3 Helpful Hints to Make the Transition from Corporate Employee to Business Owner Work

If you are thinking about leaving corporate life in favor of starting a landscaping business, you are probably wondering about how to make the transition. Corporate life is financially and personally predictable—you know the hours you will be working, the salary you will earn, and the responsibilities and tasks required of you. As a business owner, most of that predictability goes out the window, but you gain flexibility, freedom, and control.

Still, the transitionary period requires some adjustment. Here are three tips to make it go more smoothly.

Build a Foundation

In the early stages when you are just starting a landscaping business, you need to set a strong foundation on which you can continue to build your business’s success. There are many reasons to work for yourself and own a business: pride in accomplishing things for yourself each and every day, excitement of building something that is bigger than yourself, and passion for creating opportunities for people around you.

Additionally, increasing your income is a common goal for business owners. In order to make the transition from a set salary to a varied income—at least for the first few months—think about what you will get from an increase in your income down the line. How will more income make a difference in your life? Will it affect the amount of time you can spend with family or hobbies? Will more money give you the freedom to take vacations or send your children to college?

Consider the ways that income will help fulfill you and then set your goals based around that fulfillment. Next, write these goals down and refer back to them often. The money itself may not be the motivation, so make sure to keep your eyes on the things that come with it.

Get Motivated

The idea of owning your own business is no doubt exciting, but it is not unusual for that excitement to wear off for some owners. Transitioning from a stable salary to less predictable earnings can be a cause of stress; in addition, as owner, you lose the security of having routines and a boss telling you what needs to be done. Taking responsibility for the business is empowering because you are the one in charge, so it is important to get motivated and stay that way!

Self-motivation is an important trait in a leader and business owner. Surely you have decided to leave your job to own your own business because the things you don’t like about corporate life outweigh the things you do like. Latch onto the goals you made when you got started and remind yourself of them whenever you need a boost of motivation.

This self-motivation is helpful in keeping your eyes on the big picture, both financially and personally. Remember that you will not have a multi-million dollar business overnight, so staying motivated to work hard is essential.

Find Support

As important as it is to be self-motivated, you cannot expect to do everything on your own. Make sure that you have a strong support network behind you, or starting a landscaping business may become overwhelming. Find people who will support you—a spouse, family, friends, business associates, or anyone else you trust—to help you navigate the transition into business owner.

Many aspiring business owners choose to invest in a franchise instead of starting a business on their own because a franchise comes with a built-in network of support. U.S. Lawns, the #1 commercial landscaping franchise in the United States, has a development team whose sole job is to support the franchisees. The members of the development team have an average of 20 years of experience in the green industry as well as an intimate understanding of what is takes to start and expand a landscaping business, so their expertise is invaluable to franchise owners.

U.S. Lawns franchise owners get the support they need to transition from corporate life to business ownership. When you are starting a landscaping business there is no reason to go it alone. Join U.S. Lawns.