Have you ever wanted to start your own business? Be your own boss, brand, and the ultimate decision-maker. Perhaps open your own restaurant, start a jewelry line, website, clothing brand or some sort of online marketplace for your idea or service?
I always did and now that I’m technically a full time ‘entrepreneur’ after quitting my day job focussing on my blog and Savvy Sleepers satin pillow cases; I wanted to share the journey in a short instagram diary how you can do it too. Beware: It’s 10% fun and games. The rest is stress, late nights and lots of work. But if you’re doing what you love, it doesn’t matter.
1. Why Education Matters? ~ I majored in journalism and PR at California State University, Chico and lived in this 6-bedroom party house with pink shutters on the corner of 3rd & Ivy. It was during my senior year in my upstairs bedroom, I decided I wanted to start my own business one day. Use your education, college degree or expertise to handle those aspects of your business. Then reach out to friends & family for what you don’t know. For example ~ My biz partner, The City Supply Co. designs all my graphics and my younger brother, Drew, a business major handles Excel and shipping. If you try to do everything, it can be very overwhelming.
2 . The Not-So-Sunny Side of Starting a Business ~ The pic above is last fall when I received my first samples of Savvy Sleepers. After sifting through hundreds of satin blends and choosing the most luxurious for hair & skin; I was so excited it was all coming together. BUT the hardest part of starting a business when you have a day job is balancing both.
The reality: Without my office job I’d had since fresh out of college, I couldn’t buy clothes, pay my rent or have any savings to invest into my biz. Plan ahead, use all your spare time on your new venture and buy a Nespresso machine because Starbucks isn’t open at 11 pm when you need a boost to stay up until 3 am before waking up for your day job. Also, if you’re in the beginning steps of starting a biz looking for funding, check out kickstarter.com.
3. The Un-Glamorous Side of Quitting Your Day Job ~ Once I had the pillow cases ready to be sold, styled this fun photo shoot and officially launched; I thought everything would be easy. Wrong. It takes marketing, SEO, social media, networking and of course sales. By January of this year, still nowhere near enough monthly revenue to quit my day job; I realized I needed to focus completely on my blog and Savvy Sleepers. This means I’m on a major budget. Hence, the heavily H&M influenced outfits lately.
4. Expect Freak-Out Moments ~ When you quit your day job, the stress of your new business is amplified because that direct deposit every other week is o-v-e-r. So when a last minute ‘crisis’ arises like needing to package 80 Savvy Sleeper press kits 30 minutes before guests start arriving at your launch party; hopefully you’ll have trusted friends and family who can help you in a jam. Try to stay calm, organized and always have an in-depth spreadsheet keeping track of every cost. Shopify has been an amazing ecommerce platform with great customer service. I call them all the time.
5. My #1 Tip if You Want to Start a Business ~ First: Don’t quit your day job! Balance both until you’re finally ready. It took me over a year to that point until it wasn’t possible to do both any longer. Next: Plan a wise exit strategy unlike I did. Talk to HR. Understand when your benefits end (you don’t want to be without health insurance). Be prepared to negotiate so you don’t make mistakes mentioned in the new book, Lean In, written by Facebook’s COO Sheryl Sandberg. Finally, celebrate with champagne on your 1st official night as your own boss. But take it easy because if you wake up the next day hungover, guess who is going to be disappointed, unproductive and letting down the company? 
Thanks for following my instagram small business diary and if you have any questions and want to share your business dream, please share below.
~xoDale
Ready to #SleepBetter? Order at www.savvysleepers.com
Wow, how inspiring! Love this post, so helpful and full of valuable tips. I wish you nothing but luck as you embark on this new journey!
Keep calm and carry lipstick.
Thank you for being so honest!! I am literally in the middle of quitting my day job and just started my own business! Icouldnt be more scared/excited all at once and Im sure you know all those feelings!! I am so thrilled to be my own boss but terrified that it wont succceed or that ill mess up along the way but i have to try and know if it will work or not! Best of luck to you on all your endeavors!
You have great tips! Congratulations on making your business happen.
This is really inspirational but also honest! Congrats on being your own boss! That’s a dream of mine one day.
Erica
sweet-endeavors.blogspot.com
Wow, you are so inspiring! Some people can only dream of doing something like that but you had the courage to act upon it. Your hard work will pay off as long as you’re doing something you love. That photo with all your family and friends helping pack boxes sums up the entire experience for me. My parents started their own business, reading this brought back a lot of memories of my childhood spent helping out. Thanks for the inspiration Dale.
xx Jenee C.
{camo meets couture}
What an inspiration you are!!! I resigned from my job last September, but unlike you, I still have a boss, I am working from home. Hopefully I can save up and follow my dreams to becoming an awesome entrepreneur like you! Oh and the sleepless nights and lots of work do not seem all that bad as long as you love what you are doing and it is a business that you can truly call your own. Thanks for these tips! You are awesome! =) =) =)
Love this post, you are so inspiring! I love the way you have been realistic about all the hard work too…but I bet it’s worth it in the end!
heart this dale!! i’m so happy and proud of you
!!!
holy shizz that group photo of you on the bed. omg you look SMOKIN’ HOT! i mean seriously stunning!
yes!! definitely keep me updated would love to meet up.. excited to see you as an engaged women.. and then as a newlywed hehe ;p
Dale, this was excellent doll. It is not easy starting a new business. People come up with ideas, but there are so many steps in between that one must do. I am so happy and proud of you. It’s a GREAT product! Everyone I’ve talked to that bought it LOVES THEM, including myself. You keep hanging in there! You will do well!
All so true. I definitely loved reading what you had to say because I know that you know this from first-hand experience. And I think you’re doing a great job with SS. I really enjoyed the launch party. Being that I live in the bay area, let me know if you ever need my help with anything! <3
Wow I must say its so inspiring that you went ahead with such a big goal and just did it. Quit your day job and started to do something you love, really that is just so so inspiring to me.
Love this post. It’s honest and so true! As a corporate drop-out turned entrepreneur myself I can attest to the late nights, endless 7 day a week work and lack of (gulp!) reliable, steady income. But it’s so worth it! I love what I do and won’t dream of going back. As they say entrepreneurs work a few years like no one else wants to so they can live the rest of their life like no one else can.
This is great, and it was a brave, exciting move you made.
You are so brave, honest, and inspiring, Dale! I’ve been thinking of “doing my own thing” for awhile now, but am taking my time to pay off my debts first while working towards my dreams. I really appreciate your honest advice and guidance and the resources you have provided. I will definitely be looking into Kickstarter. What a blessing you are to me! Have a wonderful weekend, love!
Pink Carnations
Thank you so very much for this post! It was the most inspiring, and realistic, post on starting your own business that I have read. I am also in the transition stage too, getting started on those 1-2 years of very hard work…while balancing a day job…but I just know that it will be worth it! Thank you again this post really influenced me greatly at a deeper level.
xoKatie