Hey #flashers,

Something life-changing is happening in my life.

I have made the decision to leave my corporate day job to pursue freelance writing full-time!?!?!?!

Let me just preface this by saying, this decision is not a “leap of faith.” It’s been very well calculated and contemplated. I’m already 100% certain about it, not jumping with my eyes closed praying it will work.

You see, I built up my writing business from scratch. I sent out cold pitches like there was no tomorrow. And really, it’s just a numbers game. For however many pitches you send out, you can expect a percentage of them to return lucrative contracts. Knowing that, I can say with 100% confidence that I can absolutely do this from here on out. I made it happen and I can continue making it happen.

In fact, at the moment, the work is coming in faster than I can keep up with it. I’ve been using nights after the kids go to bed and weekends to keep up and those hours aren’t enough anymore. I’ve got referrals and contracts coming up out of the woodwork that are keeping me especially busy and are a surefire sign that I’m onto something here…

Nights at the computer

The hardest part about all of this though is, my corporate job is amazing. I have so many good friends there. And the company I work for is beyond amazing. We win awards for being an amazing place to work. There’s nothing like it. And yet, I’m leaving it.

If I hated my job or where I worked, it would’ve made this decision a lot easier. But the fact that I love it, and I’m stepping out of an esteemed manager role, makes it much harder. It’s not a celebration from that perspective.

And I sure am going to miss my employees. They are the best of the best!!!

Silly pranksters!

So, why am I leaving then?

I know that I have heaps of talent inside of me that’s not being used to its full potential. I know I have so much more earning potential being on my own as well, instead of the standard 3% raises from now to eternity. I know I have so much more inside of me to give the world!

I am heeding a higher calling.

My freelance writing niche is health and fitness writing, and now I get to write about what I love. It’s so fulfilling. Dreamy really.

And being location-free? Such a relief! I can write from my back porch in the sun, from the Caribbean, or a semi if I want to (this might actually happen). I can have lunch with my son at school or take my daughter to a movie on a Tuesday morning if I want to. Freelance means freedom. And let’s not forget to mention the gas and stress saved from driving through sheets of ice and layers of slippery snow 30 minutes to and from work every day. Whew!

There are certainly some parts of corporate that I will never miss either, politics and extreme temperatures and parking frustrations and such. Also, even though my workplace is exceptionally stable, as employees, we’re always at the mercy of our employers. We could be unemployed in a heartbeat. But with freelance, I get to take complete charge of my future!

 

#corporatelife

I’ve also discovered and have been nurturing this special entrepreneurial spirit inside of me. Even though my grandparents owned a business, I never really thought I had it in my blood. But the more I get into it, the more I feel like it’s been hiding there in plain sight all along. And now I almost don’t understand why I, why anyone, would not want to be an entrepreneur!

I just saw a post in one of my Facebook groups today that researches predict 50% of the workforce will be self-employed by 2020. That’s really incredible! That’s only three years away! Things in this world are changing! And I’m sure glad I can change right along with it.

I also just know deep down that this decision is the right one. That God has made this all possible for a reason. And I have heaps of support behind me. Absolutely no one gave me the “get real” speech or the side eye. Instead, everyone was asking, why haven’t you left yet? Or telling me they wish they could do the same.

On the personal side, Hubster took a job truck driving, so it makes a lot more sense for me to be home since he can’t be. And when Rayna was born, I wanted more than anything to be home with her. I half-jokingly begged Hubster to get a better-paying job so I could stay home. I tried network marketing. I tried all different things to be able to stay home. Then, I dug into freelance writing in a really strategic way. And now I finally get to be.

And just writing that brings grateful tears to my eyes.

My heart, right there…

So, what does that mean for this space?

Well, this is my business now! So expect to see a lot more from me. I have several digital programs in the works. I have lots of freelance post ideas either started or written down, so I can share my secrets with you if you have the freelance bug too. And surely there will be more Kid Entrepreneur Series, Change Your Life on Your Lunch Break and Backyard Nature Notes series posts in store for you.

And since it’s so fresh and I’m personally doing it right now, I thought I might add a free course on how to transition from corporate to self-employment as a freelance writer and share how I did it in just 5 months!

So tell me,

Would a free program about transitioning from employee to self-employed be of interest to you? 

Any other questions you would like to pick my brain about?