Not all people are created for life outside corporations or large companies, but if you think about it, more than one genius has disappeared in the abyss of companies. Someone leaves and returns after six months, someone leaves and returns from time to time in order to learn something new and raise their status and recognition, and someone leaves and never returns. The latter are much smaller than those who return back to the bosom of the mother ship. After some time, all the bad is forgotten and only the good is remembered. And in order to remember exactly why you decided to embark on a free voyage and why you like it, you need to write down the lessons learned and highlight the pros and cons.
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Michael Brown, Founder Brainzooming.com , shares his twenty-five lessons that he learned after two years of living outside the corporation.
Lesson #1. People's priorities change quickly, especially within large companies. The situation will change in a matter of seconds, while employees of large companies may not even notice these changes. For you, as a seller, this can be a crushing blow.
Lesson #2. Working hours within corporations are filled with numerous meetings, sometimes quite significant in time costs. You will be surprised how much free time you will have for other, more productive things.
Lesson #3. Since you are your own boss, keep experimenting with prices and other marketing tools all the time.
Lesson #4. Hiring your friends and family members is a good start for your business, but it's not enough for successful development.
Lesson #5. Get out of the office from time to time and meet other people — new meetings, new ideas.
Lesson #6. Do not underestimate the potential of social networks for business development. Otherwise, you'll have to play catch-up.
Lesson #7. Give preference to unique opportunities with high risks, instead of settling on something standard with low risks that seem more profitable.
Lesson #8. R.E.M. did things their own way, at their own pace and in their own personal style. This is a fairly reliable and long-term business strategy.
Lesson #9. There is no complete certainty that your constant absence from home will make your soulmate's heart beat more often. But being together 24 hours a day clearly doesn't add to the passion.
Lesson #10. If you are ready to follow what you believe in, you will definitely be in the right place and with the right people.
Lesson #11. When you work for a large company, the last thing you will want most is to interact with a large number of people. When you are an entrepreneur, the situation changes to the opposite.
Lesson #12. Thrift, thrift and thrift again!
Lesson #13. A single-tier cost structure is your direct ticket to losers in the worst case, at best it will lead to stagnation of your business.
Lesson #14. At some point, you have to realize that you are not able to spray yourself on everything until you find balance and peace of mind.
Lesson #15. If in your past corporate world there used to be things (situations) in relation to which you could stay away, then the attitude changes dramatically when you become an entrepreneur — you will no longer be able to stand quietly on the sidelines and observe.
Lesson #16. Do not underestimate the ability to remain calm in all situations — it will be very useful to you in difficult times.
Lesson #17. No matter how difficult it may be, but you should forget about your old business relationships, which are not mutual. And focus on the mutual and bright.
Lesson #18. Sometimes deviate from your main path to establish new interesting acquaintances that might not have taken place if you hadn't periodically made similar hooks. Perhaps meetings with people you haven't seen for a long time will open up new interesting opportunities and prospects. You never know how drastically your life can change.
Lesson #19. Don't sit and wait for someone to decide to do something with you for the company. Just take it and do what you have in mind, even alone.
Lesson #20. No matter how important your close-knit team is to you, sometimes you need to monitor the reaction of strangers — this will give you a much more accurate perspective.
Lesson #21. There's nothing wrong with taking the risk that what you've been trying so hard to avoid will suddenly hit someone else. You can't keep up with everything.
Lesson #22. Life can be just incredible if you let it be like that. Very often, the incredible materializes because you try not to follow the beaten paths. It is we who make it incredible.
Lesson #23. Stepping back is pretty easy. But if you still decide to retreat, do it consciously, and not on a second impulse.
Lesson #24. You need a specific business model, not just a big idea. It can support you for quite a long period of time. Ideas should be constantly updated. Constant updating of ideas without a clear business model for a long period of time can simply wash you away without the possibility of recovery.
Lesson #25. Wait for the maturation of the business model.
These were the lessons learned by a person during 2 years of his life as a private entrepreneur. They do not pretend to be perfect, after all, this is a subjective opinion. But perhaps it at least partially coincides with yours. Or it will help you find your way and make the right decision.
Life is multifaceted and it hides a huge number of possibilities that we didn't even know about before. Why not take a chance and try? Especially if there are people nearby who are ready to support you.
