You think you can own your own business? Really?

You REALLY Want to be an Entrepreneur?

Day one.

It feels phenomenal to go after your dreams and pursue your passion in life. When you leave your job, everyone reaches out to you at first, congratulating you, celebrating with you and telling you how proud of you they are. Don’t be surprised if you’re told that they actually envy you and wish they could do the same, but they just don’t know what they want to do…survey says – this is the most popular answer. They provide examples of how you are going to succeed and that they’re extremely proud to know you and how inspiring you are. Expanding on their congratulatory words, they also provide the sentiments “if you need any help” dot, dot, dot. The dot, dot, dot is finished by many words like…tasting the tequila we’re developing, (who doesn’t like some good tequila)…to helping to pick out some beautiful women to help promote the brand or just sharing our social media pages, website and brand. I appreciate it and the support that you get in that first week, makes you feel completely invincible walking down a path towards success and greatness (crowd cheers).

Day one spreads out like a blanket over an entire week and people text you, message or email you and ask how it feels to not be at the job. You’re on an absolute high because you did what most people haven’t had the brazen ability to do (ok,the balls to do)…fire their boss and skip their happy asses out of their employer’s office. That feeling is incredible, trust me. It’s surreal and it becomes even more intense depending on the length of time that you were with the company. The weight of stress that was constantly perched on your shoulders instantly evaporates and it’s a feeling like nothing else in this world. Personally, it felt like for the first time in a decade I could finally breathe, smell the air and take a big whiff of what life smells like! It smelled like freedom. The freedom to structure my day the way I wanted to and to answer to me, only me and direct my life towards an Oscar-winning performance. Yes, this was a day and week of celebratory accomplishments and frankly, I enjoyed every moment of it. You begin to think about all the great things that you’ll have the time to get done. Working out, focusing on better eating, household maintenance and improvement all while working on your business around the clock without any distractions or stress of your day job. Such a great plan, but sometimes plans don’t quite go the way they’re intended…

Here’s what happens after that first week when the world continues on its normal routine without you. You don’t have income coming in on a weekly or bi-weekly basis any longer so the luxuries that you were accustomed to, are gone. No more going out to eat or taking that shopping trip to buy something that you didn’t need, but makes you feel damn good to pick up. No more impulse spending either, as you have to think about the business and your living expenses. Everything is calculated. When you own a business, before YOU eat, the BUSINESS eats. You begin to feel the stress of succeeding, paying your bills and providing for your family, if you have one. Throwing away fruits and vegetables brings aggravation like never before, as that’s money down the drain…if it looks remotely edible, it’s getting eaten. You slightly begin to feel doubt and it doesn’t take long before questions start bouncing around in your head. Did I make the right decision? Did I entirely think this idea out and plan accordingly? Do I have enough money to pay my bills and invest in my business?

Your new daily structure carries an odd feeling with it as well. Working in the corporate world, I would typically get up before 6 am to get ready and get on the road to work. No more of that damn long drive, (a goodthing – crowd cheers again) but my internal alarm clock still rang and woke me up at my regular time. My office is now in my house, but my body and mind was still on that schedule that I had for over a decade of working in the corporate world. With this new work structure, at times, I’d lay in bed tired, not ready to get up and trying to strategize my day in my mind, but the feeling of insecurity and uncertainty would sometimes overpower my positive thinking and planning. Questioning yourself usually starts out with a slight tone, but begins to get louder by the day. At night, doubt screams at you through a blow horn. This leads to many sleepless nights being anxious about the unknown future ahead and as much as people say to control it, you just can’t. Turning your mind off is an extremely difficult thing to do. I’ve read books about it, tried meditating, yoga and reading before bed, but when your brain wants to conversate about all the unsureness of being an entrepreneur, it wins every time. Counting sheep like in that mattress commercial? Yeah right, that’s a fairy tale and it’s never worked for me. Have you ever functioned after 4 days of minimal sleep? It’s not fun and sometimes you feel completely useless from being tired, because of the lack of sleep. You become unstable, irritable and then the real moments of doubt seep in the cracks of your cranium. You start to question everything in subtle moments of panic and have to constantly remind yourself that everything will work out, but it takes effort and everything has to be planned with precise decision. You quickly learn how to make a dollar out of fifteen cents and problem solve to stretch it even further.

Now let’s talk about those friends, acquaintances and family members that say they’ll help you in any way that you need. Some do, but some don’t, so take it with a grain of salt. Everyone wants you to succeed, well I would say most do, but you’re very much on your own. The other thing to be aware of, are the people around you that want to support you, but don’t really want to do anything tangible to support you. As an example, some people do not want to buy anything from you, but, they want the freebies or the hook up. Now, in some ways, as this is the day and age of social media, supportive people can get a freebie and the only thing they would need to do, to support, would be to post a pic of them with the item that they got for free, easy, right? I have given out several t-shirts, willingly, to those who have said that they wanted to support and have asked just one simple thing, send me a picture of you in the t-shirt. I’m trying to build a brand, a lifestyle label, and a movement so, I post these pics on social media with a tagline “R U Living A Teeqlife?”. Simple and not much to ask of, right? I have received a number of pictures, but, the number of pictures I have received, definitely don’t match with the number of shirts I’ve handed out. Love that support, isn’t it grand?!?! I have simply stopped asking for a picture. I understood that when I took this leap of faith, that it was me working with my business partners and the bulk of it was on my shoulders, but damn, can a brother just get a picture? People take selfies all the time, especially women and that’s when more questioning comes up in my mind. Is my logo, my brand ambassador, my trademark that’s on the t-shirt THAT bad? Maybe it’s horrible and they don’t want to be seen in it? Perhaps that’s the reason. Could it be something else and they just don’t want to tell me? You can start to feel insecure about everything. There are also the people that said they would purchase a t-shirt (at a reduced price) and never circled back around to get one. Yes, they said they want to support in any way and yes, it’s bothersome but again, you can’t put too much stake into it, you have to just keep pushing forward. An entrepreneur is a strong person that realizes they have a need inside for something greater than themselves. We are willing to sacrifice today to have the life we always dreamed of tomorrow.

I’m not writing this to be negative, I’m writing about my experience and giving you some insight to what could happen when you fire your boss and work for yourself. The novelty and newness of what you are trying to achieve and the business you are trying to build wears off with people. It makes sense though, as we all get caught up in our own lives, but when you “make it” people come out of the woodwork extending a hand. Is that for a handshake to congratulate you or for something else? You start off getting a ton of likes on your social media pages from your friends & family, but then that tapers off. The “checking on you” calls or emails, fade too, as if they have been swallowed by quicksand to never be heard from again. Again, you have to remain strong as you are in it for your own personal satisfaction, not of others. Your social life may change as well, so be prepared. Most people don’t understand the entrepreneur lifestyle and it becomes slightly awkward to have conversations about work. We have been trained by society to go to school, get a good job and work our way up the corporate ladder. You are going against the grain of what society deems regular, when you start working for yourself, so be prepared to receive many different types of reactions from people. Your close circle starts off by consistently asking how it’s going and what’s new, but then that goes away just like everything else. What it boils down to is, they mostly can’t relate and honestly, slowly you begin to not be able to relate to them. Most do not know what it’s like to not have a boss and to have their livelihood determined solely by themselves. You begin to become thankful that you are able to make your own decisions and not sit in meetings all day long that often don’t resolve a single damn thing. The complaints that people have about their jobs turn from funny to flat out uncomfortable to sit through. I admit, I never thought that I would take this step, but I knew it was the right thing to do for my happiness and quest for something more fulfilling. The amount of the people that I know that complain about their job is staggering. Are they just victims? Perhaps a very slight few of them are but, I believe there are a substantial number of people that are really unhappy and if the right opportunity came along, they’d jump at it. Others can’t because they are a chained to the income they earn. I am now silent when people talk about buying expensive things. I often think, are they preparing themselves for the future? We have learned over the years, from many reports that at any point in corporate America, a job can be over and come to an end without a hint of notice and I’ve seen it happen time and time again. I think we all have. One single life event can change everything in the world that you know. I have learned to just enjoy the company of people without any expectations, but the moment that they want to talk about what I am doing or how to help them find their passion, I want to help. I enjoy seeing everyone succeed and follow what their heart desires in life. A good question to ask yourself is, do you see yourself retiring from where you currently work? It’s truly something to think about.

The bottom line is, I’m doing this to prove something to myself, not to others, but I hope that people see what I am doing and it inspires them to simply begin to think. It’s tough being on your own, not knowing if your brand will take off or if you’ll be able to earn a living from it. It’s not for the faint of heart at all. It’s a daunting task to ignore everyone and everything around you to push forward, even when you don’t have any gas left in your tank. It doesn’t matter if you are sick, tired or broke, you find a way to make it one more day, to grab more attention with your voice and get your brand noticed, by any means necessary. It’s a love that I have never had, but one I seek, it’s a love that few understand. The are a few members of this prestigious circle that enjoy life by the pursuit of finding their purpose in life. Ok, so there are more than a few that own their own businesses, but hopefully you get the point. There are hard times, ups and downs and before you get to the finish line, you may have many sleepless nights, many defeated days, many hungry moments and times where you don’t know if you’ll be able to pay the bills. And then something magical happens…

One day, from out of nowhere, you are presented with a sign. A sign showing you that where you are, is where you were meant to be in life. A sign can manifest itself in various ways and I have had many indications tell me that this is what I am supposed to be doing. Signals in the form of people noticing what we are doing and contacting us or coming into my path to travel along on this journey with me. People that are just as hungry as I am and want that sweet taste of entrepreneurial success as well. They seek that same independence, freedom, and self-satisfaction of being their own boss, just like you. With these people coming into your life, you find that your circle of friends begin to change and you should willingly accept it. Surround yourself with like-minded people that treat your dreams as if they were their own and vice versa. Surround yourself with the visionaries and doers, as these are the people with the will and drive to make something impossible, possible. When this happens, the ball really starts rolling, so be prepared, for success can take off without warning. When you are gaining attention, the vampires come out too, wanting a piece of the pie with you, so you have to be careful and trust your instincts. This is your business so don’t hold back, stick to your guns and stay on course. The wrong people in your circle can negatively impact your goals, so just always be aware and don’t be afraid to voice your thoughts.

In all, it can be a magnificent journey, being your own boss, entrepreneur or self-employed. Whatever you want to call it, or terminology you want to use, it’s the same message. You are responsible for your own success and what you put into it, you will get out. It may not be in millions, hell, the business may not succeed, but what you learn from it will hopefully help you in your next venture. I believe firing your boss is a lot like moving out of your parents’ home for the first time and I don’t mean going away to college. What I’m talking about is when you finally move out for good and enjoy that freedom, it’s hard to move back in with your parents. Trust me, I know firsthand since, I’ve had to move back in with them in the past. It wasn’t a great experience, but it taught me that I was going to do anything that I possibly could to succeed and earn enough to where I could move out again and stay out. The same principle lies here, the average entrepreneur works 16 hours so they don’t have to work 8 hours…for someone else.

I hope that this small glimpse of me walking away from the corporate world, to a world of entrepreneurship, helps to paint the picture of what you may experience if you choose the same route, to pursue your dreams. People will think you’re crazy, especially when you walk away from a seemingly stable job, great money and everything else that comes with a corporate position, but remember, it’s your life. Plan for the worst, work hard to attain the best and focus on your present steps to get to the platform that you want to be on. Write every single thought you have down and set goals for yourself. Thoughts will come often, at odd times, so if you think you can remember every single one of them, you’re dead wrong. I take notes of everything on my phone, in different folders and make sure that I back them up. If you’re old school and want to use a pen and pad, go for it, but just make sure you constantly write those thoughts and goals down. You never know when genius will strike, so always be prepared for it so you don’t lose out on an opportunity. This is one of the most important pointers that I can give you, for now.

I’ll continue to share my story, as I go along, so you can be the co-pilot on my flight into this entrepreneurial world, so be sure to check back often. Also, follow us on any of our social media platforms and our YouTube channel.

Live Life, Love Life, #Teeqlife