Leave Your Day Job!

Dear Dr. Susan,

I've worked in the bookkeeping department of a large nationally known insurance company for the past sixteen years. Although I make $104,000 a year, there is basically no where for me to grow and I'm bored. It's very depressing. I dream constantly about having my own business. I'd love to start my own bookkeeping and accounting service for local businesses in my hometown. My husband tells me that this is a terrible time to start a new business, but I'm not sure he's right. What do you think?

Sincerely,
Well-Paid and Miserable

Dear Well-Paid,

Consider this: General Electric, Burger King, Microsoft and Hewlett Packard were all founded during severe recessions. Think about this - economic pressure forces business to look for ways to operate smarter and leaner. And need-driven businesses like electricity, fast-food and, lucky for you, accounting will always have a market, no matter what. Your new job is to go after those businesses who not only need, but are looking for your great skills (people don't make $104,000 if they aren't pretty darn good at what they do).

It's time to do some homework. First, get clear about what size and type of business you want to work with. Find out what your competitors are charging for their services and something about their strengths and weaknesses (e.g. they may be cheap, friendly but slower than death or expensive, excellent but a little uptight). It's ok to pretend that you're shopping for their services and call some accounting services and ask them about their rates, how they work, and get a feel for who they are. This research will help you to develop a marketing strategy and a simple 'branding' for your own business and fill in a particular niche in the market. You differentiate yourself by becoming the smart, quick door-to-door accountant. A great book to read about self-marketing is How You Are Like Shampoo by Brenda Bence. It will help you refine your sense of what you're good at and who may be ready to buy your services right now.

Simple, direct plans generally work the best - you might call businesses from the phone book and introduce yourself. Tell them you'd like to stop by and drop off a fact sheet and bio explaining who you are and what you offer. Once you've worked for them for a few months, you'll ask your new client for references so you can continue to grow your business. As satisfying as it is working for yourself, it's important to recognize this up-front: entrepreneur is synonymous with continuous vendor. The selling never ends, but neither does the opportunity. Good luck!

Sincerely,
Dr. Susan
Personal Achievement Coach
Questions? Email me at [e-mail]