Entrepreneur transition

How to prep for the leap

After two decades in the workforce, Ohio businesswoman Deborah Wasylko found herself faced with the prospect of having to move to keep her job. She concluded that she had a choice: continue her corporate career or become an entrepreneur.

“I decided to start a corporate gift company, because that’s what I love to do,” says Wasylko, the founder and president of Baskets Galore, which creates gift baskets for corporate clients. “It was my opportunity to re-engineer my career and follow my passion.”

As of 2014, there were more than 29 million small businesses in the U.S., up 6% from 2010, according to the U.S. Small Business Administration.

1 Talk with other entrepreneurs

The best way to prepare for the jump from a corporate job to calling the shots is to talk with those who have already made the transition.

Ask other entrepreneurs how their roles in corporate America prepared them, or failed to prepare them, to run a small business. What do they wish they had done differently? And, most importantly, would they do it again?

2 Identify your resources

Consider getting a small-business mentor from SCORE, a free program supported by the SBA that connects seasoned professionals with small-business owners. A mentor can help you turn your understanding of corporate goals into a business strategy by clarifying your vision.

Wasylko particularly appreciates having learned in the corporate arena how to remain calm in the spotlight, giving presentations in front of executives or large crowds.

3 Prepare yourself for uncertainty

Being an entrepreneur involves higher highs and lower lows than working in an office.

Brainstorm ways to keep yourself grounded in the face of uncertainty. After JJ DiGeronimo transitioned from Silicon Valley startups to running a consulting firm for women in tech fields, she found she had to redefine what success looked like.

After years of identifying with her title and salary, she found herself in a role that emphasized the significantly less concrete objective of personal and professional growth.

4 Network, collaborate, repeat

In a corporate environment, you’ve likely already dipped your toes in the networking pool. Take advantage of those connections before you leave your 9-to-5. Contacts and resources may prove invaluable; plus, you never know who may become a client.

Networking groups also provide a partial replacement for one of the major benefits you'll lose after leaving your job: colleagues.

“When you go off and work by yourself, sometimes you need that energy,” DiGeronimo says.