“Nothing would have changed if I hadn’t gotten comfortable with being uncomfortable.” How this entrepreneur knew it was time to quit her day job

Like many entrepreneurs, Jamelia Donaldson created her business to solve a problem. As a Black woman in the U.K., Donaldson had trouble finding quality products for her naturally textured hair and was spending a lot of time and money shipping products from U.S. vendors.?

She came up with the idea for Treasure Tress, a monthly subscription box service to give women and girls in the U.K. the opportunity to discover and try different products for hair with natural kinks and curls.?

While working a full time corporate job to keep herself financially stable, Donaldson spent early mornings, late nights and weekends executing her business plan. She was successfully building a company while simultaneously running herself into the ground. Eight months in, Donaldson says she reached a breaking point and felt “completely burnt out and overwhelmed.” She realized she had to make a choice between her corporate job and her passion project.?

Donaldson faced doubts and pushback from friends and family, including her mother who said to her, “It took me about 20 years to earn the salary that you’re earning as a graduate. How can you just give that up?”

Even though she felt “terrified of the financial implications,” Donaldson took the leap and handed in her notice. “I decided to go all in on entrepreneurship, and it changed everything.”

Her decision paid off. Donaldson says the feedback she sees from Treasure Tress customers really proves the gravity of what she’s doing and the impact it’s making.?

Tune in to this episode of Catalyst to see how Jamelia Donaldson became a beauty industry disruptor and what valuable lessons she learned in the process.??

Have you ever tried to start a business while holding down a full time job or have you left a stable salary to pursue a passion project? What did you learn in the process?

We want to hear from you in the comments!?

And Subscribe to Catalyst for more stories of people whose journeys were shaped by setbacks:

More entrepreneur stories: Sandra Velasquez ? Adrian Solgaard ? David Simnick ? Patrice Banks

Stories on getting feedback: Saori Kawano ? Sarah Robb O’Hagan ? Meghana Dhar ? Megan Piphus Peace ? Angie Nwandu ? Lizzy Talbot

Stories on finding your true north: Matt Sharp ? Lina Taylor ? Jim VandeHei ?? Ken Oliver ? Dr. Carl Allamby ?Rae Wynn-Grant

Stories on standing up for yourself: Julia Stewart ? Martinus Evans ? Dr. Sian Proctor ? Dr. Mona Hanna-Attisha ?? Jane Turner ? Cheryl McKissack Daniel

Stories on managing burnout: ? Gregory Littley ? Ajay Kori ? Craig Kramer