How to Prepare to Leave Your Job (in 3 easy steps) - AND a free class! - When I Grow Up

How to Prepare to Leave Your Job (in 3 easy steps) - AND a free class! - When I Grow Up Thats it! You’ve had enough of your job and are planning to escape from the golden handcuffs. You mightve written your resignation letter and are waiting for the day you get to give it to your manager with a triumphant smile. You mightve told your spouse that youre gonna give your notice by such-and-such an important date (the holidays, your next birthday, after your annual bonus, etc). You mightve started taking action on your dream career and are trying to supplement your income  now. But what can you  do to prepare to leave your job in order to work on your creative biz? (No, rolling your eyes and/or complaining doesnt count.) STEP 1: Take a long, hard look at your finances. Ive never worked with a client where money didnt come into the picture. We often use it as a fear-based roadblock, saying well never save or make enough (or we have to save or make too much!). Whadda convenient excuse to not take action, huh? Well, knock it off!  Block out an hour on your calendar right now for a finance date, and jot down what you need to make every month to cover your bills, feed yourself and have at least a bit of a life. Write down that monthly number and times it by however many months itll take for you to breathe easy about whats in the bank.  If youre having trouble,   you can, instead, think of your financial cushion in terms of the number you’re already familiar with: your current salary. I personally looked at it that way because I knew the paycheck I was making covered the bills and then some, and I was able to figure out pretty easily that my five months’ severance could last for eight or so if I wasn’t going nutso in the buttso with my spending.  ( And yes, Im trying to make nutso in the buttso a thing feel free to use it.) STEP 2: Open a separate savings account for your business and make it automatic. You can open a free account at Capital One 360, and set up an automatic transfer to build up your financial cushion. Want to save $20,000 and have a target date to give your notice as November 2016? Then youll need $1100/month in that account (or maybe $500/month + bonuses + birthday money + client work?). Whatever you can put away, set it up to happen weekly, biweekly or monthly without you having to do a thing. STEP 3: Get clear on your Phase One, and take action on it every day. What are the non-money things that are non-negotiables for you to  start and/or launch your biz? For me, it was a professionally designed website (I didnt have one for the first 2ish years of my business), a secure sense that people in the world knew who I was (I wouldve done better with a measurable goal, i.e. 3 consultation calls and 2 new clients/month), and becoming an LLC. For you, it might be a high-quality printer, $100/month in sales, and an Etsy shop with 5 products. To get to your Phase One pieces, jot down what you feel you need, want, and/or should have and only keep the non-negotiable needs! Everything else can come later. Then, do something every day to move forward with your Phase One so the finish line becomes tangible! I know that these steps seem big, but you can map this out (I like to call it a SNAP Safety Net Action Plan) in  just a few hours, and theyll keep you on target for the weeks, months, or years to come. Then, when its time to hand in that resignation letter youve keep hidden, youll feel comfortable and confident that youve built a strong foundation for a successful business! Im thrilled to officially announce that Ill be at CreativeLive next month to teach ya how to  Ditch Your Day Job! If you need help with your Breathe Easy number, Phase One, support systems, and more, you can watch it live for free June 11-12th  by RSVPing  right here! And if you want personalized attention and can join me in  the Seattle studio,  were currently accepting applications for my intimate studio audience!