What’s it like to jump from a steady 9-5 to entrepreneurship?  Today’s guest blogger, Nakeva Corothers, explains her journey to full time business owner.

When I say the word entrepreneur, the names of people like Oprah Winfrey, Bill Gates, Warren Buffet or Colleen Payne-Nabors come to mind. I have a contact list of friends and local connections that are working on their own clock. I come from a family that has entrepreneurial spirit and yet our name is not known in many households.

Over the last few years, I have spent time finding the niche that works best for me, to bring something of value to others, and call it my own. The interesting challenges along the way have always been that I worked a typical 9 to 5 job, building a company for someone else with no real sense of community and team as it should be in corporate America. The time presented itself to go from Cubicle 9.5 to Entrepreneur 24.7 and start building on my ideas full time, and put my style and goals front and center.

What is it like going from that employee to entrepreneur? The first thing I learned is time management, communication, and marketing ideas are now my friends, and not that thing I do when I have time. It is completely liberating. To make things work in my favor and not get caught up in so many details or give way to fear, I focus on what I have right in front of me which starts with the brand of my name. I was already communicating with people who could use my services of photography, PR, and social media; however, associating these assets to my name in the local community is now a different value. I’m now free to make calls, return emails, answer questions, and arrange business lunch meetings because my time and my calendar are my own. If I have that midnight brainchild idea spark up a fire, I can act on it and lay the ground work immediately rather than jot down a few notes and hope I remember the fire by Saturday afternoon when I “have time.”

The tools I use to manage my time and reflect on getting things done are now 100% viable to a daily and weekly routine that doesn’t require a manager’s approval or disapproval. I know where my time goes and its easier to make adjustments for what was productive versus what didn’t work in a given week. Time spent on social media sites is now more calculated and insightful. Connections made with new followers and friends is now about both business and fun with a touch of learning. Going from the 9 to 5 job and working for myself is a pressure relief and a daily life lesson!

Of course, its no walk in the park when you think of the taxes, forms to start your business as an LLC or just a sole proprietor, finding insurance, healthcare, business plans, and all the new things that are now “all on you;” there is no HR department. There are so many ways to get things done that are also attached to so many fees, prices, and payments for a small business owner it almost makes you want to run back to the safety of the cow herd cubicle!

How do I get through this? I have a network of friends in social media and locally that I contact to say what I’m doing and get their real life experience and opinions. I mix online time with offline time and realize that networking events now promote business and establish new contacts. Networking is not just to meet with friends or get out of the house. I have learned more in the last few weeks than I have learned in the last ten years just from the people in my social network. Being your own boss has the potential you give to it and is not directly dependent on what someone else chooses for you to build.

The entrepreneur life is 24/7 where you succeed and fail based on your own actions. I like knowing that there is no one over my shoulder to poke at me when I’m down or feed me a list of what they think is the path to success. As a new entrepreneur I look forward to every day building on ideas, serving people, growing a network of believers, and dishing out my own actions toward an end that brightens my vision on life.

About The Author

Nakeva Corothers, Photographer/Social Media PR

A magnetic personality and artistic state of being, Nakeva Corothers is the creator of Nightlife PR, a website covering DC events with a focus on the nonprofit and charity scene.  Nakeva Photography is her business in lifestyle, commercial and social media photography. With a niche in building new media strategies through PR, social media and photography, Nakeva has developed her technical skills with social awareness that resonate success as an entrepreneur.  Visit her website NakevaPhotography.com or contact her at 240.489.2865

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