Don’t let the lack of a degree hold you back from beginning your entrepreneurial journey. Yes, many professionals need a college degree. I want my surgeon, primary care physicians, and chiropractor to have degrees. I’d expect my CPA, massage therapist, and hairdresser to have the right licenses. But don’t let lack of education deter you from quitting your day job. If you can perform the work, you have the knowledge you need.
In her book, Clay Water Brick: Finding Inspiration from Entrepreneurs Who Do the Most With the Least, Jessica Jackley speaks of her battle with insecurity, imposter syndrome, and feeling undereducated. She reassures us with her tale of Sarah, a chicken farmer from Ghana. Jessica was meeting with Sarah to find out how she was using her microfinance loan. Sarah gives Jessica a tour of her chicken coop. Then they sit down for tea.
Jessica asks how Sarah knows if she’s making a profit. Sarah could not read or write, but she developed a simple accounting system that involved moving cups on a shelf that represented her chickens and feed inventory, a sort of abacus. Sarah knew how to measure what was essential for her business. The secret? Make sure more comes in than goes out. Sarah was successfully supporting her family and growing her business.[i]
“No amount of education will necessarily make you feel that you are ready to start something new.”
– Jessica Jackley, Co-Founder of Kiva
If you have a marketable skill or product, you HAVE the education you need. You can do this!
How bad do you want it? In life, you usually get what you want most. Do you want a cheeseburger, or do you want to lose weight? Do you want to further your education or quit your day job?
What do you want and why?
Speak confidently about your dream. Don’t say, “I can’t.” Try saying, “I can’t yet.” Proceed with intention. Look for new ways to move forward. Don’t say, “If.” Ask, “How?” Move your dreams from theory to strategy.
Don’t Compare Yourself to Others
It doesn’t matter what your neighbor is doing; this is your entrepreneurial journey. You can succeed, and you will, in your way and time. Don’t compare yourself to your friends or other companies. Don’t detract from your big goals by thinking they’re smaller than someone else’s success.
“Ignore the hype of the startups that you see in the press. Mostly, it’s a pack of lies. Half of these startups will be dead in a year. So, focus on building your business so you can be the one left standing.”
– Jules Pieri, Co-founder and CEO of The Grommet[ii]
Be Self-Motivated
Why did you start? Is that still the case? Then break down your barriers. What impulse do you need to control? Does your motivation outweigh the urge? Make it. Set goals and seek feedback. Believe that you can grow.
“Athletes who believed that their ability is fixed also believed that their performance would stay relatively the same over time, no matter how hard they tried.”
– Gary P. Latham, Professor of Organizational Effectiveness[iii]
What satisfies and fulfills you? Are you motivated by an intellectual challenge, helping others, or independence? Is it money, fame, power, social interaction, or creative expression?
Think about and strive to understand your career motivation. Then create an environment in which you will thrive. What motivates you? How can you work with your intrinsic motivation?
Be Gracious
Who comes to mind when you think of someone gracious? Is that who you want to be? Be kind, tactful, and grateful. Don’t hurt others with thoughtless words and deeds. Leave the world a better place because you have walked in it.
At the same time, don’t expect everyone to understand your mission; they won’t. Don’t try to educate and inspire everyone around you to think the way you do. They won’t. Don’t drain your reserves, forcing other people to change. Let your grace carry you past it. Find those who have the same worldview.
Be Grateful
Most of us focus on one aspect of our life or work that’s going wrong and forget to appreciate what we do have. I believe you cannot be happy unless you are grateful. When I call my mom to vent, her advice is, “Focus on the good.” Do you have good health? A caring family? Be grateful if you have a place to live and clothes to wear. Be thankful if you have hot water and electricity—food on the table. Be grateful any time you get to give back to those who don’t.
Entrepreneurs have many reasons to be grateful. You choose where and how you work. Not everyone gets to work for themselves or determine their coworkers. Be thankful for customers and clients who allow you to do what you do. Be thankful you chase your dreams and choose whom you want to be.
If you started this journey to have more time with the most important people in your life, take that time. Go out to lunch with a friend. Chaperone your child’s field trip. Take a Pilates class in the middle of the day. Go shopping on any day other than Saturday. Be grateful.
Be grateful that you get to do what you love. Even on the most challenging days, weeks, and months, saying thank you and doing kind deeds for someone else will bring you joy and keep you going in your freelance journey.
“Dear entrepreneurs, you can start a thousand businesses, launch 100 projects, and take dozens of companies public, but you only have one shot at being part of your kid’s childhood. Your kid doesn’t care about your platform, they care about your presence.”
– Jonathan Acuff, New York Times Bestselling Author of FINISH[iv]
Be Optimistic
You might already be an optimist. Note these statistics from the Small Business Administration:
- Four out of five establishments that started in 2016 survived until 2017 (79.8%)
- From 2005 to 2017, an average of 78.6% of new establishments survived one year
- About half of all establishments survive five years
or longer
- About one-third of establishments survive ten years or longer.[v]
Being optimistic will help you be creative and confident. Optimists take risks. Risk-takers have higher chances of significant returns.
Be future-oriented. Keep thinking about what you want the world to be like in the future, and keep reiterating goals to get you there.
Ban Defeatist Language
Defeatist language sounds like: “I’ll never be good enough. Why can’t I get anything right? Why does this always happen to me?” Silence your inner critic. Ban the toxic words in your head. You wouldn’t choose friends who speak so harshly, don’t allow yourself to. Fill your repertoire with positive affirmations.
| Not This | This |
| I’m too young. | I have enough experience. |
| I’m uneducated. | I have the tools to keep track of the measurements that are important to me. |
| I just do freelance design on the side. | I am an entrepreneur. |
| I’m not good at that | I haven’t learned x yet. |
| I should | I will. |
| I need to | I get to. It is important to me that… |
Now that you are taking your freelancing seriously, are getting out of your own way, and are successfully making the transition from employee to entrepreneur, you’ll need to rally the team that will ensure your success. You may need funding and to choose a location. Section five will help you put it all together.
*This blog is an excerpt from Terra’s book, Flex the Freelance: An Unconventional Guide to Quit Your Day Job.
[i] Jackley, Jessica. 2015. Clay, Water, Brick : Lessons From Entrepreneurs Who Do The Most With The Least. New York: Spiegel & Grau.
[ii] Medium. 2020. Ignore The Hype Of Startups — Jules Pieri, Founder, The Grommet — Inspire 99. [online] Available at: <https://medium.com/@inspire99info/ignore-the-hype-of-startups-jules-pieri-founder-the-grommet-inspire-99-5889e05cf481> [Accessed 24 April 2020].
[iii] Latham, G. (2007). Work Motivation: History, Theory, Research, and Practice. Sage Publications, Inc.
[iv] Acuff, J., 2018. Twitter. [online] Twitter.com. Available at: <https://twitter.com/JonAcuff> [Accessed 24 April 2020].
[v]Sba.gov. (2019). [online] Available at: https://www.sba.gov/sites/default/files/advocacy/Frequently-Asked-Questions-Small-Business-2018.pdf [Accessed 31 Dec. 2019].
