It was after the birth of our first of three daughters nine years ago in which I came back to corporate life after a soul searching maternity leave. It took one week upon my return to know that this wasn’t going to work. The late nights reporting to foreign affiliates, the glass ceiling I kept banging my head against, with the early mornings and zombie evenings.
So I said to my boss Stick It!
Family comes first. I didn’t want to be the one hating myself 20 years down the road for not spending enough time with my family. To come home every night to the comfort of TV and sodium infested food to nourish my spent soul.
So I took the plunge. Yes tons of naysayers warned me that I was crazy and I was going to fail. I recall that look on my husbands face when I told him that I wanted to start my own business. Yes with a baby, mortgage and absolutely no clients. I didn’t know how it was going to work out all I knew is that I was a fighter and I was going to succeed! He trusted me and today’ he’s one of my greatest supporters.
My overflow of referrals go to other women in business building their own practice. Here are my keys to getting what I have:
- treat everyone, yes EVERYONE!!!, like a million dollar client
- Be helpful in doing what’s best for someone not what’s best for you
- Stick with clients that respect you. They’ll bring more good quality clients.
- Stay away from energy suckers that only look to jump ship for the next lowest hourly rate on the block. They just aren’t worth your time and energy.
- Most of all have fun. If you’re not then it’s not worth spending eons of time trying to convince yourself it is. Go find something else that lights up your passion.
So there you have it. A short and sweet reason why I’m in business. So will you have the courage to tell your boss to Stick It and pursue your passion?
Cheers!
Hello Jennifer,
I findi myself in the same situation as you were 9 years ago. I am a CPA a d am going to take the plunge and open my own firm. I too have no clients to begin with, so I won’t be quitting my job just yet. How did you start getting yourself clients? This seems to be my biggest challange. While working I think I could handle about 4-5 good quality clients. Your insights are welcomed.
Amer Sheikh
CPA, CGA
Brampton, Ontario
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Good question Amer! You are the third one to ask me how to get clients. Therefore stay tuned to Part 2 of the blog. In short getting good clients is easy. There is lots of demand for a good business advisory. What’s hard is getting Good clients. I would’ve to connect more. Feel free to follow my blog π
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Please pardons my spelling. Darn auto correct on a tiny iPhone!
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I have just recently started my own bookkeeping business after a similar situation. I am so happy I did! Things are going well so far and I look forward to the future. Thank you for the inspirational words and guidance in your story!
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So glad you found this inspirational! If you need any free advice about virtual paperless bookkeeping feel free to ask! I’d love to have you as a blog follower π Cheers Jennie
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