From Employee to Entrepreneur with Regina Lawrence
When it comes to entrepreneurship, no one does it quite like my dear friend Regina Lawrence. Regina is a lawyer turned soulful business and life strategist who has cultivated a community of women who can be all the things - successful, spiritual, sexual, and wildly unique. As a business owner of 3 different companies, Regina knows a thing or two about the transition from employee to entrepreneur.
In this blog article, I’ll share her suggestions for creating a smooth transition from employee to entrepreneur, increasing your chances for the success of your new company.
After you’ve been employed for a few years, you probably have job security, a regular income, benefits, and a bright future. Even so, you may want more out of life, and starting your own business may be the way to get it. However, moving from employee to entrepreneur requires planning, a clear understanding of your career objectives, and confidence that you can do the job as an independent business owner.
1. Think like a business owner
As an employee, chances are it was your job to accept management’s decisions without questioning the reasoning behind them. According to Regina, when you become a small business owner, it’s up to you to set the goals, create the plans to help you achieve them, and then do the necessary work. This includes creating work for yourself daily. The days of just showing up are a thing of the past.
2. Get used to more work and longer hours
Employees have a work schedule. They enjoy weekends, vacations, sick days, holidays, and three-day weekends from time to time. You don’t. As an entrepreneur building a business, prepare yourself to work longer hours to add value to your company. On the other hand, know when to say “no” to things. Not all work is worth it.
3. Expect to do it yourself
As an employee, you could depend on others. As the owner of a start-up, you fill every spot of a business. Start-up entrepreneurs wear a lot of hats. Chances are you’ll undertake a lot of different business activities, so learn to shift gears quickly during each workday.
4. Use breathwork
As a Breathwork and Sound Healing Practitioner, Regina has experienced firsthand the positive impact breathwork can have on success as an entrepreneur (or employee). Breathwork helps put the brakes on acute stress response and diverts the health problems associated with chronic stress. By eliciting the body's relaxation response, deep abdominal breathing helps reduce blood pressure and clears the mind. And let’s be honest– with a clear mind, we can be unstoppable.
If you’re interested in learning more about Regina’s breathwork teaching practice, visit her website HERE.
5. Learn how to fill space
As an entrepreneur who has grown her business from 1 to a mighty team, Regina has learned a lot about being a leader. Her biggest piece of advice: learn how to fill space for your team. There’s a certain way of holding space for your team as a business owner that requires understanding, patience, and the desire to help develop. In the end, it’s not just about hiring the right talent, but about developing and retaining the right talent, too.
Developing and retaining employees starts by really checking in with them. As questions like: how are you doing? How are you feeling? How stressed are you? How can I help you? Do you enjoy the work you’re doing? And most importantly, treat them the way you’d want to be treated.
Jumping from employee to entrepreneur may be a leap of faith, but it’s faith in your ability to achieve business success. Follow your dreams and have faith in your ability to do the job right. To hear more of Regina’s wisdom, stream the podcast episode!
