now more visible, and I am learning that a prime location is also critical to a company’s success. I am gaining new customers that just didn’t even know I existed before.

Amy Debock went from being a corporate machine stuck in a 9-5 jail to being an independent woman who opened a Kumon Math & Reading Center, an after-school math and reading program. Not every entrepreneur has to start a new business from scratch, there are options like Franchising and/or buying an existing business. Amy worked with a supportive franchise system to create her learning center branch. Though, whether you are starting from scratch or building onto a tried and trusted franchise, your business will be your own. Along with the support of Kumon, Amy also had the support of her husband. She said that she still values his perspective and opinion when it comes to how to run her business. Who do you depend on for help and support in your business? Share via comments below.

DD: Who are you and what kind of corporate job were you at?

VP: Vinay… From Australia, living in Canada. I have worked a few jobs including IT tech, undergrad accountant and for the 3 years before I quit as IT recruiter.

DD: What made you leave the job? When did you realize that you wanted to be an entrepreneur & why?

VP: To be honest, the initial kick for me to leave my job was the travel bug. I went backpacking around Southeast Asia for 5 weeks on my holiday from work and had so much fun, learned so much without any of the expensive clothes, my flash apartment and exclusive parties. So, I started thinking why the hell do I do it? I always knew that money was important and had always been very focused ever since a young age. I read lots, hustled lots and generally had money on the mind. But now that I had money (I was making 140k per year at 23), I realized that I wasn’t living life to the fullest.

So, I made the decision to quit my job and travel for a year as I’m only young once, and I could easily see myself getting trapped in the corporate cycle (which I saw everyday as a re-recruiter).

Once I had made that decision (8 months ahead), I started planning. This involved reading. I ended up getting my hands on a copy of the “4-hour Work Week” and my eyes opened. I was amazed at the concept of working on the internet and outsourcing. I had already made the decision to quit my job, so I thought this was the perfect time to try and build a business, too. And so, it began.

I think I had always wanted to be an entrepreneur. Ever since I was young, I dreamt of being a successful startup founder. I was always coming up with ideas, big and small, I just never took the leap on the big ideas…

DD: What did you do to break the corporate jail? How did you prepare for the employee to entrepreneur transition?

VP: The main thing I did to prepare for breaking the corporate jail was to make sure I had a back-up plan in case all else failed. This meant building as many relationships as possible, performing as well as I could, making sure I had references in place, and building my LinkedIn recommendations. My goal was to quit on the top. So, if it all went pear shaped I could easily go back into a decent job with a good wage. This worked well as I had many job offers after I quit. It also gave me confidence to go completely out on a limb. Knowing I could easily get a job in any country I landed in made taking the risk much more manageable.

DD: What is one resource that helped you the most?

VP: Wow… I am a readaholic/knowledge sponge, so this is really hard. But I would have to say the “4-hour  Work Week.” The book in its self wasn’t that useful, but the motivation it gave me, resources it referenced and community around it definitely helped me heaps.

DD: What do you know now that you wish if only you knew when you made the transition?

VP: Umm everything? Look, there is lots I wish I knew beforehand but you can’t know everything and trying to learn it all will just create excuses.

I want to say start outsourcing earlier…

While I have wasted time on lots of random things, if I hadn’t done all of the stuff first on my own, I wouldn’t have learned.

I will say this: I wish I knew I didn’t need lots of money or stuff to a) enjoy life and b) start a business.

I also wish I knew how important networking with other entrepreneurs was. I wish I had started a small side project PURELY so I could go to networking events and say I am staring a business and see who I ran into.

DD: What are your suggestions for aspiring entrepreneurs?

VP: The biggest tip I can give to aspiring entrepreneurs is to just do it. Take the plunge. Great leaders don’t make right decisions; they make decisions, and then, make them right. You will be amazed at what you learn, who you meet and the opportunities you will find if you just put yourself in that mindset and get started.

Next is relationships, relationships, relationships. Network on- and more importantly,– off-line. If you don’t like to network and you don’t like to meet people you should either learn how or stay at your job. It is going to be a long, depressing and probably unsuccessful journey if you try to do it alone.

Thirdly – never stop learning.

DD: How are you doing and how do you feel now?

VP: I am still at very early stages, but the horizon is bright. I am working on more projects, getting more exposure and having more fun each day. The future is uncertain, but I find that much more exciting than having a certain future!

Vinay Patankar caught the travel bug, in a good way. That got him out the corporate door and into a life of simplicity. He realized that money and materialistic things are not what makes the world go ‘round when it comes to personal happiness. Yes, he was making a lot of money (and at a young age), but that wasn’t what got him excited and renewed his zest for life. Instead, it was getting away from it all that keeps him going. Do you need help escaping the rat race? Are you tired of wanting more, but not knowing what “more” is? Join Vinay in realizing happiness by becoming an entrepreneur!

DD: Who are you and what kind of corporate job were you at?

DP: I am Diane Pinder, master chocolatier since 2005, wife, mother and originally a critical care nurse as well as former account executive for pharmaceutical advertising and medical education.

DD: What made you leave the job? When did you realize that you wanted to be an entrepreneur & why?

DP: The advertising business was very unstable.  Projects would disappear in a heartbeat and it seemed like the clients never knew what they wanted and were never satisfied. I left the job when my husband convinced me that I am very successful when I throw myself into something and eliminate all the distractions. We had looked at buying a gift basket business but that fell through when the owner decided not to sell. ? I always dreamed of having my own business but never thought I could do it until my husband convinced me.

DD: What did you do to break the corporate jail? How did you prepare for the employee to entrepreneur transition?

DP: I took a leave of absence from my job. At the time I had been called to jury duty that was prolonged and required 3 days a week for many weeks.  I found that I was out of touch with my projects at work and felt vulnerable because of it. Additionally, my son who was in the Marine Corps had just been sent to Afghanistan, and I was very anxious for his safety, so I needed time to reflect and figure out what to do. For extra money, I took a freelance job doing medical education programs for a medical device company. I took courses in chocolate making to be sure that I would like it. I identified a retail space, planned and executed  the build out, and took more formal courses to fine tune my skills.

DD: What is one resource (person, coach, book, organization anything) that helped the most/best?

DP: Initially the online school, ecole chocolate.  Later my association with the renowned chef, Craig Shelton.

DD: What do you know now that you wish if only you knew when you made the transition?

DP: I funded the business with personal funds. I would have funded it through SBA or investors.  I would have selected a better location for my business.  Although I did research on the demographics and income of my location, it was really not a good choice.

DD: What are your suggestions for aspiring entrepreneurs?

DP: Do an internship so you get to see things how they really are.

DD: How are you doing and how do you feel now?

DP: After 5 years, my business is finally taking off.  I have worked very hard to get a reputation in my state and the surrounding area as a top chocolatier and my chocolate is selling in many stores in NJ and NYC. I am definitely glad I did it, just wish the recession hadn’t hit just when I was trying to get the business to take off.

That was Diane Pinder, top chocolatier, creating delicious morsels for all to enjoy. Diane and her chocolates have been favorably covered by The New York Times, the NBC Today Show, the Style Network, New Jersey Monthly, New Jersey Life, and numerous other media outlets.  She was named the New Jersey Chocolatier of the Year and is the only Chocolatier included in the book, Celebrity Chefs of New Jersey.  Her chocolates are carried by gourmet retailers, including Whole Foods Market, Food Emporium NY, Kings Market, Balducci’s and specialty shops.

This former critical nurse found her niche in chocolate making and encourages others to follow their dreams. Hard work and a passion for what you do are the main ingredients for success. Diane took a leave of absence from her day job and formal classes to prepare for her escape from the 9to5 jail… What are you doing to escape the rat race? Please share it in comments below. Do you need any help getting out that cubicle? Please get in touch with us via this contact form and let us help you break the 9-5 jail!