Changing from being an Employee to being an Employer

Are you ready to change?

 Story By WACEKE NDUATI OMANGA
 Saturday NATION

Today I want to address you, that person who is employed and is thinking about going into business, and you, that person who may have just left employment to start a business.

Many people want to go into business. They have certain beliefs, and delusions, about running a successful business. Many want to escape the “restrictions” that employment supposedly imposes, such as the freedom to spend time as they wish and the ability to earn millions in a month.

I want to share with you what I have learned along the way while running my own business in the hope that you will avoid some of the expensive mistakes that many have made.

• 1 The networks you had while in employment are not necessarily going to carry forward into your business. When I left employment, I was working for a prestigious bank.

I assumed that the clients I had then would cross over with me into my small business. They did not. The clients associated with the brand that was behind me, i.e. the bank. When I left the brand, they could not be bothered. I have met many people about to make this mistake. Do not assume that because you are good at your current job, clients will jump into your boat.

You have to be prepared to build a new network and to prove yourself all over again under a new name. Even your close family and friends may very well not become your clients, so do not depend on that. Maybe before you hand in your resignation, see if your proposition is strong enough to attract one or two independent clients who are not associating with you because of the company you work for.

• 2 You will be kicked out of your comfort zone. The lifestyle you had when employed will not be sustainable when in business.

Be ready to not be able to hang out with your friends that much. You will be tempted to show everyone that you are doing well by continuing to live the way you did before. Many times people spend money to accommodate the image and comforts they had while employed. They get an office in the right location with a receptionist and messenger and establish an entertainment budget even before the first client walks in.

They then kid themselves that the money will come. Six months later when reality hits, they have to let go of the support staff they surrounded themselves with. When you are starting out, focus only on the necessary things needed to run the business. Let all other things be dictated by the actual growth of the business.

You may not even need an office to begin with. Be prepared to be the messenger, filing clerk, and sales and marketing executive all at once. You will not have that free time you dreamed about. A day will come when you have Sh200 in your bank account and still have to keep moving.

This process is about character building and if you are not ready for your character to be challenged, reshaped, and transformed through trials, then business is not for you. The character that is created as you are shoved out of your comfort zone is what is needed to support the growth of your organisation as you build it.

Do not look at a person who has been in business for some time and start comparing yourself or live the life they are living. They have walked a journey of 1,000 miles to get there.

• 3 You will fail if it is only about the money. Two people can start a butchery in the same location. One thrives, the other does not. Why? Because of the motive behind the business.

One is in it for money and the other because he actually likes what he does and enjoys serving people. He will naturally spend more time learning about it and put up proper structures to make the business more efficient. Being passionate and purposeful about what you are doing gives you the “staying power” required to get through the hard times.

Entrepreneurship, at the end of the day, is a fantastic journey; you only learn once you are in it. There is no guarantee that can be provided to you from the sidelines. Commit to the learning process, aware that not everything you plan may come to pass.

The biggest question I think people need to ask is, “Am I ready to change?”