The Entrepreneurial Leap: A Year of Transformation and Growth
Reflecting on the past year since leaving my corporate job to pursue my entrepreneurial dreams, I’ve learned and experienced so much. If you’re contemplating a similar path, I hope my story offers insights, encouragement, and a bit of humor. This is the first installment of an ongoing series where I share the lessons learned and give an honest look at what it’s like to go from 25 years in the corporate space to owning your own business.
The Advice That Changed Everything
Before making the leap, I interviewed several entrepreneurs. One piece of advice stood out: “If you’re thinking about becoming an entrepreneur, decide if this is the experience you want and go into it with eyes wide open. If you seek intense personal growth, where you’ll confront fears, challenge limiting beliefs, and work harder than ever, entrepreneurship is the way to go. It will be one of the hardest things you’ve ever done.” Since I’m always up for growth from the inside out, I thought, “Let’s do this,” and waited for the conditions in life to be right to make the leap.
Embracing Change and Growth
After leaving my job last June, I spent quality time with my family and indulged in some much-needed goofing off (highly underrated, by the way). Knowing I wanted to impact people positively, I enrolled in the Deepak Chopra school to learn formal coaching methodology and earned my NBH-WC certification. I also completed their Meditation Teacher Training.
Key Takeaways:
The Value of Proper Coaching:
Proper coaching involves asking the right questions to empower others, not just giving advice. I used to be like Michael Scott from The Office, offering tips and tricks as well as quality laughs (e.g., “that’s what she said” jokes) to alleviate stress when I could have been like Mr. Miyagi from The Karate Kid, providing the right kind of environment to learn and then patiently guiding people to be their own best inspiration.
The Power of Regular Meditation:
Consistent meditation has improved my emotional regulation, problem-solving, and overall health. I’ve lost 65 pounds in the last year. There was a lot more to this, but I strongly believe regular meditation played a huge role in my physical transformation. Who knew sitting still could have such an impact?
New Skills in Action
Starting AZ Soul Retreats, I faced unexpected hostility when reaching out to a fellow business owner for network referrals. In the past, this might have deterred me and majorly bummed me out, but my daily meditation practice helped me stay grounded and on mission. Meditation: 1, Hostile Competitors: 0.
Building New Ventures
In the past year, I’ve started two businesses. One runs relatively outsourced. The other, a larger endeavor, is only four months old and is called AZ Soul Retreats. The joy and satisfaction from seeing people’s lives transformed via many of the same lessons I’ve learned in my journey have been beyond any corporate accolade. Being part of others’ honest and vulnerable personal development is where I want to spend my time, no doubt in my mind.
For anyone contemplating a similar leap, gather and deploy these skills now. Don’t wait. They will serve you no matter what your path forward. Entrepreneurship is a big decision, and self-awareness is crucial. If you need help, let’s connect, share stories, and support each other.
Interested in taking that entrepreneurial leap but looking for guidance? Schedule a call with Michelle for a customized retreat tailored to entrepreneurial guidance!